City of Grand Junction Publishes Urban Heat Island Report

The City of Grand Junction has received the final heat maps from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign conducted in July. The city joined a group of 16 other cities interested in participating in the campaign, including three other countries. The campaign's objective was to map heat distribution of near surface temperatures inside city limits.

Grand Junction's campaign occurred over two days, and 48 volunteers participated in data collection. Eight routes were outlined across Grand Junction city limits. Half of the 32 routes were driven using electric vehicles. On Saturday, July 20, volunteers were able to collect morning and evening data; however, due to afternoon showers, the data was not viable and needed to be recollected on a drier, hotter day which was rescheduled to occur on Wednesday, July 24.

Most notably, the report revealed that at certain points in the day, the temperature within city limits can range up to 13.8°F depending on the location. Areas of vacant land or dense urban areas with industrial land use, like streets, parking lots, and buildings, can concentrate and create pockets of extreme heat. In comparison, green spaces and areas with denser urban forest canopy maintain cooler relative temperatures throughout different times of day.

Other results included:

• The maximum temperature recorded during data collection was 103°F.
• Areas with parks and many trees were noticeably cooler during the day, especially Sherwood Park, Lincoln Park, and Columbine Park.
• Plots of vacant land with few trees, like Matchett Park, tend to concentrate heat throughout the day and into the evening.
• Dense urban areas with industrial land use and very few trees and green spaces create pockets of higher temperatures.
• Areas like the Redlands are much hotter in the morning, while bare ground near the airport tends to stay in the middle of the temperature scale throughout the day.

Concentrated areas of urban heat can impact the health and resiliency of the community. Local urban heat data can help identify people and places at the highest risk of extreme heat and help identify appropriate intervention strategies and policies. Urban Heat Island Report

In addition to the published report, on EngageGJ.org community members can review resources on heat islands, learn more about the project, and digitally plot points on a city map to suggest focus areas where the city should consider ways to impact heat.