USA Today and the National Weather Service are, as expected, spreading wild misinformation about the Ellicott City flood. They are claiming 6.5 inches of rain was a 1-in-1000 year event.
Rain that caused deadly Md. flood a ‘1-in-1,000’ year event
This is complete nonsense. Ellicott City has a marker in town showing much larger floods from 1868, 1972, 1923, 1975, and 1952.
Two years ago, the area got 12 inches of rain. I don’t think 2014 was a thousand years ago.
Areas Near Baltimore, Maryland Saw 12 Inches of Rain Today
Four years ago, the area got almost 13 inches of rain.
Maryland saw heaviest Superstorm Sandy rainfall, according to official report – Baltimore Sun
During the 1940s, nearby locations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia received much heavier rainfalls in much shorter periods of time. In 1942, Smethport, PA received more than four times as much rain in the same amount of time.
Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book – Christopher C. Burt – Google Books
This climate fraud goes on day in and day out. And when called out on it, the press and scientists never retract.
Hottest Year Ever in South Africa:
Search on for shepherds missing in heavy snow. 01 August, 2016
Rescuers using helicopters and tracking dogs were searching on Monday for as many as 40 shepherds who went missing after heavy snowfalls in the Eastern Cape.
The shepherds were reported missing on Saturday in the Mount Fletcher area‚ reported SABC news.
Joe Gqabi District Municipality spokesman Mandla Gceya said that police had found the bodies of three shepherds who were suspected to have succumbed to hypothermia.
The search continues by air‚ using two Oryx Air Force helicopter and tracking dogs.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2016/08/01/Search-on-for-shepherds-missing-in-heavy-snow
http://www.timeslive.co.za/incoming/2016/08/01/joe-gqabi-district.jpg/ALTERNATES/crop_630x400/Joe+Gqabi+District.JPG
Check out the Ellicott City Historical society website.
Go here: http://www.ellicottcity.net/tourism/history/floods/
Very nice copies of contemporary news articles.
The 1868 flood put all these riveluts to shame.
I got caught in that storm Saturday night. Blinding rain, near 0 visibility and people pulling off the road right and left. But it was a localized storm. Everyone can remember getting caught in a cloudburst like that, at least I have before, multiple times. These slow moving heavy thunderstorms in summertime with flash flooding are nothing new in the DC/Baltimore area.
If you take any given 10 square mile area in the US, you are going to have multiple one in a thousand year floods in any given year.
That Ellicott City flood was not even close to a one in a thousand year flood anyhow, now matter how you slice it. As you have pointed out, Ellicott City is a very flood prone area.
Weirdest experience I’ve ever had was in a ground level cloud.
Water pouring of the wind screen, wipers had no chance, leaking in the top of the doors…
..but it was absolutely silent. No sound of rain or anything.
They adjusted the earlier figures down because people weren’t capable of marking where floodwaters rose to.
/sarc
As a demonstration of human stupidity, the good citizens of Ellicott City will rebuild, even though there’s a good chance they’ll have another three similar floods this century, at an average of 25-year intervals.
And they’ll always be so surprised at the event.
I’m sure the reporter meant to write that it was a 1000 year storm event. Getting 6.5 inches of rain in a 3 hour period is a 1000 year storm event. Check out the NOAA ATLAS 14 POINT PRECIPITATION FREQUENCY ESTIMATES for Maryland here:
http://hdsc.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/pfds/pfds_map_cont.html?bkmrk=md