Extreme Heat Warning set for Gulfport after 106°F heat index observed

The National Weather Service scheduled an Extreme Heat Warning for Gulfport from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT on July 28, following hot and humid conditions that produced a 106-degree heat index at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport on July 27.

The airport observation, recorded at 5:53 p.m. CDT July 27, showed an air temperature of 93°F. The National Weather Service forecast and hazardous-weather product identified the heat index at 106°F.

The warning is a location-specific weather hazard notice for Gulfport. It followed a Heat Advisory that was in effect through 8 p.m. CDT on July 27.

Warning follows July 27 advisory

The July 27 advisory and the July 28 warning were separate hazard periods. The Heat Advisory covered Gulfport until 8 p.m. CDT July 27. The Extreme Heat Warning was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CDT July 28 and remain in effect until 8 p.m. CDT.

The National Weather Service product was dated July 27. Its listed warning period provides the next known deadline in the forecast: the Extreme Heat Warning was set to expire at 8 p.m. CDT July 28.

Residents, visitors and people working outdoors were among those facing potentially dangerous heat exposure, particularly because humidity can elevate the heat index. The 93°F temperature and 106°F heat-index reading were an airport observation at a specific time, rather than a measurement for every part of Gulfport.

Forecast conditions remain distinct from observation

The National Weather Service forecast called for continued hot conditions, along with additional chances of showers and thunderstorms. Those forecast conditions were not observations and could vary across the Gulfport area.

The warning does not itself establish that heat-related illnesses, deaths, power outages or other impacts occurred. The available material identifies an immediate weather risk and the periods when the advisory and warning were in effect or scheduled, but does not document such impacts.

This was a single weather event and hazard forecast, not a finding about long-term climate trends or a determination that the heat was record-setting. The documented local measurements were the 93°F air temperature and 106°F heat index reported at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport on July 27.