Urban Heat Island Effect in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.

The Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI) is the result of densely populated areas experiencing higher temperatures compared to outlying regions due to the heat capacity of building materials. The UHI was observed in three regions of interest: Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas. This was done by comparing daily maximum and minimum temperatures in a 30-year period (1991-2020) from stations that were located near and within densely populated areas. Averages and seasonal trends of the mean temperatures were obtained to compare conditions between locations. Annual trends calculated showed heating in some stations while cooling in others due to different environmental factors. Contrary to expectations, highly populated areas were not the hottest locations in the studied regions since temperatures depended on the stations surrounding environment.