Extreme heat is already the deadliest climate impact, and it’s getting worse. South Carolina averages about 15 days per year above 95°F today; projections suggest that could increase by 30 to 60 additional days over the next 70 years. The consequences ripple well beyond the thermometer—worsening asthma and cardiovascular disease, threatening pregnancy outcomes, and straining mental health.
When extreme heat events strike, the toll can be devastating and deeply unequal. During the 2021 heat dome event in Portland, Oregon, some neighborhoods reached 125°F—a full 26 degrees hotter than nearby areas with more tree canopy and less pavement. Eighty-one percent of deaths occurred among people over 60. Seventy percent of those who died lived alone. Heat islands don’t release heat effectively at night, leaving people vulnerable when the human body is least able to cool itself. Explore Shi’s heat analysis in our partner communities of Fountain Inn, the Town of Bluffton, and Goose Creek.
Seeing Heat at the Right Scale
Portland’s experience confirmed what researchers already suspected: extreme heat is not experienced equally, and knowing where it hits hardest requires looking at the right scale. National screening tools identify vulnerable census tracts—but tracts can mask enormous internal variation. Understanding that complexity is critical.
The Shi Institute’s applied research team developed a hyperlocal approach that combines land surface temperature data from satellite imagery with block-level demographic vulnerability indicators—identifying not just where it’s hot, but where vulnerable people live within those heat zones. The result is an actionable map that municipalities are using to direct resources precisely where they are needed most. Goose Creek is using the maps to direct its municipal tree fund to areas where heat and social vulnerability overlap most acutely. In Fountain Inn, resilience findings were woven directly into the comprehensive plan. Bluffton has used the findings to prioritize shade structures at bus stops and expand tree canopy in high-risk areas. The Bluffton partnership also sparked student-led work at Furman—including a heat adaptation fellowship in which a Furman student surveyed residents and interviewed municipal staff to guide the town’s next steps on cooling centers and community solar.
What a Community Can Do with Better Data
Better data makes better action possible—but the most resilient communities go a step further. Consider a neighborhood where residents, armed with a hyperlocal heat map, discover that their community scores high for risk: lots of heat-absorbing pavement, a high proportion of residents over 50, elevated asthma rates. Working with the research team, local funders, and non-profits, they develop a plan. Solar panels go up. A green roof moderates temperatures in the apartment building that houses seniors. A portion of the underutilized parking lot is replaced with a shaded playground, a splash pad for kids, and a small community garden.
Then an inevitable heat wave hits. The neighborhood is still hot—but measurably less so than surrounding streets. When power goes out, residents with solar panels invite neighbors in. The community center, running on its own solar and battery backup, stays cool. Neighbors organize at the community center and form teams to check on at-risk neighbors.
Communities that build climate solutions together don’t just respond to extreme events with more resilience; they come out more connected on the other side and throughout the process. Deeply connected communities are healthier communities. The Shi Institute partners with municipalities and communities to strengthen community systems—combining the precision of hyperlocal data with the depth of engagement that turns data and community expertise into action.