Last updated October 15, 2021
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Baton Rouge Flood August 2016

United States

A slow-moving storm system, fed by near-record warm seas in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic, began on August 7 to unleash heavy rains in the Southeastern United States. From Tuesday, August 9 through Sunday, August 14 the storm inundated Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas. Five cities in Louisiana reported rainfall totals of over two feet, with some parts of the state recording more than 20 inches of rain in 48 hours, which qualifies as a 1-in-1,000 year rainfall event. Thirteen people died in the resulting flood in what the American Red Cross called the "worst disaster since Superstorm Sandy."

Climate change about doubled the chances for the type of heavy downpours that caused the Louisiana flood, according to a climate attribution report. As the world warms, storms are able to feed on warmer ocean waters, and the air is able to hold and dump more water. On August 11, a measure of atmospheric moisture, precipitable water, was in historic territory at 2.78 inches, a measurement higher than during some past hurricanes in the region. In the Southeastern US, extreme precipitation has increased 27 percent from 1958 to 2012.

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Flooding