"A 50 mm rainfall event was a big deal in the 1980s; now not so much, and we're seeing more of these 100 200 mm rainfall events"
Eastern Canada has always had powerful storms, but meteorologists who have tracked weather in the region say what they're seeing now is different.
The torrential storm in Cape Breton weekend of Sept 6 is another example of how extreme weather is no longer a rarity. Meteorologist Kristi Gordon explains how climate change is contributing to heavier rainfall, faster-intensifying storms and more hurricanes hitting the Atlantic coast. VIDEO:Climate Science: Eastern Canada's weather is changing, from Canada since 2009 Global News, short video above
transcribed below:
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"Getting a 50 mm rainfall event for example was a big deal back in the 1980s; now it's not so much of a big deal anymore and we're seeing more of these hundred millimeter rainfall events 200 mm rainfall events."
- Veteran meteorologist Bob Robichaud has witnessed the weather change in Eastern Canada. the reason global warming.
= as our atmosphere warms up, it can hold more moisture.
- This leads to more intense storms with heavier downpours.
= Coupled with that, larger periods of time between those events result in significant drying. And then when you do get that rainfall the soil is not conditioned to accept that rainfall And it all runs off and you end up with flash flooding.
- To make matters worse, some of these storms are intensifying faster than ever before.
= Which is very very dangerous obviously if you're trying to make decisions about evacuations along the coast
- Eastern Canada is located near the Battle Zone between the warm air above the Gulf Stream and the Arctic air from the north. - Because global warming is also warming our oceans, the increased temperature contrast adds more energy to the storms and causes them to intensify more quickly.
= Nowhere else, not even in Canada but in the world do we see as many rapidly intensifying winter storms as we see here in Atlantic Canada.
- There has also been an increase in the number of hurricanes hitting the region.
= If we look back at 1987, it was around three or four. Now it's more like four or five.
- Ocean warning means hurricanes are able to maintain their strength longer and migrate further north. And rising sea levels are adding to the risk.
= It means that a lesser storm can cause even more damage, especially along the coast, than the same storm say even 20 years ago.
- The message is clear. If Earth's temperatures continue to warm, communities in Eastern Canada will face even greater impacts.
- Kristi Gordon, Global News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU0EWWy5cZs
- kebkogger
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