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Heat Island Effect

  • Climate Change and Heat Islands

    Explore our recently updated webpage to understand the interactions between climate change and heat islands.
    Learn more>>

  • 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.
    Learn more>>

  • 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.

    Download the graphics >>

  • Heat Islands and Equity

    Learn how cooling heat islands can build equity and resilience among underserved communities.

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.

Learn 

  • Learn About Heat Islands
  • What are the Impacts?
  • Heat Islands and Equity
  • Heat Island Guide
  • Climate Change and Heat Islands

Plan

  • Trees and Vegetation
  • Green Roofs
  • Cool Roofs
  • Cool Pavements
  • Smart Growth

Act

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  • Información Relacionada Disponible en Español

What's New

LATEST NEWSLETTER: Heat islands featured in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, Tree Equity in Washington, D.C., Heat Resilience in Boston, MA, and more.

See more news

NEW WEB PAGE:  Our new Climate Change and Heat Islands page features updated charts and figures.

Explore the interplay between climate change and heat islands

LATEST WEBINAR: Overview of EPA's Climate Change Indicators.

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Last updated on June 6, 2022
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