The planetary boundary layer (PBL) is a layer in the lowest part of the atmosphere where Earth’s surface strongly influences temperature, moisture, and wind through the turbulent transfer of air mass. It is a key component of air pollution transport studies. An urban heat island (UHI) is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. The El Paso - Juarez Metropolitan area, with a combined population of ~ 1.972 million (in 2010) and growing urban infrastructure, can be studied as an UHI surrounded by rural areas. In this study, we have analyzed the temperature fields for the lower levels of the troposphere for the El Paso - Juarez metropolitan area and neighboring rural areas during the day and night hours both for the summer and winter seasons. The Vaisala Boundary Layer View Software (BLView) was used to obtain the aerosol mixing layer height (ML), a proxy for the PBL height, using data from a Vaisala ceilometer, model CL31. The ceilometer is situated at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) campus. The BLView analyzes the ceilometer backscatter profile data and provided the ML structure. In addition, the Weather Research Forecast Model (WRF) was used to simulate PBL heights for the El Paso - Juarez Airshed and its surrounding rural areas. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to a better understanding of the PBL structure and the effect the UHI has for the El Paso - Juarez Airshed.