Map of the 10 localities examined in the “Virginia Heat Watch: Collaboration to assess climate vulnerability at local to regional scales” study. (Map courtesy of Todd R. Lookingbill/Virginia Heat Watch study)
As hot and humid summer weather settles across Virginia, a recent study finds that certain neighborhoods across the state, often with higher populations of people of color, can be up to 15 degrees hotter than other areas. The research cites extreme heat as the cause of “ more fatalities in the United States than any other weather phenomenon.”
“There are differences in all of those municipalities in who is experiencing this heat, and usually it’s the neighborhoods that are least prepared to deal with it, have the poorest kind of infrastructure setup, such as air conditioning units and cooling centers,” said Dr. Todd Lookingbill, a professor of geology, environment and sustainability at the University of Richmond…