Heat-related risks to infrastructure and operations are growing, reducing the effectiveness of critical systems and amplifying worker safety concerns. In order to help communities, infrastructure owners/operators, utilities, and other organizations prepare for increasing heat-related impacts, Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with AT&T, the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, and FEMA, have modeled key heat-related metrics under historical and future climate conditions. This data – scheduled for release onto the Climate Risk and Resilience Portal (ClimRR) in spring 2025 – includes projections of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), heat index, and modeling of multi-day heat wave events using intensity-duration-frequency curves. WBGT and heat index are widely used (e.g., OSHA, ISO) to evaluate heat-related risks to outdoor activities; however, existing modeling of WBGT and heat index under future climate conditions is limited. ClimRR’s dynamically downscaled climate modeling provides insights into future heat impacts, with applications to a range of contexts, including infrastructure, engineering, operations, and many others.
In this session, we will present ClimRR’s heat-related modeling along with the analytical tools available for heat risk analysis in ClimRR. Additionally, we will briefly survey potential applications of this data, including using WBGT data to evaluate potential impacts to outdoor workers and evaluating the impact of changes in multi-day heat events on utility systems. Session attendees will learn how to interpret and apply ClimRR’s heat projections to inform policies and investments to mitigate heat risks and improve resilience to future heat impacts.
Understanding Future Heat Risk to Critical Systems
Integrated Systems
