Abstract: This study assessed the diurnal variation of Urban Canopy Heat Island (UCHI) in the dry season in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. LCZ system of classification was used to classify Benin City into climate field sites. DS1921G – F5 thermocron iButton data loggers were used for collecting the temperature data from the stations. The result of the analysis showed that the highest temperature in the dry season was 29.70°C, while the lowest was 27.72°C. FS has the highest UCHI with 3.03°C followed by TM with 3.01°C and PS and BR with 2.98°C each. Maximum diurnal UCHI values were recorded at WR (6.34°C), TM (6.21°C) and BR (6.08°C) at 15:00 hours local time while the minimum diurnal UCHI were recorded at PS (0.03°C) and WI (0.18°C) at 12:00 hours and 05:00 hours respectively. The high development of UCHI and variation in diurnal characteristics were closely attributed to the nature of the impervious surfaces and anthropogenic activities that reduces the amount of ambient heat through evaporative cooling. The study therefore recommended the use of climate-sensitive planning and design schemes, adoption of planning methods of green city, and green roof approaches.
Key words: Diurnal variation, Heat island, Temperature, Urban canopy