WashingtonAccording to meteorologists, deadly flash floods were possible in the early morning hours when it was easier to catch people off guard because of the extraordinary amounts of moisture in the air that fueled a storm that moved slowly and dropped rain over central Texas.
Water levels in the Texas Hill Country rapidly rose after more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain poured over several hours early Friday, according to weather forecasting firm AccuWeather. Although flash flooding is common in the area, experts stated that this storm was particularly severe since it occurred during the most susceptible evening hours. Numerous rescues and dozens of fatalities have been reported.
Though it’s difficult to link individual storms to a warming world so soon after they happen, meteorologists noted that an atmosphere warmed by human-caused climate change can contain more moisture and allow big storms to drop more rain.
We know that the atmosphere has more moisture to provide, retain, and then release when the climate warms. However, we also know that our rain events are less consistent than they were in the past due to climate change, according to Shel Winkley, a Climate Central meteorologist. As a result, you will experience large-scale rainfall events in specific locations, utilizing the historically high atmospheric moisture content.
In West Virginia and elsewhere in Texas, flash flooding caused by severe rainstorms in recent weeks has turned deadly. At least 13 people were killed when more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain fell on San Antonio in June within a few hours, forcing dozens of rescues from the rapidly rising floodwaters. Additionally, in West Virginia same month, flash flooding in the Wheeling area caused by up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain falling in 40 minutes killed at least nine people.
Raindrops splatter off of hard surfaces.
The most recent rainstorm in Texas was described as a once-in-a-generation occurrence by Robert Henson, a meteorologist and blogger with Yale Climate Connections. It occurred in the Texas Hill Country, where water swiftly cascades into slender river basins that rapidly swell after shooting down rocky slopes.
Numerous factors came together in a catastrophic way, as is frequently the case with the worst calamities. “Henson said.”
In addition, the region had experienced drought, which caused the water to flow quickly across the arid, stony terrain. This increased the risk for kids going to camp.
According to Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, a quick influx of rain like that will be more difficult to absorb. It simply runs off of it. It resembles concrete.
It was astonishing how much rain there was. Private meteorologist Ryan Maue, a former NOAA chief scientist, estimated on Saturday morning that Kerr County, which was hardest hit by the storm, had gotten 120 billion gallons of water.
A hurricane with an abundance of fuel
The storm was powered by moisture from a variety of sources. Last weekend saw the brief formation of Tropical Storm Barry, which moved across Mexico before its remnants moved up into Texas. However, that moisture was not pushed away by the jet stream, an air movement that modifies weather patterns.
Winkley, the Climate Central meteorologist, stated that the jet stream typically picks up weather systems and the remains of tropical storms, but that isn’t the case over Texas at the moment. Without a road to escape the Lone Star State, it’s basically a weather system.
The moist atmosphere was driven by the Gulf’s warm water. To the west, regions over the Pacific Ocean contributed even more moisture. Once the storm began, the combination provided plenty of fuel.
According to Winkley, climate change may result in fewer rainstorms in the flooded area, but when they do happen, they may be more intense.
In general, warmer air can retain more moisture, which makes it easier for storms to produce more rain.
The atmosphere is warming as a result of climate change. According to Anderson, the AccuWeather meteorologist, “we are clearly seeing much more total atmospheric moisture across the globe in recent years than we normally have,” because a warmer atmosphere contains a lot more moisture.
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