Why is DC so hot? Meteorologists call the District a 'heat island'

WASHINGTON - There are places that make hot days feel even hotter -- and DC is one of them.

DC is what National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Strong calls a "Heat Island" and there are some things that make DC feel so hot -- especially in a heat wave.

String says it has a lot to do with humidity.

"It makes it feel especially when you get into the nighttime the temperatures falls closer to the dew point and the humidity starts getting closer to, you know, 90, 100%. It just feels so awful out there," he says.

There are some neighborhoods that feel hotter than others. The DC Police Center's map of the District shows how widely temps can vary across the city. Eastern parts of the District were much hotter than areas west.

As city planners look more towards the future, there are things that developers can do to help mitigate the heat.

"I think you see that on a lot of what they call smart buildings or LEED-certified buildings they'll put grass or, you know, gardens and things like on top of buildings," says Strong.

He says that anything that building can do to help absorb the heat from above, it can help us from feeling so hot down below.

"It's really about, you know, if you're looking down at the city from the sun's perspective, rather than having things that are black and solid and paved energy, what can we put on the tops of things that will absorb the heat and not cause it to be as hot," he said.

To see the heat maps and hear more about what makes DC so hot, view Mike Thomas and Tucker Barnes' interview with Chris Strong in the video player above.