From September 29 to September 30, there were many places where it rained on the mainland, but the rainfall was generally not large, part of the cold vortex invasion of the rain belt formed by the intertwining of cold and warm masses in the northeast region, and part of it was the stable maintenance of the warm and humid air flow at the edge of the cold air mass and subtropical high pressure, and the stable autumn rain belt formed in the Yangtze River basin.
First, the urban area of New York was flooded
More intense rainstorms occurred on the other side of the world in New York, USA. On September 29, at noon local time on the 29th, the center of New York City was hit by short-term heavy rainfall of 1 hour 25~50 mm and 3 hours 70~120 mm. For example, 49.8 mm of rain fell in 1 hour and 97.3 mm in 3 hours at New York's Central Park Station. Flash flood warnings were issued in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island under the impact of intense rainstorms.
As brief periods of heavy rainfall hit, it caused flooding throughout New York and disruption of some subway lines, with local officials warning that the situation was "extremely dangerous and life-threatening." New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in New York City, Long Island and other areas, LaGuardia International Airport was forced to close, and the governor said that the New York City, Long Island, and Hudson River areas received considerable rainfall, reminding residents to stay alert.
According to CNN, 3 hours of rainfall fell in Brooklyn throughout the month, turning the basements of many buildings into reservoirs. Weather officials warned that the total amount of rainfall could be "highly likely as high as 8 inches (203 millimeters)." The NYPD warned residents not to drive vehicles to avoid any dangerous situations, and "make sure you are prepared to evacuate to higher ground."
Many highways, downtown roads and streets in New York City have been closed, and some underground lanes have been broken down by cars. It can be seen from the map data that under the attack of short-term heavy rainfall, the roads in the New York City area instantly turned red, showing the extreme unsmooth road. Many of New York City's arterial roads were also flooded, including some highways that resemble rivers. People struggle to walk in knee-length water, and some pull ropes to fish slowly.
Second, extreme weather global outbreak!
Rainwater also flooded part of the New York City subway system, and many photos and videos taken by local netizens showed that the stepped flood of some stations of the New York subway fell like a waterfall, and the New York City subway department once suspended the operation of 17 subway lines in Brooklyn because the water on the tracks was too deep. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City noted that several subway routes and Metro-North commuter train service have been affected. At least 4 subway routes were completely suspended, 12 routes were partially suspended, and 8 routes were seriously delayed.
A terminal at New York City's LaGuardia Airport was forced to close after torrential rains, which have no doubt caused disruption to flights. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that flights have been delayed at all three major airports in New York, and some flights at LaGuardia Airport have been delayed by nearly an hour.
This wave of heavy rainfall began on the morning of the 29th and intensified around noon local time. Zack Taylor, an official with the National Weather Service, said that under the heavy rain, New York, including Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport, had water as high as 15 centimeters, with water reaching 5 to 8 centimeters in some areas and more than 15 centimeters in some low-lying areas. New York Mayor Eric Adams once warned against thinking it's over! No, it's not over yet!
In fact, throughout 2023, New York is not the only place hit by extreme weather. Since the beginning of this year, there have been many disasters such as floods, droughts, fires, hailstorms and other disasters around the world, bringing huge losses to people and nature. Meteorologists believe that these disasters are closely related to global warming and climate change.
Third, the climate is changing
Climate change refers to long-term changes in climate factors such as the earth's average temperature, precipitation, and wind speed. The main reason for climate change is that human activities emit a large number of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which leads to the enhancement of the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and the increase of the temperature of the earth's surface. Changes in temperature can lead to melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and increased extreme weather. For example, the World Meteorological Organization pointed out that the Earth experienced the hottest three months on record, and the extremes of the Earth's surface temperature are unprecedented.
Not long ago, extreme rainfall from storm systems hit parts of the central and eastern Mediterranean, including Libya and Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, causing devastating flooding and loss of life in these countries.
In order to address the challenges posed by climate change, the international community has taken a series of actions and measures. For example, the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, the current situation is not optimistic. According to a new report released by the United Nations, even if countries meet their commitments, global temperatures will still rise by 2.7 degrees by the end of the century. This means that we need to take more urgent and vigorous action to mitigate and adapt to climate change.