Heat waves pose ever greater challenges for cities. On the one hand, this is due to climate change, which intensifies them. On the other hand, it is also due to the so-called urban heat islands. Sealed surfaces, sparse vegetation and narrow street canyons are just some of the reasons why it is significantly warmer in the city compared to the surrounding area during heat waves, both during the day and especially at night.

In order to investigate the urban heat island of the city of Zurich more closely and, above all, to be able to make better temperature forecasts for the city centre, our research unit has installed a high-resolution measurement network in the city of Zurich as part of an Innosuisse project together with the Institute of Data Analysis and Process Design (IDP) and our industrial partner meteoblue.