Getting Started > Step 1. > Step 2. > Step 3. Find existing heat data
Heat Data Resources
Do you need to collect new data?
Before collecting new heat data, it is important to identify what type of data can best answer your questions. In many cases, you may be able to find initial answers to your questions by working with public data that already exists. Working with existing data can also be helpful to better understand the state of the science on heat and extreme weather.
On this page, we’ve compiled some of our favorite resources to answer common research questions. For a more comprehensive list, follow the link below to download our “Heat Data Resource Guide.”
I want to learn how tree canopy in my city is changing
Several dashboards exist to help cities and towns map tree canopy. The Tree Equity Score National Explorer from American Forests pairs tree canopy data with social and economic indicators by census tract. The Landscape: Tree Canopy Tool combines data from several sources to estimate tree canopy and was designed to aid in tree planting campaigns. The Trust for Public Land Urban Heat Island Severity map shows where certain areas of cities are hotter than the average temperature for that same city.
I want to learn more about the connection between heat and health
Start with Heat.gov, which is the official landing page for the National Integrated Heat Health Information System, an interagency partnership focused on heat and health. Heat.gov aggregates active datasets, education, and other information on heat collected by NIHHIS partner agencies. The CDC’s Heat and Health Tracker provides multiple datasets related to the intersection of heat and health.
I want to know more about current and future risk for heat and other extreme weather hazards
For understanding your risk on a day-to-day basis, the National Weather Service’s HeatRisk Tool provides an experimental color-numeric-based index that provides a forecast risk of heat-related impacts to occur over a 24-hour period and forecast data for the upcoming 7 days. The FEMA National Risk Index is an online tool that shows which United States communities are most at risk for 18 natural hazards, including heat. The US Climate Vulnerability Index pulls in 184 sets of data to rank more than 70,000 U.S. Census tracts to help you see which communities face the greatest challenges from the impacts of a changing climate. The NEMAC Climate Explorer allows you to explore how climate is projected to change in any county in the United States.
I want to access weather data and view satellite imagery
The National Weather Service provides weather data to local forecasters, television stations, and your weather app, but detailed maps, forecasts, and data are always available for free on their website at weather.gov. Many State Climate Offices manage a “mesonet” of research-quality weather stations that collect a range of data that helps inform forecasting at the National Weather Service. Find your state climatologist at the American Association of State Climatologists’ website. For national satellite imagery, try NASA Worldview, which is an interactive tool to access NASA satellite imagery.
Looking for more data? Check out our Heat Data Resource Guide!
The Heat Data Resource Guide includes a range of publicly-available datasets on heat risks, tree canopy, risk and vulnerability indices, and modeling and forecasting data. We are providing this list as a service to communities, because we recognize that we cannot provide monitoring support for every community who is interested in extreme heat. Inclusion on this list does not indicate an endorsement of a specific tool or its contents by the CCHM, NOAA, or NIHHIS. This is not an exhaustive list of relevant tools for heat and climate.
Heat science is better together.
The Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring is working towards increasing our capacity to provide consultations and support for community-based heat monitoring campaigns.
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