Record-Breaking Rainfall Brings Devastation to Southeast US
The Southeast United States has been hit with an unprecedented amount of rainfall in the past week, with Hurricane Helene and a preceding rainstorm dumping more than 40 trillion gallons of water on the region. This staggering figure is enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys' stadium 51,000 times or Lake Tahoe just once.
Flood Damage Widespread
The flood damage from the rain is apocalyptic, with over 100 people reported dead in the affected areas. Meteorologists have described the situation as "apocalyptic" and warned that the full extent of the devastation may not be clear for some time.
Calculations Confirm Astonishing Amount
Private meteorologist Ryan Maue calculated the amount of rain, using precipitation measurements made in 2.5-mile-by-2.5 mile grids as measured by satellites and ground observations. He came up with 40 trillion gallons through Sunday for the eastern United States, with 20 trillion gallons of that hitting just Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Florida from Hurricane Helene.
Ed Clark, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, independently confirmed Maue's calculations and described the amount as "astonishing." Clark noted that the 40 trillion gallon figure is more than twice the combined amount of water stored by two key Colorado River basin reservoirs: Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
Multiple Storms Combine for Catastrophic Effect
The unprecedented rainfall was not just a result of Hurricane Helene, but also a combination of multiple storms that converged on the region. The storm systems interacted with the mountains in the area, wringing more moisture out of the air and leading to catastrophic flooding.
University of Albany hurricane expert Kristen Corbosiero described it as "a perfect storm" combined with multiple other storms that led to the enormous amount of rain. Corbosiero noted that the interaction between the mountains and the storm systems collected at high elevation, causing the trillions of gallons of water to flow down.
Climate Change a Factor in Increasing Rainfall Intensity
The record-breaking rainfall is also attributed to climate change, which has warmed the air by more than 2 degrees since pre-industrial times. This warming causes the air to hold nearly 4% more moisture for every degree Fahrenheit warmer (7% for every degree Celsius). Climate scientists have been vigorously debating how much of Helene's rainfall is due to worsening climate change and how much is random.
Three scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab used a method published in a study about Hurricane Harvey's rainfall to determine that climate change caused 50% more rainfall during Helene in some parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. North Carolina weather officials also reported that their top measurement total was 31.33 inches in the tiny town of Busick, with Mount Mitchell getting more than 2 feet of rainfall.
Consequences of Climate Change
The devastating effects of Hurricane Helene are a stark reminder of the consequences of climate change. Rising global temperatures lead to increased evaporation, resulting in more intense and frequent storms like Helene. This has severe implications for communities worldwide, particularly those with limited resources or infrastructure to cope with extreme weather events.
Wetter Storms Ahead
Meteorologists are warning that storms like Hurricane Helene will become more common as the climate continues to change. The increased moisture in the air due to warmer temperatures means that these storms will be wetter and more destructive, causing widespread damage and loss of life.
Conclusion
The record-breaking rainfall from Hurricane Helene serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of climate change. As the world continues to warm, communities worldwide must prepare for increasingly frequent and intense storms like Helene. The need for urgent action to mitigate climate change has never been more pressing.