Climate change's role in Chicago's record downpours - CBS Chicago
Climate change's role in Chicago's record downpours - CBS Chicago
Climate change's role in Chicago's record downpours
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Sunday has been the wettest day in Chicago since May 17, 2020, with some locations recording over four inches of rainfall. Today is in the top 100 wettest days in Chicago in recorded history. Records date back to 1871. Officials with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago reversed the flow of the Chicago River into Lake Michigan in order to mitigate the impact.
Even with record rainfall, Chicago is still considered to be in a severe drought. Both intense drought and heavier rainfall are climate extremes, which scientists say are becoming more common as the climate gets warmer from more CO2 in the atmosphere. A report by the Environmental Law and Policy Center has identified 12 hot spots along Lake Michigan already impacted by changing water levels and storms related to climate change.
Sunday's flash flooding caused significant delays in both major events and transportation. After months of preparation and many road closures, the first day of NASCAR's first-ever street race was postponed shortly after starting due to lightning and looming storms. The Xfinity race was postponed and eventually called off. Musical acts including The Chainsmokers and Miranda Lambert were canceled on both days. NASCAR Cup series has been delayed a little over an hour.
According to I-DOT, both the Stevenson and Eisenhower were closed in both directions for several hours due to flooding. Chicago's Blue Line service between UIC-Halsted to Kedzie and Harlem to Forest Park has also been suspended as a result of flooding. The pink line also experienced bad track conditions causing the line to be suspended between Central Park and 54th/Cermak.
Torrential downpours that cause such disruptions are not going away. According to FloodFactor, Chicago has a 26% chance of experiencing a "1-In-A-100 Year Flood Event" at least once in the next 30 years. Overall, the city is at moderate risk of flooding, or that flooding often will continue to impact daily life. Critical infrastructure such as hospitals, police stations and power stations currently is at major risk.
Flash flooding is caused by heavy downpours falling at a rate faster than which the soil can absorb the water.
Next to heat, flash flooding causes the second most weather-related fatalities and injures, according to the National Weather Service.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.