As the Earth gets warmer, the best days might just be the “zero” days, at least according to a new metric from California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced the launch of CalHeatScore, which his office describes as “a cutting-edge tool to forecast and rank heat severity risks and connect Californians with available resources to stay safe during extreme heat events.”
The system relies on a 0-to-4 ranking system, with zero indicating “no elevated community risk of heat-related illness.” Days that earn a four ranking, by contrast, gain the classification of “severe,” which means extreme heat and significant risks of illness.
A map shows those risks, with darker shades representing the highest scores.
“Every single preventable death is one too many,” said Yana Garcia, California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection, in a statement. “This groundbreaking tool will help Californians plan and respond so they can stay safe when a heat wave is about to strike. And it will shore up the state’s all-in fight against the very real dangers that climate change keeps bringing to our doorstep.”
The launch of the new mapping, public health and communication tool was attached to the announcement that the state will spend $32.4 million to help 47 communities in the state protect their residents against heat waves.
Both the funding and the launch of the new scoring system stem from Newsom’s “Extreme Heat Action Plan,” backed by more than $37 billion in proposed spending.
The statement says that between 2013 to 2022, about 460 people in California died in seven “extreme heat events,” which also sent 5,000 to the hospital.
CalHeatScore — the California Communities Extreme Heat Scoring System — traces its roots back to at least 2021, when state insurance officials advised the state to build a ranking system that would better clarify heat-related risks to residents.
Newsom is no political pal of President Donald Trump, and in the announcement about the launch of CalHeatScore, the governor’s office mentioned federal cutbacks to weather monitoring as a reason such a tool is needed.
Those cutbacks have sparked potentially corrective action in other states, too.
Not only that, but climate change has resulted in roughly similar warning systems in other areas of the country, including New York state, where the Department of Health recently debuted an interactive dashboard for heat-related illnesses. Dashboards, in fact, stand as increasingly popular ways to let residents know when heat waves become dangerous — which in turn helps to drive business in government technology.
CalHeatScore does more than rate the hottest days. It can provide information about nearby cooling centers, according to the governor’s statement, along with tips for staying safe and how to recognize the signs of heat-related illnesses.
“California is taking aggressive action to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat and build resilience in our most vulnerable communities,” said Samuel Assefa, director of the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, the agency overseeing the funding, in the statement. “With lives on the line each summer, the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program will provide critical infrastructure investments in heat-vulnerable communities.”
*This article was originally published by Government Technology, Industry Insider — California's sister publication.
California Counters Extreme Heat With New Ranking System
What to Know- The ranking system forecasts heat severity on a 0-4 scale, helping residents plan and respond to extreme heat events and connects them to safety resources.
- California will allocate $32.4 million to assist 47 communities in mitigating heat wave impacts, a part of the state’s broader Extreme Heat Action Plan.
