'Hydroclimate whiplash': The new phenomenon unleashing deadly fires on our cities

[canetoad]

Californian climate scientists have published one of the timeliest findings in history. Hydroclimate whiplash – a term for the phenomenon of savage seasonal swings between catastrophic rain and sapping drought – is increasing, fast.

Driven by an atmosphere stoked hotter by the burning of fossil fuels, the whiplash is amplifying flash-floods, wildfires, landslides and disease outbreaks, the paper released overnight on Friday found.

To illustrate this volatility, the authors zeroed in on California, where nine atmospheric river storms dumped record-breaking rain over a three-week period last (northern hemisphere) winter. Nearly 30 centimetres of rain hit the University of California, Los Angeles, which led the research, in two days last February. But this winter, barely a drop.

Weather whiplash has proliferated across the globe, including in Australia, which lurched from the state-spanning blazes of Black Summer to a three-year bout of rain-making La Nina weather systems.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/hydroclimate-whiplash-the-new-phenomenon-unleashing-deadly-fires-on-our-cities-20250109-p5l34v.html

archive: https://archive.md/jAZNk

[lapfog_1]

1. Valencia Spain

floods that affected a good friend of mine just a few months ago..

[Turbineguy]

2. They are going to have to invent

a low-water way to fight these fires. Water absorbs 5 - 6 times the heat when a phase change is involved

[LymphocyteLover]

3. it's crazy but it's the new normal... but let's ignore climate scientists, right?

[Hekate]

4. Looks like this article got referenced in the Los Angeles Times, as one column called it weather whiplash

Thanks for putting this here — it is so worthwhile for people to read and get some understanding. I am saving it.

[canetoad]

5. Hiya H

As I write it's warm but with thunderstorms going across overhead. I just read that first day of the Aus. Open (tennis) was a washout and Melbourne's been hit by flash flooding.

Can't really argue with the contents of the article.