AccuWeather's Leslie Hudson was live from Orlando, Florida, on July 31 with more on urban heat's impact this summer.

Orlando

Cities across the United States have experienced record-breaking heat, with over two dozen triple-digit temperature records recently set. The urban heat island effect, where city environments are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas due to asphalt, buildings, and limited tree cover, has intensified these conditions. This effect can make cities 10 to 15 degrees warmer than nearby rural locations, especially during heat waves or under heat domes.

To address the problem, several cities are investing in urban forestry, heat mapping, and cooling strategies such as planting more trees and using reflective or green roofing materials. These efforts aim to reduce the temperature gap and lessen the strain on energy grids, which disproportionately affects lower-income residents. Experts emphasize the importance of community participation in planting trees and adopting cleaner energy sources to help mitigate urban heat.

Urban heat soars this summer

Well, of course, we have been dealing with this heat all week long. It's just a matter of where you are, how long you felt it. And for the eastern part of the country over the past week, we have been dealing with a potential record shattered. There is nearly two dozen triple digit temperature records. And depending on where you live, some places are getting hotter and faster. AccuWeather's Leslie Hudson joins us live from downtown Orlando, Florida to help explain what the weather phenomena is and what cities are doing to cool things way down. And there's a reason that Leslie joins us in the morning. She doesn't want to be in that heat in Orlando this afternoon. Right, Leslie? Oh, I don't know, Bernie. I think that that AccuWeather refill is probably flirting with 100 already. But yes, I definitely don't want to be in the 110s later today. So I will happily do the morning lives with you guys. And I love working with you anyways. But if you've ever stepped outside in a city like Orlando or another major metro city and you wonder, hey, it feels hotter here than just somewhere down the road, you're right. And that phenomena is called the urban heat island effect. And cities like Orlando or big metro cities like New York City or Boston or Dallas, those areas can be anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees warmer than their neighbors just down the road in some rural spots. And that's all thanks to asphalt and buildings and lack of trees. And it can be a big problem when we're under these big heat waves and a heat dome like we've seen. There's been over two dozen heat records broken across the country that were in the triple digits just this last week. And they were major cities as well. So that urban heat effect can be more intense and last longer when we're under these heat waves or heat domes. Now, the urban heat of the island effect is a real measurable temperature difference between that concrete covered cities and their rural greener counterparts, their neighbors. But during those heat domes or that heat wave, that temperature gap widens. So pavements, rooftops and buildings soak up all of that heat throughout the day, and it releases at a slower rate at night, which keeps that heat kind of locked in into that pavement. So that's what helps it be more significant at night. If you've noticed when you've been out at a city and you're like you're enjoying some dinner in the evening or you're going to a movie and you're like, whoa, it's really hot. Well, that's because that daytime heating kind of got locked into all of those buildings that are around you to combat the urban heat. Islands of several big cities are investing in urban forestry and heat mapping to track the city's hottest neighborhoods and planning long term cooling strategies in places like Dallas or Louisville, Kentucky, or even in Newark, New Jersey. Officials are taking the heat seriously. Several cities are mapping the tree cover and using federal funds to cool down block by block. We talked to AccuWeather climate expert Brett Anderson, and here's what he had to say about the urban heat island effect. The city traps heat much more effectively than the suburbs or rural areas. Basically, it's the buildings, the blacktop concrete. All those surfaces absorb heat much more than grass and, you know, other areas outside the city. And so the heat gets trapped in the city because you have all these buildings and it just continues to radiate all that heat towards the surface. And there's very little way for that heat to escape out. Now, the detrimental impacts from the urban heat islands are multi pronged. It's not just the fact that it feels hotter. It also really taxes the energy grid systems in these major cities. So the additional heat from the urban heat island increases electricity bills, which disproportionately can impact lower income families that oftentimes are living just outside these major metro cities. There are tangible solutions and several cities are implementing. As I mentioned, the goal for many of these cities is to try and plant as many trees as they can, which is hard to do on a concrete landscape. But some of the cities are doing that. They're also changing the roofing. They're changing them to more green type roofs or white roofs as opposed to black roofs, which will absorb more heat. They're encouraging the public to use transit system, use cleaner energy sources. And if you live near a city like this here in Orlando, you can actually help by planting more trees in your area to help create more tree canopies that will help limit some of that heat from getting trapped in the big metro areas. Reporting live from downtown Orlando. I'm Leslie Hudson. Back to you, Leslie. Always interesting the stuff they do, the value of the sun. They paint the pavement with that. I believe. Yeah, I feel like Orlando needs to. Florida needs to pick up on that because they get even more sun than Arizona. Like they have the humidity, obviously. All right.

The announcement comes as international pressure mounts on Israel over the war in Gaza and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

Ljubljana

Middle East Conflict

Slovenia become first EU country to ban arms trade with Israel

The United States imposed sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials just as other nations are stressing the importance of the PA in governing Gaza in the event of an end to the devastating war in the enclave.

New York

U.S. sanctions Palestinian Authority in growing diplomatic rift

Ukraine’s Parliament has reversed a controversial law signed last week by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which would have allowed the government greater control over anti-corruption agencies. The decision comes as the country faces one of its most significant political crises since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine parliament reverses bill on anti-corruption agencies amid crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order increasing tariffs on Canadian goods that don't meet the terms of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement to 35 per cent.

Ottawa

Global Tariffs

Trump raises Canada tariff to 35%, grants extension to Mexico

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 31 in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine is unfolding.

Jerusalem

Trump's envoy meets Netanyahu for Gaza aid, ceasefire push

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is visiting Israel as more countries join the call to recognize a Palestinian state in September. CBS News' Robert Berger has the latest.

Trump envoy in Israel as Canada joins call on Palestinian statehood

President Donald Trump says the U.S. will charge a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea as part of a deal that eases, for now, tension with a top-10 trading partner and key Asian ally.

Washington

Trump says U.S. will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports

U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods to fight what he has called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies.

Rio de Janeiro

Trump hits Brazil with tariffs, sanctions but key sectors excluded

Widespread damage from tsunami waves after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded appears to have been largely avoided. Experts say this event should be used to gauge disaster preparedness for a more serious situation in the future.

Okinawa

Tsunami damage less severe than feared after Russian earthquake

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state later this year if the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, meets certain conditions.

Canada to recognize Palestinian state in September if conditions met

Australia said on Wednesday (July 30) it will add YouTube to sites covered by its world-first ban on social media for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site and potentially setting up a legal challenge.

Canberra

Australia expands teen social media ban to YouTube

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (July 30) the United States will impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from India, as well as an unspecified penalty for buying Russian weapons and oil, on Aug. 1.

Trump says U.S. to hit India with 25% tariff starting August 1

Mourners flooded the streets of Birmingham to celebrate the life of rock-and-roll legend Ozzy Osbourne during his funeral procession in the United Kingdom. Mark Savage, a music reporter at the BBC, a CBS News partner, joins with more details.

Birmingham

Ozzy Osbourne fans flood Birmingham streets to mourn late music icon

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters before departing from Scotland that Jeffrey Epstein poached workers from his Mar-a-Lago spa. Trump mentioned Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most vocal accusers, in his latest remarks.

Trump says Epstein 'stole' young women from Mar-a-Lago spa

Owdeh Hathaleen, a 31-year‑old Palestinian activist, teacher, and filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was shot dead by an Israeli settler near the village of Umm al‑Khair in the South Hebron Hills.

Palestinian activist killed by Israeli settler in West Bank

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 16 feet nearby, and sparked evacuation orders in Japan, Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday (July 30).

Hawaii

Tsunami reaches Hawaii after huge quake shakes Russia's Far East

The U.N. General Assembly brought high-level officials together to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict. Israel and the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia

Israel and U.S. boycott UN Summit for two-state solution

With numerous countries facing an Aug. 1 trade agreement deadline, officials in the Trump administration say China could get an extension while negotiations continue.

Trump officials suggest potential tariff truce with China

Police say the man who shot and killed four people in a New York City office building before he took his own life had a "documented mental health history." Mayor Eric Adams says he may have been targeting the National Football League (NFL).

Manhattan gunman had 'documented mental health history'

Jeffrey Epstein-associate Ghislaine Maxwell is offering to testify before Congress in exchange for concessions like full immunity. CBS News Department of Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Ghislaine Maxwell offers to testify before Congress

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday (July 29) Britain was prepared to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly unless Israel takes a number of steps to improve life for Palestinians.

London

UK to recognize Palestinian state unless Israel takes action

Russia launched overnight air strikes on over 70 Ukrainian cities, killing more than 20 people, according to President Zelenskyy. A pregnant woman died near a hospital in the southeast, while a prison strike killed at least 17.

Deadly Russian air raids hit Ukraine as Trump warns of sanctions

For the first time, human rights groups inside Israel are accusing their own government of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel insists it is targeting Hamas, not civilians—despite nearly 60,000 Palestinian deaths since the war began almost two years ago.

Rights groups in Israel accuse country of genocide

As Gaza’s crisis worsens, France is advocating for a two-state solution at a UN conference co-chaired by the French foreign minister. The meeting follows President Macron’s announcement that France will formally recognize a Palestinian state in September.

France leads UN talks on Israel-Palestine two-state solution

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was found guilty of bribery and witness tampering in an unprecedented trial that has shaken the country.

Bogotá

Ex-Colombian president Uribe convicted of witness tampering, bribery

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev posted on social media that President Trump's deadline push for a ceasefire with Ukraine is "a threat and a step towards war."

Moscow

Russian official calls Trump's ceasefire deadline 'a threat'

Ukraine says Russia's overnight air strikes hit a prison in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, killing at least 17 people. Another 35 were injured. Authorities say the attacks destroyed the jail buildings and damaged several nearby houses.

Zaporizhzhia

Russian air strikes hit a prison in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, 17 killed

Russia launched yet another attack on Ukraine overnight, with more than 300 drones and seven missiles. While most of the barrage was intercepted, the attacks prompted President Trump to give his Russian counterpart an ultimatum.

Trump gives Putin new deadline to end Ukraine war

A gunman killed at least one police officer and shot a handful of other people Monday in the heart of New York City. CBS News New York has the latest details.

Gunman kills police officer, wounds others in Midtown Manhattan

The suspect in the Michigan Walmart stabbing attack that injured 11 people over the weekend pleaded not guilty Monday to terrorism and assault charges.

Breakdown