A “period of significant rainfall” could hit the states of Arizona and New Mexico, causing extraordinary flooding, particularly in fire-ravaged areas.
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Posted on 8/20/2022 9:18 AM Updated on 8/20/2022 10:29 AM
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A portion of the American West, already badly hit by an historic drought, was severely affected on Friday, April 19, according to the weather services.
A “period of significant rainfall” could hit the states of Arizona and New Mexico, causing extraordinary flooding, particularly in fire-ravaged areas, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. Heavy rain is expected today, particularly in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. [vendredi] and Saturday,” said the same source.
The western United States is experiencing its 23rd year of drought and these cycles are being exacerbated by human-caused climate change. The risk of heavy precipitation events increases with increasing temperature. But sudden rain doesn’t necessarily help. “When the water falls sharply in a very short period of time, it flows,” says meteorologist Chris Rasmussen of the NWS in Tucson, Arizona. “She doesn’t have time to really delve into the underground that we’d like to see,” she specifies.