Cities are magnets for summer rainstorms and now it turns out that they also intensify storms, raising the risk of flash flooding. The larger the city, the more of a deluge it generates, and as climate warms and cities grow, the greater this problem is likely to become.
Researchers found that larger cities such as London and Phoenix received summer rainfall that was both more intense (up to 11%) and concentrated (up to 15%) than that of their surrounding areas, while smaller cities like Milan saw about 4% intensification.
The extra summer rain is likely to be triggered by factors including the urban heat island effect, air pollution and city skylines which act like mini mountain ranges, helping warm air rapidly ascend and condense into rain clouds.
City planners need to beef up urban drainage systems, implement more flood-resilient infrastructure and prepare for intensified summer rain, which is increasingly likely with climate change.
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