Surface Temperature (°F) Difference from County Mean by Census Block.

The Remote Sensing Lab's Landsat Land Surface Temperature webpage was used to determine the eight, hottest, mostly cloud free days for the region from 2014-2017.

Eight rasters (representing data for the aforementioned eight, hottest, mostly cloud free days for the region) were downloaded from the Landsat Land Surface Temperature page. Each was then smoothed using Esri's Focal Statistics tool to fill in cloud gaps. Then, the Raster Calculator tool was used to average each of the eight images. The images were then cut to the region's boundary. They were further divided into county, tract, block group, and block level geographies. The Zonal Statistics tool was then used to find an average surface temperature for each geography. The difference between the smaller geographies and the regional or county geographies, depending on the analysis, was determined and each was mapped.

For the temperature score, the same standard deviation process as the Indicators of Potential Disadvantage (IPDs) was used, assigning a score of 0-4 depending on the number of standard deviations from the regional or county average outlined in the IPD methodology. This was done for the region as a whole and then for each block, block group, or tract relative to its county.

For additional information, see DVRPC's Municipal Management of Extreme Heat webpage.