Salt Lake City's urban heat islands, mapped
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As dangerously high temperatures hit Utah this summer, a new analysis finds Salt Lake's urban "heat islands" (UHIs) significantly exacerbate the weather.
The big picture: Heat islands — hotspots with higher temperatures compared to surrounding areas — are created when roads, buildings, parking lots, and so on "trap" heat.
By the numbers: 64% of Salt Lake residents live in environments where UHIs can amplify summer temperatures by at least 8°F, according to a report by Climate Central, a nonprofit climate research group.
The intrigue: The worst of Salt Lake's heat islands are scattered around the city — deviating from national norms that typically see the brunt borne by lower-income neighborhoods that often lack trees and other plants to cool the area.
Zoom in: SLC's big paved areas are predictably hot — like the industrial parks west of Redwood Road and the big box corridor between State Street and I-15.
Yes, but: Sugar House Park and the surrounding neighborhood was one of the city's warmest areas, Climate Central found.
- The wealthy upper east bench and upper avenues also were extremely hot — likely because of the unobstructed western and southern sun exposure on the steep slopes.
- On the west side, Poplar Grove and parts of the Fairpark neighborhood were especially hot.
Catch up quick: Salt Lake City has in recent years ramped up efforts to plant shade trees in West Side neighborhoods.
Zoom out: Cities are increasingly adding more green space, using reflective paint on roads and buildings, opening cooling centers, and more.
- But their efforts may not be going far enough, as Axios' Jennifer Kingston has reported.
What they're saying: "Urban heat islands already expose residents to disproportionate heat risks and cooling costs, which will only climb as long as carbon pollution drives up global temperatures," Climate Central's Jennifer Brady said in a statement.
Caveat: Scientists factor the heat island effect into their climate change monitoring and projections, and it does not explain the sharp uptick in global average temperatures, melting glaciers, record ocean warmth, and more.