Climate Ready DC 2.0
Climate Ready DC 2.0 (CRDC) is the District of Columbia’s plan to prepare for extreme weather and natural hazards, including extreme temperatures, flooding, severe storms, wildfires and other climate events. A joint effort between DOEE and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), CRDC 2.0 presents the District’s long-term vision to adapt to changing weather patterns and a short-term action plan to reduce risk to the District in the next few years. The plan serves as an update to the original Climate Ready DC plan published in 2016, and the Climate Action goal of Resilient DC published in 2019.
- 2026 - Climate Ready DC 2.0
- 2026 - CRDC 2.0 Appendix
Climate Change Projections
The District is already experiencing the impacts of climate change. Climate change refers to long-term changes in global temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other aspects of climate. These global changes have serious consequences for the District. In the past several years, the District has seen record-breaking extreme weather, higher tides caused by rising sea levels, heavy rains and flooding, warmer average temperatures, and two to three times as many dangerously hot days than in decades past.
- 2024 - Climate Projections
Keep Cool DC
Keep Cool DC is the District’s extreme heat adaptation strategy. Extreme heat is a dangerous hazard that can pose serious health risks to people and is the leading cause of climate-related deaths nationwide. Summer temperatures are projected to continue increasing in years to come, so it is critical for the District to “keep cool” by reducing the drivers that increase temperatures and expanding strategies that protect residents from heat.
- 2022 - Keep Cool DC
- 2022 - District of Columbia Heat Sensitivity-Exposure Index (HSEI)
- 2022 - HSEI Methodology Report
- 2013 - Assessing the Health Impacts of Urban Heat Island Reduction Strategies in the District
Reducing Climate Risk in the District
DOEE tracks progress on the District’s Climate Ready DC, Sustainable DC, and Clean Energy DC initiatives on the Sustainable DC website. You can also read about various initiatives that the District is pursuing to reduce the risks posed by extreme heat and flooding below.
- The DC Flood Risk Tool helps identify the potential flood impacts of a particular site and was updated in 2026 to include risk from rainfall events.
- DOEE assisted DDOT to pilot the installation of cool pavement surfaces on select District roadways in 2026 and study their impact on reducing temperatures and making streets safer for residents.
- DOEE works with other agencies to provide guidance and technical assistance to existing and prospective community resilience hubs.
- DOEE worked with the Ivy City community to create a Climate Resilience Strategy to reduce the risk of flooding and extreme heat in that neighborhood.
- In 2025, DOEE led a team of more than 50 volunteers to collect more than 68,000 measurements of temperature and heat index, which were used to develop updated heat maps.
- DDOT’s Urban Forestry Division works to leverage the District’s urban forest to help us adapt to higher temperatures and changes in precipitation, while protecting trees from climate risk.
- DOEE designed an integrated network of Blue/Green Infrastructure (BGI) to protect the Southwest and the Buzzard Point communities from interior flooding due to extreme rain events.
- DOEE launched a project to identify and design a network of specific blue-green and gray infrastructure projects to reduce flood risk in the Watts Branch area, focusing on nature-based solutions.
- The District’s Flood Hazard Rules were updated in 2025 to ensure that the District's buildings and residents are more resilient to increased flood risk as a result of climate change.
- DOEE's FloodSmart Homes provides free flood resilience assessments for District residents.
- DC Health tracks heat-related responses by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the District of Columbia, as well as cold-exposure and hypothermia-related responses.
- In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) analyzed the impacts of climate change on the health of District residents and summarized their findings in a report.
- In 2021, the District released a set of Resilient Design Guidelines. This document provides a methodology for assessing the vulnerabilities of existing or proposed buildings and numerous best practices to reduce risks.
- The DC Flood Task Force was created in 2021 and developed 27 action plans to bolster flood readiness while equitably protecting the District’s residents and economy from the damage that floods can cause.
- The first Climate Ready DC plan was released in 2016.