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An astonishing amount of rain fell in Florida earlier this month — this type of deluge should only occur once every 500 to 1,000 years.
What’s happening?
Sarasota was soaked on June 11. The Florida Gulf Coast town experienced nearly 4 inches of rain in only an hour, per the Guardian.
“That’s the most ever in an hour,” said David Parkinson, senior weather producer at CBS, per the Guardian.
About an hour’s drive north of there, the Tampa Bay area had 8 inches of rainfall in only three hours. The flooding in Florida left cars underwater and forced flight cancellations.
According to an analysis by Climate Central, a warming world accounts for more than a third of the inland flood damage in the U.S. since 1988.
Per the study’s findings, cities like Tampa Bay and Sarasota, along with other communities from along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, inland Appalachia, and northern New England, “carry an outsized burden of current and future flooding.”
Climate Central says hourly rainfall intensity has risen in every part of the U.S. since 1970.
The U.S. National Integrated Drought Information System reports that a fifth of the country’s annual economic losses from extreme weather are from floods and droughts, per PBS.
Why is extreme rainfall concerning?
Floods are the No. 2 weather-related cause of death in the U.S., as the Weather Channel reported. A study published in the science journal Nature concluded the hydrological cycle is expected to intensify as our planet warms up because of the buildup of heat-trapping gasses. This will likely increase the intensity of extreme precipitation events and create a higher risk of flooding.
Changes in our climate will also likely make flooding events more frequent. As the atmosphere warms, it can hold more water — about 4% more water vapor for every 1 degree Fahrenheit of warming, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. As moisture becomes more abundant in the air, it supercharges the water cycle, with storms squeezing out extreme amounts of rainfall.
What’s being done about flooding becoming more frequent?
The Environmental Protection Agency works with local and state governments to help prepare critical water infrastructure facilities for the impacts of increased flooding caused by a warming world. The EPA also helps in the recovery process of natural disasters such as flooding.
In addition, many cities across the world are turning to nature for solutions. This includes installing rain gardens in urban areas to soak up excess rainwater and even planting gardens on rooftops to reduce flooding.
There are many win-win ways to help the environment.
Cooling the planet by reducing harmful pollution can also help mitigate future flooding. Taking public transportation instead of driving saves money and reduces the amount of heat-trapping gases entering our atmosphere. Walking or riding a bike instead of driving will also reduce pollution and boost your health.
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