Ready for the summer: Governor Newsom announces lifesaving heat-ranking tool, invests $32 million to help communities combat extreme heat

In a hotter, drier world, connecting Californians with extreme weather information and resources has never been more important – especially as the federal government cuts critical programs providing pertinent information on weather.

First-in-the-nation heat-ranking tool

The new CalHeatScore tool will be leveraged across state government, providing early warning that allows resources to be mobilized with greater speed and precision to communities that need it. To ensure the new tool works for Californians, the state will continue gathering input from the public, which will be used to shape future updates. 

“Every single preventable death is one too many,” said Yana Garcia, California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection. “This groundbreaking tool will help Californians plan and respond so they can stay safe when a heat wave is about to strike. And it will shore up the state’s all-in fight against the very real dangers that climate change keeps bringing to our doorstep.”

In 2021, the California Department of Insurance’s Climate Insurance Workgroup recommended California build a system to rank heat waves to better communicate the deadly risks to Californians and help communities prepare, similar to how tropical storms and hurricanes are described by “category” level. 

As part of a broader climate package in 2022, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2238 by Assemblymember Luz Rivas to codify CDI’s recommendation by requiring the state to develop a statewide extreme heat ranking system. 

“CalHeatScore is an important tool to prepare Californians for extreme heat,” said Nancy Ward, Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). “It helps increase our readiness for heat events and protect those at greatest risk.”

Chart above shows the range of CalHeatScore rankings.

Building on investments to protect Californians

The funding announced today builds on the Governor’s Extreme Heat Action Plan, which guides the state’s response to extreme heat events. Developed in partnership with more than 20 state agencies and informed by more than 1,000 individuals through listening sessions and public engagement, these grants respond directly to community needs and build on existing state programs. 

Extreme heat solutions announced today combine physical infrastructure with nature-based solutions and in-home technology to create more resilient communities. In Los Angeles, the county will work with local organizations to provide safer spaces by planting tree canopies, installing water fountains, and hosting educational programming in parks across the county. In Northern California, North Coast Opportunities and the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California, will partner to provide solar-powered air conditioning in the homes of vulnerable community members.  

“California is taking aggressive action to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat and build resilience in our most vulnerable communities,” said Samuel Assefa, Director of Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI), the agency overseeing the funding. “With lives on the line each summer, the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program will provide critical infrastructure investments in heat vulnerable communities.”

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the state, claiming more lives annually than any other climate threat, including fires and floods. Last year, California communities experienced the hottest summer on record in 130 years. According to a report from the Department of Insurance, from 2013 to 2022, seven extreme heat events resulted in nearly 460 deaths, over 5,000 hospitalizations and about 344 adverse birth outcomes.

State research shows a correlation between heat and a range of negative health effects including death, lower birth weight, and increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations for conditions ranging from heart conditions to poor mental health. Extreme heat also takes an economic toll on the state, with an estimated $7.7 billion of lost wages, agricultural disruptions, and power outages. 

Extreme heat calls for more water 

During periods of extreme heat, access to water is more critical than ever to prevent illness and death. California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply due to hotter and drier conditions, threatening the water supply for millions of Californians. As part of the May Revision, the Governor advanced a groundbreaking proposal to fast-track and streamline one of California’s most important water management and climate adaptation projects, the Delta Conveyance Project, creating much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project, which provides water for 27 million people and 750,00 acres of farmland. These vital improvements will help offset and recover these future climate-driven water losses, and yet, it has been plagued by delays and red tape.

Without action, the ability of the State Water Project to reliably deliver water to homes, farms and businesses will decline. The Governor calls on the legislature to quickly adopt these improvements to ensure that California is ready for a drier and hotter future, and its communities are safe and protected.