Local heat transfer by forced convection from a circular cylinder in crossflow is investigated for Reynolds number from 2 x 10(3) to 9 x 10(4) and Prandtl number from 7 to 176. The working fluids are water and mixtures of ethylene glycol and water. The cylinder is uniformly heated by passing a direct electric current through a thin surface heater. The influence of Reynolds number and Prandtl number on the distributions of local Nusselt number around a circular cylinder in crossflow is described. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.