JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new study by Climate Central, which tracks what’s called the Urban Heat Index, has identified several densely populated urban areas around Duval County that are hotter than other spots on Earth.
The UHI looks at the temperature of areas called “heat islands.” Jacksonville is one. It shows more than half a million people in the River City live with a temperature 7.83 degrees hotter than the rest of the planet.
Climate Central Senior Data Analyst Jen Brady said it comes down to people, concrete and a lack of trees.
“In the city, it’s even worse because it’s coming from the cement, the buildings, the pavement and the people. Buses, cars, everything is generating heat,” Brady said. “Air conditioners are spewing heat if you have window air conditioners, so the concentration of this in the cities raises it up to a whole different level.”
Brady explained that if you hear it’s going to be a 95-degree day, in the areas where a lot of concrete absorbs heat, it could feel more like a 100-degree day.
Among major metro areas in the U.S., Jacksonville ranks 54th hottest. Larger cities like New York and San Francisco sit atop the list.
Within Jacksonville, the Downtown Core, where around 11,000 people live, is the hottest, around 9 degrees hotter than the average.
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A map put out by Columbia University shows a similar trend with the largest swath of heat north of Church Street in downtown.
Brady said this is indicative of a national problem for what are called Redline neighborhoods that have higher populations of minorities with older infrastructure or large roads like highways running through. These areas tend to be the hottest spots in cities.
“They did find overwhelmingly that was the case,” Brady said. “It’s really how the neighborhoods were developed. Were they able to put in trees, parks, take in consideration the environment around them?”
News4JAX reached out to the City of Jacksonville about this study and this was their response:
The Deegan administration is actively focused on mitigating extreme heat to keep the public safe.
Here’s a snapshot of the many things we are working on right now.
Both the natural and the built environment plays a significant role in exposure to heat, and also our ability to cope with extreme heat. We do have heat islands in Duval County and the worst of these are in the Urban Core 32206, 32208, 32209 and 32254 (based on data from the HHS Heat-Health Index).
Our Resiliency, Sustainability and Health teams are focused on multiple ways to reduce the impact of heat on the community. For example, the City’s Cooling Centers, splash pads and community pools throughout the county allow people a vital respite from the heat.
The Deegan administration is also focused on a long-term strategy to mitigate the effects of heat. This includes a number of measures, such as the expansion of urban forestry to lower temperatures, along with installing lighter-colored, more permeable pavement to reduce heat absorption and lower surface temperatures. Permeable surfaces can substantially reduce the impacts of heat islands and can minimize flooding with reduced storm water runoff, preventing the overloading of sewer systems as well.
We are also working on piloting green roofs and green walls on city buildings, and other initiatives contained in the city’s Resilience Strategy.
City of Jacksonville
For more results from the Climate Central report, click here.