The city’s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency said Tuesday that it has successfully completed Oahu’s first Community Heat Mapping Campaign.

According to a press release, Honolulu was one of 10 cities selected nationally to partner with NOAA’s Climate Program Office, CAPA Strategies, the Science Museum of Virginia, and the National Integrated Heat Health Information System.

The purpose was to conduct a Community Heat Assessment and map “hot spots” in local neighborhoods at no cost to the city.

A heat mapping volunteer affixing equipment to his vehicle. City and County of Honolulu

The mapping was done on a Saturday — Aug. 31 — with the help of 28 volunteers. The sensors they used automatically recorded temperature and humidity as they drove predetermined neighborhood routes “to better understand heat baselines across Oahu’s neighborhoods.”

As it turned out, Aug. 31 was the hottest day measured in Honolulu all year and tied the previous record set in 1984 — 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Resilience Office did not disclose the actual hot spots discovered. But it said it anticipates getting the results back within the next two months, and they will be announced as soon as they are available.

“Mapping heat on our island is not just about tracking the mercury each year in terms of temperature as our climate heats up,” said Josh Stanbro, Honolulu’s Chief Resilience Officer. “It’s really about finding out where our neighborhoods are most vulnerable to heat waves, and then figuring out how to prepare and protect residents before the mercury breaks through the top of the thermometer.

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