“In the future scenario, the sequence of storms is greater in almost all respects,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist and co-author of the paper, published Friday in the journal Science Advance. “There is more rain overall, heavier rain per hour and stronger wind.”
If a storm similar to the one of 160 years ago occurs in California, more than 10 million people would be displaced, major highways such as Interstates 6 and 80 would be closed for months, and the population of urban centers such as Stockton, Fresno and parts of Los Angeles would be submerged.
All this would cause millionaire losses of over a billion dollars, which would make this flood the most expensive natural disaster in history.
The research projects that turn-of-the-century storms will generate 200% to 400% more erosion in the Sierra Nevada due to increased precipitation and more rain instead of snowfall.
In total, the research projects that turn-of-the-century storms will generate 200% to 400% more runoff in the Sierra Nevada mountains due to increased precipitation and more precipitation as rain, not snow.
Our initial atmospheric modeling results presented here demonstrate that extremely severe winter storm sequences, previously considered exceptionally rare events, are likely to become much more common under essentially all possible future climate tracks. .