A new study shows you may not have a hotter time in the city compared to living in rural areas. It has been known for some time that cities with their buildings, paved parking lots and roads were warmer than nearby rural areas. Tom Peterson a research meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) did research taking a closer look at the factors involved in the temperature readings He says his study tried to take into account the differences between rural and urban stations that measured the temperature, from the types of instruments used to the elevation of the sites. He says the research showed the city sites were not much warmer than the rural sites. Peterson says the overall temperatures in cities evens out. He says a large intersection or industrial part of town is indeed warmer than the countryside, but he says a lot of the urban weather stations are located in parks, which are several degrees colder than the rest of the city. Peterson says plants, mainly trees, help moderate the temperature in cities. Peterson says many urban areas have a lot of trees and other plants that help cool them off. In fact, Peterson says some rural areas that’re barren may absorb more heat and be warmer than the cities with plenty of trees. Peterson says the heat difference holds true in summer or winter. He says in the winter there may be extra heat given off by buildings, cars and buses, but he says winds in the cities mix up the air and even it out.
