Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — New research aims to help the City of Boston respond better to heat emergencies.
The Boston Foundation hosted public and private organizations on Tuesday to discuss the “Be Cool Pilot Project.” Patricia Fabian, an associate professor of environmental health at Boston University, helped lead the project.
“What we were trying to do with this pilot was to think about heat emergencies and heat advisories,” said Fabian.
With sensors spread out across the city, researchers found out how heat emergencies and advisories are experienced differently across neighborhoods. Fabian said the current system is not an accurate reflection of the heat felt in many of Boston’s communities when temperatures soar.
“Most of the heat advisories and warnings are cued off of a sensor that’s at Logan Airport. The National Weather Service has a sensor there. As you can imagine, it’s not quite as hot there as it is in other neighborhoods,” said Fabian.
In Boston, a heat emergency is only declared when there will be at least two consecutive days with a heat index over 95 degrees.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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