LOGAN – Extreme heat is one of the deadliest climate risks in the United States. It kills more people on average than any other kind of extreme weather.
In an effort to promote community heat resilience across the country, the National Integrated Heat Information System (NIHHS) has funded two virtual centers of excellence, one of which includes researchers at Utah State University.
Dr. Wei Zhang and other USU climate scientists are part of the Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring in Durham, North Carolina. They will provide technical support in the $2.3 million program for collaborating science museums in Arizona, Oregon and Massachusetts.
Zhang said his work as part of the Center for Collaborative Heat Monitoring will focus on urban climate modeling for selected cities.
Within the collaborative network the two centers will create, community organizations will work with government entities to reduce heat risks and develop effective ways to give people more access to strategies that will manage extreme heat.