To my knowledge, this will be the first of its kind, a hurricane from the Pacific making landfall on the west coast of the US, though It's expected to reach as far inland as Las Vegas,...
To my knowledge, this will be the first of its kind, a hurricane from the Pacific making landfall on the west coast of the US, though It's expected to reach as far inland as Las Vegas, southwestern Utah, and even as far north as Idaho and Oregon prior to dissipating. I don't know how anyone can deny climate change at this point.
Whilst I agree that climate change is showing us a glimpse of what’s to come, it is not expected that a hurricane will reach southern CA. At worst it’ll be a tropical storm - meaning rain, and...
Whilst I agree that climate change is showing us a glimpse of what’s to come, it is not expected that a hurricane will reach southern CA. At worst it’ll be a tropical storm - meaning rain, and maybe quite a bit of it (maybe causing landslides and localized flooding), but not the power of a hurricane.
Here's my "parka in SoCal" story. I'm from the Midwest. I went to San Diego around New Year's. I didn't bring any shorts, but when I got there I bought a pair because the weather was so nice. I...
Here's my "parka in SoCal" story.
I'm from the Midwest. I went to San Diego around New Year's. I didn't bring any shorts, but when I got there I bought a pair because the weather was so nice.
I went for a walk on the beach one afternoon, it was about 67F but a little breezy. As I'm walking along, I see a middle-aged couple walking towards me. They are both in heavy pants and fur lined parkas. I'm in my new shorts and a t-shirt.
As we pass, we both look at each other like they're insane. I couldn't believe how nice it felt and here they are in winter coats. I'm sure they thought I was insane for wearing shorts and t-shirt when they felt like a parka was appropriate.
Similar story for me but it was Texas instead of Cali. We got snow once down there and it was only like one inch and everyone was stampeding the stores for winter coats and ice melt and snow...
Similar story for me but it was Texas instead of Cali.
We got snow once down there and it was only like one inch and everyone was stampeding the stores for winter coats and ice melt and snow shovels. They shut down the schools and half of the businesses. I laughed my butt off.
I just want to say @Loire that I love your stories from the drill site! It’s really interesting to get a more “industrial” perspective here on Tildes, and I’m always happy to have someone in a...
I just want to say @Loire that I love your stories from the drill site! It’s really interesting to get a more “industrial” perspective here on Tildes, and I’m always happy to have someone in a chemical-related field.
I'm also from the midwest. Freshman year in college I had class with this freshman from LA. Early October, it's probably mid-50s or so, and the dude shows up in a huge puffy coat and he looks...
I'm also from the midwest. Freshman year in college I had class with this freshman from LA. Early October, it's probably mid-50s or so, and the dude shows up in a huge puffy coat and he looks around at all of us in sweatshirts or t-shirts and he was like wtf it gets colder than this??
I grew up in the mountains and used to shit on my dad for being such a wuss about weather after he moved to LA. Then I moved to LA. I don't care who you are, if you never feel temps below 50, your...
I grew up in the mountains and used to shit on my dad for being such a wuss about weather after he moved to LA. Then I moved to LA. I don't care who you are, if you never feel temps below 50, your body begins to adjust. It's why the first 40 degree day in October feels so much colder than the first 40 degree day in April.
As for the city itself, the same principle applies. We don't have the infrastructure to deal with heavy rain. A tropical storm in SoCal is going to have a much bigger impact than one in FL. We don't have hurricane shutters or, well, anywhere for the water to go.
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until things change (they won't). But the phrase: "more rain fell in 24/36/48 hours than in the entire previous year!" has become such a common phrase...
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until things change (they won't). But the phrase: "more rain fell in 24/36/48 hours than in the entire previous year!" has become such a common phrase all over the world in the last few years.
Increased temperatures from climate change means that the air can physically hold more moisture, so when it rains, it does so in amounts that we previously have not seen before. Parts of the US, China, Germany, Brazil, and many other places have experienced this in the last five years or so.
The problem with all this rain is that our infrastructure is not prepared to deal with it. In a region that normally gets say 30 inches of rain a year, they might be able to deal with large storms of like 5 inches, because that's what large storms have always been in that area. After that, the soil gets saturated, storm drains can't keep up, and that's when the flooding gets dangerous. 30 inches in one/two/three days is just bonkers and the infrastructure can't keep up because it was never intended to deal with that amount of water in the first place.
Seriously, pay attention to that "year's worth of rain" line and you'll see just how common it has become lately.
Potentially historic summer storm event to unfold in SoCal this weekend as weakening Hurricane Hilary threatens to move ashore as tropical storm–causing severe flood risk in SE desert region...
3-10+ inches of rainfall might represent an impressive but hardly historic rain event on the south-facing slopes of the Transverse Ranges of SoCal. But on the eastern slopes and in the desert, this represents an astonishing amount of water. Some desert locations along an axis from the Imperial Valley to Death Valley may see anywhere from 1-3 years’ worth of precipitation in just 2-3 days. As a result, the risk of widespread flash flooding is high. Much of this flooding will go far beyond “nuisance” level (i.e., ponding and flowing washes) and has the potential to reach major to catastrophic/historic levels locally (I’m borrowing language directly from NOAA here). That means that life-threatening inundation of both low and high desert regions is likely, and that major damage/destruction of infrastructure–including major roads and highways–is possible in the hardest hit areas. Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks in particular could be very hard hit, though all populated areas east of the mountains are also at very high risk during this event.
Flooding could match or exceed that experienced in SE CA during Kathleen in 1976 in some areas. 100+ year floodplains and debris flow/alluvial fansheds could locally become active. This has a high potential to be a very serious and widespread flood event in the SE CA deserts, and I would strongly advise anyone potentially in harm’s way in this region to prepare accordingly. If you live near streams/washes/debris flow corridors that have been active at any point in recent decades, or in some cases even well outside of them, you could potentially be at risk during this event.
Lesser flooding (mainly road flooding and minor to moderate small stream flood issues, plus the possibility of debris flows–things SoCal sees every year, though rarely in August) is likely in the SoCal metro areas–the exact magnitude of which will depend on the precise track of the low pressure center. I do not believe this will be an extreme/historic flood event for the LA/San Diego areas. But it could very well become so for areas in and east of the mountains (i.e., the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges), so there may be a pretty sharp contrast in impacts.
To my knowledge, this will be the first of its kind, a hurricane from the Pacific making landfall on the west coast of the US, though It's expected to reach as far inland as Las Vegas, southwestern Utah, and even as far north as Idaho and Oregon prior to dissipating. I don't know how anyone can deny climate change at this point.
Whilst I agree that climate change is showing us a glimpse of what’s to come, it is not expected that a hurricane will reach southern CA. At worst it’ll be a tropical storm - meaning rain, and maybe quite a bit of it (maybe causing landslides and localized flooding), but not the power of a hurricane.
https://apnews.com/article/7fddeb8c6eaf2e6cb8893dfe4db838fe
Edit: Or if you need an additional credible source:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hurricane-hilary-trigger-floods-baja-california-peninsula-southwestern-us-nhc-2023-08-19/
Chill your bones after buying a parka (edit: poncho, not parka - not sure how I confused one for the other lol)
Here's my "parka in SoCal" story.
I'm from the Midwest. I went to San Diego around New Year's. I didn't bring any shorts, but when I got there I bought a pair because the weather was so nice.
I went for a walk on the beach one afternoon, it was about 67F but a little breezy. As I'm walking along, I see a middle-aged couple walking towards me. They are both in heavy pants and fur lined parkas. I'm in my new shorts and a t-shirt.
As we pass, we both look at each other like they're insane. I couldn't believe how nice it felt and here they are in winter coats. I'm sure they thought I was insane for wearing shorts and t-shirt when they felt like a parka was appropriate.
Similar story for me but it was Texas instead of Cali.
We got snow once down there and it was only like one inch and everyone was stampeding the stores for winter coats and ice melt and snow shovels. They shut down the schools and half of the businesses. I laughed my butt off.
I just want to say @Loire that I love your stories from the drill site! It’s really interesting to get a more “industrial” perspective here on Tildes, and I’m always happy to have someone in a chemical-related field.
Love the story, thanks for sharing!
I'm also from the midwest. Freshman year in college I had class with this freshman from LA. Early October, it's probably mid-50s or so, and the dude shows up in a huge puffy coat and he looks around at all of us in sweatshirts or t-shirts and he was like wtf it gets colder than this??
I grew up in the mountains and used to shit on my dad for being such a wuss about weather after he moved to LA. Then I moved to LA. I don't care who you are, if you never feel temps below 50, your body begins to adjust. It's why the first 40 degree day in October feels so much colder than the first 40 degree day in April.
As for the city itself, the same principle applies. We don't have the infrastructure to deal with heavy rain. A tropical storm in SoCal is going to have a much bigger impact than one in FL. We don't have hurricane shutters or, well, anywhere for the water to go.
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until things change (they won't). But the phrase: "more rain fell in 24/36/48 hours than in the entire previous year!" has become such a common phrase all over the world in the last few years.
Increased temperatures from climate change means that the air can physically hold more moisture, so when it rains, it does so in amounts that we previously have not seen before. Parts of the US, China, Germany, Brazil, and many other places have experienced this in the last five years or so.
The problem with all this rain is that our infrastructure is not prepared to deal with it. In a region that normally gets say 30 inches of rain a year, they might be able to deal with large storms of like 5 inches, because that's what large storms have always been in that area. After that, the soil gets saturated, storm drains can't keep up, and that's when the flooding gets dangerous. 30 inches in one/two/three days is just bonkers and the infrastructure can't keep up because it was never intended to deal with that amount of water in the first place.
Seriously, pay attention to that "year's worth of rain" line and you'll see just how common it has become lately.
Potentially historic summer storm event to unfold in SoCal this weekend as weakening Hurricane Hilary threatens to move ashore as tropical storm–causing severe flood risk in SE desert region (Weather West)
Hilary will have her revenge on the South.
Wrong south