Tag Archives: rain

Colorado Flood Disaster

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Relentless rain unleashed catastrophic flooding across Colorado’s Front Range this past week. While flash floods are not uncommon in the area, officials say the magnitude and duration of this event makes it one of the worst disasters in the state’s history.

According to meteorologists, the cause of this widespread and destructive flooding was a stalled low-pressure system that funneled moisture into the region from both the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean.  Forced upward by the local topography – the Rocky Mountains – this moist air condensed into rain clouds. Without upper level winds to move the system along, rain just kept falling locally. In Boulder County, one of the hardest hit areas, 18 inches of rain fell in one week.  They normally receive 20 inches for the entire year.

Impacting seventeen counties across the state, raging floodwaters turned roads into rivers obliterating thousands of homes and claiming the lives of at least eight people.  Local officials say hundreds of miles of roadways and dozens of bridges were damaged or destroyed.  This has left anyone living in small mountain towns stranded and cut off from basic services like power, communications, and clean water.

This devastating deluge follows a summer marked by drought and wildfires across the state.

Drought Update: Summer 2013

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This summer has been marked by heavy rain and even flooding in many parts of the United States.  Long-term drought, however, continues to plague a large section of this country.

According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, 45% of this nation is in some form of drought. While this number represents improvement for some areas, such as the east and mid-west, the western states remain dry. Conditions of moderate drought or worse cover 77% of that region with 19% suffering under extreme drought.  These numbers are up from this time last year.

As the drought intensifies in the west, it is helping to fuel the region’s numerous wildfires.

droughtImage Credit: U.S. Drought Monitor

Record Large Dead Zone is Forecast for the Gulf of Mexico

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Heavy spring rains across the American mid-west have mitigated the region’s extensive drought.  However, they are expected to cause a record large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico this summer.

According to a recently released forecast from NOAA and its research partners, the University of Michigan and Louisiana State University, the Gulf dead zone this year could grow as large as 8,561 square miles. If it reaches this size, which is roughly equal to the state of New Jersey, it will be the largest dead zone ever recorded in the Gulf.

Dead zones are areas in large bodies of water that do not have enough oxygen to sustain aquatic life.  They are usually caused by nutrient pollution from agricultural run-off.  Specifically, excessive amounts of fertilizers – nitrogen and phosphorus – create massive algae blooms.  When the algae die, they sink to the bottom where they are decomposed by bacteria. This process uses up most, if not all, of the available oxygen in the water.  As a result, fish flee the area and immobile bottom dwelling organisms, like clams, die.

The Midwest is this nation’s agricultural breadbasket and its farmers use fertilizers to help grow an enormous amount of crops.  It is also the watershed of the Mississippi River.  As such, the flooding rains that swept through the area this spring have significantly increased the nutrient load of the water that is flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.

A large dead zone will likely have serious economic ramifications for the Gulf region’s multi-million dollar fishing industry.

Agricultural run-off is the main source of nitrogen and phosphorus that cause the annual Gulf of Mexico dead zone.

Watershed of the Mississippi River runs through America’s agricultural heartland and ultimately drains into the Gulf of Mexico.

Image Credit: Donald Scavia/University of Michigan

NYC Monthly Summary: June 2013

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One word can sum up the weather in New York City this June, wet. Receiving 10.10 inches of rain in Central Park, which is 5.69 inches above average, this was the second wettest June ever recorded in the Big Apple.  Nearly half of this impressive total came down in one day when the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea passed through the area, breaking a daily rainfall record. Given this abundant precipitation, it is interesting to note that NYC’s top three wettest Junes have all occurred in the past eleven years.

In terms of temperature, the city finished the month with an average reading of 72.7°F.  That is 1.7°F above normal.  While New York did not technically have a heat wave this June, the last week of the month was extremely hot and humid.  In fact, heat index values were high enough for the NWS to issue a heat advisory for the city.

JuneRain_NYC

Table: The Weather Gamut

Weather and Art: Rain Room

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Have you ever wanted to control the weather?  Rain Room, a large-scale interactive art installation at MoMA/PS1 in New York City, is offering a simulated experience.

Created by Random International, a London-based team of artists, Rain Room allows visitors to walk through an indoor downpour without getting wet.  The secret to staying dry is a combination of multiple 3-D sensors installed around the room and the motion of museum visitors themselves.  When the sensors detect the presence of a human body, they pause the precipitation in precise locations giving people the feeling that they control the rain.

The Rain Room is part of Expo1: New York, a multi-venue exhibition that explores challenging environmental issues.  According to MoMA’s website, Rain Room “invites visitors to explore the roles that science, technology, and human ingenuity can play in stabilizing our environment.”

Rain Room runs through July 28th.

rain-room-at-moma-2Image Credit: MoMA/Random International

Andrea Shatters Rainfall Record in NYC

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The remnants of Andrea, the first named storm of this Atlantic hurricane season, drenched most of the northeastern United States on Friday.  In fact, it shattered daily rainfall records in numerous communities along the Eastern Seaboard.

In New York City, the storm dumped 4.16 inches of rain in Central Park.  That is more than double the previous record (1.95 inches) for the date, which was set in 1918.  On average, the city usually receives 4.41 inches of rain for the entire month of June.

This was the second time in less than a month that a daily rainfall record was broken in NYC. More rain and flood watches are in the forecast for this afternoon.

NYC Monthly Summary: May 2013

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May 2013 was warm and soggy in New York City.  Despite a number of chilly days, the city’s average monthly temperature was 62.9°F.  That is 0.9°F above normal.  The heat wave at the end of the month helped contribute to this slightly above average reading.

In terms of precipitation, rainfall was abundant this May.  In fact, this was New York City’s seventh wettest May on record. The city received 8.00 inches of rain, which is 3.81 inches above normal.  Most of this fell during a few heavy rainstorms, including the torrential downpours on May 8th that set a new daily record with 3.02 inches measured in Central Park.  This was a significant departure from last month’s unusually dry conditions.

May_rainChart: The Weather Gamut

Floods Nurture Congaree National Park

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Floods are often thought of as disasters, especially when people and property are harmed. In nature, however, some ecosystems thrive on periodic flooding. While traveling in South Carolina last week, I had the opportunity to visit one such place – Congaree National Park.

Situated in the floodplain of the meandering Congaree and Wateree Rivers, the park protects the largest expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood trees still standing in the southeastern United States.  It is home to a dazzling array of biodiversity, including a number of champion trees – tress that hold the size record for their species.  These include a bald cypress with a circumference of twenty-seven feet and a loblolly pine standing one hundred seventy feet tall.  These trees would not be able to flourish without the moisture and nutrient–laden sediments that flood waters bring to the forest floor.

This floodplain forest is typically inundated by water several times a year. During my visit, the park was about 90% flooded as a result of recent heavy rainfall on top of an already wet spring.  It was an impressive sight.

The elevated boardwalk trail in Congaree NP disappears into high flood waters.

The elevated boardwalk trail in Congaree NP disappears into high flood waters.

Image Credit: The Weather Gamut

A Day of Downpours in NYC

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Torrential downpours drenched New York City yesterday.  In fact, the Big Apple received nearly a month’s worth of rain in just one day.

According to the National Weather Service, 3.02 inches of rain fell in Central Park.  Not only is that a new daily record, it is more than double the amount of rainfall the city received during the entire month of April.

After a stretch of twenty-five days with hardly any significant precipitation, yesterday’s rain was very beneficial for the area.  The rate at which it came down, however, caused a number of localized flooding problems.

NYC Monthly Summary: April 2013

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April’s famous showers were few and far between in New York City this year.  We only collected 1.31 inches of rain, which is 3.19 inches below normal.  This makes April 2013 the city’s fourth driest April on record.

Bouncing up and down throughout the month, temperatures in the city felt like they were on a roller-coaster. One day even brought the Big Apple a taste of summer with a high reading of 82°F. Despite these extremes, the city finished the month with an average  temperature of 53°F.  That is neither warmer nor colder than normal.

April2013Graph Credit: The Weather Gamut