Summer storms are generally more frequent, intense, and concentrated over cities than over rural areas, and larger cities intensify rainfall more than smaller ones, according to new, detailed observations of eight (U.S. and UE) cities and their surroundings

>The researchers used seven years of high-resolution weather data from eight cities in Europe and the United States (Milan, Italy; Berlin, Germany; London and Birmingham, United Kingdom; Phoenix, Arizona; Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Indianapolis, Indiana) to track summer storm formation and intensity in cities and their surroundings. The cities varied in size, climate and urban shape, but all are in relatively flat regions and far from large bodies of water — factors which could influence local rainfall patterns.
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>The researchers tracked storm formation and evolution outside of and over cities and their boundaries, identifying the average direction, average intensity, maximum intensity and area of each storm.
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>They found that more storms overall formed over cities and their boundaries compared to nearby rural areas. Storms typically were most intense over city centers, or over the city edges as in Berlin and Birmingham. Larger cities had greater rainfall intensification than smaller cities: in smaller cities, rainfall intensified by 0.9% to 3.4%, while it increased from 5.2% to 11% in the largest cities compared to outlying areas. Some cities also had much higher rainfall intensification during specific times of the day.
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>Rainfall also became more spatially concentrated over urban areas by up to 15%. Concentrated bursts of rainfall can tax urban water management systems more than rainfall that is evenly distributed.

Paper: [Intensification and Changing Spatial Extent of Heavy Rainfall in Urban Areas – Torelló‐Sentelles – 2024 – Earth’s Future – Wiley Online Library](https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2024EF004505)

Maybe cities were built there because there was a better chance of rain? Still doesn’t explain the Omadome (the Omaha, NE “shield” that generally deflects storms heading towards it).

This study provides compelling evidence that urbanization has a significant impact on the intensity and concentration of summer storms. The findings highlight the need for better urban planning strategies to mitigate the potential risks associated with increased rainfall and flooding in cities. Further research in this area can inform policy decisions aimed at reducing the vulnerability of urban populations to extreme weather events.