Exploring Urban Heat in Toledo, Ohio

It’s July 19th, 2021, a beautiful summer day in a tree-lined neighborhood in Toledo, Ohio. The sun is shining and the temperature hovers around 86 degrees Fahrenheit, but there’s plenty of shade to make a picnic or a barbecue pleasant despite the heat. But if you live a few miles away — particularly in the inner-city — it’s more than 10 degrees hotter, substantially raising both health risks and electric bills.

When natural land cover such as soil, forest and grass is replaced by dense concentrations of pavement, buildings and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat, urban areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas, and as a result, become “heat islands.” Because of this effect, the cost of air conditioning, air pollution levels, heat-related illnesses and mortality rates increase.

This article was originally published on www.midstory.org. Read the full story here.