Urban heat island (UHI) effects, and their consequences on urban environments, society, and economies, are intensifying due to continued urban developments and anthropogenic activities. Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer’s (MODIS) MOD11A2 land surface temperature (LST) and land-use/land-cover (LULC) products from National Land Cover Database (NLCD), this research investigated spatio-temporal dynamics of UHI developments over the past two decades (2000-2024), focusing three major cities of Alabama, namely Huntsville, Birmingham, and Mobile. The Madison and Limestone counties, hosting the Huntsville City area, experienced the highest rate of urban expansion over the study period, with a notable increase in newly developed areas. Our findings indicate warming trends over developed areas in general, but more specifically during night-times leading to decreasing diurnal temperature differences and can indicate intensifying UHI effects. These findings also indicate applicability of MODIS LST products for mapping and quantifying UHI effects at local to regional scale studies.
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