California has a storm of "biblical proportions" every 200 years

It is better than another 10 years of drought. If this happened every year, the state would be a lot more livable.

I was told that my house is built on a 100 year floodplain, which means that there’s a 1% chance in any given year that the rains will fall enough for my backyard will fill with water. In the 7 years that I’ve lived here, it’s happened twice. In the age of global warming and climate change, it’s definitely time to reconsider those calculations.

1 Like

You know they put all those online, right? You’d probably have a better grasp of what they were saying than I did, but I eventually figured out our house was okay unless there was some 15 meter rise, but civilization is fucked at that point anyway, so I wasn’t going to worry about it.

2 Likes

Aw hell. If you can make it to NJ you’re more than welcome to crash on my couch.

Ah, just my work guidelines at play in my head. It’s been a decade since I worked there, they were beginning to appear online, and our procedure was “don’t trust anything you see unless you physically have the map in front of you”. We had a library of the entire set.

1 Like

I hear you, my grad school had the same philosophy when it came to historic research where things from museums were trusted but online items were not.

You should have a look while you can:
https://msc.fema.gov/portal

1 Like

We do have earthquakes, floods and fires. And sushi in the mall.

I completely forgot they were just beginning to integrate color and aerial photography (though we used our own image research). Lovely to look at for the communities that could afford it.

Harsh. Willits is the Gateway to the Redwoods

1 Like

Yikes, good luck and stay safe.

1 Like

Ha, thanks!

Late last night the waters finally crested (having risen further than they ever have in all previous recorded floods, apparently), and then finally started going down, slowly. Several hours after that, the police came by to notify everyone of a “mandatory evacuation,” at least six hours too late. (I don’t think anyone still around by that point left.) The water is going down very slowly and we’re expecting another deluge this weekend, so I’m afraid we’re not only going to have to go through this all over again, but things are going to be worse. Multiple, lower-lying neighborhoods (and a few immediate neighbors) did get flooded this time. I don’t think there’s anything they can do to keep it from happening again. I’m sure they’re letting out as much water from the dam as they can, but it won’t be enough. California!

5 Likes

Well, at least you don’t get hurricanes?

1 Like

We bought a home and moved north of SF this year from just south of LA.

I can’t take this drought anymore! I said to my wife.
Now she looks at me: :expressionless:

3 Likes

…amongst other things…

This is true. Just earthquakes, alternating droughts and floods (which brings down trees), fires and the occasional tornado.

2 Likes

Yeah, I’m just looking for any bright side.

Also: The weather, typically!

3 Likes

This is also true - local conditions, droughts/floods, fire, tornados and earthquakes included, still beats the weather in most parts of the US. Especially now that climate change and fracking mean that you can get all those things in many parts of the US along with unpleasant temperature extremes.

2 Likes

Where the statistically based cluster breaks down is if it happens every where at the same time. one cluster is normal, two clusters? three?

So… maybe someone can explain this to me because my own research seems to come up kind of flat.

The statements being passed around are that every 150 yrs (or so) there’s a giant flood of storm. Because it happened 150 yrs ago. But I can’t find anything about it happening 150 yrs before that. And so on. So if a thing has only happened once and then it happens again - that maketh not a pattern. 3 times and maybe we’re getting somewhere.

Because by the same token, we can say that “Every 150 yrs this country has an incredible schism” or something. After all, the civil war was 150 yrs ago. And today… well, today. Of course, 150 yrs before that… um, in 1700… um… this country…

Anyhow… weather data for California from 1650-1700? Or is it mere journalistic hyperbole?

1 Like