"Days of relentless rainfall in the west of Washington has left tens of thousands of residents waiting for evacuation orders before catastrophic flooding hits. As rivers reach near historic levels, the state's governer, Bob Ferguson, declared a statewide emergency. "Lives will be at stake in the coming days," he said. Meteorologists say the extreme rains have been caused by an "atmospheric river" soaking the region along the coast of Oregon and Washington."
"While modeling precipitation patterns is complex, a clear guiding principle is that when air gets hotter it holds more moisture. Greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere act to insulate Earth, trapping heat and causing temperatures to rise. One consequence is more rapid evaporation of water on land and at sea, so more water is released when it rains, which can result in flooding. Air's capacity to hold moisture rises by 7% with every rise of 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit)."
Relentless rainfall in western Washington has pushed rivers toward historic levels and left tens of thousands awaiting evacuation as officials issue emergency warnings. Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and warned that lives will be at stake. Meteorologists attribute the event to an atmospheric river along the Oregon and Washington coasts, with forecasts of 20–30 inches over weeks in some areas. Rising global temperatures from fossil-fuel combustion increase air moisture capacity, amplifying evaporation and heavy rainfall. Tropical storms and intensified monsoon systems have caused catastrophic floods and landslides across parts of Southeast Asia, and scientific attribution identifies increased heavy rainfall threats to densely populated regions.
Read at www.dw.com
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