Heat in Vehicles Can Become Deadly Quickly

Showers and Thunderstorms from the Southern Plains into the Mid-Mississippi Valley; Record Warmth in the Plains and Midwest

Heavy rain and widely scattered severe storms capable of large hail, damaging winds, and possibly a tornado are expected over portions of the central and southern Plains into the Lower Missouri Valley. Unseasonable warmth will continue for a few more days across the Midwest and Southeast where several daily record highs could fall. Read More >

On a hot, sunny day, temperatures inside a vehicle can become deadly quickly.

Here is an experiment we did at the National Weather Service on a mostly sunny day with a temperature probe in a parked van with the windows closed up. The air temperature was 94 F when the experiment began at 2:09 PM.

You can see that the temperture exceeds 100 F by 2:15 PM, 110 F by 2:28, and 115 F by 2:37 PM. Had this been a car with a smaller volume, the rise would have been even quicker.

The National Weather Service reminds everybody to never leave a child or animal in a closed vehicle on a sunny day. The results can become tragic quickly.