The Urban Heat Island and Its Influence on Precipitation in Denver, Colorado

Anthropogenic modification of the climate is an unintended yet serious effect of urbanization and it is happening in every city across the globe in the form of the urban heat island. The purpose of this study was to see if Denver, Colorado exhibits evidence of an urban heat island using meteorological data and if there has been a change in precipitation amounts since the urbanization of the city. It was concluded that Denver, Colorado does have an urban heat island that varies seasonally throughout the year with an average magnitude of 3.57°C during the day and 3.82°C at night. The summer season exhibits the most prominent urban heat island of 4.22°C during the night. Overall, there has been a significant decrease in precipitation for the study area that can possibly be attributed to the urbanization of Denver. A non-significant but still noteworthy increase in precipitation in a small area downwind of southern Denver could be due to the urban heat island around the city