As Tampa continues to endure the summer heat, the City of Tampa’s Sustainability and Resilience Office will be conducting a data collection initiative to better understand the heat index, better known as the "feels like" temperature, around the city.
Tampa will be the first city in Central Florida to participate in Heat Watch, a national campaign that maps urban heat islands. Tampa’s data collection is funded by an in-kind donation provided by Verizon and will use vehicle-mounted CAPA Strategies sensors with Verizon technology to transmit real-time data of hyper-local temperature and humidity conditions of selected routes in different neighborhoods around the city.
This is the first time Tampa will take street-level heat measurements that provide more accuracy compared to satellite readings or conventional weather stations. By tracking conditions where residents walk, work, and wait for transit, the data will serve as a tool to guide Tampa’s heat-resilience investments in shade, tree canopy, hydration stations, and cooling corridors. In 2025, Tampa broke records when it hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a heat index of 119 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thirteen teams made up of city staff and Tampa’s Green Team will travel through Tampa on Tuesday, September 1, to conduct the project. Each team is assigned a specific route and will take heat measurements in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
For more information on Tampa’s heat strategy, view Tampa’s Heat Playbook, released in 2024. For more information on the data collection, please view Urban Heat Islands — Mapping Campaign Program.