Florida floods: How much rain has fallen and could it happen again?
New ScientistNov 28, 2022
The Facts
Storms in South Florida on Wednesday brought widespread flooding to the region, with more rain predicted on the weather forecast. The deluge closed Fort Lauderdale Airport and transformed roadways into rivers.
Local meteorologists called the heavy rainfall a “1-in-1,000-year event or more."
The Spin
Narrative A
While it is difficult to link any one weather event to climate change, natural disasters like the recent flooding in Southern Florida are occurring more often as the globe warms. Local and national governments need to be more proactive in halting global warming and take steps to protect populations living in areas vulnerable to extreme weather.
Narrative B
Extreme weather is worrying, but there are very often conflicting messages from scientists about whether these weather events can be linked to climate change. While experts can agree that there has been an increase in the frequency of extreme weather like heatwaves and heavy rainfall, this does not mean that human-induced climate change is to blame for every instance of damaging weather.
