Historic, Widespread Flooding Will Continue Through May, NOAA Says (cnn.com)

The U.S. is likely to see "historic, widespread flooding" through May, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's spring outlook. From a report: "This is shaping up to be a potentially unprecedented flood season, with more than 200 million people at risk for flooding in their communities," said Ed Clark, director of NOAA's National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. NOAA's outlook calls for nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states to face an elevated risk of flooding through May, with the potential for major to moderate flooding in 25 states across the Great Plains, Midwest and down through the Mississippi River valley.

"The flooding this year could be worse than what we have seen in previous years ... even worse than the historic floods we saw in 1993 and 2011," said Mary Erickson, deputy director of the National Weather Service. The warning comes amid record flooding triggered by a sudden warm-up and heavy rains earlier this month brought on by the "bomb cyclone." Combined with rapid snowmelt, the factors in recent weeks have put many places in the Great Plains and Midwest underwater.

Comments

Easy Puzzle with Scientific Thinking

[Jzanu]

Flooding due to early snow melting (when other water occupies the drainage basins). Higher temperatures sooner in the year causing earlier melting. What drives higher temperatures in abnormal patterns compared to records? What drives new and old water into areas different than previously used as drainage?

These events are occurring because global warming and increased human development press on the environment at the same time. Both pressures are at fault, and have a common cause as both are driven by faster development than is supportable in the ecosystem.

Re: Time to build NOAA's Ark

[Anonymous Coward]

liberal media trying to convince you some minor rain is the end of the world unless we raise taxes 9448%

What higher temperatures

[SuperKendall]

Higher temperatures sooner in the year causing earlier melting.

In Colorado we've had record low temperatures for February.

A trend which carried on in March

Where do you think much of the snowpack is, hmm...

Maybe flooding is due to more moisture?? Like, say from a rare event that dropped a lot more moisture across a wide region than normal??

Nah, can't be! Has to be the mythical Spaghetti Monster vibrating the atmosphere to shake out all the water!

Re:What higher temperatures

[Gravis Zero]

Higher temperatures sooner in the year causing earlier melting.

In Colorado we've had record low temperatures for February.

A trend which carried on in March

It may surprise you to learn that after things get cold in an area that they then get warmer which causes all that snow to melt. The increasingly extreme weather and weather fluctuations are indicative of Climate Change.

It's not a coincidence that all these "rare weather events" are becoming increasingly common because they are part of the larger pattern that is Climate Change.

Climate change impacts cost Trillions

[WillAffleckUW]

Every year you put off implementing things to reduce climate change, the costs multiply many fold.

What were once once a century storms and floods are now every 2-3 years.

What were once massive inundations and beetle infestation wildfires are now commonplace.

Even zoning codes have to change, to allow for redesign of buildings to survive such events every year or two, which increases building costs on average 50 percent and requires redesign of existing towns and buildings.

Energy goes in.

It comes out somewhere. It's like putting a bucket of bees inside. We can't tell you where the bees will sting or when, but we know there are going to be a lot of stings and consequences.

Oh, and stop building on flood plains and lowlands and using levees. We're beyond that now. You waited too long.