Articles | Volume 17, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5023-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5023-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
WRF-Comfort: simulating microscale variability in outdoor heat stress at the city scale with a mesoscale model
Alberto Martilli
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Atmospheric Modelling Unit, Environmental Department, CIEMAT, Madrid 28040, Spain
Negin Nazarian
School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Sydney, Australia
E. Scott Krayenhoff
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
Jacob Lachapelle
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
Jiachen Lu
School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Sydney, Australia
Esther Rivas
Atmospheric Modelling Unit, Environmental Department, CIEMAT, Madrid 28040, Spain
Alejandro Rodriguez-Sanchez
Atmospheric Modelling Unit, Environmental Department, CIEMAT, Madrid 28040, Spain
Beatriz Sanchez
Atmospheric Modelling Unit, Environmental Department, CIEMAT, Madrid 28040, Spain
José Luis Santiago
Atmospheric Modelling Unit, Environmental Department, CIEMAT, Madrid 28040, Spain
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Cited
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- Urban heat mitigation under realistic roof and land area constraints H. Kamath et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae32a7
- Bioclimatic comfort and solar responsive urban design in the traditional street texture of Diyarbakir’s Suriçi region K. Gider et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-30582-5
- Impact of adjacent city development on the urban heat island intensity and thermal stress : A WRF-BEP/BEM and LCZ-integrated assessment X. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.114024
- Downscaling prediction of urban wind environment based on PBMs and hybrid MLP-CNN model X. Shen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102747
- Microclimatic dynamics and hydrological patterns in urban heat islands - A comprehensive perspective N. Sadra et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2026.107184
- City-Scale Revegetation Strategies Impact on the Temperature-Related Long-Term Mortality: A Quantitative Assessment in Three Cities in Southern Europe J. de Andrés et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071089
- Advancing urban atmospheric modeling with coupled mesoscale–LES: A Bologna heatwave case study T. Landi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.103031
- Approach for the vertical wind speed profile implemented in the UTCI basics blocks UTCI applications at the urban pedestrian level H. Lee et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-024-02835-x
- From black to radiative cooling: How fabric radiative properties shape outdoor thermal comfort and heat strain under extreme conditions S. Ouyang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114887
- City-scale cooling and thermal comfort: A dual-index comparison of heat mitigation strategy effectiveness across geographically-diverse cities M. Wong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181860
- MLUCM BEP + BEM: an offline one-dimensional multi-layer urban canopy model based on the BEP + BEM scheme G. Pappaccogli et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-7129-2025
- Co-benefits of nature-based solutions: A health impact assessment of the Barcelona Green Corridor (Eixos Verds) plan T. Iungman et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109313
- Development of a building-resolving CFD model coupled with warm-cloud microphysics for simulating urban moisture and phase-change effects H. Lee et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2026.107236
- Is applying heat-reflective paint to every building and sidewalk in a city a cool solution? E. Velasco https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scsadv.2026.100043
- Quantifying outdoor heat stress potential due to city-wide installation of rooftop photovoltaic solar panels S. Khorat et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115996
- WRF-HEATS coupling: Incorporating human behaviors and city topography into urban heat stress evaluation X. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112191
- Heat resilience assessment during a heatwave based on WRF-simulated UTCI: Insights from built LCZ types in Valencia, Spain L. Wei & J. Sobrino https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102672
- Quantify the shading effects on alleviating human thermal stress across different local climate zones in the Yangtze River Delta L. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113249
- Rapid prediction of human perceived microclimate through multiphysics-informed reduced order models M. Fitzky et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102899
- Heat and mortality in a semi-arid city: A multi-scalar analysis of the impacts of temperature in Denver, Colorado E. Dzwonczyk et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102709
- Towards healthy and liveable cities: Realistic modelling of urban pedestrian thermal stress on waterfront greenways D. Shi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114923
- A novel “WRF+AutoML” framework for enhanced heat estimation in urban environments M. Gao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2025.106908
- Adapting urban areas to rising temperatures: Strategies to reduce heat and vulnerability in a warming world S. Ventura et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102757
- Assessing the Integrated Impacts of Outdoor Thermal Environment and Air Quality on Thermal Comfort in Residential Areas: A Case Study of Wuhan W. Liao et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15234309
- Adaptation and mitigation of outdoor heat stress and building energy consumption during a heat wave in Nicosia, Cyprus G. Vurro et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102507
- Prioritizing social vulnerability in urban heat mitigation K. Fung et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae360
28 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Impacts of urban morphology and sky conditions on microscale surface and canopy heat islands under subtropical climate: Scaled outdoor experiments G. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114636
- Strategies to mitigate urban heat: Effects on overheating and cloud formation J. Mejia et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102514
- Urban heat mitigation under realistic roof and land area constraints H. Kamath et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae32a7
- Bioclimatic comfort and solar responsive urban design in the traditional street texture of Diyarbakir’s Suriçi region K. Gider et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-30582-5
- Impact of adjacent city development on the urban heat island intensity and thermal stress : A WRF-BEP/BEM and LCZ-integrated assessment X. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.114024
- Downscaling prediction of urban wind environment based on PBMs and hybrid MLP-CNN model X. Shen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102747
- Microclimatic dynamics and hydrological patterns in urban heat islands - A comprehensive perspective N. Sadra et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2026.107184
- City-Scale Revegetation Strategies Impact on the Temperature-Related Long-Term Mortality: A Quantitative Assessment in Three Cities in Southern Europe J. de Andrés et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16071089
- Advancing urban atmospheric modeling with coupled mesoscale–LES: A Bologna heatwave case study T. Landi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.103031
- Approach for the vertical wind speed profile implemented in the UTCI basics blocks UTCI applications at the urban pedestrian level H. Lee et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-024-02835-x
- From black to radiative cooling: How fabric radiative properties shape outdoor thermal comfort and heat strain under extreme conditions S. Ouyang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114887
- City-scale cooling and thermal comfort: A dual-index comparison of heat mitigation strategy effectiveness across geographically-diverse cities M. Wong et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181860
- MLUCM BEP + BEM: an offline one-dimensional multi-layer urban canopy model based on the BEP + BEM scheme G. Pappaccogli et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-7129-2025
- Co-benefits of nature-based solutions: A health impact assessment of the Barcelona Green Corridor (Eixos Verds) plan T. Iungman et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109313
- Development of a building-resolving CFD model coupled with warm-cloud microphysics for simulating urban moisture and phase-change effects H. Lee et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2026.107236
- Is applying heat-reflective paint to every building and sidewalk in a city a cool solution? E. Velasco https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scsadv.2026.100043
- Quantifying outdoor heat stress potential due to city-wide installation of rooftop photovoltaic solar panels S. Khorat et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115996
- WRF-HEATS coupling: Incorporating human behaviors and city topography into urban heat stress evaluation X. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112191
- Heat resilience assessment during a heatwave based on WRF-simulated UTCI: Insights from built LCZ types in Valencia, Spain L. Wei & J. Sobrino https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102672
- Quantify the shading effects on alleviating human thermal stress across different local climate zones in the Yangtze River Delta L. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.113249
- Rapid prediction of human perceived microclimate through multiphysics-informed reduced order models M. Fitzky et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.102899
- Heat and mortality in a semi-arid city: A multi-scalar analysis of the impacts of temperature in Denver, Colorado E. Dzwonczyk et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102709
- Towards healthy and liveable cities: Realistic modelling of urban pedestrian thermal stress on waterfront greenways D. Shi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2026.114923
- A novel “WRF+AutoML” framework for enhanced heat estimation in urban environments M. Gao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2025.106908
- Adapting urban areas to rising temperatures: Strategies to reduce heat and vulnerability in a warming world S. Ventura et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102757
- Assessing the Integrated Impacts of Outdoor Thermal Environment and Air Quality on Thermal Comfort in Residential Areas: A Case Study of Wuhan W. Liao et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15234309
- Adaptation and mitigation of outdoor heat stress and building energy consumption during a heat wave in Nicosia, Cyprus G. Vurro et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102507
- Prioritizing social vulnerability in urban heat mitigation K. Fung et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae360
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 21 Jul 2026
Short summary
Here, we present a model that quantifies the thermal stress and its microscale variability at a city scale with a mesoscale model. This tool can have multiple applications, from early warnings of extreme heat to the vulnerable population to the evaluation of the effectiveness of heat mitigation strategies. It is the first model that includes information on microscale variability in a mesoscale model, something that is essential for fully evaluating heat stress.
Here, we present a model that quantifies the thermal stress and its microscale variability at a...