In Hong Kong, a startup promises to simulate and predict potential flooding for every street in the city in under three minutes with the help of artificial intelligence. The firm, Stellerus, is one of many around the globe looking to capitalize on the need for hyperlocal forecasting as climate change makes extreme weather events more dangerous and less predictable. 

AI weather modeling offers not only higher-resolution predictions, but it can also make them faster and at a lower cost than traditional methods. Some insurance companies hope it can help them tailor policies to specific customers’ needs. But as Mary Hui writes, the growing ecosystem of commercial weather forecasters and risk modelers could also mean greater dependence on proprietary models that can’t be double-checked. Today on CityLab: AI Weather Models Promise Super Granular, Specialist Forecasts

— Linda Poon

More on CityLab

LA County Floats Leaner Budget Burdened by Fire and Legal Costs
Officials unveiled a nearly $48 billion budget plan that leans on spending cuts to help mitigate fiscal challenges from the recent wildfires and costs related to a legal settlement.

Electric Construction Equipment Promises a Quiet Revolution
Battery-powered excavators and wheel loaders are still rare on most worksites globally, but cities like Oslo are pioneering a new generation of cleaner machines.

US Economy to Lose Billions as Foreign Tourists Stay Away
Potential visitors are rethinking their vacation plans amid increased hostility at the US border, rising geopolitical frictions and global economic uncertainty.

Trump derails Texas' bullet train dreams

• Two months after Trump’s funding cuts, a nonprofit struggles to support refugees and itself (ProPublica)

• She was chatting with friends in a Lyft. Then someone texted her what they said (CBC)

• DOGE cut a CDC team as it was about to start a project to help North Carolina flood victims (NPR)

• Apartment developers who overbuilt luck out with tariffs (Wall Street Journal)

• The ‘tiny homes’ at the core of San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake response (Planetizen)

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