Less than two months after the torrential rains of Storm Ida that killed some 50 people, the east coast of the United States is once again facing inclement weather. Heavy flooding hit the east coast of the United States this Friday evening, especially the coastal areas around the capital Washington and Baltimore.
The region is undergoing what could be “one of the biggest tidal floods in 10 to 20 years,” the US Meteorological Service (NWS) warned, adding that in some places the damage could be the worst. observed since Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
Tidal or rain flooding, “strong winds and severe thunderstorms capable of producing potentially destructive gusts” are expected in the area around Washington and Baltimore, the local weather service tweeted on Friday.
Historic rains
Several coastal flood warnings have been issued by meteorological services from Virginia to central New Jersey. In Annapolis, a coastal town in Maryland located about 50 kilometers from Washington, residents walking through the flooded streets had water up to their knees. One of them had even chosen to travel by kayak, thus staying dry.
Sandbags had been placed at the entrance to a few stores, to prevent water from entering. On Monday, California experienced record high rains, causing multiple flooding, after months of drought and recurring forest fires.
The role of climate change is regularly pointed out by scientists to explain the recurrence and intensity of these extreme climatic phenomena. The catastrophic floods suffered in July by Germany and Belgium were thus made more intense by the warming, according to the consortium of researchers World Weather Attribution. The rise in the temperature of the atmosphere in fact mechanically increases the humidity it can contain.
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