Effects of the Urban Heat Island on Lake-Breeze Front Propagation

Doppler radar data from the National Weather Service's KMKX radar are used to monitor the location of the Lake Michigan lake-breeze front in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. Radar data and surface observations are used to develop isochrones that depict the inland propagation of lake-breeze fronts during the summers of 2008-2011. These data are presented in concert with air temperature data from the National Buoy Data Center, air quality monitoring stations from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the meteorological observing station at the Waukesha, WI, airport to determine the strength of the urban heat island (UHI). This study investigates the correlation between nighttime UHI strength and lake breeze propagation the following afternoon. Specifically, we are determining if the propagation speed of the lake breeze front is affected by the intensity of the UHI during the previous night.