Heat Island Effect

Heat Island Mitigation Strategies

How to Keep Your Cool
Learn about the five strategies to reduce the heat island effect: trees and vegetation, green roofs, cools roofs, cool pavements, and smart growth.
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Cool Your Community

Download social media graphics and messages to increase awareness of heat islands, share information on heat island cooling strategies, and encourage adoption of cooling strategies.

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What Communities are Doing to Reduce Heat Islands

Communities are Taking Action!
Find out what state and local entities across the country are doing to reduce the urban heat island effect.
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Heat Island Compendium

Learn how you can reduce the urban heat island effect in your community.
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Heat islands are urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than outlying areas. Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies. Urban areas, where these structures are highly concentrated and greenery is limited, become “islands” of higher temperatures relative to outlying areas. Daytime temperatures in urban areas are about 1–7°F higher than temperatures in outlying areas and nighttime temperatures are about 2-5°F higher. Find more information on the Learn About Heat Islands page.