Extreme Rainfall Events like Pensacola’s on the Rise

Tornadoes have a tendency to grab the headlines, but the torrential rains that can accompany severe storms can do just as much damage or worse, as photos of washed out roadways and homes from Pensacola, Fla., and Mobile, Ala., have made clear. And as Earth’s temperature warms and its climate changes unabated, these kinds of extreme precipitation events are on the rise.

The same widespread storm system that set tornadoes spinning across the landscape from Arkansas to North Carolina this week also deluged the Gulf Coast from Mobile to Pensacola with more rain falling in a single day than both locations usually see in March and April combined.  An estimated 10 to 15 inches of rain fell in the area in just 24 hours, with rates in Pensacola at one point on Tuesday night reaching an incredible 6 inches in one hour.

The atmosphere over the area was soaked with moisture, which the storm system pulled from over the warm Gulf of Mexico, fueling the barrage of rain.  It is this very issue that will cause more such heavy downpours in the future.

Extreme Rainfall Events like Pensacola’s on the Rise