There is a >91% risk for school closings for areas surrounding Grand Rapids Public Schools and Martin Public Schools, as well as across Berrien and Cass Counties... There is a 71%-90% risk across the remainder of our coverage area before the risk begins to wane with Northward extent outside our coverage area.
Summary:
Issued at 08/26/2024 8:07 PM EDT
Very hot and humid conditions with heat index values of 105°F or greater are likely across the area on Tuesday. Heat index values may exceed 110°F across Berrien and Cass Counties.
Discussion
Heat indices of this magnitude have the potential to significantly increase the risk for heat-related illnesses, especially in children and other vulnerable populations. For this reason, we anticipate scattered to widespread school closures and early dismissals across West Michigan on Tuesday.
As of writing a few schools have already closed, including Grand Rapids Public Schools, and several more have already announced that they will be dismissing students and staff early.
Schools that do not totally close tomorrow will almost certainly dismiss students and staff early if they have not already announced plans to do so. This outlook and it's associated probabilities account for that line of thinking.
Schools that do not have A/C will be that much more likely to close. This outlook assumes that at least 1 school building in each district does not have A/C for consistency.
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