The influence of urbanization and land use/land cover (LULC) on several meteorological variables, primarily temperature, has been well documented. The increased temperatures, often minimum temperatures, observed within an urban environment compared to the surrounding rural environment (urban heat island effect) may lead to a more lengthy growing season for plants and insects within the urban areas. This study uses satellite-derived data of nighttime city lights and green (photosynthetically active) vegetation to assess the urban heat island bias for over 4400 locations that are part of a network of climate observation stations. The methodology includes local and regional satellite retrievals of an indicator of the presence green photosynthetically active vegetation (a vegetation index) at, and around, the climate stations. The difference in local and regional samples of the vegetation index are used to estimate differences in mean air temperature. The results of this analysis appear to indicate that satellite-derived data sets can be used to estimate the urban heat-island temperature bias on a global basis. The observed differences in the vegetation index and estimated temperature between local and regional samples of stations classified as urban were significant. Additionally, within the Northern Hemisphere, significant differences were observed for the vegetation index and temperature of local and regional samples of stations that were, based on population data, classified as rural.