How Do Cities Create Their Own Microclimates?

Cities are like giant thermoses. They keep the heat inside during the day and let it escape at night, making them feel hotter than the countryside. Buildings and roads absorb sunlight all day, then slowly release that warmth when the sun goes down. This is why cities can be so hot in the summer and so cold in the winter.

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Examples

A city park feels cooler than the streets around it on a hot summer day.
It's warmer inside a big building at night than it is outside.
In winter, you feel colder walking on a concrete street than you do on a grassy field.

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Categories: Environment · microclimates,urban heat island effect,climate change