LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – In 2022, Southern Nevada brought the heat, participating in the Urban Heat Island Mapping program.
It’s a study designed to identify hot spots, or urban heat islands, where there’s lots of concrete and asphalt, but little to no greenery to cool it down.
Volunteers with the Regional Transportation Commission measured the heat of the air six feet off the ground and found the hottest spots in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Boulder Highway.
Several initiatives have since been launched to address the hot spots identified by the Urban Heat Island Mapping Project, like expanding access to green spaces, planting more trees, and RTC installing shade structures at about a hundred bus stops to make waiting for the bus more bearable in the heat.
“The transit system needs a lot fixed, including the bus stops. The heat is very bad out here. We need coverage out here, we need more lights,” said one bus rider Monday.
Some riders at the bus stop on Lake Mead and Rainbow, which is near one of those hotspots identified in the study, say the new shade structure is not large enough and doesn’t provide enough protection from the sun or wind.
“Definitely not enough shade,” said another rider. “Definitely not enough shade. And when the weather changes, you’re still going to get hit. You’re not protected off the sides or anything.”
As Las Vegas deals with rising temperatures and a rising population, experts say these urban heat islands throughout our city will only expand and heat up even more.
Every year, new cities apply and are selected for this Urban Heat Island Mapping program. Reno is one of the cities on the list for 2024.
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