Urban Heat Island Intensity Trends in 50 CONUS Cities 1985-2020

50 cities across the contiguous United States are analyzed for Urban Heat Island extent and intensity using Landsat land surface temperature data. The dataset provides annual maximum surface temperature averages at 30-meter resolution from 1985 to 2020, assessing variations associated with urban development. It was produced by the Department of the Interior using Landsat Analysis Ready Data.

Use Cases

• Analyze Urban Heat Island intensity trends in high-intensity urban areas versus surrounding non-urban areas over the 1985-2020 period.
• Model the relationship between urban development and maximum land surface temperature changes on an annual basis.
• Map the spatial extent of Urban Heat Islands at 30-meter resolution for 50 CONUS cities using annual average temperature data.

Strengths

• Annual data spanning 36 years (1985-2020) provides a long-term time series for trend analysis.
• Spatial resolution of 30 meters allows for detailed urban and peri-urban analysis.
• Covers 50 major cities across the contiguous United States, offering broad geographic coverage.

Limitations

• Data is derived from satellite surface temperature, which can differ from near-ground air temperature measurements.
• The dataset is focused on maximum land surface temperature, lacking complementary variables like humidity or wind.
• The primary file format is XML, which may require specific parsing tools for analysis.

Provenance

Source

Department of the Interior, using Landsat Analysis Ready Data (ARD).

Collection Method

Quantification of Urban Heat Island extent and intensity from Landsat land surface temperature product in a time series manner.

Time Range

1985 to 2020

Freshness

The dataset was last revised in version 4.1.1 on January 20, 2022, with metadata updated on the platform in January 2026.

Geography

50 cities in the contiguous United States (CONUS) and their surrounding areas.