Durham Reporter

County of Durham issued the following announcement on Feb. 2.

According to the National Weather Service and the CDC, extreme heat causes the most weather-related deaths in the United States. In the South, we are used to hot summers, but we are likely to see more hot days, more heat waves, and more warm nights as the effects of climate change are increasingly felt in our region. 

In order to better understand urban heat and how it affects the Triangle, in July 2021 over 150 community volunteers in Raleigh and Durham County spent a day collecting data for the Urban Heat Island Temperature Mapping Campaign, a citizen science project to generate maps showing the areas’ urban heat islands (UHI). 

On Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 6.p.m, project partners will host the Raleigh/Durham HeatWatch UHI Data Release, a public webinar to introduce these maps to the community. At this webinar, representatives from the North Carolina State Climate Office, Museum of Life and Science, City of Raleigh, Durham County and CAPA strategies will present the data and discuss efforts to mitigate heat islands. 

Register for the webinar here.

On hot days, there can be large temperature differences between different neighborhoods of a city. Factors like tree cover and amount of impervious surface can determine how different areas experience heat. The UHI Mapping project helps project partners and communities understand where heat islands are located, so that heat mitigation strategies can be identified and deployed, and residents who are most vulnerable to heat impacts can be connected to services.

“Having detailed maps showing what areas of Durham are more affected by extreme heat will make it easier for local government to work with the neighborhoods to design solutions that make sense at the local level,” said Tobin Freid, Sustainability Manager for Durham County. “We need to find ways to reduce the heat islands and increase people’s ability to avoid and combat the stresses brought on by extreme heat.” 

Tackling the issue of urban heat islands fits within Durham County Strategic Goal 2 of Health and Well-being for all and Goal 4 of Environmental Stewardship. For the first time, the Durham County Community Health Assessment from the Partnership for a Healthy Durham includes a section on climate change, with a section dedicated to the impact of extreme heat on our community. This section highlights eight census tracts that have higher risks and exposure to climate impacts due to historic racism that resulted in fewer trees and green spaces, higher percentages of impervious surfaces that retain heat, and higher percentages of people living in poverty without health insurance. Those tracts have 20 percent higher percentage of people of color than the County as a whole. 

Original source can be found here.