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The urbanization processes from the Industrial Revolution on have intensified and with these changes occur in the natural environment, providing intra-urban thermal differences, affecting the population's quality of life. This article aimed to investigate the phenomenon of heat islands in the urban area of Erechim, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, during the summer season, with the detailed application of thermal profile analysis based on the characteristics of the urban form. The methodology involved the collection, analysis, and processing of satellite images, as well as the elaboration of maps, calculations, and indices. Thermal profiles were produced that allowed a better local and microscale verification, in which thermal differences were identified in the urban space. The results show that vegetation plays a fundamental role in regulating surface temperature and that impermeable areas or areas with exposed soil suggest that there is a propensity for the formation of heat islands. Finally, the use of thermal profile differs from the transect and opens the possibility of theoretical-methodological discussion of its application, since research of this nature contributes to subsidize urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]