After getting deluged with unusually extreme rains for two straight days, two critical dams in Michigan failed this week. The failures led to unprecedented flooding in Midland County, and the evacuation of towns submerged in floodwaters.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Midland County,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement.
Heavier rains are a well-understood consequence of a relentlessly warming planet. This is especially the case in the Midwest. There, the most extreme rain events increased precipitation by a whopping 37 percent between 1958 and 2012. (A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, leading to boosted odds of more extreme rains.) Read more…
More about Science, Extreme Weather, Climate Change, Dam, and Science
