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Record-breaking rainfall and flooding paralyzed New York on Wednesday, exposing the city’s vulnerability to torrential downpours that have become increasingly severe as global warming.
As the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept the New York area, Central Park recorded 7.19 inches of rain, nearly double the previous record set in 1927 for the same date, according to the National Weather Service. Furious, wind-induced rains suffocated the subway system, and New York City issued its first flash flood emergency warning. at least eight deaths.
More heavy downpours are a revealing sign of a warmer planet. For every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit of global warming, scientists we found, the atmosphere can hold about 7 percent more moisture. This means much more precipitation when storms occur.
Across the continental United States, the heaviest downpours have become more frequent and severe in recent years, according to the federal government’s National Climate Assessment. The northeast saw 50 percent more precipitation during the most severe storms compared to the first half of the 20th century.
New York is particularly vulnerable to flooding from major storms. Three-quarters of the city is covered with impermeable surfaces such as asphalt, meaning that runoff flows into streets and sewers rather than being absorbed by the landscape. And the city’s centuries-old subway system wasn’t designed for a warming climate. Even on dry days, a network of pumps pours 14 million gallons of water from its tunnels and stations. Heavy rains could overwhelm the system, as it did on Wednesday.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2.6 billion dollars invested Since Hurricane Sandy flooded the city’s subways in 2012, resilience projects have included flood-proofing of 3,500 subway vents, stairs, and elevator shafts. Still, this week’s flash floods showed the system was vulnerable.
Scientists can now quantify the role climate change plays in any extreme weather event. While it’s still too early for Ida’s analysis, researchers last month determined that there were severe and deadly downpours in Germany and Belgium in July. Made from 1.2 to 9 times more likely than global warming.
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