Do human cities, towns etc. have any significant impact on weather patterns?

Question

I don't mean from a pollution aspect, I mean from the aspect of changing the lay of the land? For example, do taller buildings have a significant change on wind speeds or directions? Does the heat being generated change anything?

Is there any impact on any weather processes in general?

Answer 1

No.

Some cities like Chicago funnel wind and that can affect wind speed -aka temperature and severity of weather storms moving through. But as far as global weather patterns, they're way bigger than cities.

Answer 2

Climate and weather affect cities directly and at the same time are affected by them.How the cities and towns affect the weather are explained below.
Heat Islands:- Cities consume enormous amount of energy in heating,cooling and transportation.The energy is released as heat.This heat is trapped under a layer of pollution that arches over the city and prevents it from escaping.Further the buildings and road surfaces store heat.Thus cities are several degrees warmer than the surrounding rural land and have become heat islands.
Increase in green house effect:-Energy consumption in cities is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases which have increased in amount due to human activities also.This increases the greenhouse effect over the cities and towns.
Influence on winds:-Tall buildings affect the wind flow which is sometimes beneficial and somtimes dangerous.Wind amplification can lead to dangerous vortexes which damage structures and even threaten life.Parallel streets can channel the wind and therby create strong winds.These strong winds and the gustiness produced by tall buildings can affect the traffic also.
Air pollution:-Most urban pollution is caused by burning fossil fuels,chiefly coal and oil,for electricity generation for industry,domestic heating and transport, which produces a "cocktail" of pollutants.As above said,this pollution is responsible for the formation of heat islands.Moreover,this affects the health of human beings.
Floods:-Contruction of buildings affect the natural flow of the water.These buildings along with paved surfaces make the water remain on the surface causing floods in cities.Some of the most destructive floods of modern times have been in urban areas.
Thus cities affect the weather in many ways.

Answer 3

Close to zero effect on climate. On local weather, yes, large cities tend to be a few degrees warmer than outlying areas, and tall buildings can cause enhanced wind effects.

Land use is probably a much greater influencer of changing local weather than the so-called greenhouse gases. For example, 'man-made' global warming is blamed for the rapidly shrinking glacier on Mt. Kiliminjaro. What is the most likely cause is that the rainforest at the base of the mountain is mostly not there anymore. Rainforests produce a lot of moisture, plains do not. That warm, moist air used to rise up to be turned into snow at the mountain top, and all a glacier is is heavy snow packed over time into an ice sheet. No moisture, no snow, and the mountain itself is pretty close to the equator...so, is it 'global warming', or is it land use, ie, turning a rainforest into something dry?

Answer 4

Absolutely. Tall building all grouped together can act as a windbreak and force air currents higher. Any are that is all paved in (Los Angeles, New York) radiates more heat and can change the surrounding air temp. Hot air radiating upwards can cause shifts in wind patterns as well.Leveling parts of hillsides to build homes or other structures clears the ground cover that hold the soil in place and can lead to mud/land slides that can level hills and fill in surrounding canyons.

Answer 5

KT Tunstall (St. Andrews) - Singer/songwriter The Proclaimers (Auchtermuchty) - Band Jack Vettriano (Methil) - well-liked painter Gordon Brown (Kirkcaldy) - best Minister Edith Bowman (Anstruther) - Radio/television presenter St. Andrews Gold path - considered "the homestead Of golfing" - hundreds of persons from international huge holiday right here to play golfing.

Answer 6

Cities are "hot spots." Because of all the concrete and the asphalt, cities reflect back more of the sun's heat than bare ground does. So cities typically have higher temperatures than the surrounding rural areas.

Answer 7

yes on mny frontsw...i.e stone retains heat longer than grass ergo temperature and height affects wind speed and direction but not in the whole scheme of things.

Answer 8

more persons more carbon dioxide due to metabolic activity
No green cover to recycle carbon dioxide , low oxygen, cause breathing and nausea problems
high concrete structure more solar heat absorption and re-radiation after sunset .and higher temperature between day and night , human body not able to follow rapid temperature change

Answer 9

sure, don't you think L.A. smog and fuel emissions effect the ozone that in turn contributes to global warming that effects the evaporation of moisture to become clouds and such and all the chain of events in multiple dirrections. high pressue and low pressure to create weather. yeah, just think about it.

Answer 10

contact the Weather Channel and ask Dr. Hedi this question