Tim Craig and Angela Fritz, writing for The Washington Post, have a must read article titled ‘Immense rains are causing more flash flooding, and experts say it’s getting worse’.
The story begins about how a warming earth is adding more moisture into the atmosphere sparking heavy rain with dangerous flooding in many parts of the United States, particularly in the eastern and mid Atlantic regions. This is obviously a global issue as well as rainfall patterns are beginning to dramatically change everywhere.
Crain and Fritz also report on the disconnect in bible belt country regarding climate change enhanced rainfall patterns and faith. It is a disturbing read on why we appear to be doomed to a dystopian future due in part by the stubbornness and know nothing qualities of the typical, simple minded Trump voter. Their shocking distain for science, along with their political power over the rest of America, goes a long way to explain why they do not view global warming as the ghastly catastrophe that awaits us all.
On Catawba River Road, which connects Old Fort to the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest, 80-year-old Leslie Allison lost part of his cow pasture in the May storm. But Allison and his wife, Virginia, 65, viewed the loss as a sign that God is dissatisfied with modern-day American values.
“You know what the problem is,” said Leslie Allison, a devout Christian who repeatedly volunteered that he is a supporter of President Trump. “This country has turned away from God, and he is going to bring judgment to this country.”
Dan Watson and his wife, Ann, manage Buck Creek R.V. Park, which is located about three miles downstream from the Lake Tahoma Dam. Ann Watson said her Baptist faith teaches her that the extreme weather is a sign Jesus will soon return to Earth, and she doesn’t believe climate-change science. But Dan Watson said he believes man could be partly responsible for the shift in weather.
“I’m not going to be the one that sits down and does things differently in my activity because I’m worried about the Earth,” Dan Watson said. “But do I think there could be some global warming? Yes.”
A warmer world supercharges the water cycle, leading to heavier precipitation. To start, a warmer atmosphere creates more evaporation — for every 1°F of warming, the saturation level is increased by about four percent. With more water evaporating into the atmosphere, there is more available to condense into precipitation, and it’s coming down in bigger downpours. The national map shows where this change has been the most dramatic, indicating that the precipitation in the heaviest one percent of rainfall days is getting heavier. Climate CentralClimate Central reports on how a warming world supercharges the water cycle.
Climate In a warming world, a supercharged water cycle ramps up evaporation and precipitation. Warmer air creates higher evaporation rates from the soil, which worsens drought, stresses water supplies, and hampers agriculture. Evaporation of surface waters, such as lakes and oceans, also increases. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water before becoming saturated, so more water is available to come down as heavy precipitation during storms. This heavier precipitation can result in more flooding, causing property damage and sending additional pollutants into waterways.
While a persistent weather pattern can lead to dry and wet periods, the background climate can make them more severe. Early research suggests that the warming Arctic may play a role in changing jet stream fluctuations that can lead to these more stagnant weather patterns (the research community is hard at work on this issue). The amount of precipitation in the highest one percent of daily rainfall is increasing in the U.S., with the largest increases east of the Rockies. In the West, even though a relatively modest increase in the amount of precipitation has been recorded during the heaviest downpours, the bigger story is that droughts are getting more intense over the past century.