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Tottenham Green to Tottenham Hale:
exploring the Urban Heat Island Celebrating Luke Howard during The Great Big Green Week 2026 During Great Big Green Week, the only mass moment for nature and climate in the UK, Tottenham Clouds is offering a Tottenham Urban Climate Walk on Wednesday 10 June.
Luke Howard, most famous for his classification of clouds, was also the first to describe the development of the urban heat island (UHI) effect and suggest its causes. His daily meteorological observations taken from his home on Tottenham Green and elsewhere, were first published in 1818. The records which allowed him to detect, describe and analyse the UHI effect provide data which remains of importance to climate science today. In developing the walk we have been fortunate to have the advice and support of Dr Julie Futcher, chair of the RIBA London Climate Special Interest Group, who developed the City of London urban climate walk, and Professor Gerald Mills of University College, Dublin, who is an expert on Luke Howard and his meteorological observations published in The Climate of London. During the walk from Tottenham Green to Tottenham Hale, we will consider Luke Howard’s analysis of the major features of climate: temperature, pressure, wind, precipitation etc and the urban and natural features we encounter on the way. Date: Wednesday 10 June Time: 6.30pm Starting point: Tottenham Green Visit to Winchmore Hill Quaker Burial Ground
on the anniversary of Luke Howard's death 21 March 1864 A group of 18 people gathered to pay our respects and to consider Luke Howard's legacy, focussing in particular on the theme of urban climate studies. Luke Howard was the first person to conduct scientific observations on the climate of cities Report of the visit here For more on Urban Climate Studies here 
Met Office daily weather reports now available online! Do you want to know what the weather was like on the day you were born or what the weather was like on any other important date from 1860? Daily weather report Luke Howard: Father of Urban Climate Science
The genius of Luke Howard’s cloud classification scheme is that it provides a visual description of cloud types that are universally recognisable and linked to underlying atmospheric process. The same intellect is evident in the pages of Climate of London where Howard’s rigorous approach to measurement and analysis revealed the Urban Heat Island phenomenon and its causes. For this reason, Luke Howard is recognised by the International Association for Urban Climates (IAUC) as the father of urban climate science. Read the full anniversary message from the IAUC here 
Linnean Society Podcast
For an informative introduction to the life of Luke Howard listen to the Linnean Society podcast with Richard Hamblyn. Recorded for the 250 anniversary of Luke Howard's birth. The Namer of Clouds |
Commemorating the 250 anniversary of the birth of Luke Howard 1772 - 2022 The 250th anniversary generated an enthusiasm for a year of celebrations to honour Luke Howard, Namer of Clouds, and to understand more about the observations and measurements taken by him which are still important to Urban Climate scientists today.
Luke Howard 250 anniversary events
Luke Howard's Legacy 2023 An afternoon of activities celebrating his work and exploring what his achievements mean today here Cloud Appreciation Day 2023 The Luke Howard exhibition, an exploration of the 2023 Memory Cloud Atlas, talks, drawing workshop and lots of fun activities for children here. London Urban Climate walks led by urban climate architect, Dr Julie Futcher. Report on the walks here Met Office Helen Roberts, Socio-Meteorologist from the Weather and Climate Extremes and Impacts Team welcomed us to the Met Office for a bespoke Tottenham Clouds tour. Report of the visit and learn about the work of the Met Office here Science Museum Alexandra Rose, Curator of Earth Sciences and Astronomy, welcomed us to the Science Museum and took us to the Library to see Luke Howard books. There were also documents, papers and certificates covering many of his interests. We also visited the 'Making the Modern World' gallery to see his barograph clock. Report of the visit here Luke Howard’s Climate of London: The Work of an Observational Genius Professor Gerald Mills, urban climatologist, University College Dublin, talk held at Bruce Castle Museum Link to presentation here Visit to Quaker Burial Ground at Winchmore Hill and the laying of a wreath at the grave of Luke Howard on the anniversary of his death - 21 March 1864. Report of the visit here |
Discover Luke Howard's links to Goethe, Tottenham and the naming of clouds
