Tag Archive for: Flood risk

How Climate Change Shaped California’s First Tropical Storm in Decades

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Chelsea Harvey

Tropical Storm Hilary made history Thursday, becoming the first storm of its kind to enter California since 1997. The state rarely sees landfalling tropical cyclones or hurricanes, thanks to a confluence of cold water and unfavorable atmospheric conditions off the coast. Experts say the occurrence will likely remain relatively rare even as the climate changes. But rising ocean temperatures mean the hurricanes that do happen to make it up the coast may be stronger and more damaging.

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California Storms Left Behind a ‘Generational Snowpack.’ What That Means.

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Diana Leonard

California’s mountain snowpack is the largest it’s been in decades, thanks to a barrage of atmospheric rivers in late December into January. The snow is a boon for the state’s water supply but could also pose a flood risk as the season progresses.

Measurements completed last week show that Sierra Nevada snow water content is rivaling or outpacing the 1982-83 season, the biggest snow year in the past 40 years. Up to two feet of additional snow fell on the region this weekend.

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Opinion: Extended drought leads to increased wildfire threat now and in the future

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens

The resort at Mammoth Mountain just announced it will extend the skiing season into June because of storms in April and May.

A week earlier and 350 miles south, tinder-dry conditions fueled a wildfire that ripped through Laguna Niguel, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate and destroying 20 homes.

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Major Real Estate Website Now Shows Flood Risk. Should They All?

/in , /by /NPRby Rebecca Hersher and Lauren Sommer

Millions of people rely on real estate websites when they’re hoping to buy or rent a home. Major sites such as Zillow, Redfin, Trulia and Realtor.com feature kitchens, bathrooms, mortgage estimates and even school ratings. But those sites don’t show buyers whether the house is likely to flood while they’re living there. Now, Realtor.com has become the first site to disclose information about a home’s flood risk and how climate change could increase that risk in the coming decades, potentially signaling a major shift in consumers’ access to information about climate threats.

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House-Passed Bill Includes Nearly $385 Million to Fix Whittier Narrows Dam

/in , , /by /Press-Telegram (Whittier)by Mike Sprague

Four years after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers upgraded the flood risk for the Whittier Narrows Dam from high urgency to very high urgency, the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a budget package that included nearly $385 million to fix the dam.

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New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Christopher Flavelle, Denise Lu, Veronica Penney, Nadja Popovich and John Schwartz

Across much of the United States, the flood risk is far greater than government estimates show, new calculations suggest, exposing millions of people to a hidden threat — and one that will only grow as climate change worsens.

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Flood Risk Heightened for California Dam

/in , , /by /AP News

A California dam could fail during an extreme storm and send water flooding into Mojave Desert communities that are home to about 300,000 people, authorities said Friday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it has changed its risk characterization of the Mojave River Dam from low to high urgency of action. The Corps says it estimates that only 16,000 people in those communities would be affected by flooding.

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