The Charlotte Metropolitan Region (CMR), home to over 2.5 million people spread across 14 counties, is a rapidly growing area exemplary of global urbanization. Such growth can significantly modify local climate through intensification and expansion of the urban heat island (UHI) – characterized by warmer urban temperatures relative to the surrounding rural landscape. In particular, UHIs associated with large cities such as Charlotte are known to vary in intensity from 1-20°F depending on local wind speed, relative humidity, cloudiness, time of day, and season. Low-level convergence induced by an UHI (much like a coastal sea breeze) initiates thunderstorms over the urban center and subsequently enhances regional precipitation (by 2-5 inches) over and downwind of the urban core. Thus, UHIs impact local weather and climate, as well as urban hydrologic systems, air quality, and ecosystems.
Moreover, during the last several decades, the Carolinas have been experiencing more frequent and more intense heatwaves (HWs) – characterized by at least three consecutive days when the daily maximum temperature exceeds 95°F or the daily maximum heat index exceeds 100°F. Given that current climate projections anticipate further increases in our regional temperatures, a better understanding of the interconnections between UHIs and HWs will be critical for developing resilient CMR communities to extreme heat.
This ongoing project has two overall goals: (1) documenting the spatiotemporal structure, intensity, and regional impacts of the Charlotte UHI, and (2) documenting the how the UHI varies during HW events. We anticipate our results will help CMR communities and urban planners develop better heat response and mitigation plans that benefit all residents.
This research has been funded by several grants from UNC Charlotte.
Relevant Publications and Presentations:
Eastin, M. D., M. Baber, A. Boucher, S. Di Bari, R. Hubler, B. Stimac-Spalding, and T. Winesett, 2018: Temporal variability of the Charlotte (sub)urban heat island. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 57, 81-102.
Robinson, A.M., M.D. Eastin, K. Idziorek, V. Joshi, and C.E. Conrad, 2024: An evaluation of intra-university campus temperature variability under variable synoptic weather conditions using mobile transects. International Journal of Biometeorology, 68 (11), 411-425.
Stuck, A., 2020: Short-term prediction of the Charlotte urban heat island. M.S. Thesis, UNC Charlotte. (Advisor: M.D. Eastin)
Hubler, R., 2016: Precipitation enhancement by the Charlotte urban heat island. M.S. Thesis, UNC Charlotte. (Advisor: M.D. Eastin)
Eastin, M.D., 2025: Sub-neighborhood-scale variability in urban heat: A case in Charlotte, North Carolina. 29th AMS Conference on Applied Climatology, New Orleans, LA.
Eastin, M.D., K. Idziorek, M. Zuniga, J. Wiswell, and A. Croland, 2025: Outcomes from the 2024 Charlotte Urban Heat Mapping Campaign. 16th AMS Conference on Environment and Health, New Orleans, LA.
Eastin, M.D., 2024: Impact of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders on air quality and temperatures in Charlotte, North Carolina. Southern Appalachian Weather and Climate Workshop, Radford, VA.
Eastin, M.D., A. Boucher, R. Hubler, M. Baber, and S. Gagne, 2016: Impacts of the Charlotte (NC) urban heat island on local precipitation, biodiversity, human health, and energy use. 22nd AMS Conference on Applied Meteorology, New Orleans, LA, American Meteorological Society