Summer air temperature distribution and thermal environment in urban areas of Japan

Abstract

The air temperature distribution was measured, and the thermal environment was studied in August (summer season) in an urban area of approximately 10 km × 15 km in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. We introduced a new index to evaluate the thermal condition. Combining the newly introduced index with other indices enabled us to show the thermal conditions in more detail. The inland thermal conditions were milder than those in the coastal areas when the air temperature was lower than 30°C. In contrast, the inland thermal conditions were more severe than those in the coastal areas when the air temperature was higher than 30°C. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society.