Sep 18, 2013
Did Climate Change Worsen the Colorado Floods?
Boulder, CO
USA
by
,
Mother Jones

Two Colorado National Guardsmen waist deep in Boulder floodwaters. Photo: Colorado National Guard/Flickr
While attributing a single disaster to climate change remains challenging, scientists say we should expect more extreme rainfall events like this one in the future...[H]ere's the first possible climate linkage: The idea that the jet stream has been altered as a result of climate change, leading to more stuck weather and more blocking patterns, is a serious one, and one that has also been brought up in relation to the odd behavior of Superstorm Sandy. "I've noticed since last September, since the record ice loss in the Arctic, that the jet stream has been misbehaving, more blocking patterns in general over the northern hemisphere," says Douglas.