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Housing and Climate Resource Library

Temperature Resources

This page is about extreme outdoor temperatures that may result in death or emergency department visits. Maintaining thermal control in homes and a safe temperature inside is one of the principles of a healthy home and is only increasing in importance with the rise of extreme heat and extreme cold events.

Relevant variables for this topic include historical temperature and heat index, cold related deaths, high and low temperatures, heat-related ED visits, and ED visits.

Datasets/Data Explorers

The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network 
The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network combines environmental and health data from local, state, and federal sources. Data and information about environments and risks, health consequences, and population health are available through the Tracking Network. Data can be investigated in a variety of ways. Data comparison between two datasets is possible using the Data Explorer tool, which contains all subject categories and indicators. The program has collaborated with other projects to build topic-specific dashboards, including the Heat and Health Tracker and the Environmental Justice Dashboard. These dashboards are interactive tools that present county level data related to heat, health, and environmental exposures. Note: In case this version is unavailable, a copy can be found at the Harvard Dataverse, where 32 files and datasets are archived to view and download.

  • Dataset owner: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Dataset update frequency/maintenance: Data recency and updates depend on the specific indicator.
  • Dataset jurisdictions included: The dataset covers the whole United States at the county or ZIP code level.
  • Specific climate and housing variables:
    • Name of variable: Emergency department (ED) visits
      • What the variable measures: Rate of ED visits for heat related illness (daily and weekly).
      • Variable source:
    • Name of variable: PM2.5.
      • What the variable measures: Annual average of PM2.5 in micrograms per cubic meter.
      • Variable source(s): EPA Air Quality System Monitoring Data, State Air Monitoring, EPA Downscaler modeled data (2019).
    • Name of variable: Ozone.
      • What the variable measures: Number of days with an eight-hour average (maximum) ozone concentration the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).
      • Variable source(s): EPA Air Quality System Monitoring Data, State Air Monitoring, EPA Downscaler modeled data (2019).
    • Name of variable: Historical drought.
      • What the variable measures: Measures a county’s total numbers of weeks in drought by year.
      • Variable source(s): United States Drought Monitor (2021).
    • Name of variable: Historical temperature and heat index
      • What the variable measures: Measures the number of extreme heat days above 90th percentile per year.
      • Variable source(s): NLDAS (1979–2021).
    • Name of variable: Precipitation and flooding vulnerability.
      • What the variable measures: Number of people within FEMA-designated special flood hazard area.
      • Variable source(s): Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Hazard Layer, 2011.
    • Name of variable: Historical precipitation.
      • What the variable measures: Number of extreme precipitation days above 90th percentile per year.
      • Variable source(s): NLDAS (1979–2021).
    • Name of variable: Projected precipitation indicator.
      • What the variable measures: Measures the projected difference in extreme precipitation days and in extreme event max precipitation.
      • Variable source(s): The Localized Constructed Analogs (LOCA) dataset.
    • Name of variable: Flood vulnerability.
      • What the variable measures: This variable measures the number of square miles and percent area within FEMA Designated Flood Hazard Area, the number of square miles and percent area within EPA Designated Flood Hazard Area, and number of people and housing units within FEMA Designated Flood Hazard Area.
      • Variable source(s): FEMA and EPA.

Environmental Protection Agency Climate Indicator Map Explorer
EPA’s Climate Indicator Map Explorer tool tracks and provides information about the causes and effects of climate changes. This resource provides the public an opportunity to understand long-term climate change trends. This resource can inform the public on the impact climate change may have on housing that lacks adequate insulation or heating sources.

  • Dataset owner: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Dataset update frequency/maintenance: As new data becomes available, the resource is updated.
  • Dataset jurisdictions included: Data covers the United States at national, regional, or location-specific levels in certain cases.
  • Specific climate and housing variables:
    • Name of variable: Cold-related deaths.
      • What the variable measures: The annual rates of cold-related deaths in the 50 states and the District of Columbia as reported by medical professionals.
      • Variable source(s): U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    • Name of variable: High and low temperatures.
      • What the variable measures: The percentage of land areas that have unusually cold high and low daily temperatures in December, January, and February. The data is drawn from 48 states.
      • Variable source(s): National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-managed weather stations.

Studies

Emergency Department Visits for Diagnoses Directly Indicating Heat Exposure: Variation Across Counties in the United States, 2016-2020
This is a two-part report using data from the State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) and State Inpatient Databases (SID). Part one focuses on residents of counties across 39 states and the District of Columbia with ED visits related to diagnoses that indicate heat exposure. Part two only focuses on U.S. counties that include tribal lands. A heat exposure diagnosis includes cramps, exhaustion, fatigue, edema, and heat-related syncope (fainting).

  • Dataset owner: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
  • Dataset update frequency/maintenance: New data brief that was originally released in April 2022.
  • Dataset jurisdictions included: The dataset includes county and state level data for 39 states and the District of Columbia.
  • Specific climate and housing variables:

 

Latest page update: March 21, 2025.