Topic: Hazards, People and Society | Region: Washington | Year: 2023

In the Hot Seat: Saving Lives from Extreme Heat in Washington State

Co-Authors

Jason Vogel, UW Climate Impacts Group

Jeremy Hess, UW Center for Health and the Global Environment

Zach Kearl, UW Climate Impacts Group

Kelly Naismith, Washington State Department of Health

Karin Bumbaco, Office of the Washington State Climatologist

Brian Henning, Gonzaga University Center for Climate, Society and the Environment

Rad Cunningham, Washington State Department of Health

Nick Bond, Office of the Washington State Climatologist

Project Status

Completed

Leer en español

Extremely hot weather is more than just uncomfortable — it can be dangerous and even deadly. In 2021, more than 400 people in Washington died from direct and indirect heat-related causes during a week-long extreme heat event. Many more people suffered from heat-related illnesses, and the event contributed to significant economic hardship.

Enough is already known about the risks of extreme heat, and potential solutions, to take action that will save the lives of Washingtonians when the next extreme heat event occurs. In the Hot Seat: Saving Lives from Extreme Heat in Washington State describes the problem of extreme heat and outlines specific, actionable guidance for short-term emergency response and long-term risk reduction. It addresses the following questions:

What are the impacts of extreme heat?
Are certain individuals and communities at greater risk?
How is risk changing in the future?
Who is involved in preventing heat-related illnesses and death?
What actions can we take to prevent illness and death during extreme heat events?

From creating culturally-specific cooling centers, to increasing tree canopy and shade in certain urban areas, to improving protections for workers, the report highlights roles state and local governments, elected officials, community- and faith-based organizations and others can play in reducing the health impacts of heat exposure and saving lives from extreme heat.

This report was written in collaboration with the University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment, the Washington Department of Health, the Office of the Washington State Climatologist, Gonzaga University Center for Climate, Society and the Environment and the Climate Impacts Group. For more information, including resources from author team organizations, check out the “heat-related resources” section below.

REPORT ONE-PAGE SUMMARY

In the Media

MRSC Blog | New Report Outlines How to Save Lives from Extreme Heat

Seattle Times | Opinion: Extreme heat’s impact on our health demands we take action

The UW Daily | Beat the heat: how do we do it?

KUOW | NW drinking water concerns could get worse as the climate changes

KNKX | Lessons learned from the Pacific Northwest’s 2021 Heat Dome

The Conversation | Saving lives from extreme heat: Lessons from the deadly 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave – This story also ran in the Lake County News, Kiowa County Press, Times Union, Fast Company, the Everett Daily Herald and the Daily News.

KUOW | Can Seattle take the heat? Officials say area is better prepared this summer

Crosscut | What can be learned from the Pacific Northwest’s 2021 heat wave

UW News | New report, tool suggest how Washington can better protect against extreme heat

Seattle Times | Opinion: How we can better protect all residents during WA’s next heat wave

Northwest News Radio | Saving lives in heat waves

KNKX | Preparing for future extreme heat events

HeraldNet | Editorial: Extreme heat new threat Northwest must prepare for

The Spokesman-Review | Brian G. Henning: We all have a role to play in preparing for future heat waves

Contributors

For their contributions and feedback we would like to thank: Marnie Boardman, Michael Burnham, Tania Busch Isaksen, Jamie Donatuto, Jon Downs, Kaitlan Ducken, Kris Ebi, Howie Frumkin, Jennifer Hennessey, Anna Hidle, Meade Krosby, Guillaume Mauger, Esther Min, Matt Rogers, Tim Sheehan, Rebecca Small, June Spector, Kali Turner, Zoe Vartanian, Carol Weltz, Lara Whitely Binder and Tess Wrobleski.

Funders

Funding for this work was provided in part through a budget proviso from the Washington State legislature that supports the Climate Impacts Group “to conduct data modeling and provide technical assistance on climate impact analysis to Washington communities, businesses, and governments.” Additionally, This work was funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP) Program (Grant NA21OAR4310311) through the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative.

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Heat-Related Resources >>

Resources from the author team:

Climate Mapping for a Resilient Washington – A tool from the Climate Impacts Group that illustrates the expected changes in climate indicators relevant to extreme heat mapped across Washington state and county-level projections graphically summarized through the end of the century.

Climate Health and Risk Tool (CHaRT) – A tool from the Center for Health and Global Environment that maps heat health risks in Washington state and links to guidance on how to reduce risk.

Extreme Heat – A webpage from the Washington Department of Health that includes health recommendations, research, and additional resources from federal agencies.

PNW Temperature, Precipitation, and SWE Trend Analysis Tool – A tool from the Office of the Washington State Climatologist that illustrates monthly temperature, precipitation, and snow water equivalent (SWE) trends around the Pacific Northwest.

Beat the Heat | Gonzaga University – A webpage from Gonzaga’s Climate Program about the Spokane Beat the Heat Initiative with heat maps, story maps, and more.

Additional resources

HEAT.gov – A web portal from the National Integrated Heat Health Information System rich with tools and information to learn, plan and prepare for extreme heat.

Heat & Health Tracker Tool – The CDC’s Heat & Health Tracker provides local heat and health information so communities can better prepare for and respond to extreme heat events.

HeatRisk – The National Weather Service’s HeatRisk tool provides a forecast risk of heat-related impacts to occur over a 24-hour period.

Be Heat Smart! – A webpage from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries with details about its outdoor heat exposure rules and training resources that can help employers plan, prepare, and train for heat illness prevention.

Heat Island Community Actions Database – A database maintained by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency containing descriptions and resources of actions taken by local communities throughout the country.

Climate Impacts Group

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