Intra-urban variability of climatological indices in Florence (Italy)

Intra-urban thermal range can reach similar values of the urban-rural difference. In this paper 5-years of thermal measurements carried out in Florence (Italy) by 25 air temperature sensors are presented. To evaluate the thermal difference within the urban environment of Florence, daily and hourly indices were applied to hourly data. Daily extreme indices were calculated on pre-defined arbitrary threshold according to the European Climate Assessment (ECA) indices definitions. Data were analyzed by season and significant differences were observed. A mean difference of almost 3 °C between the hottest and the coolest station was found in all seasons in maximum, minimum and average daily temperature. Significant intra-urban differences were also found in all climatological indices, such as frost and summer days. The difference in tropical nights was even more evident. The results of this study contribute to quantify the thermal intra-urban temperature range in the city of Florence, suggesting important application in phenology, aerobiology, human health and urban planning.