Detroit
United States
Detroit is projected to experience frequent heatwaves, which may lead to elevated health risks such as heat exhaustion and increased demand for energy, potentially straining local resources. Additionally, the city will face heavy precipitation events that can result in significant flooding, particularly affecting areas with inadequate drainage infrastructure. Such climate hazards create vulnerabilities to public safety, economic stability, and overall resilience of community systems. The expected intensity and frequency of these events are likely to exacerbate existing challenges in infrastructure management and emergency preparedness. Unfortunately, we have not yet documented technology-enabled climate resilience solutions tailored for Detroit, which compounds the difficulty in addressing these imminent challenges effectively. Understanding these risks is essential for planning and preparedness in the face of an uncertain climatic future.
Hazard Outlook
How will Detroit's projected climate hazards compare to other cities under a 3.0°C future warming scenario?
Heavy Rainfall Days
With 11 days of heavy rainfall expected, Detroit ranks higher than most cities for extreme precipitation events.
Maximum Temperature
Detroit's projected maximum temperature of 9.3°C is near the median of cities globally under a 3.0°C warming scenario.
Longest Heatwave
Detroit may experience heatwaves lasting up to 4 days, near the median of other cities.
Maximum Rainfall
Detroit's projected maximum rainfall of 10 mm is near the median of cities globally.
Elevation
At 205 m elevation, Detroit faces moderate risk from coastal flooding and sea level rise.
Exposure Summary
Adaptation Priorities
Detroit faces elevated exposure to heavy rain. These areas may warrant priority attention in adaptation planning.
Data source: Climate projections from the IPCC AR6 scenario analysis. See our methodology for details on how we process and interpret this data.
Deployed Solutions
Deployed climate adaptation technologies identified in Detroit.
No solutions have been documented for Detroit.
This is an archived snapshot of the database.
Recommended Solutions
Proven solutions from similar cities that could help diversify Detroit's resilience portfolio
Citizen Science Mobile Heat Mapping with Vehicle-Mounted Sensors
91%With the help of the Museum of Science, volunteers attached temperature sensors to their cars and bikes to collect data in Boston, Cambridge and Brookline.
NASA Landsat Urban Heat Island Mapping and Analysis Platform
87%The City of Chicago partnered with City Tech Collaborative, Microsoft, Esri, and d3i Systems to develop a technology-enabled approach for quantifying urban heat islands and assessing heat reduction interventions using advanced environmental data from NASA.
AI-Powered Urban Tree Canopy Mapping Using Satellite & LiDAR Data
87%Satellite data is used to periodically evaluate tree coverage across Chicago and across the greater region.
Urban Heat Response Data Platform
87%City Tech Collaborative partnered with Microsoft, Esri, d3i Systems, and the City of Chicago to create a replicable, scalable study of urban heat spots over time and assessment of site-specific heat interventions through the Urban Heat Response project.
Integrated Metropolitan Meteorological Monitoring Network
85%The Lisbon Metropolitan Area established an integrated meteorological monitoring network in early 2022, consisting of 18 weather stations distributed across each of its 18 municipalities.
Watershed-Specific Downscaled Climate Projection Modeling
90%Seattle's water utilities collaborated with federal and academic research institutions to develop downscaled climate projections specifically tailored to the watersheds supplying the city's water.
Integrated 1D-2D Hydraulic Modeling for Urban Drainage Systems
85%Mathematical modelling of wastewater and stormwater systems was undertaken with SWMM (1D) and Basement (2D), mostly in the downtown area (drainage catchments J&L).