On Wednesday night, cities and towns in the northeast were transformed into lakes by Tropical Depression Ida. The flood swept across an extremely large area.
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A deluge of historical proportions swept through some of the most populous cities in the U.S. including New York, where at least nine people are still missing. The National Weather Service issued its first flash flood alert for New York after record-breaking rainfall. Despite the clear skies, there is still danger as rivers continue to rise towards flood stage.
Hurricane Ida, which caused extensive damage in Louisiana, was already well-known and should be retired. The storm continued to move northward and caused extensive damage from New York to southwest Virginia. As it passed through the region, the storm was reenergized and unleashed more rain at rates that stormwater infrastructure wasn't designed to handle.
Newark Airport and Central Park set hourly rainfall records. More than 3 inches (8 cm) of rain fell in less than an hour at both locations. Other locations were also blitzed by rain bands that swept across the area. The storm's rainfall totals reached nearly 9 inches (23 cm) on Staten Island. A wide area of locations received at least 6 inches (15 cm).
The blitz clogged sewers and the pumps that are supposed to keep New York's subway clean were unable to cope with the water rush. This led to surreal images of subway stations flooding and roads becoming rivers. Queens saw at least one building fall. New York is the focus, but floodwaters in Philadelphia and other areas of the region have been receiving a lot of attention. Others in the region are still facing floodwaters, and collapsing buildings. New Jersey has at least nine dead, with some of them being swept away by the floodwaters.
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Many were not prepared for the sudden onset, large geographical extent, and severe nature of the rains. Numerous people left stranded by the rains were rescued by disaster management agencies in the region. Even more frightening videos showed people sitting in city buses filled with water up to their knees. It is important to remember that floodwaters should not be driven into. People on roads are the most likely to die in flash floods. This is why the NWS coined the phrase "turn around, don't drown."
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The NWS data shows that an area that stretches more than 150 miles (24o km) from the DelMarVa border up to Connecticut experienced what is considered 1-in-20-year. This means that there is a 0.5% chance for this much rain to fall in six hours during a given year. This is, in short, unprecedentedfor the climate of yesterday.
Due to the simple fact that hotter temperatures can hold more water, climate change has led to heavy rains becoming more frequent and more intense all over the globe. It is even possible to calculate it using a simple formula that says for every 1.8 degree Fahrenheit (1degree Celsius) increase in heat, air can hold 7 percent more water. More water can fall into the atmosphere as rain if it evaporates more.
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This trend has been especially damaging to the Northeast. According to the most recent National Climate Assessment, the Northeast has experienced an astonishing 71% rise in heavy precipitation over the past 50 years. This is the largest jump of any country region. We saw Wednesday night a prime example of this in a summer that has seen seemingly endless examples. Also, heavy rains have fallen in far-flung areas like Detroit, Tennessee and China, Europe, Europe, India, and other parts of the world, with devastating results.
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This shows that our infrastructure for dealing with stormwater needs major upgrades. The Northeast mess is still ongoing (as well as Idas impact on Louisiana which should not be lost in this new tragedy). Today, more than 160,000 people are without power in New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Rivers are still rising throughout the region. Even though people are trying to salvage the pieces, it means that there is still a dangerous and soggy day ahead.
