New analysis shows Salt Lake City’s urban heat island hotspots

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — A new analysis of the urban heat island effect found that Salt Lake City residents on both sides of State Street live in hotspots, where it can feel 9 degrees hotter or more on scorching summer days.

Earlier this month, Climate Central , a nonprofit climate science organization, released its findings after mapping where the urban heat island effect is most intense across 65 major U.S. cities.

Using census block data, the analysis estimated the additional heat generated in an urban area considering the amount of roads and buildings, the percentage of green space, and population density. Salt Lake’s wider-than-usual streets were also considered.

In total, the analysis showed that 26,000 Salt Lake residents (roughly 13% of the city’s population) live in areas where the urban heat island effect can feel 9 degrees hotter or more when compared to a less developed area of the region.

The hotspots were spread across Salt Lake. Even parts of the capital’s most desirable neighborhoods, such as Sugar House and the Avenues, were listed as some of the hottest spots. Salt Lake’s suburbs were not considered.

The analysis also matched a recent local heat mapping study in finding that neighborhoods in the historically- redlined west side are disproportionately hot compared to their counterparts east of State Street.

What the map showed is that west side neighborhoods, such as Glendale, are uniformly hot, whereas hotspots in eastern neighborhoods are more limited and surrounded by cooler areas near parks and greenspace.

The coolest spots in the analysis appear in the Highland Park, Sunnyside East, and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, as well as around the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Salt Lake City officials prevously told ABC4 that they are working to bring more parks and trees to the city’s west side. Such green infrastructure works to curb the urban heat island effect, providing natural cooling to residents and workers.

Nationally, the Climate Central analysis found that 33.8 million people, or most residents in the 65 cities studied, live in neighborhoods with “average or above-average urban heat intensity.”

The organization said that understanding the urban heat island effect is important as heat waves become more frequent and extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , an average of 1,200 Americans die each year from extreme heat.

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