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There's nothing like riding a motorcycle to feel the urban heat island effect. The first time I ever was on a motorcycle, driving from the city to the 'country', the temperature drop literally took my breath away.

I live in rural North Carolina about 20 miles from Durham, NC. Durham is not exactly a large urban area, but even still, it is much warmer than the surrounding rural areas. I have an outside temperature gauge on my vehicle, and I regularly see a temperature difference of 3 to 4 degrees F going to and from Durham to my rural home.

I realize that what my car's temperature gauge is actually measuring is pavement latent heat, heated by both the sun and tire friction caused by traffic, which would be heavier in urban areas than in rural areas. But the fact remains that these roads radiate heat, which contributes to elevated temperatures in urban areas. Urban Heat Island effect is very real.