As Montana warms, Missoula’s first heat map reveals hidden hotspots

Missoula, Montana has released its first-ever heat map for the state and the Rocky Mountain region. According to Grist, after surveying the county with thermal sensors, researchers found neighborhoods can vary by nearly twenty degrees depending on tree cover. The pattern mirrors what larger cities have discovered: wealthier areas with more trees were significantly cooler, while poorer neighborhoods had less green space and ran much hotter. Montana faces particular challenges—the state has some of the lowest air conditioning rates in the country—and average temperatures are projected to climb four to five degrees by twenty fifty. Local organizations are now using the map to target tree-planting in lower-income neighborhoods and inform future climate decisions.

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