%0 Journal Article
%T The Impact of the Urban Heat Island during an Intense Heat Wave in Oklahoma City
%A Jeffrey B. Basara
%A Heather G. Basara
%A Bradley G. Illston
%A Kenneth C. Crawford
%J Advances in Meteorology
%D 2010
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2010/230365
%X During late July and early August 2008, an intense heat wave occurred in Oklahoma City. To quantify the impact of the urban heat island (UHI) in Oklahoma City on observed and apparent temperature conditions during the heat wave event, this study used observations from 46 locations in and around Oklahoma City. The methodology utilized composite values of atmospheric conditions for three primary categories defined by population and general land use: rural, suburban, and urban. The results of the analyses demonstrated that a consistent UHI existed during the study period whereby the composite temperature values within the urban core were approximately C warmer during the day than the rural areas and over C warmer at night. Further, when the warmer temperatures were combined with ambient humidity conditions, the composite values consistently revealed even warmer heat-related variables within the urban environment as compared with the rural zone. 1. Introduction Within the United States, heat waves are the most prominent cause of weather-related human mortality [1] and have been well studied by the public health community [2]. In recent years, the effects of heat waves had devastating impacts both in the United States [1, 3] and Europe [4¨C6]. The excess all cause mortality related to the August 2003 heat wave in Europe (estimated 22,000 to 45,000 heat-related deaths in 2 weeks across Europe) calls dramatic attention to the relationship between heat waves and health [7]. Children, elderly persons, those with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, low income and minority groups, and individuals living alone are particularly vulnerable to excessive heat [2, 8, 9]. Unfortunately, the frequency, intensity, and impacts of heat waves will likely increase during future decades [10, 11]. As a result, many cities have implemented heat watch-warning technologies to mitigate the impacts of heat waves and protect the populations of large urban areas [12¨C14]. In general, the atmospheric processes associated with heat waves involve significant, mid-tropospheric anomalies which subsequently produce extended periods of subsidence, clear skies, light winds, warm-air advection, and prolonged above normal temperature [11, 15, 16]. As such, heat waves impact large geographic areas. Yet, during two-heat-wave events in the central portion of the United States, approximately 65% of all heat-related deaths in 1995 occurred in Chicago [15] and, during 1999, approximately 80% of all deaths occurred in metropolitan areas (including Cincinnati, Chicago, Kansas
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/amete/2010/230365/