City Heat vs. Country Heat

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (wthi) - The mid-July sun is beating down on us here in the Wabash Valley, causing the temperature to be quite hot. It's in the mid-90's right now under a mostly sunny sky. Now, in a city like Terre Haute there is pavement everywhere. So, let's look at how the sun affects the pavement.

Our first temperature reading said 122 degrees. So, not only is the ground 122 degrees, the air is 95. That's one of the reasons it feels so oppressively hot, but what about the country?

Well, out in the country the actual air temperature is just a few degrees cooler than it was in the city, with all that concrete and brick. Now, when the sun hits the grass and ground, not the pavement the temperature gauge reads 96 to 98 degrees. That's why it feels cooler in the country than in the city when we have a heat wave like this.

Also, a city will continue to hold heat, making overnight lows higher than in the country.