Land Surface Temperature and Urban Heat Island Data for 71 U.S. Cities (1985-2023)

Annual Landsat land surface temperature (LST) products for 71 urban centers in the Continental U.S. (CONUS) from 1985 to 2023, used to generate Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) intensity and hotspot data. The data covers areas within a 5 km buffer of each urban center and integrates with NLCD 2023 land cover change products. This dataset, version 6.0 from July 2025, is produced by the Department of the Interior.

Use Cases

• Analyze SUHI intensity trends by calculating the difference between urban pixel LST and the mean non-urban LST for specific cities over the 1985-2023 period.
• Identify and map SUHI hotspot areas defined as pixels exceeding one standard deviation above the mean LST for similar land cover types.
• Compare land surface temperature changes between Persistent Urban Areas (PUA) and New Urban Areas (NUA) using the land cover change classification.
• Model the relationship between land cover change (from NLCD 2023) and the derived Mean Land Surface Temperature (MeanLST) or Maximum Land Surface Temperature (AveMaxLST) metrics.

Strengths

• Provides a 39-year time series (1985-2023) of land surface temperature data, enabling long-term climate and urbanization trend analysis.
• Covers 71 distinct urban centers across the Continental U.S., offering a broad geographic scope for comparative studies.
• Derived from Landsat Analysis Ready Data (ARD), ensuring a processed and consistent baseline for LST calculations.
• Includes derived products like SUHI intensity and statistically defined hotspots, adding analytical value beyond raw temperature readings.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage is limited to a 5 km buffer around each urban center, excluding broader regional or rural temperature contexts.
• Data is provided in XML format, which may be less convenient for direct analysis compared to tabular or raster formats like CSV or GeoTIFF.
• The dataset's update cycle is irregular, with revisions occurring every 1-2 years, which may not capture the most recent annual changes post-2023.

Provenance

Source

Department of the Interior

Collection Method

LST derived from Landsat Collection U.S. Analysis Ready Data (ARD) intersecting 71 urban centers, combined with NLCD 2023 land cover data to produce SUHI intensity and hotspot products.

Time Range

1985 to 2023

Freshness

Data covers up to 2023; the metadata record was last updated in January 2026, and the dataset itself is version 6.0 from July 2025.

Geography

Continental U.S. (CONUS), focusing on 71 urban centers and their surrounding 5 km buffer zones.