Hot, But Not Advisory Hot

Yes, it was hot today. And the oppressiveness came late and continues late into this summer evening. Make no mistake, if you don't have air conditioning, you're not a happy puppy.

The NWS issued a heat advisory today. A portion of the official wording from a statement issued at 10:09 a.m. read as follows:
 

... Heat advisory remains in effect from 1 PM this afternoon to 8 PM CDT this evening... temperature... in the mid to upper 90s this afternoon. The combination of hot temperatures and humidity will make it feel like 100 to 110 degrees.

Let's put the advisory to the test. The official high temperature at MSP was 93, not the middle to upper 90s. The highest heat index reported through 9 p.m. was 98. Not once did the heat index register in the predicted 100-to-110 degree range. One could even argue that the worst of the heat actually occurred from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., but that would be splitting hairs.

A busted advisory? We think so. It's tempting to say, "Well, it was hot enough, so what's the difference?" But if that's the case, what's the point of issuing an advisory in the first place?

Do you think the concept of issuing a heat advisory has merit? Let us know your thoughts.