Heat Search Insights

Extreme heat (sometimes called a heatwave) refers to temperatures that are well above normal conditions. This data shows the relative interest of Google searches in the United States related to extreme heat.

The goal of this data is to improve insights into WHERE and WHEN the impact of extreme heat is felt the most, and WHAT information residents are seeking. Some examples of how local governments, emergency response decision makers and community based organizations can use this data include:

• Prioritize interventions and mitigation strategies by understanding what information residents are seeking
• Measure impact of extreme heat campaigns or warnings
• Refine extreme heat response plans by understanding when and where extreme heat search interests are focused.

These trends reflect the relative interest of extreme heat related Google searches within a geographical region, which we call Search Normalized Index (SNI). We split searches into 9 categories, broadly covering searches related to illnesses and symptoms caused by extreme heat, solutions to stay cool during heat waves (for example: swimming pools, air conditioning, cooling centers) and general information (for example: "extreme heat warning", "hot weather"). See Search Categories for more details.

In addition to the relative interest, for each category we also provide the top 10 searched-for topics, known as top searches, ranked by the number of people searching for the term.

The data covers the US and includes county, city, and zip-code regions, from June 2022 through December 2023. The cities included in the dataset were identified from the CDC 500 cities. Some cities were excluded, either because they only had partial zip codes within the city boundaries, or there wasn't sufficient volume of search data. To learn more, please see the Technical Documentation.

Download

The dataset includes 10 CSV files, grouped by temporal aggregation frequency and spatial scope.

Please complete this form to download the data.

Search Categories

We group people's heat related searches information needs into 9 categories:

1. Illness. All searches related to illness caused by extreme heat. For example, "what does heat rash look like" or "prickly heat". This category also includes searches from the heat-stroke category.
2. Heat stroke and exhaustion. Searches specifically for heatstroke and heat exhaustion. For example, "heat stroke symptoms" or "hyperthermia".
3. Public swimming pools. Searches related to publicly accessible swimming pools. For example, "pools near me" or "ymca pool schedule".
4. Private swimming pools. All searches related to private swimming pools in residential properties. For example, "pool service near me" or "pool cleaning service".
5. Cooling centers. Searches related to temporary air-conditioned public space set up by local authorities. For example, "nyc cooling centers" or "pet friendly cooling shelter".
6. Air conditioning. Searches related to air conditioning. For example, "portable air conditioner" or "hvac near me".
7. Evaporative cooling. Searches related to evaporative cooling devices--sometimes called swamp coolers. Evaporative coolers are an alternative to air conditioning. Examples include: "swamp cooler repair" or "evaporative cooler".
8. General information. All searches related to extreme heat that aren't included in the previous categories. For example "extreme heat warning" or "austin heatwave".
9. All. Searches related to extreme heat, indicating the overall search interest in the topic. Calculated by adding all previous categories together.

Terms of use

To download or use the data, you must agree to the Google Terms of Service.

Attribution

If you publish results based on this data, please cite as:

Google LLC "Google Heat Search Insights", Accessed: <date>.

Feedback

We would love your feedback on the dataset and documentation, or any unexpected results. Please email your feedback to heat-search-insights@google.com.