Adapting to climate change
Climate change and flooding
There have been major floods in Salford in the past from the River Irwell, such as in 1946. Although flood defences have been improved, climate change means that we cannot afford to ignore the risk of flooding, either from the river or from local flooding incidents caused by heavy rainfall.
Climate change will lead to an increased risk of flooding due to:
- wetter winters overall
- an increase in periods of intense heavy rainfall
To find out if your home is at risk from river flooding, please visit the Environment Agency website. Our flooding advice for householders page gives more details of what to do if your home is at risk.
You can find out more about what the city council is doing to manage flood risk, on our flood risk pages. This includes a link to the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment, which gives more technical details of flood risk in Salford.
Urban Heat Islands
Urban Heat Islands are a phenomenon where built up areas are significantly warmer than their surroundings. This magnifies the impact of temperature rises caused by climate change in some parts of the city. Manchester University's SCORCHIO project suggests that some areas of Salford will be particularly vulnerable to urban heat island effect.
Further information can be found at UK Climate Impact Programmes (UKCIP) and Ecocities.
This page was last updated on 17 March 2011
