Topline
Flash floods inundated St. Louis streets as the city broke the record for daily rainfall in just five hours Monday night, as the U.S. continues to experience extreme storms, heat, and fires throughout the country this summer.
St. Louis broke century-old rainfall record between Monday night and Tuesday morning. (Photo by … [+]
Key Facts
Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, St. Louis recorded over 8 inches of rain, breaking the previous August 1915 record of 6.85 inches and causing flash flood warnings and road closures, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of Americans in dozens of states have been under heat warnings and advisories in recent weeks, with temperatures in the 90s in some eastern and southern cities over the weekend, following a separate bout of record-high temperatures in many American cities last month.
Between 2,000 and 3,000 cattle in Kansas–the third-largest cattle producing state–died from excessive heat this week, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Hot and dry temperatures have also helped fuel the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park in California, which started Friday and has burned about 18,000 acres.
KEY BACKGROUND
Some 33% of Americans told Gallup in April they’ve been impacted by extreme weather conditions in the last two years, as the country faced droughts, wildfires and major hurricanes. This summer, many states have recorded record-breaking heat. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports June was the 15th-warmest and 12th-driest June on record in the contiguous United States, tied with 1930, and 44.6% of the United States is under drought conditions this week. Most scientists believe human activity has led to a warming global climate as carbon dioxide emissions hasten the greenhouse effect, and fear that extreme weather will worsen if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced.
TANGENT
Other countries have also faced extreme weather in recent weeks. The U.K. recorded its hottest temperature ever (104.4 degrees Fahrenheit) earlier this month. In June, floodwaters hit a 50-year-high in the Chinese province of Guangdong, forcing hundreds of thousands of evacuations and killing just over 100.
FURTHER READING
Heat Wave Watch: Here’s Where It Will Be Dangerously Hot In The U.S. This Week (Forbes)
Week Of Heat: These Major Temperature Records Were Shattered In Scorching Heat Waves (Forbes)
