Meteorologists led by NASA have discovered that the heat being released in Atlanta, Georgia has made the city 5 to 8 degrees hotter than areas around Atlanta. This makes Atlanta into a little hot island or what the researchers like to call a 'heat island'. Hot air rises in a process called convection. The hot air carries water vapor with it as it rises, creating rain clouds. So the hotter temperatures in Atlanta cause it to rain and thunderstorm more inside the city.
Scientists also think the hot air makes air pollution worse and slows down plant growth.
Colored picture showing heat taken from Lear Jet above Atlanta. They are collecting information from the National Weather Service, the Georgia Automated Environmental Network, and from special weather satellites orbiting the earth. They use pictures from a special heat sensor onboard a Lear jet that colors the hot and cold areas. A white roof helps keep buildings and the city cooler. Learning about what causes this heat problem will help us fix it.