Technologies

This Free Heat Warning System Could Help You Prepare for Dangerous Summer Conditions

The risks of heat are only growing thanks to lasting heat waves, extreme nighttime temperatures and unusual humidity, like the current «corn sweat» in the Midwest.

A massive heat dome is gripping much of the US again this week, with the Midwest facing a brutal combination of scorching temperatures and stifling humidity due in part to so-called «corn sweat,» or the extra moisture crops release into the air. This added humidity is pushing heat indexes well above 100 degrees across parts of the Corn Belt and beyond, compounding the risks for millions under excessive heat warnings and advisories.

The extreme heat bearing down across the US this summer can have a serious impact on public health. Excess heat can exacerbate common health conditions, but it can also mess with your air conditioning, overheat phones and cause meltdowns for other tech. If you live in an area at risk for extreme heat, or know someone who does, you can sign up for a free alert system to help you prepare. The HeatRisk tool from the National Weather Service can send personalized warnings straight to your inbox, giving you advance notice when dangerously high temperatures are headed your way.

HeatRisk is free to use and you’ll want to keep tabs on it to avoid heat safety issues, such as heatstroke, dehydration or fatigue. Here’s how to use it and why you should.

Read more: This CDC Tool Can Help You Track Heat Risks on Trips and in Your Area

What is NWS HeatRisk?

NWS HeatRisk is a clickable map of the US, which is used to forecast extreme heat and assess the impact of that weather on public health. You can click anywhere on the interactive map and pull up a seven-day forecast of risk assessments for any city, town or area.

The threat assessment is built on a five-level system that’s color-coded for severity, with green representing little to no risk and magenta representing the highest risk. The map will display a seven-day forecast for anywhere in the country, along with the color of the health threat level.

The system also considers how unusual the heat is for your area, how long the heat is expected to last and how it could affect people who are more vulnerable, such as older adults, kids or outdoor workers.

Read more: Super Common Health Conditions Can Make a Heat Wave More Dangerous: Here’s How to Prepare

Threat colors

NWS HeatRisk has five levels, each with a different color that corresponds to the size of the health risk:

0: Green

According to the NWS tool, there’s little to no risk involved with the forecasted heat at the green level.

1: Yellow

At the yellow level, there’s a minor risk for people who are extremely sensitive to heat.

2: Orange

The orange level represents a moderate risk to the general public, with potential danger to health systems and heat-sensitive industries.

3: Red

Red means there’s a major risk to anyone without access to immediate cooling and hydration, with likely impacts to health systems and heat-sensitive industries.

4: Magenta

The most extreme level is magenta. It’s both a rare occurrence and one that’s of long duration, with no overnight relief and is likely to affect health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure.

How to sign up for heat risk alerts

To get free heat warnings, go to Heat.gov, enter your ZIP code and sign up for email or text alerts. You’ll get daily updates when your area faces extreme heat levels that could pose a health risk.

Signing up for alerts is a quick step that could help you plan ahead, from adjusting outdoor activities to checking on family or neighbors, or just opting to stay hydrated and inside.

Other ways to track heat risks

Similar to NWS HeatRisk, a tool from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the HeatRisk Dashboard gives you a seven-day forecast to assess the potential health impact from extreme heat.

Data Explorer is another tool from the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, which offers further HeatRisk information and assessment resources for COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Read more: Here’s How to Keep Your Kitchen Cool (and Lower Your Energy Bill) During a Heat Wave

Why extreme heat warnings matter

Summer 2025 has already been a scorcher in many parts of the country. It’s important to stay diligent since extreme heat is the deadliest weather hazard in the US, causing more deaths each year than hurricanes, floods or tornadoes.

The risks of heat are only growing. Heat waves are lasting longer, nighttime temperatures are staying high and unusual humidity — like the current «corn sweat» in the Midwest — can make it even harder for your body to cool down.

Staying informed is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself and your loved ones. Along with signing up for alerts, the CDC recommends learning the signs of heat-related illnesses, drinking plenty of water and never leaving children or pets in cars.

For more ways to stay safe this summer, check out CNET’s guide to the best portable AC units, tips for cooling down this summer and how to make your home more heat-resilient.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Jan. 28

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 28.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Remove from a position of power
Answer: OUST

5A clue: Not cool
Answer: UNHIP

7A clue: «Fine, see if ___!»
Answer: ICARE

8A clue: Kind of bored
Answer: JADED

9A clue: Primatologist’s subjects
Answer: APES

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Kind of board
Answer: OUIJA

2D clue: Prepare to use, as a pen
Answer: UNCAP

3D clue: Desirable place to sit on a hot day
Answer: SHADE

4D clue: Pair on a bicycle
Answer: TIRES

6D clue: ___ Xing (street sign)
Answer: PED

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 28, #492

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 28, No. 492.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Stats about an athlete.

Green group hint: Where to watch games.

Blue group hint: There used to be a ballpark.

Purple group hint: Names are hidden in these words.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Player bio information.

Green group: Sports streamers.

Blue group: Former MLB ballparks.

Purple group: Ends in a Hall of Fame QB.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is player bio information. The four answers are alma mater, height, number and position.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sports streamers. The four answers are Netflix, Paramount, Peacock and Prime.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is former MLB ballparks. The four answers are Ebbets, Kingdome, Three Rivers and Tiger.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends in a Hall of Fame QB. The four answers are forewarner, Harbaugh, honeymoon and outmanning.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Google Rolls Out Expanded Theft Protection Features for Android Devices

The latest Android security update makes it harder for thieves to break into stolen phones, with stronger biometric requirements and smarter lockouts.

Google on Tuesday announced a significant update to its Android theft-protection arsenal, introducing new tools and settings aimed at making stolen smartphones harder for criminals to access and exploit. The updates, detailed on Google’s official security blog, build on Android’s existing protections and add both stronger defenses and more flexible user controls.

Smartphones carry your most sensitive data, from banking apps to personal photos, and losing your device to theft can quickly escalate into identity and financial fraud. To counter that threat, Google is layering multiple protective features that work before, during and after a theft.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

At the center of the update is a revamped Failed Authentication Lock. Previously introduced in Android 15, this feature now gets its own toggle in Android 16 settings, letting you decide whether your phone should automatically lock itself after repeated incorrect PIN or biometric attempts. This gives you more control over how aggressively your phone defends against brute-force guessing without weakening security.

Google is also beefing up biometric security across the platform. A feature called Identity Check, originally rolled out in earlier Android versions, has been broadened to apply to all apps and services that use Android’s Biometric Prompt — the pop-up that asks for your fingerprint or face to confirm it’s really you — including third-party banking apps and password managers. This means that even if a thief somehow bypasses your lock screen, they’ll face an additional biometric barrier before accessing sensitive apps.

On the recovery side, Google improved Remote Lock, a tool that allows you to lock a lost or stolen device from a web browser by entering a verified phone number. The company added an optional security challenge to ensure only the legitimate owner can initiate a remote lock, an important safeguard against misuse.

And finally, in a notable regional rollout, Google said it is now enabling both Theft Detection Lock and Remote Lock by default on new Android device activations in Brazil, a market where phone theft rates are comparatively high. Theft Detection Lock uses on-device AI to detect sudden movements consistent with a snatch-and-run theft, automatically locking the screen to block immediate access to data.

With stolen phones often used to access bank accounts and personal data, Google says these updates are meant to keep a single theft from turning into a much bigger problem.