Harvey's extreme rainfall due to climate change

[riversedge]

Source: axios.com



Stef W. Kight 4 hrs ago


Rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, which struck Houston over the summer, was at least 15% heavier due to human caused climate change, according to two independent studies by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Hurricanes like Harvey are also three times more likely today than in 1900, researchers reported.

Why it matters: This isn't the first time scientists have attributed violent weather events to a warming planet, The Washington Post reports. Scientists have also warned of the increased likelihood of droughts such as the one in Texas in 2010 and floods similar to Colorado's in 2013. These findings suggest cities and communities may need to reassess their risk and find new ways to prepare for harsher weather as climate change continues.


The studies:
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“We have two independent efforts with essentially the same answer. There’s a clear human fingerprint. The numbers will undoubtedly change as more researchers look at this with different techniques, and perhaps different data sets and different methods. But our numbers are kind of big.”
— Michael Wehner, senior staff scientist at Berkeley

How it works: "Climate change, caused by increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, is raising temperatures globally. Warmer air can carry more moisture, which can lead to more extreme rainfall events, and warmer ocean surface temperatures are known to intensify the most powerful hurricanes," according to the press release from the American Geophysical Union fall meeting taking place this week.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/harveys-extreme-rainfall-due-to-climate-change-2517180028.html?utm_source=sidebar

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My guess is that the Republicans in the Red state of TX will ignore this

Link to tweet

[BumRushDaShow]

1. I believe that Hurricane Irma

was the first hurricane to ever form and strengthen to Cat5 while STILL in the Atlantic Ocean (before it reached the Caribbean sea). I.e., it was more on par with typhoons, which tend to be as strong as that normally due to the warmer Pacific Ocean where those storms originate. That tells you how much the Atlantic has warmed over the years!

[Dustlawyer]

2. We set the all time record here in Jefferson County, Texas with 67".

You cannot imagine how much rain that is. It rained so hard for so long that I despaired that it would ever stop. I saved some of my father-in-law's possessions with my canoe before the water went over his roof. So many are living in houses without walls and just concrete for the floor still.

I bet there are a lot fewer Trump fans here than there were before, though most do not hold him accountable, just FEMA.

[Sunlei]

5. 67"!!,I thought my SWHouston 50" was extreme. Was lucky & didn't flood, so many did within a mile.

That Saturday night to Sunday, was outside at 3 AM with 500 feet of hose laid out to lower spot & a agricultural type water pump planned to move water away from the house. One more inch of rain that night was the difference between water in the house or not.

I'm totally in the Fema map no flood area, & very, very 'lucky' the rains slowed down that night by 4 AM.

Even the 'backwash' from over-whelmed gutters did damage to an old but good roof. I ended up getting a new roof this November, (a month ago) and a new outside electric box & electric meter. Such extreme rain- gutters washed the 'gravel' off the roof and water meter/electric box filled with water.

State Farm insurance didn't cover anything. With climate change it will rain again like this someday soon. Wish these Useless state governments would plan someway to send all this fresh water to the states that need water.

[Igel]

3. Because 36" is heavy.

Whereas 31" isn't.

[nitpicker]

4. Link to BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42347510