‘Unprecedented’ US flood season will imperil 200m people, experts warn

The severe flooding in the American midwest is set to only be a prelude to “unprecedented” levels of flooding across the US in the coming months that will imperil 200 million people, federal government scientists have warned.

A team enters a flooded house to pull out several cats
 during flooding of the Missouri river near Glenwood,
Iowa, on 18 March. 

Nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states will have a heightened risk of flooding until May, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) forecast.

Communities living near the Mississippi river, which has received rain and snow levels up to 200% above normal, the lower Ohio river basin, the Tennessee river basin and the Great Lakes are at the greatest risk, Noaa said on Thursday. Vast swaths of the rest of the country may also get mild or moderate flooding, including most of eastern US and parts of California and Nevada.

Read the story from The Guardian by Oliver Milman - “‘Unprecedented’ US flood season will imperil 200m people, experts warn.”

Climate change pushing floods, cyclones to new extremes, with worse to come

 With Australia experiencing the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie and record-breaking rains and severe flooding in south-east Queensland and along the north coast of New South Wales, here’s a look at how global warming has, and will, push floods and cyclones to new extremes.

A scene to become more common
 as climate change worsens.

Warm air can be more humid than cold air, that is, it can hold more water vapour in absolute terms. And atmospheric water vapour content increases seven per cent for each 1-degree-Celsius increase in global average temperature, establishing the conditions for more intense rainfall events. 

Flash floods are likely to sweep across the Australian landscape with increasing intensity, particularly in urban or residential areas. Peak rainfall is predicted to soar with rising surface temperatures as Australia experiences ever greater extremes of heat.  

The frequency of major flood events (defined as events which caused extensive flooding within 50 kilometres of the coast, or inundation that extended 20 kilometres along the coast) along Australia's eastern seaboard has doubled in last 150 years, with climate change one of the possible factors, senior Bureau of Meteorology researchers say. 

Read the Climate Code Red story - “Climate change pushing floods, cyclones to new extremes, with worse to come.”

21 dead after worst rain 'in 30 years' in southern Thailand

‘Thailand must prepare to handle these problems’

Thailand's flooded south is heavily
reliant on tourism and agriculture.

Twenty-one people have been killed and nearly one million people affected by floods in southern Thailand after days of rain across the country's southern neck.

The "severe flooding is because of the worst rainfall in more than 30 years", Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha told reporters.

Downpours and flash floods have also disrupted holidays on tourist islands including Samui and Phangan, disappointing tens of thousands of visitors hunting Thailand's peak season sun.

Despite the end of the monsoon season weeks ago, there were no immediate signs of respite for the flood-battered region.

Read the RTE story - “21 dead after worst rain 'in 30 years' in southern Thailand.”

Green roofs can help ease extreme rainstorm troubles

T

he extreme rainstorms that strike with increasing frequency -- such as the Memorial Day weekend downpours in Texas -- are having devastating effects beyond the severe flooding they cause.

Sudden and forceful rains overwhelm urban storm-drain systems, as water pours over roads, rooftops and other impervious surfaces, washing away dust, oil, trash and waste of all kinds.

This dirty wash then runs into rivers, streams and lakes, and pollutes downstream drinking water.

Read the Bloomberg View story - “Green Roofs, Built on Private Investment”.