Back to back hurricanes, severe droughts, insane flooding and blistering wildfires – the year 2016 is one such year that United States would definitely want to forget weather wise.
Just a few months back, reports of flooding across the southern states were reported and right now, most of the states are witnessing extreme drought conditions. Accept it or not, such immoderations in weather are becoming a standard. A standard that reflects the dire need to change in the attitude of how we perceive global warming.
It is obvious that global warming is playing a major role in the change in weather. But it is never said that global warming will eradicate the snowfall completely. Global warming will reduce the number of cold weather snaps. In the past four decades there has been more high-temperature records were broken in the United States than low-temperature records.
Drought has always been the important part of the climate change which keeps us reminding that climate change is real. Southeast US is experiencing one of the worst droughts since 2007, and it seems that the weather gods are still not willing to let go it. The city of Atlanta in Georgia has not received a drop of rain since the last 42 days. Birmingham, Alabama, hasn't seen rain since mid-September.
In 2007-08, Atlanta faced one of the worst droughts in the region and in the very next year the city witnessed one of the worst flooding ever. Atlanta received 15 inches of rainfall in the span of 18 hours.
Such major extremes in the weather are caused when climate change plays a major role when the cooler air from arctic mixes with warmer air from the tropical region. This swings the weather happenings more frequently and more vigorously.
From droughts to floods; Louisiana in August witnessed one of the worst weather-related mishap since Hurricane Sandy. And the bewitching fact is that the flooding was caused due to incessant rainfall and not any major storm. During the entire course of the rainfall, Watson in Louisiana witnessed 32 inches of rainfall.
The total number of storms that emerged in Atlantic in this year stands at a staggering figure of 14. Back to back hurricanes Matthew and Nicole rattles the most parts of southeast US. And the damaged caused by such storms is insurmountable.
Some areas of North Carolina are battling with extreme drought condition while other areas of the state are witnessing wildfires. Asheville in North Carolina has not received any rainfall since October 21. At present nearly 20 large wildfires are still burning in the national forests of North Carolina.
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