Tuesday, June 27th 2023, 5:20 pm
As Oklahomans prepare for the hottest day of the summer, Oklahoma City is calling on volunteers to map how heat affects different communities.
The city is asking for 350 volunteers to participate in a national study of the urban heat island effect.
“The urban heat island effect can actually make it between 7 to 20 degrees hotter on the same day just on a different part of town,” says Associate Planner for the Office of Sustainability, Sarah Terry-Cobo.
The effect, she says, is caused by what environment surrounds a community.
“Buildings with glass and steel and hard surfaces,” she said, pointing to several factors. “That reflects and radiates and it concentrates that heat.”
It may include areas with less shade and more pavement.
“There’s going to be more heat in downtown as opposed to a place like Mesta Park where there are a lot of trees,” she explained.
The city is looking for volunteers to drive with predetermined routes with heat sensors on their vehicles.
The sensors are provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. OKC is one of 18 cities to receive the grant.
There will be 35 routes that are 10 to 15 miles each. The city hopes volunteers will traverse those routes 3 times a day.
“One in the early morning, like a baseline,” said Terry-Cobo. “Once in the hot hot part of the afternoon, three [to] four o’clock in the afternoon and then once in the evening 7 [to] 8 p.m. to see how the heat has dissipated.”
The data is meant to then help understand the causes. Terry-Cobo hopes to have solutions to bring before city leaders.
“What are the priorities? What are some of the things that we can do right away to help those that are most vulnerable,” she said.
Those priorities could involve planting trees, building shade, or providing additional places to cool.
To volunteer to participate, click here.
Colby Thelen joined the News 9 team in 2020, and he co-anchors News 9 This Morning on weekdays. He has a passion for storytelling and is especially drawn to stories that highlight conservation and culture. Some of Colby’s favorite projects have been traveling to Africa and Mexico with the Oklahoma City Zoo, highlighting their different conservation efforts.
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