These strange tools will help shape cooling initiatives on Oahu

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) -If you saw people driving around with pipe contraptions on their cars recently, they were gathering some important information.

They were taking part in the city’s first ever heat survey as part of a NOAA project.

On Aug. 31, some 28 volunteers drove specific routes throughout Oahu three times that day — the same day Honolulu hit 95 degrees. That tied the record for the city’s hottest day documented.

“Mapping heat on our island is not just about tracking the mercury each year in terms of temperature as our climate heats up,” said Josh Stanbro, Honolulu’s Chief Resilience Officer. “It’s really about finding out where our neighborhoods are most vulnerable to heat waves, and then figuring out how to prepare and protect residents before the mercury breaks through the top of the thermometer.”

The special sensors in the contraptions will determine which parts of the city are hotter than others.

That data will be ready in about two months and will help the city plan cooling initiatives such as tree plantings and reflective surface programs.

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