Global warming has doubled the likelihood of a catastrophic mega-flood in California, according to a study published in the journal Science Advancesrelayed on Saturday August 13 by the Los Angeles Times
According to the work of researchers from UCLA University, the deluge that could occur could be as devastating as the great flood of 1862. The rain had then fallen for thirty consecutive days, triggering monster floods in a large part of this western American state, recalls the daily.
Up to “10 million displaced people”
According to the study, if a similar storm were to occur today, “up to 10 million people would be displaced, major interstate highways […] would be closed for months and […] parts of Los Angeles would be submerged”details the Los Angeles Timeswhich evokes “a billion dollar disaster more than any other in the history of the whole world”.
Today, the newspaper explains, “due to climate change which began in earnest a century ago”, a month-long extreme storm has a 2% chance of occurring in any given year, according to climatologist Daniel Swain, co-author of the study. Before, this probability was 1%.