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Tropical Depression Imelda Forecasts the Future — Rain!

Over 40 inches of rain from a tropical depression.

You may not recall it, but originally Imelda was called a "pop-up" tropical storm. It was not seen brewing out in the Gulf of Mexico, but rapidly developed and came ashore in Texas. The results are Texas Cities Try To Assess Scope Of Damage In Imelda's Aftermath.

The major impacts are not from wind or storm surge — it is rain, baby! Over 40 inches in some places. Not quite the five feet of rain that Hurricane Harvey delivered in 2017, but close. 

This is the type of impact we are going to see more of in the future. With or without a hurricane designation, flooding is really going to be "the issue" away from the coasts when it comes to climate change and weather impacts from storms. 

Business will be great! If you like disasters, that is. 

 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.