What’s the hottest spot in NYC? New study details extreme heat

This summer in NYC, the concrete jungle has been living up to its name with its tropically steamy weather, so much so that a new study has surveyed the "urban heat island" effect throughout New York City and detailed the most sweltering "hot spots" in the city.

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The Urban Heat Snapshot, a new survey by global sustainable development consultancy Arup, utilized artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery from space to map out temperatures in six urban centers: Cairo, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mumbai and New York.

Each of these cities is experiencing an "urban heat island" effect (UHI)—“a regional elevation in air temperature that represents the difference between air temperatures in urban and built-up areas and nearby rural areas,” as defined by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Resiliency—due to a lack of natural land cover and an abundance of man-made materials like cement and pavement, which absorbs solar radiation and traps heat. 

The study detailed the area with the greatest UHI spot in each city: in New York, the sample area of the survey included Manhattan and a portion of the Bronx. The most blazing location was reportedly Washington Heights, an area that has "dense development with a high proportion of hard surface (over 90%, with only 3% vegetation) and a high volume of built-up areas, blocking heat from rising into the sky." Not surprisingly, more in-land areas like midtown Manhattan and central Harlem had a higher UHI than areas closer to the river. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Ferry Point Park in the Bronx, with 77% vegetation and its close water proximity, was the coolest point in New York City, with temperatures 4.5°C cooler than the city's hottest point. 

Per the study’s findings, between 2000 and 2004, New York experienced an average of seven heat waves every ten years. That rate could increase by up to eight heat waves per year by the 2050s.

So how to combat the heat long-term? Support the efforts of NYC Parks and green infrastructure, volunteer to plant trees, and learn how to properly compost, recycle and get rid of anything in New York.