The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has selected Oklahoma City along with 17 other communities to participate in the 2023 NOAA Urban Heat Island (UHI) mapping campaign. Pending City Council approval, the campaign will kick off this summer, with volunteer citizen scientists using heat sensors mounted on their cars to map the hottest parts of the city, known as urban heat islands. NOAA says previous campaigns have yielded positive results, with cities using the heat island data and maps to implement strategies such as tree planting, locating new public transit shelters for cooling relief and developing heat action plans.
