where epic rain and snow storms are happening, but all over the world. Measurement of rainfall over the years shows us that the number of extreme rain storms is increasing across the U.S.Īnd, it’s not just the U.S. But, a great analogy by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, makes the point that steroids are to baseball, as global warming is to extreme weather they don’t guarantee home runs - or epic storms - they just make them more likely. Of course, any single storm, no matter how epic, may not necessarily be due to climate change.
This image and cover image from the Houston Chronicle. Grandfather and two grandkids kayaking through a flooded Houston neighborhood. Real human consequences of extreme precipitation that, as you will see, can be linked to climate change. In one town to the north of the city, a whole family and their house were swept away in the middle of the night by a flash flood. (From the )ĭowntown Houston was flooded, 23 counties were declared disaster areas, and at least 23 people lost their lives. (Note: This post was written before the remnants of Hurricane Harvey dumped 50+ inches of rain on Houston in less than 24 hours!)Ģ4 Hour Rain Totals for the Houston Metro Area, Memorial Day, 24 May, 2015. This is the exact recipe for epic, extreme storms.Īs an example, on Memorial Day in 2015, a massive storm parked over southern Texas and dropped nearly 11 inches of rain on the Houston metro area in less than 24 hours, with devastating results. When you combine warmer, moist air with disruption of the Jet Stream cased by a warming Arctic, you get huge, slow-moving weather fronts packed with moisture. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.
New research shows us the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. With all of the extreme rain and snow storms across the US lately, the obvious question arises… are these events linked to climate change?
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