Heat mapping study revealed temperatures in eastern Omaha varied by 9 degrees
By Omaha World Herald
Initial observations from a heat mapping initiative on a single day last summer found temperatures in some parts of eastern Omaha were an average of 9.4 degrees higher than others.
Participants in the Urban Heat Watch Project drove specific routes through neighborhoods including North and South Omaha, Dundee, midtown and other areas east of 90th Street on Aug. 6. With heat-measuring sensors attached to their vehicles, they made three passes during the day — in the morning, afternoon and evening. The peak temperature recorded that day was 102.9 degrees.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health and partners in the community gathered the measurements as part of a national effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office to map urban heat islands in cities throughout the country.
DWFI Director of Water, Climate and Health Jesse Bell, also a professor and director of the water, climate and health program in UNMC’s environmental, agricultural and occupational health department, said the measurements are just a starting point.
“We need to do a thorough evaluation and analysis of these results,” he said in a statement. “There is work that needs to be done on understanding the differences we are seeing throughout these communities.”