Characterization of pavement temperature, including, substantial analysis of measured asphalt temperature data from the MnROAD facility and simulations of pavement temperature using a one-dimensional finite difference heat transfer model are presented. The measured pavement temperatures are characterized at diurnal and seasonal time scales, including daily extreme temperatures, temperature gradients, diurnal cycling, and seasonal variations. The temperature simulations provide more detailed information on temperature gradients in the pavement and on the surface heat transfer components than the measurements, and also help to evaluate the quality of the pavement temperature and climate measurements. This information is critical in quantifying aging effects at the surface of asphalt pavements and in modeling the asphalt pavement system response to environmental and traffic loading.