Boston Heat Resilience Study

In 2021, the City of Boston released a heat resilience study to understand how the city transmits and stores heat. Data was collected over a weeklong period from July 18 - 24, 2019, one of the hottest weeks that year in Boston.

Data from this survey was compiled into urban canopy models. The urban canopy is the atmospheric level where most life occurs -- from the ground to the height of rooftops. These models show compiled hourly data of the urban canopy throughout Boston's neighborhoods.

Explore the maps below to understand heat resiliency in Boston.

The slider below compares the levels of heat during the day and at night. Daytime temperatures were taken at 3pm and nighttime temperatures were taken at 3am. This comparison shows how densely populated and constructed areas retain heat more than less dense areas.

This map shows the urban heat island intensity. The level of intensity is measured when city (urban) air temperatures are compared to the air temperatures of local rural areas. Areas designated red and orange are significantly warmer than nearby rural areas.

This map demonstrates the length of "extreme heat events." Extreme heat events occur when temperatures are over 95 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and higher than 75 degrees Fahrenheit at night. (City of Boston)

The intensity of color correlates with the length of time heat lasts. Blue means extreme heat conditions remained for up to 20 hours, while red means these conditions lasted for over 36 hours. In this map, areas with access to cooling sea breezes or those that are less densely populated have lower durations of extreme heat event conditions compared to more densely populated areas.