Can cities create own weather?

Wall Street Journal: Urban areas can create own weather patterns

The tornado that ripped through downtown Atlanta a year ago was created by the city itself, say rsearchers from Purdue University and the University of Georgia. The study suggests that 'pockets of rain during a drought interacted with dry air masses, heightening the initial thunderstorm that spawned the tornado.' Plus, the heat retaining surfaces of the city -- asphalt, glass and metal of the buildings and streets, probably intensified the storm.

"Urban regions create their own weather," said Dev Niyogi, a climatology professor at Purdue University in Indiana and the lead author of the study, which was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "As we are becoming bigger and bigger in terms of our urban footprint, there's a distinct probability we are going to see cities have their own weather patterns."

The study suggests that more severe storms could become more common in drought conditions. However, some scientists are skeptical of the claim that urban development increases the frequency of tornadoes.

It's an interesting idea.

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