Climate change could mean more massive downpours
That sump pump you rented to suck out the standing water in your basement? You might want to ask Santa to leave you one under the tree this year.
Record-setting storms like the one Sunday and Monday that flooded the Northwest could become more of the norm as climate change skews our region's rainfall patterns and leads to more of these massive deluges as compared to the typical drizzle.
It's not guaranteed, but scientists said that multiple computer climate models predict an increased likelihood of more rain -- and more episodes of heavier rainfall -- in fall and winter, less in the summer.
Monday Seattle logged nearly 5 inches of rain and scored the second rainiest day on record. First place still goes to a rainy day in October 2003.
"There is a risk under climate change of having more storms of this nature," said Eric Salathe, a research scientist with the University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group.
"Given that this is also a La Niña year, I'd be very surprised if this is the last such storm you get up there this year," said Kelly Redmond, a climate scientist and interim director of the Western Regional Climate Center. The center, in Reno, Nev., is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"The bigger question is whether the Northwest is seeing more of these kinds of events," Redmond said. "It isn't just a matter of increased rainfall. It's also about the form of that precipitation ... whether you are getting more 'typhoon' moisture out of the tropical regions."
Some contend it's no longer much in question. A study released Tuesday by the non-profit Environment Washington reported that storms with heavy rainfall are 30 percent more frequent in Washington now compared with 60 years ago. The analysis was done using data from weather stations.
"The thing that's interesting about this report is that certainly no single weather event can be tied directly to global warming, but the fact that we're seeing a greater frequency of these events is evidence of global warming in Washington state," said Bill LaBorde, program director for the environmental group.
Continue reading this article from the Seattle P-I:
Climate change could mean more massive downpours
