Climate for a continental city (warm, average, temperatures, precipitation)

[tonylu]

I'm sure this is very odd but, for a very long time ever since I've looked at maps and satellite images on Google Maps and such, I've always wondered what would happen if a city (we could say something maybe like New York with the gigantic buildings and everything) grew so big that it overtook the entire continent.

As I understand, from what I've seen on the Weather Channel, a single tiny city can actually make thunderstorms more powerful. I also read in some books that buildings can effect the way the wind blows ad moves through the city. I also have noticed here in the Las Vegas area, as it expanded outward, it seems to have gotten more humid. So I was wondering what kind of climate would a continental city have? What types of weather patterns might be expected? I'm guessing higher than average winds and possibly higher temperatures but that's all I can think of.

[snj90]

Well, that would be extremely depressing. Nothing but people and buildings from sea to sea? I couldn't live without open spaces. I think one other factor would be increased precipitation. I think you'd see dramatically increased precipitation in areas of the continent where prevailing winds blow. Car exhaust is known to have this effect, and it's most pronounced in areas downwind of large cities. The albedo of a whole continent would be dramatically decreased, so you could expect much warmer temperatures, perhaps cancelled out slightly by more aerosol pollution, which has a cooling effect.