Why millions more Americans could experience floods from hurricanes in the future…
Because to climate change, there is an unprecedented amount of rainfall brought on by hurricanes. Waters are warming at previously unheard-of rates because the oceans absorb an estimated 91% of the excess heat brought on by greenhouse gas emissions. Warmer waters supply the energy needed for hurricanes to build quickly and dump copious amounts of precipitation.
Hurricanes are often assessed using wind speed. Based on a storm’s maximum sustained wind, the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, the current hurricane warning system, assigns a number between 1 and 5. The scale does not provide much information to the public about possible flooding, but it is most useful in predicting wind-related property damage.
Warmer oceans can aid storms in intensifying quickly as they get closer to land; in only one day, a hurricane’s wind speed can rise by more than 35 mph, elevating it from a Category 1 storm to a much stronger storm. However, warm oceans also contribute moisture to the atmosphere, increasing the quantity of precipitation that falls during a storm. According to current scientific models, rainfall rates will typically increase by 10% to 15%.
Numerous storms that have already made landfall in the US in the last ten years have shown severe precipitation levels and quick strengthening, wreaking havoc on towns. Catastrophic rains brought on by Hurricanes Harvey, Florence, and Ida resulted in record-level flooding, mostly inland:
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