Changes to Weather Patterns and Flooding
Changing weather patterns, resulting in increasingly less stable weather patterns and flooding, is a hot topic being discussed nowadays. Excessive precipitation has been observed in many countries, whereas some regions are experiencing drier weather and droughts.
Flood and wildfires have become more common globally and most recently we’ve seen a pattern of such events in the US, Europe, and Asia. Dryer areas have become more dry and wetter areas have become wetter due to climate change and the resulting changes in weather patterns.
How weather pattern changes cause excessive rainfall
Increased demands of food, shelter, oil, gas, coal, etc, due to population growth has led to urbanization, industrialization and agricultural intensification, resulting in an increase in fossil fuel usage, deforestation, and extraction of more resources from below the earth. The outcome of this increased and cumulative industrial activity is emission of heat trapping gases like CO2, CH4, and N2O,H2O. These gases have increased in our atmosphere, reduced the protective ozone layer, and have caused gradual global warming. As a result of this, the earth's atmosphere becomes warmer, leading to more evaporation of water, facilitating more precipitation in the upper atmosphere latitudes. Some natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions, ocean currents, earth orbit changes, solar variation, etc. are also responsible for changes in the weather pattern.
Warmer air as a result of more heat from the sun, causes more evaporation, which causes there to be more moisture in the atmosphere, which forms more clouds, which leads to heavier rainfall.
A 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in temperate can result in up to 4% more water vapor, meaning the available water for cloud formation increases dramatically.
Figure: How warmer air causes more precipitation
According to the Sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report (IPCC AR6), global warming reached 2 degrees Celcius, resulting in more precipitation in Western and Central Europe. For example, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg, and neighboring countries are suffering from floods that historically have been uncommon. Peter Gleick, a water specialist from the US National Academy of Sciences commented "when areas of drought grow, like in Siberia and the western US, that water falls elsewhere, in a smaller area, worsening flooding, like Germany and Belgium". Over the last fifty years, the US has experienced high-temperatures which causes severe floods in some regions, while simultaneously causing drought in other areas like California, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.
Floods Resulting From Weather Pattern Changes
Floods are now a significant issue occurring due to both natural and human-induced factors. Coastal flooding like storm surges are among the most challenging issues facing coastal communities. Due to climate change and the melting of the polar ice caps, sea levels are expected to rise about one-eighth of an inch per year, resulting in low lying areas finding themselves at significantly greater risk of flooding. Add volatile weather patterns, which lead to hurricane or increased rainfall and the troubles of these low-lying areas are compounded. Storm surges, overflowing rivers, and the overwhelming of storm drainage systems have resulted in significant flooding in areas typically unaccustomed to such flooding, such as New York, Pennsylvania, and even Vermont.
A review of heavy rain downpours in the United States shows a troubling trend. A recent study such downpours showed that between 1958 and 2012, there was an increase of between 5% (Southwest) and 71% (Northeast).
Figure: Recent increase from 1958 to 2012 in the amount of precipitation falling in very heavy events in USA
Many urban drainage systems were designed many years ago and weren’t expected to handle higher volumes of water. Additionally, expansion in building activities, often without planning or consideration of the effect on water absorption or routing of water, has resulted in flooding in communities at an unprecedented level.
Conclusion
Heavy downpours are increasing day by day, especially over the last three to five decades. Since 1991 heavy rainfall are being recorded at higher levels, due to changes in the weather pattern and such rainfall amounts and intensity are well above historical averages, especially in the Midwest and Northeast. This has resulted in a greater number of weather events (hurricanes, etc), flood events, and destruction of property. As a result of recent flooding, communities across the globe must harden infrastructure such as power plants, water treatment facilities, transit systems, medical centers, and sewage systems against flooding and protect public buildings such as schools, public assembly facilities, and community centers. Homeowners, likewise, need to consider rising floodwaters when considering protection of their home, garage, basement and vehicles. If you are looking for flood control solutions, contact us for more information.
REFERENCES:
https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/wp-content/uploads/Scientific-report-Western-Europe-floods-2021-attribut
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444533012000087
https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/heavy-rainfall-which-led-to-severe-flooding-in-western-europe-mad
https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather