The Climate Crisis Brought Us Megadroughts, But Also Megafloods

Recent flooding in Tennessee and North Carolina highlights the threat of extreme precipitation in a warming world.

Americans have been reading all summer about the megadrought gripping the Western United States — a devastating event that has required water cuts along the Colorado River and which climate change has undoubtedly made worse. In the Eastern U.S., a different kind of climate threat has wreaked havoc over the last week: megafloods. Tropical Storm Fred dumped more than 10 inches of rain in western North Carolina, triggering flash floods that killed at least five people. In Tennessee, at least 22 people were killed and more than 200 homes destroyed after a giant storm unleashed up to 17 inches of rain, causing rivers to quickly swell. In the Northeast, slow-moving Tropical Storm Henri drenched New York City and other major metropolitan areas, causing as much as $4 billion in losses. Central Park saw nearly 2 inches of precipitation in a single hour, likely the most of any one-hour period on record.