A year after the heat dome, King County wants an extreme heat plan

It's been one year since instruments at the SeaTac Airport hit an all-time record high of 108 degrees for the day.

The heat dome of 2021 resulted in more than 30 people dying in King County and more than 100 deaths statewide.

Now, King County officials across multiple departments are developing the region's first strategy to combat extreme heat waves.

“The goal is to strengthen short term actions to cope with heat during a heat wave," said Lara Whitely Binder. "Particularly in developed areas where pavement and other hard surfaces can amplify heat. This is also known as the urban heat island effect.”

Whitely Binder oversees the extreme heat response plan. Details of that plan are expected to be released in 2023.

Meanwhile, she and others are looking for ways to limit the so-called urban heat island effect by adding green spaces and other feature to keep cool.

Some areas with lots of concrete and hard surfaces can be up to 23 degrees hotter than places with more natural landscapes.