Heat Island Effect


One of the reasons for this blog is te help people learn how to protect themselves during a heat wave.

Many of us think we know what to do during a heat wave , but in reality we really don't. This blog is here to help us learn how to deal with them.

First of all we need to define a heat wave. A heat wave is defined by the American Red cross as :

Heat wave: Prolonged period of excessive heat and humidity. The National Weather Service steps up its procedures to alert the public during these periods of excessive heat and humidity."

Note the word humidity . This is a word I will be dealing with on this blog as we continue to delve into and discuss the increasing temperatures in the urban environment, specifically the Downtown Los Angeles area we live in.

The heat island is defined at the epa website as:

What Is a Heat Island?

The term "heat island" refers to urban air and surface temperatures that are higher than nearby rural areas. Many U.S. cities and suburbs have air temperatures up to 10°F (5.6°C) warmer than the surrounding natural land cover.
Graphic depicting a typical rise in temperature from rural areas to an urban center.

The heat island sketch pictured here shows a city's heat island profile. It demonstrates how urban temperatures are typically lower at the urban-rural border than in dense downtown areas. The graphic also show how parks, open land, and bodies of water can create cooler areas.

For more basic information about heat islands, watch two short video segments that EPA developed in partnership with The Weather Channel cable television network.