Maps Provide Snapshot of Hottest Parts of Major U.S. Cities

Sunlight on buildings in downtown Phoenix. shutterstock

By Bill Lucia,
Executive Editor

Connecting state and local government leaders

By Bill Lucia

| August 27, 2018

A tech company produced the temperature maps using vehicle sensor data.

Maps a Canadian-headquartered tech firm released Monday use vehicle sensor data to show how temperatures can vary in different parts of major U.S. cities, according to the company.

The company, Geotab, says it created the maps by using ambient air temperature readings from sensor devices installed on vehicles, pulling the readings from over 55,000 points, across the 20 most populous metro areas in the U.S., at noon on June 21 of last year.

Parts of Phoenix had the highest temperature recorded on the maps, at 115 degrees. This is in the ballpark of the 117-degree high recorded at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on the same day, according to historical weather data made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A map showing temperatures recorded in different parts of Phoenix on June 21 of last year. (Geotab)

Seattle has the lowest high temperature recorded on the maps—70 degrees. Here again, the mapped high temperature appears to roughly align with the NOAA data, which show the high temperature at Boeing Field, just south of downtown Seattle, was 69 degrees.

A map showing temperatures recorded in different parts of Seattle on June 21 of last year. (Geotab)

Geotab makes vehicle fleet tracking products, including the devices used to record the temperature data. The company suggests that the data could prove useful for city officials to help manage infrastructure in extreme temperatures. Maps for all 20 cities can be found here.

Bill Lucia is a Senior Reporter for Government Executive's Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.

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