The catastrophic flash floods in Texas over the weekend were caused by extremely heavy rain. Up to 12 inches of rain fell in South Central Texas in the early hours of July 4th, according to National Weather Service radar estimates.
Climate change is driving more extreme rain storms across much of the U.S., which drop more water in shorter periods of time and make dangerous floods more likely.
That’s what happened in Texas last week. When a large amount of rain falls very quickly, the ground can’t soak up the water. If the terrain is even a little bit hilly, all that excess water is funneled into low areas, picking up speed as it flows downstream. This can cause dangerous flash floods, when water rises quickly and is moving swiftly…