On: As Phoenix Heats Up, the Night Comes Alive

[cheald]

I'd be willing to guess that the vast majority of increase in overnight temps is due to sprawl and concrete/asphalt acting as heat batteries. Overnight temps are still reliably in the 80s, though.

I was curious, so I went and checked the NWS historical data. It shows that monthly average lows for August are more or less unchanged in the past 30 years, FWIW.

[drdeadringer → cheald]

> the vast majority of increase in overnight temps is due to sprawl and concrete/asphalt acting as heat batteries

That is exactly my recollection of what the story covered.

[downrightmike → cheald]

Also it creates a heat island during the day that creates a region of hot air around the city that will push clouds and storms away.