Helene and other storms dumped 40 trillion gallons of rain on the South

In the past week, the Southeast has experienced over 40 trillion gallons of rain from Hurricane Helene and an additional storm, leading to “apocolyptic” flooding. This unprecedented deluge, which experts described as “astronomical,” caused severe damage and resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people. The rain, which hit hardest in Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Florida, was amplified by mountainous terrain, exacerbating runoff and flood damage. North Carolina saw rainfall totals exceeding 30 inches in some areas. Meteorologists attribute this extreme event to a combination of multiple storm systems and increasing moisture in the atmosphere, partially driven by climate change. Studies suggest climate change contributed to 50% more rainfall during Helene, making such storms both wetter and more destructive. AP News reports “Ed Clark, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama” stated “’I have not seen something in my 25 years of working at the weather service that is this geographically large of an extent and the sheer volume of water that fell from the sky…to put the amount of rain in perspective, it’s more than twice the combined amount of water stored by two key Colorado River basin reservoirs: Lake Powell and Lake Mead.'”

Source: AP News