New 'heat-mapping' study shows large difference in temps among Houston and Harris Co. communities

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It is no news to anyone that Harris County gets dangerously hot.

However, a new heat mapping study released Tuesday by the Houston Harris Heat Action Team documents the area's urban heat islands: certain neighborhoods that get much hotter than others under the same conditions because of their infrastructure and lack of green space.

The data is eye-opening and shows where residents are most vulnerable to extreme heat.

On Aug. 10, 2024, the Houston Harris Heat Action team of more than 150 people covered nearly 3,500 square miles across 69 city and county routes to collect temperature and humidity data.

The study found a 14-degree difference between two neighborhoods on the same day. On that 94-degree day, the Hidden Valley neighborhood registered 103 degrees.

Southwest Houston, home to communities like Gulfton, Alief, and Sharpstown, proved the most acute pocket facing high-heat stress.

Precinct Four Commissioner Lesley Briones told ABC13 the study illustrates problems well-known to residents in those neighborhoods.

"These results are staggering. The bottom line is that in southwest Houston, we are literally a hot spot. I represent Gulfton. I also represent River Oaks; Gulfton is approximately 17 degrees hotter than River Oaks. The sheer amount of concrete asphalt roads and the absorption of the heat. There is a stark difference," Briones said.

Since 2019, Harris County Public Health has reported a sharp increase in heat-related illness encounters.

"Why this matters so much is: One, it's a quality of life issue. But two, this is literally a question of life or death because of heat-related illnesses, whether that's dehydration, heat strokes, and heat exhaustion," Briones said.

Briones says she is leading several projects intended to create more tree cover and green space in the hot-spot areas and is also working with the metro to build more climate-friendly bus shelters, but she called on the city and county to do more.

"It reinforces what we know, and we need to be making progress in a very marked way, and the best way to maximize the results will be to do this together. I feel a great sense of urgency because not only as a public servant, but I'm a mom of three little girls. So every tree that my team plants to me is an investment in addressing our immediate problems, but also mitigating right against problems that future generations are going to inherit," Briones said.

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