What makes these events BIGGER flooding events is when they occur after a period of colder weather where snow has fallen in the mountains. The temps go up, the rain falls on the snow and riverine flooding is the result. It is all very predictable, we just don’t know how bad it will get. And, we did have a cold spell back in November that gave the start of a good snow pack year. That will likely be almost all gone after this rain event.
Wet in the Northwest
An atmospheric river!
As for the “disaster zone” I’m living in right now, the Pacific Northwest is getting hammered by a long-duration rain event. Very warm temperatures for this time of year and a series of storms coming in off the Pacific Ocean, bringing with them a prodigious amount of rain.
What makes these events BIGGER flooding events is when they occur after a period of colder weather where snow has fallen in the mountains. The temps go up, the rain falls on the snow and riverine flooding is the result. It is all very predictable, we just don’t know how bad it will get. And, we did have a cold spell back in November that gave the start of a good snow pack year. That will likely be almost all gone after this rain event.
Will the warming climate provide even more moisture than previously and thus have a more significant flood? Time will tell, but rain is in the foreseeable future here in the Evergreen State (Washington).
What makes these events BIGGER flooding events is when they occur after a period of colder weather where snow has fallen in the mountains. The temps go up, the rain falls on the snow and riverine flooding is the result. It is all very predictable, we just don’t know how bad it will get. And, we did have a cold spell back in November that gave the start of a good snow pack year. That will likely be almost all gone after this rain event.
