If we want to understand the full picture of climate-fueled flood risk to New York City, we can’t just look at rainfall.
by Arielle Samuelson, Heated
If you read the news or scrolled social media this weekend, you probably heard that New York City experienced record-breaking rainfall and catastrophic flooding on Friday.
You probably heard that LaGuardia Airport shut down a terminal; that subway lines transformed into cesspools; that a whirlpool formed in Brooklyn; that a sea lion escaped its enclosure in the Central Park Zoo.
But what you may not have heard, as I hadn’t before yesterday, is that scientists who study coastal flooding actually consider Friday’s flood to be “mild.” That’s because, while the rainfall itself was record-breaking—more than 8.65 inches fell at JFK airport—the coastal flood level was only two feet above high tide.
That level of flooding is classified as an annual flood, said Kelly Van Baalen, project manager of Climate Central’s sea level rise team. “The numbers on the rainfall are a piece of it, but you would expect coastal flooding of this sort every year,” she said.
Recent Posts
With Ukraine At Stalemate, Will Biden Finally Work Towards Peace?
Take Action Now It’s not enough for Washington to urge talks from behind the scenes, while insisting in public that only Kyiv can negotiate.……
Activists Calling For Gaza Ceasefire Begin Hunger Strike Outside White House
Take Action Now Activists including Cynthia Nixon say they are launching five-day fast ‘to showcase the actions of President Biden’ By Robert Tait…
At COP28, Four Major Issues May Decide The Planet’s Future
Take Action Now World leaders have two weeks to decide the fate of the planet. How hard could it be? by Grist staff Every year, world…
The Ultimate Cost Of Biden’s Refusal To Call For A Full Cease-Fire In Gaza
Take Action Now Gen Z overwhelmingly supports a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Biden does not—and he’s getting clobbered in the polls…