Evidence that Urbanisation Reshapes the Drivers of Extreme Precipitation

Join the Wolfson Engineering Society for a special talk on how urbanisation is reshaping extreme rainfall across Europe.

Rapid urban growth is coinciding with a rise in the intensity of extreme precipitation. While this broader climatic trend is well recognised, far less is understood about how cities themselves modify heavy rainfall at the local scale. By transforming land cover, surface energy exchanges, and airflow patterns, urbanisation may fundamentally alter how and where extreme rainfall occurs.

In this talk, Yuanhao Zhang will explore the relationship between urban development and heavy precipitation across Europe, examining how different levels of urbanisation influence rainfall extremes and what this means for climate adaptation and infrastructure planning. This talk will be of interest to those in climate science, hydrology, engineering, and urban planning, and aims to shed light on how rapidly expanding cities interact with climate.