New Orleans students more likely to attend school in extreme heat
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As K-12 students head back to school in New Orleans this week, more will be sitting in classrooms in extreme urban heat zones than the U.S. average, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: The heat island effect can make some neighborhoods notably warmer than others, especially during heat waves.
Flashback: Some regional schools started last year with canceled classes because of inadequate air conditioning.
Driving the news: About 76% of public K-12 students in the 65 most populous U.S. cities attend schools where the heat island effect increases temperatures by at least 8°F, per a new analysis from Climate Central, a climate research group.
- Researchers there examined more than 12,000 schools, with nearly 6.2 million students.
- The group's analysis is based on its previous work modeling urban heat zones, as well as National Center for Education Statistics data.
What's next: New Orleans is among cities working to alleviate its heat island effect, with city leaders last year announcing plans to create a heat mitigation plan.