City of Dallas collaborates with NOAA to map heat island areas in Dallas

The City of Dallas will join the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and 18 other communities in the western hemisphere to collect data to map where people are most at risk during extreme heat waves.

Using specially designed sensors mounted on moving vehicles, community volunteers will drive prescribed routes to record ambient temperatures and humidity during three specific times during the day. The City of Dallas Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS) will collect this data on Aug. 5, and is encouraging residents to volunteer for the annual project.

“Without projects like the NOAA Urban Heat Island map, we would not be able to understand our city’s response to heat like we do now,” OEQS Director Carlos Evans said. “This is a great opportunity for our community volunteers to not only learn more about Dallas, but to play an active role in keeping fellow residents safe from the heat.”

Now in its seventh year, the NOAA Urban Heat Island (UHI) mapping campaign addresses extreme heat, the number one weather-related cause of death in the U.S. for the last three decades. Urban heat islands — areas with few trees and more pavement that absorbs heat — can be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than nearby neighborhoods with more trees, grass and less black asphalt.

Volunteer citizen scientists will travel through their neighborhoods in the morning, afternoon and evening on one of the hottest days of the year with heat sensors mounted on their own cars. The sensors record temperature, humidity, time and the volunteers’ location every second.

Residents can sign up to participate here: Urban Heat Island mapping campaign Tickets, Sat, Aug 5, 2023 at 7:00 AM | Eventbrite