Monster Floods, Killing Droughts Are 'New Normal' in U.S. Weather

Floods, Droughts Are 'New Normal' Of Extreme U.S. Weather Fueled By Climate Change, Scientists Say

Monster Floods, Killing Droughts Are 'New Normal' In U.S. Weather

By Deborah Zabarenko | Posted: 05/19/11 09:34 AM ET

WASHINGTON – “Heavy rains, deep snowfalls, monster floods and killing droughts are signs of a "new normal" of extreme U.S. weather events fueled by climate change, scientists and government planners said on Wednesday.

"It's a new normal and I really do think that global weirding is the best way to describe what we're seeing," climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University told reporters.

"We are used to certain conditions and there's a lot going on these days that is not what we're used to, that is outside our current frame of reference," Hayhoe said on a conference call with other experts, organized by the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists.

An upsurge in heavy rainstorms in the United States has coincided with prolonged drought, sometimes in the same location, she said, noting that west Texas has seen a record-length dry period over the last five years, even as there have been two 100-year rain events.

Hayhoe, other scientists, civic planners and a manager at the giant Swiss Re reinsurance firm all cited human-caused climate change as an factor pushing this shift toward more extreme weather.

While none would blame climate change for any specific weather event, Hayhoe said a background of climate change had an impact on every rainstorm, heat wave or cold snap.

"What we're seeing is the new normal is constantly evolving," said Nikhil da Victoria Lobo of Swiss Re's Global Partnerships team. "Globally what we're seeing is more volatility ... there's certainly a lot more integrated risk exposure."

CHICAGO'S SEWERS

In addition to more extreme local weather events, he said, changes in demographics and how materials are supplied make them more vulnerable.
"In a more integrated economic system, a single shock to an isolated area can actually end up having broad-based and material implications," da Victoria Lobo said. For example, if a local storm knocks out transport and communications systems, "someone 1,000 miles away is not receiving their iPad or their car."

Aaron Durnbaugh, deputy commissioner for natural resources and water quality for Chicago, said adapting to climate change is a daunting task.

Citing the down-to-earth example of Chicago's 4,400 miles of sewer mains, which were installed over the last 150 years and will take decades to replace, Durnbaugh said accurate forecasting of future storms and floods is essential.

The city of Chicago's cost of dealing with extreme weather events through the end of this century has been conservatively estimated in a range from $690 million to $2.5 billion, Durnbaugh said, with the cost to homeowners and local businesses expected to be far higher.

Globally, da Victoria Lobo said the annual average economic losses from natural disasters have escalated from $25 billion in the 1980s to $130 billion in the first decade of the 21st century.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/19/floods-droughts-extreme-weather-us_n_864046.html
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This should put to rest the implausible idea that there is no such thing as global warming…’climate change’ or whatever we choose to call it. It is here, in our faces and now comes the economic and environmental consequences attributed to our being #2 in the world in pollution causes.

Anyone that watches our violent storms, tornadoes, hailstorms, fires, mudslides, and excessive snowstorms that bring about spring floods over much of the nation should be a warning sign to us.

We need immediate legislation to stop all industrial pollution, no more drilling anywhere in the U.S. for a designated time, and work furiously for renewable energy sources. The time is almost up, we have waited too long listening to corporate America contaminate our streams, lakes, rivers, forests, mountains and air. Now they must listen to us, for our families, neighbors, and nation.

 

Severe Weather Ravaging US Could Worsen...

Experts warn epic weather ravaging US could worsen
Wed, Jun 29, 2011 - Epic floods, massive wildfires, drought and the deadliest tornado season in 60 years are ravaging the United States, with scientists warning that climate change will bring even more extreme weather.

 

yes yes yes , before 1800 the climate was always perfect. There were never any floods, droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and everyone lived happily in a utopian state of bliss

Curry's latest blog entry is on this

http://judithcurry.com/2011/06/30/climate-change-extreme-weather-linked-at-last/#more-3896

as she points out even Gavin Schmidt takes a more realistic approach

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/02/going-to-extremes/

 

.....

No No No, when you are in a state of denial your eyesight is dimmed and you lose your sense of logical deduction and are thus incapable of reaching any logical conclusion.

The Earth is capable of replenishing itself UNTIL it reaches such a state of pollution, that it cannot keep up. Thus the Earth begins to die and we are seeing the telltale signs right now...and what we choose to do about it will; inevitably alter our children's, our grandchildren's lives as well as our own. Children signify the future; but we are still flailing about in the past because our eyes are clouded by denial.

 

ummm yeah right....pass me some of that kool aid please, looks like it has been spiked with some really good stuff

 

Hogwash. Floods & droughts have been around forever. The only thing new in weather is sensational media coverage and scientific morons who make their living squealing, "The Sky Is Falling, The Sky Is Falling!"

 

you have to understand most of the environmental activists think history began when their daddy got their momma knocked up. 1990 is ancient history to them

 

Last year's drought extends into this year...

Drought expands throughout USA
11 Apr.`12 - The USA hasn't been this dry in almost five years.

 

its funny in the late 90s early 2000s when we had our first major ENSO cycle of the global warming scare era the warmmongers got much traction playing up the usual effects of a strong ENSO as global warming. Today they try it again and it isn't playing as well as it did before. The warmmongers are suffering from cry wolf syndrome.

 

<sarcasm on> Before somebody thought up the 'watermelon' (green on the outside red on the inside) AGW scam to justify crushing taxation and ruinous regulation, we never had droughts or floods. <sarcasm off>

How do you explain the Dust Bowl and 1937 floods in the utopian years of FDR?

Joshua Chamberlain describes the building at Bowdoin College in Maine having to have entrance on the second floors to accommodate the deep snow. Of course this was before the BIG GOVERNMENT types thought up AGW.

 

Hottest here in my memory...

Epic drought covers widest area since 1956
16 July`12 - With more intense heat on the way, the USA is in the middle of its worst drought in more than 55 years, data released Monday by the National Climatic Data Center show.

 

Yes, extreem weather has occurred in the past and it will most certainly happen in the future. You'll always be able to find incidences to support your argument. I find it ironic that the dust bowl is often used as a point of argument. It's very accepted that it was human activity that created a problem from what would have otherwise been just another hot drought. The dust would have been contained by the native grasses that were all destroyed when the grounds were tilled by farmers for their crops. The tilling also loosened the soil even more. The plains are erratic when it comes to weather anyhow - floods and droughts are common. weakening this argument even further.

Climate will change. It will also have spikes and extremes. Unfortunately, there are records being set almost every week. What's interesting is that the trends were predicted. You have to assume that the climatologists who were predicting this had something to guide them in being so correct about the direction of the trends. They could just as easily have guessed colder. If it was the sun or natural cycles that led them to make the predictions, why would they have kept that a secret and instead said that it's caused by humans changing the face of the planet? Do you really think that it's all a big inside job on their part? That would be one hell of a collusion. Do you think that they are just out to bring down America and business? What would they have to gain from that? Alott less than the people and organizations that reap unimaginable profits from their environmental destroying endeavors (local and/or global destruction). If their papers were peer reviewed, they would have lots to lose - like their credibility.

 

Farmers may have to adjust.

Irrigate just before dark...if you can irrigate.

Plant corn as early as possible to get the best chance of early rain and pollination before too much heat sets in.

Try other crops (that take more heat and less water) such as grain sorghum, sweet sorghum, millet, and cowpeas for feed.


farmers always figure one year out of seven will be a bad year...this is a really bad year for a lot of farmers.

 

But if the Warmers get their way every year will be bad, as the life is sucked out of America by excessive taxation and regulation.

 

As it has been said many times before...you ARE going to pay...one way or another.

Famine is a "closing circle" and the circle is closing in on us.

It may just be me... but I like to see people fed and farmers making money.


And their have been droughts in the past....and people starved as a result.

 

I look at it this way. The "warmers" have been honest about the science and taken pains to avoid hysteria, and anyone who's not a paid denialist shill will acknowledge that (if they won't, just smile and back away from the kook). In contrast, you have people like taxcutter, screaming that every snowflake disproves global warming and thus proves that scientists are liars, and cackling openly about how Al Gore went to a meeting and there was snow there and that shows how dumb those warmers are.

The denialists have made it a habit, a lifestyle, and a deliberately planned strategy to misrepresent the issue, using even the most minor cold weather event to deny global warming. And since the mushy middle isn't very bright, it's a successful strategy. Embrace of denialism was big during snowy (but not cold) winters in the USA, but support for denialism has recently plummeted hard after this current heat wave and drought.

So, do the ends justify the means here? Since the denialist side uses junk science so brazenly in this fashion, does that justify a little turnabout-is-fair-play on our part, if only to point out just how ridiculous the denialists are?

 

Global Climate change is just another fear mongering tactic used by the media and the government to control. Those scary guns, or Obama is a communist, or those scary recreational drugs, or violence, or abortions, or whatever other idea du jour can be exploited to scare Americans into submission.

I personally think it would be good to find alternatives to our current energy production, but I am not willing to shut down every coal plant before we find that solution.

 

If we can dump this mini-anti-christ in the WH, I think we can recover.

 

I do not care for Mr. Obama. I think he is way out of touch with everyone but himself.

I have no doubt we will recover from this drought but I fear more are on the way.

Everyone (it seems) on the deniers side wants to keep going as usual and it ain't gonna work.

And everyone (it seems) on the warminst side thinks that the world can regulate itself out of this dilema and throw money at technology that has not been up to the task.

As usual, governments see a problem and throw money at it.

What needs to be done is simple...we need to plant trees in deserts and marginal land that is useless without them. We need one billion acres of trees growing....and it can be done. We a tree everywhere we can put one....everywhere.

Lets let nature cure the problem.

 

I cannot speak for the other "warmists" here, but I also do not want to shut down every coal plant.
I want to see a continued research in alternative energies and alternative fuels. I want the alternatives to get the same government tax breaks that the FF industry gets. I want the FF industry held accountable if they damage the environment.
Most of all I want the anti-AGW bloggers to stop lying about the science and the scientists.

 

As a denier I confirm That I want to keep going as usual,- plant trees in deserts and marginal land, continue irrigation etc. etc. etc &#8211; like Jews have been doing in Israel turning deserts and marginal land into gardens; continiue releasing CO2 to feed the trees &#8211; why it ain't gonna work?

If to ban science and put $trillions spent on science, AWG, ozon holes, catalic converters, evolution/eugenics, Higgs bosons, black holes etc in the old way, Texas would be turning into a garden feeding people with PRODUCTIVE AND PRODUCING work (as human nature demands) and feeding pour and rich equally with the same amount of calories&#8230; unless a rich or a pour chooses obesity.

Can you explain why it ain't gonna work?

Edit. $trillions may not be correct, what is the next range? I should have said $gazilions.

 

well that seems pretty reasonable. But remember also that we are way better off technologically and in other ways so that we can withstand...it will be tough sure...but we can if we must go thru another period like the dustbowl era. I'm more worried about civil unrest when the urban dwellers must start doing without some. Actually. It might be good for all of us. we've all become complacent, arrogant about work, demanding and so on. This may be what we must go thru to get back some of our American individualism.

 

We re-green all deserts and polluted areas, or we lose human habitat.

CO2 should have peaked, at 280 ppm, like it was trying to do, whereupon it would decline, to force cooling.

Ain't gonna. Somebody got out the chainsaws. CO2 is at 400 ppm, headed for 1000 ppm, and CH4 is measured in ppm, now, when it was in pp BILLION. The Earth will get hotter and hotter.

With extra water in the system, human habitat will get too much or not enough, given more heat.

We re-green, or we cut our numbers a LOT faster than we are doing this.

 

It ain't gonna work because the world is getting hotter. And Texas is getting drier. deserts are growing at an expanding rate wordwide. The old way got us into this mess.

Fruit and nut tree use less carbon than conventional crops such as corn and soy. They also grow in places where corn and soy will not. Trees also hold the carbon they take from the air in the wood.

Why do trees use less carbon? Simple...once the tree is planted and the roots reach the water underground the tree survives on its own.

You do not use fossile fuels in plowing, cultivation, and they need much less (if any) fertilizer. The only carbon used is in the harvest.


To reforest the deserts lost to deforestation would benefit the whole world. It would rain in places it hasn't rained in centuries, people would migrate to new farmland and not invade western countries by the millions and civil unrest would slow.


I am in no way against science...but we are not clever enough to get out of a grim future without the tree.

The poor are obese because the food they eat (like them) is poor. High in fat and sugar and low in fiber and nutrition.

 

I appologize but I don&#8217;t see you addressing my points.

Who are &#8220;we&#8221;?

There are you, belivers in making up sentences out of DISCONNECTED words or in other word in science. And there is me, I am, who cannot stand delirium a.k.a. science. There is you, those who cannot be I, and there I who is enjoying to be I.

Try to address in some logically connected to each other words the points I made .