It’s getting hot in Sacramento. These neighborhoods will feel it the most
The Sacramento sun is already beginning to bake the city, and poorer neighborhoods are more likely to be hotter than wealthier areas.
In areas with lush tree canopy and shade, the air stays cooler and more tolerable. But in neighborhoods where the sun roasts exposed pavement and sprawling warehouses, temperatures soar. The differences often fall on familiar lines of race and wealth, reflecting the country’s history of racial redlining and disinvestment in underserved neighborhoods.
Communities with a higher-than-average number of trees include the neighborhoods of Land Park, East Sacramento and the Pocket, which also have the largest concentrations of high-income households, The Bee has previously reported.
But places with fewer trees and less shade include low- and moderate-income neighborhoods like Meadowview, Del Paso Heights, Parkway and Valley Hi.
Researchers have found that neighborhoods that are poorer and have more residents of color can be 5 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter in summer compared to wealthier, whiter parts of the same city.
An NPR analysis in 2019 found that it’s a disparity seen in dozens of cities in America. For example, in Baltimore, the difference between the coolest and hottest neighborhoods could be as much as 10 degrees — and that’s one of the less extreme cases, NPR reported.
Using surface thermal data from NASA and U.S. Geological Survey satellite imagery, NPR found that there was a correlation between heat and income in Sacramento, at a level similar to Baltimore. Areas like Meadowview, Valley Hi, Del Paso Heights and Robla were hotter compared to other neighborhoods, as were industrial parks in North Sacramento and along Power Inn Road.
Beyond being uncomfortable, hotter temperatures can also have serious health effects, researchers have found. Hotter environments can add extra stress on people with chronic conditions like heart disease. Heat also worsens air quality, aggravating respiratory conditions like asthma.
Poverty is a major factor in determining not only who develops chronic conditions like heart disease and asthma, but also whether they’re able to get treatment.
Sacramento already experiences extreme heat waves during the summer, and scientists expect the region will get hotter and drier if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reduced. A UC Davis report estimates temperatures in the Sacramento Valley could be 10 degrees higher in the summer by the end of the century.
Last month, Sacramento hit over 90 degrees, setting a new record for the day’s highest temperature. This week, the city could see several days of 90+ degree weather.
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.