The wake flow and the onset of Karman-vortex shedding corresponding to periodic forces of a heated circular cylinder are investigated numerically with a SIMPLEC finite volume code. This study is performed for Reynolds numbers ranging from 20 to 200 and a Prandtl number of 0.7. The first bifurcation of flow over bluff bodies, which is strictly a Hopf type, is modelled using the Stuart- Landau equation. In this study, it is shown that the flow behind a circular cylinder is steady up to Re=49 and beyond this critical value, the flow develops to a periodic state, corresponding to the vortex shedding and force oscillation on the body. The wake structure is studied close to the oscillation threshold and also at the higher Reynolds numbers using streamlines, pressure, temperature, Nusselt numbers and wall vorticity profiles and iso-lines. Some useful physical quantities, such as time mean separation angle, Nusselt number, the dominating wake frequency (Strouhal and Roshko numbers), mean drag and the RMS value of lift are computed and compared with numerical and experimental results. Based on the results of this study, the empirical relations for the Reynolds dependence of the mean Nusselt number, mean separation angle, Strouhal and Roshko numbers are obtained.