Re: once-in-1,000-year rainfall event

On 2024-09-17, Kerr-Mudd, John <admin@127.0.0.1> wrote:

On Mon, 16 Sep 2024 22:58:31 -0500
JAB <here@is.invalid> wrote:
>

A once-in-1,000-year rainfall event from an unnamed storm floods homes
and forces rescues in North Carolina
 
 Floodwater surged into homes, stranded vehicles and forced water
rescues in coastal North Carolina on Monday after a tropical
storm-like system dumped historic amounts of rain in a matter of
hours.
 
"It's probably the worst flooding that any of us have seen in Carolina
Beach," Town Manager Bruce Oakley told CNN of the tourist town not far
from Wilmington. "We've had to rescue people from cars, also some from
houses and businesses."
 
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/16/weather/tropical-storm-helene-south-north-carolina-climate/index.html

>
See also parts of central Europe where they've had 4 days of deluge;
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/16/world/europe/deadly-europe-floods-romania-poland-austria.html

The "in X year" metric is going to soon have no meaning; perhaps it
already does.  We've had "1 in 200 year" storms in two successive years,
and I think the statistics break down.

NC got 18 inches of rain. Yes, that's a lot.  But not inconceivable -
any decent hurricane (any Texans want to chime in here?) can dump that
kind of rain.  This is the future and maybe even the present.

Makes you rethink that low-cost home built in a low spot next to a
stream bed.  Like camping next to a flash-flood gulley in the desert.
You're inches away from death.

Those videos of Vienna and central Czechia look really bad.