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Heat Resources

Resources to bring awareness and help protect the most vulnerable community members during extreme heat events.

Our most vulnerable communities, often residing in areas with high concentrations of asphalt and lack of tree coverage, can experience over a fifteen degree temperature difference throughout the day. To be proactive in the fight against extreme heat, Albuquerque is focused on urban space tree planting, expanding access to green spaces, and continuing to explore new cooling interventions.

On this page, you will find:

what can you do icon Heat Awareness and Response sun icon Heat Mitigation discussion icon NM Urban Heat Cohort news IconAdditional Heat Resources

what can you do icon Heat Awareness and Response

Be Aware

Each year in the metro area, over 60,000 emergency room visits are due to heat-related illness. Here are tools to help keep you and your community safe this summer.

Learn

Be prepared, if you want to learn more about extreme heat, here are resources from key national organizations.

Respond

Take action to keep yourself, your loved ones, and your community safe this summer.

  • Volunteer. Become a part of a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
  • Shield yourself from the sun. Wear protective, light-colored clothing, sunscreen, and hats.
  • Stay cool.
    • Dive into Summer. Beat the Heat by taking a swim at one of Albuquerque’s 7 public pools, or enjoy the fun at city owned splash pads.
    • Take a Hike, Do It Right. Get outdoors and enjoy any of the trails here in Albuquerque. Hike early before it heats up, and remember to bring plenty of water.
    • Help the City create more shade, pledge to plant a tree today and help reach our 100,000 tree goal.
    • Visit the BioPark. Spend a couple hours at the BioPark Aquarium. Learn about marine life while staying cool.
  • Keep your pets safe. Learn more about pet-related hot-weather tips.
  • Keep your home cool.
    1. Raise your thermostat. For every degree higher, you can save one to two percent on your energy bill while staying comfortable.
    2. Turn your ceiling fan counterclockwise to push cool air into your most used spaces.
    3. Close your blinds to avoid the sun’s rays at the hottest hours of the day.

sun icon Heat Mitigation

Learn about our heat mitigation collaborations and plans. Below are links to the City's efforts towards extreme heat, such as heat campaigns, mitigation plans, and tree planting efforts. 

discussion icon New Mexico Urban Heat Cohort

In response to the 2023 summer, where Albuquerque experienced extended days of extreme heat, a spike in emergency visits due to heat-related illness, and a prolonged heat season, the City has created the New Mexico Urban Heat Cohort (NMUHC), the first cohort in the state focusing on extreme heat, the Urban Heat Island Effect, and heat mitigation.

About NMUHC

To build resiliency to extreme heat events, the cohort will have re-occurring meetings before, during, and after the heat season. The cohort will work to continually prepare, building on the NMUHC's mission statement: “Bringing together City departments, community-based organizations, academia, local, regional, and state government agencies to develop strategies that protect our most vulnerable communities during extreme heat events, and together, strategize long and short term mitigation actions.”

Stay Informed

As the NMUHC's collaborative work develops, there will be updates and opportunities to provide public comment. Questions or concerns? You can reach out to [email protected].

Meetings

Meetings are not open to the public at this time, but meeting minutes and other resources are posted here.

August 25, 2023: Inaugural Meeting

September 26, 2023: Last Meeting of the 2023 Heat Season

May 1, 2024: 1st Meeting of the 2024 Heat Season

news Icon Additional Heat Resources

If you have a question regarding our heat-related efforts, please email us at [email protected].

Heat-Related Illness Contacts

  • Life Threatening Emergencies: 911
  • Non-Emergency Police Line: 505-242-2672
  • Office of Emergency Management: 505-768-2000
  • Report a Power Outage (PNM): Text #OUT to 78766

Other Programs and Resources

Graphic for PNM's Summer Heat Bill Help Fund