TV Forecasts Use Heat Index To Inflate Climate Fears, Mislead Viewers On Real Temps
How the TV weather 'heat index' became a climate propaganda tool.
by Anthony Watts August 12, 2025, 10:03 AM
Every summer, TV meteorologists across the United States increasingly trumpet the “heat index” as an important headline number. [emphasis, links added]
But that figure — the infamous “feels like” temperature — is a calculated estimate, not the actual air temperature. Its overuse smacks more of sensationalism than scientific clarity.
For example, WFLA in Tampa, Florida, recently announced an all-time record heat index, declaring that “this is the highest heat index ever recorded.”
It wasn’t recorded. It isn’t a measurement. So, that’s false.
The heat index is a formula developed by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) based on Robert G. Steadman’s 1979 paper “The Assessment of Sultriness.” Before that, it didn’t exist.
https://climatechangedispatch.com/tv-forecasts-heat-index-climate-fears/
