A team of researchers at the University of California, Irvine has developed a new method to monitor heat experiences in real time using social media posts. The study, led by experts from UC Irvine’s Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health and supported by the National Science Foundation, was published in Weather, Climate, and Society.
The research focused on analyzing over 7,000 posts about extreme heat from Californians on X (formerly Twitter). These posts were linked to local conditions using the Healthy Places Index—a tool that combines social and economic indicators—and California census tract data. The goal was to inform public health interventions targeting communities most vulnerable to heat.
California faces increasing challenges due to more frequent and intense heat waves. Disparities in cooling access across the state make some residents more susceptible than others. For instance, about 20 percent of households in Los Angeles County do not have air conditioning, compared with less than 7 percent in Riverside County. These differences are influenced by climate zones and housing patterns; Riverside’s inland location has led to higher air conditioning use, while many older homes in Los Angeles lack cooling systems.
“Extreme heat is an often-underestimated public health threat,” said Suellen Hopfer, associate professor at Wen Public Health and corresponding author of the study. “By integrating health equity tools like the Healthy Places Index with social media monitoring, we can better understand how Californians experience and respond to heat and identify where targeted interventions are most needed.”
The analysis revealed that people living in areas with low Healthy Places Index scores—often those with fewer resources and limited access to cooling—expressed more negative sentiments about extreme heat online. In contrast, those in high HPI areas were more likely to discuss coping strategies or express relief when temperatures dropped.
The research team combined seven years of social media data from X with place-based health information and geospatial mapping. This approach resulted in an AI-based tool designed for agencies and fire departments to monitor real-time conversations about heat exposure and respond with targeted resources where they are most needed.
Other contributors included Gomathi B. Sriperumbudur and Yihang Fan from Wen Public Health; Xiaozhen Liu and Chen Li from UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences; as well as Mingyu Derek Ma and Wei Wang from UCLA.
UC Irvine is a member of the Association of American Universities and ranks among the top 10 public universities nationally according to U.S. News & World Report. The university has produced five Nobel laureates, offers 224 degree programs, enrolls over 36,000 students, and contributes significantly to both Orange County’s local economy ($7 billion annually) and statewide ($8 billion).
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