National Weather Service Bakes Biscuits in Parked Car, Issues Warning Ahead of Heatwave

National Weather Service Nebraska bakes cookies in a parked car. (NWS Omaha)

Two-thirds of the United States is going to face a major heatwave in the coming days. Officials in affected areas are issuing warnings to the public as the Northeast and Midwest gear up to be hit the hardest.

The heat index is expected to likely reach 115 degrees in certain regions, reported the CNN.

To reach out to the public with its “stay cool' message, the National Weather Service (NWS) demonstrated the dangers of the surging heatwave by baking biscuits in a car in a parking lot.

“If you are wondering if it’s going to be hot today, we are attempting to bake biscuits using only the sun and a car in our parking lot. We will keep you posted with the progress. Stay cool!” said Nebraska’s National Weather Service on Twitter.

While there are many cookie recipes on YouTube that use solar energy to bake, the NWS’s experiment with four cookies turned on the real heat.

“Biscuit update: had to turn the car around to adjust for the sun angle,” NWS Nebraska said in its next heat safety tweet. “Top of the biscuits are baked but the bottom remains doughy. But more interestingly, the temperature of the back seat in the shade is 144 degrees!”

After eight hours in the sun, the biscuits were somewhat ready and the NWS staff topped it with some DIY festive hats.

“And after nearly 8 hours in the sun, the outside of the biscuit is actually edible. The middle is still pretty doughy though. The max temp on the pan was 185! Also, we made festive biscuit hats.  Stay cool out there,” NWS Nebraska said in the last tweet in its creative heat safety campaign.

What to Do During a Heat Wave

The NWS provides various heat safety resources on its website. Here are the heat safety tips it gives:

• Stay hydrated at open job sites. Take breaks in the shade whenever possible.
• Those elderly should check on those without AC, particularly the elderly and the sick.
• Don’t leave children and pets unattended in the cars. “Look before you lock.”
• “Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.”

The NWS says parents with small children should always lock their cars because, while playing around, children can get inside and get locked in.

“If you have a toddler in your household, lock your cars, even in your own driveway,” said NWS. According to the weather agency, 21 young children died in hot cars in 2019.

National Safety Council says every year 38 children die after being left in hot cars.

Some Heat Safety Apps!

The U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have released a heat safety app for Android and iPhone.

“When you’re working in the heat, safety comes first. With the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool, you have vital safety information available whenever and wherever you need it—right on your mobile phone,” said the Department of Labor on its website.

The tool is available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded here.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has also released many resources on heat safety.