Extreme Heat Vulnerability
Southern Nevada has among the hottest climates in the U.S. and has been identified as one of the fastest-warming regions in the country. And recent research predicts the region will experience a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events in the coming decades.
Increasing temperatures in the region are associated with and contribute to a host of negative impacts – from poorer air quality to added wear and tear on infrastructure. But, most importantly, studies have found a clear link between increasing temperatures and increasing heat-related deaths and hospitalizations.
Despite the history of adverse health impacts associated with extreme heat in our region, experts hold that many of these outcomes are preventable. Reducing future adverse outcomes require developing effective and coordinated responses, as well as improving the awareness of public health officials and the general public about the health risks associated with extreme heat. This is especially critical in areas with populations most vulnerable during extreme heat events.
Through the development of a heat vulnerability index and map, the “Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Analysis” identifies areas in the region where populations are at high risk to extreme heat. Click here for the final report.
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SOUTHERN NEVADA EXTREME HEAT VULNERABILITY WEBMAP The Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Webmap visualizes the spatial distribution of extreme heat vulnerability among the region’s population. Red areas represent those with populations most vulnerable to extreme heat. Click below to view the interactive map.
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COMPONENTS OF HEAT VULNERABILITY
While everyone is vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat to some extent, impacts are not evenly distributed. Certain populations are more at risk due to environmental, demographic, socioeconomic, and physiological factors. Current examination and discussion of extreme heat vulnerability center around three components of heat vulnerability, which take these factors into account.
- Exposure to extreme heat – Weather patterns, as well as both the natural and built environments can influence levels of exposure to extreme heat.
- Sensitivity to extreme heat – Demographic, physiological, and health factors may predispose individuals to greater risk from exposure during extreme heat events.
- Adaptive capacity – The ability to prepare for or cope with extreme heat impacts, whether through economic, political, or social resources.
This framework served as a foundation for the Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Analysis. Taking this comprehensive and multidimensional approach to analyzing heat vulnerability that includes social, health, and place-based influences helps ensure the interventions developed as a result will target those most at-risk, while also addressing environmental and social justice.
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Extreme Heat r Southern Nevada Strong
The “Southern Nevada Strong Regional Plan” is a community-driven guide for making the region more livable, prosperous, and sustainable. The “Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Analysis” helps advance several strategies in the regional plan that aim to address the region’s warming climate and the negative impacts associated with it.
The RTC serves as the core administrator of the SNS regional plan. Within the agency, the MPO’s regional planning staff manages projects that both support direct implementation of SNS and provide research and technical assistance to regional partners that assist in their implementation efforts.
Project Documents
- “Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Analysis” – full report (PDF)
- “Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Analysis” – full report (flipbook)
- “Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Analysis: Neighborhood Profiles” special insert in final report (PDF)
- “Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Analysis: Neighborhood Profiles” special insert in final report (flipbook)
- Project Factsheet II: Study findings
- Project Factsheet I: Study overview
- Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability Webmap
Additional Resources
- Heat.gov | National Integrated Heat Health Information System
- Heat & Health Tracker | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- About Extreme Heat | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- “Excessive Heat Events Guidebook” | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- “Link between more frequent, intense heat events and deaths in Las Vegas” | Desert Research Institute
- “Scorched: Extreme Heat and Real Estate” | Urban Land Institute
- “The benefits of green infrastructure for heat mitigation and emissions reductions in cities” | Trust For Public Land
- Climate.Park.Change. toolkit | National Recreation and Park Association
- Climate Change and Health | National Environmental Health Association
- San Francisco Vulnerability to the Health Impacts of Extreme Heat webmap
- Philadelphia Heat Vulnerability Index webmap
Contact Us
Paul Gully
Senior Regional Planner
[email protected] | 702-676-1714