Will it ever stop? The pounding rain across the country is holding us all hostage. The rain is bad enough, but there are parts of the middle of the country being destroyed by tornadoes. People’s homes gone in an instant and changing their lives forever. As I write this, Tornado Watches were issued for parts of Delaware. The northeast never used to get tornadoes. Times have changed. We’re in our third straight day of pounding rain with more coming tomorrow. This past Saturday, Philadelphia got 3.09 inches of rain, a single day record. In March, Philadelphia got double the rain it usually gets in March.
It effects everything. Commuting time, navigating around flooded streets and highways. Businesses depending on foot traffic, farmers, landscapers, construction workers, air travel, vacations. Two of our granddaughters are on Easter break this week like millions of other kids. How much TV can you watch? The unrelenting rain has a psychological effect. It’s grey, wet, windy and depressing. We keep following it to see when we will get some relief. We check our phones to see when the sun will shine again. We watch the weather on TV as meteorologists show the nationwide sweep of rainstorms. We learn about atmospheric rivers flooding the west coast with overpowering rain and snow.
There are still people who don’t believe in climate change. It’s become a political issue. Non-believers think it’s made up science by people who want to control their lives and businesses. You just have to look out the window to see it’s here. Global warming is getting worse and will change the world for our children and grandchildren. Warmer air can hold more water which increases the average rainfall. This is happening around the world. Nine of the top ten years for extreme one day rain events have occurred since 1996, NASA climate change models show rising temperatures will intensify the Earth’s water cycle. That increasing evaporation will result in more and intense storms.
Climate change and the results of increased levels of rain will change human existence. We can make excuses. Say it’s fake science. Say it’s political. Tell that to the people who have lost everything to rain, wind, floods and tornadoes. The more frequent disastrous flooding we see around the world should be a clear warning that is hiding in plain sight. We are at risk of being drenched and much worse.
the more evidence, the greater the pushback. some people are just unable and unwilling to process and change their minds. they would find it too damaging to their psyche, their personal identity. getting them to accept reality would be akin to attempting to deprogram someone from a cult.