On Monday afternoon, local climate activist Leianis Gunn hopped in her car and slowly made her way through a sprawling, 17-mile cross-section of Portsmouth.
Chris Haley, an earth sciences professor at Virginia Wesleyan University, served as her guide, directing Gunn from the passenger seat through various neighborhoods, past schools, the City Park and the new Rivers Casino.
A sensor attached to their passenger window blinks capturing the temperature and humidity every few seconds.
It was a blisteringly hot afternoon. But that’s the point.
Gunn and Haley were part of a team of volunteers led by Virginia Wesleyan this week to study extreme heat in Portsmouth.
The university received a $222,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry for a two-year effort, which will ultimately include actions to curb heat in the most vulnerable areas of the city.
Mayor Shannon Glover said he looks forward to getting more information about which residents are most impacted by the issue.
“When we go to deploy (solutions), we want to know that we’re using those resources to impact the areas that need the attention first,” he said. “Knowing that we have this oppressive heat that is upon us right now, it lends us to be more engaged and aware.”
Like elsewhere around the country and in many parts of the world, extreme heat is rising in Virginia due to the burning of fossil fuels that trap more of the sun’s heat in our atmosphere. That means a growing number of hot days each year – and higher temperatures on days that are already hot.
Average annual high daily temperatures in much of Hampton Roads could reach about 78 degrees Fahrenheit toward the end of the century – up from an average 68.7 degrees between 1960-1990, according to federal climate projections.
But that heat is not felt evenly. Temperatures can vary greatly across different urban areas, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect.
A similar mapping of Virginia Beach by Virginia Wesleyan in 2021 reflected this effect, finding some areas up to 15 degrees hotter than others, ranging from 82 degrees to 97 in the peak afternoon heat. Cooler areas were often near the waterfront, while more inland spots were the hottest.
Communities of color often bear the brunt of extreme heat, due in part to a legacy of discrimination in urban planning.
“Neighborhoods that have been historically redlined actually tend to be about five to 12 degrees hotter,” said Gunn, an organizer with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
That’s because planners usually invested in green spaces only for wealthier and whiter neighborhoods. Surfaces like concrete and asphalt, which often predominate lower-income communities, absorb the sun and make the surrounding environment warmer.
Gunn said mitigating heat is important to combating overall climate inequities.
“If you think about ways that we can address those issues by planting more trees in the communities and investing a lot more money into these under-resourced, underfunded communities, then that's a step towards creating more equity in this community,” she said.
This week’s mapping in Portsmouth divided the city into six routes, with volunteers like Gunn driving at three different times of day: 6 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Virginia Wesleyan professor and project lead Elizabeth Malcolm said the team plans to overlay the data with risk factors like rates of asthma and kidney disease, which make people more susceptible to health impacts from heat.
That will help them target hotspots to plant trees and remove hot pavement.
Garry Harris, managing director of the nonprofit Center for Sustainable Communities, helped bring the project to his home city of Portsmouth and hopes it will engage residents.
“We’re going to have a fun time today, gathering all the data insights,” he said. “But what we really need is community action.”
Community engagement will include an upcoming “rally for resilience” and an educational activity about the heat mapping results with local middle schoolers.
Councilman Mark Whitaker hosted the project launch point at New Bethel Baptist Church, where he serves as pastor.
He said he hopes the council can use the new data to help vulnerable communities without access to functioning AC units or cooling green space.
“The city has a responsibility whenever there has been social injustice,” Whitaker said. “It takes policy to correct those things.”
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
Tips for staying safe during high heat
- Cover windows with drapes or shades or reflect heat back from windows using aluminum foil-covered cardboard
- If you don’t have access to air conditioning, stay on the lowest part of your home
- While outside, avoid high-energy activities even if you think you’ll be fine
- Wear loose, light-colored and lightweight clothing
- Drink plenty of fluids and light, healthy meals
- Find shade, even for small amounts of time in between activities
- If needed, get to a local public library or community center to access AC
- Do not leave children or pets alone in a closed car, even with windows cracked open
- If helping someone experiencing heat stroke, call 911 immediately, move the person from heat and cool them with ice or cold water until help arrives
Editor’s note: Virginia Wesleyan President Scott Miller is a member of WHRO Public Media’s Board of Directors. WHRO’s newsroom is editorially independent.
