Here's why some neighborhoods in Philly are hotter than others

Adrine Wilson takes pride in her plants.

“Even the plants are withering,” said Wilson, outside her Kingsessing home. “It’s hot.”

Even on hot days, she ventures outside to care of them and when she does, she comes prepared with an umbrella, finding solace in the shade.

There isn’t a lot of natural shade on her street. The entire block only had two trees. That, combined with the constant flow of traffic, all the concrete, and other factors make her block hotter than many in Philadelphia. 

According to the non-profit, non-partisan group Climate Central, this area can be around 9 degrees warmer than the forecasted temperature.

“I didn't really realize it was that much hotter over here,” Wilson admitted.

She lives in what’s called an urban heat island. These are places, primarily in cities, that tend to be hotter than outlying areas due to density as well as infrastructure like buildings, paved roads, parking lots as well as emissions from industry and transportation. The impacts are felt most during the summer months since the roads and buildings can absorb and retain the heat during the day and radiate it back into the surrounding air. 

Kingsessing isn’t our only neighborhood that feels warmer. Climate Central analyzed data by overlaying city maps on top of land cover types, estimating how much hotter certain areas are down to the Census block level. 

In Philadelphia, the intensity varies from about 5 degrees along the Delaware River, near the airport to 13 degrees near Dilworth Park. 

The hottest areas are concentrated around Center City, which makes sense, according to Jen Brady, the researcher leading the project. 

“You have all of this happening in very small spaces, emitting all of this waste heat, putting it into the environment and making it much hotter and then it has nowhere to go with big buildings,” Brady said. 

But many of these locations are in residential areas, such as Wilson’s.

In fact, more than a third of Philadelphia residents live in a place where the temperature can feel at least 9 degrees warmer than what’s forecasted, the Princeton-based group’s analysis found.

Brady says the real risk is baseline temperatures are increasing because of climate change which means these heat islands will be even hotter.  

“We’re looking at temperatures that are dangerous for people, to human health,” said Brady. “They’re dangerous to your life for many people.”

Prolonged periods with elevated temperatures can have long term effects that can contribute to heat-related death and illness, according to the EPA. There are disparities in Philadelphia for where these heat islands exist, the NBC10 Investigators found. 

People who identify as Hispanic are overrepresented in the hottest areas. 

In addition to that, the median annual income for areas that are the hottest sits around $34,900, which is well below the city’s average, according to Census data. It is also in contrast to the areas where it doesn’t feel as hot. Those locations have a median income around $71,000.

Brady says that means that people who live in these hotter areas might not have the means or resources to stay cool, further exasperating risks.

Brady also says there are solutions cities and citizens can implement to lower temperatures in their areas. For example, developers can construct buildings with green roofs. She says she has seen people painting streets and sidewalks so they aren’t as hot. 

Through a research project funded by the William Penn Foundation, Drexel has partnered with community organizations to put in 500 plant benches in neighborhoods across Philadelphia, including Kingsessing where Wilson lives. 

She says she is hopeful there will be some long-term solutions going forward but for now, she will care for her plants and put up her umbrella. 

“It’s important to have something that causes a little less heat in the neighborhood,” she said.