A powerful new heat-ranking tool now live across California
On Thursday, May 29, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled CalHeatScore, an innovative and first-of-its-kind digital tool designed to help residents understand heatwave severity in their own neighborhoods. This interactive platform, developed by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, evaluates and scores every ZIP code in the state on a scale from 0 to 4—with 0 indicating minimal risk and 4 signaling extreme heat danger.
Localized heat data and demographic vulnerability analysis
CalHeatScore updates daily, offering hyper-local forecasts and insights about heat-related threats in specific ZIP codes. What sets it apart is its inclusion of demographic vulnerability data, highlighting communities with a higher presence of elderly residents, children, and other groups at greater risk of heat-related illnesses. Each score is more than just a number—it’s a signal of how prepared and at-risk an area might be during heatwaves.
Resources at your fingertips
In addition to its heat scoring system, CalHeatScore gives users critical tools to stay safe. It offers guidance on recognizing symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, as well as up-to-date lists of local cooling centers, helping residents find relief during dangerously hot days.
Policy background and funding initiatives
The creation of this tool was spurred by a 2021 recommendation from the California Department of Insurance’s Climate Insurance Workgroup, which urged the development of a climate-resilience platform. The tool’s release also arrives in the context of federal funding cuts to the National Weather Service, as referenced by Governor Newsom, who positioned CalHeatScore as a state-level solution to a growing national gap in weather preparedness.
To complement the tool’s release, more than $32 million has been allocated to support 47 communities across California in enhancing their extreme heat mitigation efforts. These funds aim to strengthen infrastructure, develop shade and cooling resources, and promote public health awareness campaigns.
Explore CalHeatScore now to see how your ZIP code is ranked—and stay aware as California faces another intense summer season.
