If you are looking for somewhere to cool off during the summer heatwave, a new map revealing the hottest and coolest areas of London has you covered.
The map, created by environmental consultancy firm Arup, used AI and satellite imagery to highlight the capital’s urban heat islands (UHI).
It comes after London recorded the hottest day of the year so far and an amber heat health alert for England was issued by the UK Health Security Agency.
A scorching 32.2C (90F) was recorded in Kew on Thursday.
And Londoners will hope to keep the barbecues firing all summer long after forecasters predicted a month of warm weather.
The Arup team analysed London’s UHI during the evening of July 19 2022, a day when UK temperatures hit 40C for the first time on record.
Researchers took into account factors such as green space, population density and wind speed to determine London’s boiling points.
Unsurprisingly, it was condensed sections of the city with less greenery that saw the Mercury soaring.
Some communities, including Hackney and Lambeth, were on average several degrees higher than places just a short distance away.
But areas such as Wandsworth and Tower Hamlets were able to benefit from being close to large green spaces, including Battersea Park and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Kilburn in Camden was the hottest neighbourhood with temperatures 7C higher than in Regents Park.
Meanwhile, Hyde Park and the Isle of Dogs were some of the city’s coolest spots with temperatures up to 8C lower than places nearby.
Dimple Rana, an environmental physics engineer at Arup, told The Standard that people should avoid the City of London and instead head to “irrigated” areas like lakes and fountains.
Asked what measures London could do to keep itself chilled in future, Ms Rana called on politicans and businesses to plant more trees, paint roofs with reflective coating and retrofit buildings to improve energy efficiency.
Thursday marked the start of a heatwave with thermometers set to hit 33C (91F) on Saturday, according to the Met Office.
In London, a heatwave is triggered when a location records at least three consecutive days where the daily maximum temperature meets or exceeds 28C (82F).
Next week looks set to bring more dry, sunny weather with highs ranging between 24C (75F) and 27C (81F).
