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Heat Sensor Demonstration and Opportunities to Interview and Follow 'Street Scientists' During Urban Heat Mapping in Montgomery County on Sunday, Aug. 7

For Immediate Release: Friday, August 5, 2022

Sunday August 7, 2022

Throughout the day on Sunday, Aug. 7, residents of Montgomery County will work as volunteer “street scientists” to collect temperature data from their neighborhoods. As part of this Urban Heat Mapping Campaign, 115 volunteer street scientists from across Montgomery County will collect temperature, humidity, time, and location data using heat sensors mounted onto their cars. The street scientists collectively will cover an area of about 200 square miles in Montgomery County, encompassing densely populated areas like Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville, Silver Spring, Fairland, and Olney.  

The Montgomery County Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign is one of 15 campaigns taking place in communities across the United States this year. The campaigns are part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) program now in its sixth year. With science support and analytics help from a third-party consultant (CAPA Strategies), the campaigns produce maps and information that communities can use to build resilience to extreme heat. 

The temperature data will be used to produce heat maps to base creative and collaborative solutions for extreme heat in our County. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by extreme heat, and these local maps will help the County identify where we can take action to protect vulnerable neighborhoods both now and in the future. Final maps and data will be made available on Montgomery County’s climate website and on Heat.gov. 

The County is hosting a media availability to demonstrate the heat sensors and data collection.  

WHO:             

  • County Executive Marc Elrich 
  • Volunteer “street scientists,” residents of Montgomery County 
  • Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service      
  • Gretchen Goldman, assistant director for environmental science, engineering, policy, and justice at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy 
  • Adriana Hochberg, acting director of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and climate change officer
  • Wendy Howard, executive director of One Montgomery Green
  • Representatives from Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security 
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022 

TIME: 2 - 2:45 p.m. Media briefing, 3 - 4 p.m. Ride-along available (following permitted)

WHERE: Acorn Park, 8060 Newell St, Silver Spring

Volunteers will meet at these additional sites throughout the County from 5:30-7:30 a.m., 2:30-4:30 p.m., and 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. for education and equipment distribution: 

  • Falls Road Local Park, 12600 Falls Rd, Potomac
  • Germantown Town Center Park, 19840 Century Blvd, Germantown
  • White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April Ln, Silver Spring
  • Acorn Urban Park, 8060 Newell St. Silver Spring

For more information or to request to ride-along with a driver, contact Laura Sivels at laura.sivels@montgomerycountymd.gov or 240-447-9309. 

 

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Media Contact: Barry Hudson 240-300-7348