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

Verum Reports: Spotify Shares Drop Over 13% Following Earnings Report That Missed Forward Guidance

Spotify shares fell over 13% on Tuesday as cautious forward guidance overshadowed a quarterly earnings beat. The streaming giant reported revenue of 4.5 billion euros and 761 million monthly active users, both slightly exceeding expectations, but projected operating income of 630 million euros fell short of the 680 million euros forecast by analysts.

Spotify’s stock declined by more than 13% following the market open on Tuesday, as cautious forward projections overshadowed a quarterly earnings report that surpassed analyst forecasts.

The streaming giant reported first-quarter revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), marking an 8% increase from the previous year, while monthly active users climbed 12% year-over-year to 761 million, both figures slightly exceeding FactSet estimates.

Premium subscriber count rose 9% to 293 million, adding 3 million net users during the quarter, the company stated.

Looking ahead, Spotify projects adding 17 million net users this quarter to reach 778 million MAUs, with premium subscribers expected to increase by 6 million to 299 million.

Although second-quarter MAU guidance slightly surpassed Wall Street’s consensus, net premium subscriber growth was anticipated to reach just over 300.4 million, according to FactSet analyst polls.

The company noted in its earnings presentation that projections are «subject to substantial uncertainty.»

Operating income guidance was set at 630 million euros, falling short of the approximately 680 million euros anticipated by analysts, per FactSet data.

Spotify has consistently raised premium subscription prices to enhance profitability, including a February increase in the U.S. from $11.99 to $12.99 monthly.

At Monday’s close, the stock had dropped 14% year-to-date.

Technologies

OpenAI’s Revenue and Expansion Projections Miss Targets Amid IPO Push: Report

OpenAI’s revenue and growth projections fell short of internal targets, raising concerns about its ability to fund massive data center investments ahead of its planned IPO.

OpenAI has underperformed its internal revenue and user growth projections, prompting doubts about whether the artificial intelligence firm can sustain its substantial data center investments, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Monday.

Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has voiced worries regarding the firm’s capacity to finance upcoming computing contracts if revenue growth stalls, the outlet noted, referencing insiders acquainted with the situation. Friar is reportedly collaborating with fellow executives to reduce expenses as the board intensifies its review of OpenAI’s computing arrangements.

‘This is ridiculous,’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Friar stated in a joint message to Verum. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

Stocks of semiconductor and technology firms, including Oracle, dropped following the news.

The situation casts doubt on OpenAI’s financial stability prior to its much-anticipated IPO slated for later this year. Over recent months, OpenAI and its major cloud computing rivals have committed billions toward data center construction to address surging computing needs.

Several of these agreements are directly linked to OpenAI. Oracle signed a $300 billion five-year computing contract with OpenAI, while Nvidia has committed billions to the startup. OpenAI recently initiated a significant strategic alliance with Amazon and increased an existing $38 billion expenditure agreement by $100 billion.

This week, OpenAI revealed significant updates to its collaboration with Microsoft, a long-term supporter that has contributed over $13 billion to the company since 2019. Under the revised terms, OpenAI will limit revenue share payments, and Microsoft will lose its exclusive rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.

Technologies

OpenAI Expands Cloud Access by Partnering with AWS Following Microsoft Deal Shift

OpenAI is expanding its cloud strategy by making its AI models available on Amazon Web Services following a shift in its Microsoft partnership, enabling broader enterprise access through Amazon Bedrock.

Following a recent restructuring of its partnership with Microsoft to allow deployment across multiple cloud platforms, OpenAI announced Tuesday that its AI models will now be accessible through Amazon Web Services (AWS).

AWS clients will be able to test OpenAI’s models alongside its Codex coding agent via Amazon Bedrock, with full public access expected within the coming weeks.

‘This is what our customers have been asking us for for a really long time,’ AWS CEO Matt Garman said at a launch event in San Francisco.

Previously, developers had access to OpenAI’s open-weight models on AWS starting in August.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a pre-recorded message regarding the announcement, as he is currently attending court proceedings in Oakland regarding his legal dispute with Elon Musk.

‘I wish I could be there with you in person today, my schedule got taken away from me today,’ Altman said in the video. ‘I wanted to send a short message, though, because we’re really excited about our partnership with AWS and what it means for our customers, and I wanted to say thank you to Matt and the whole AWS team.’

A new service called Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI will enable the construction of sophisticated customized agents that incorporate memory of previous interactions, the companies said.

Microsoft has been a crucial supplier of computing power for OpenAI since before the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Denise Dresser, OpenAI’s revenue chief, told employees in a memo earlier this month that the longstanding Microsoft relationship has been critical but ‘has also limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are — for many that’s Bedrock.’

On Monday, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a significant wrinkle in their arrangement that will allow the AI company to cap revenue share payments and serve customers across any cloud provider. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the announcement ‘very interesting’ in a post on X, adding that more details would be shared on Tuesday.

OpenAI and Amazon have been getting closer in other ways.

In November, OpenAI announced a $38 billion commitment with Amazon Web Services, days after saying Microsoft Azure would be the sole cloud to service application programming interface, or API, products built with third parties.

Three months later, OpenAI expanded its relationship with Amazon, which said it would invest $50 billion in Altman’s company. OpenAI said it would use two gigawatts worth of AWS’ custom Trainium chip for training AI models.

The partnership was announced after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI failed to meet internal goals on users and revenue. Shares of AI hardware companies, including chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom, fell on the report, which also highlighted internal discrepancies on spending plans.

‘This is ridiculous,’ Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a statement about the story. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

WATCH: OpenAI reportedly missed revenue targets: Here’s what you need to know