Heat’s Impact Uneven on Health, Finances - Memphis Flyer

“The maps indicate that throughout the day, heat concentrates in highly developed areas of Downtown Memphis, near the airport, and along major corridors such as Poplar Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Summer Avenue, Lamar Avenue, and East Shelby Drive, while cooler air is found at more heavily tree-canopied areas such as Overton Park as well as in the southwestern and eastern portions of the study area.” 

For the first time, Memphis could see its heat on a map. Places with impervious surfaces — like asphalt and concrete — were hottest, of course. These were industrial sites, city centers, and Memphis International Airport. Places with lots of trees and shade, of course, were coolest — places like parks and those leafy suburbs out east.