California Extreme Heat Toolkit
Extreme heat
Extreme heat is the number one climate threat that people face, it is widespread across the world. In California, extreme heat is usually dry, not humid. In humid heat people must worry about wet-bulb temperatures (which measures the heat and humidity together. Humans sweat to cool down, and if the humidity is too high, you are unable to cool down through sweating.)
Extreme Heat Facts:
- California has a heat assessment tool: cal-heat.org that allows users to understand how extreme heat will impact their specific community within the state. Just type in your city or county.
- Extreme heat has resulted in the hospitalizations of a few thousand Californians and the death of several hundred. (Source: CalMatters)
- Extreme heat causes: Power outages, agricultural disruptions, and lost wages for outdoor workers
- Heat Health Events (HHE) are any heat event that results in negative public health impacts – such as hospitalizations or deaths.
- Extreme heat causes more deaths in the United States than hurricanes, floods, or extreme cold.
- The Heat Island effect is when urban areas that have low biodiversity (trees, shrubs, and other vegetation) but high amounts of cement and asphalt make the temperature in the immediate area get hotter. Urban areas can be 10-15 degrees hotter due to the lack of greenery and shade.
Climate Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Solutions
California’s Plan to Mitigate Extreme Heat
California has a 72-page state plan to address the impacts of extreme heat which can be found here. Page 54 is the beginning of Track D: Nature-Based Solutions. These solutions help to prevent the heat island effect by bringing in more green space to provide shade and cooling.
Adapting for Hotter Days- Climate Adaption and Extreme Heat
There are things that individuals can do to help stay cool and mitigate the impacts of extreme heat. Our toolkit is designed to help Californians improve their Climate Resilience through Climate Adaptation solutions.