Scientists: California is threatened by a powerful storm that can 'turn a state into an ocean'

Forecasters in California are preparing for a possible worsening of the weather - according to them, every 200 years this part of the planet suffers from severe floods, and the next one could “turn the state into an ocean for 300 miles” (almost 500 kilometers). This can happen at any time.

Фото: Depositphotos

A possible storm can flood cities and other populated areas with a barrage of water down to 20 feet (6 meters), writes The Sun.

Researchers say deep analysis of California's soil layers shows that this area of ​​land experienced severe flooding every 200 years. According to an expert from the US Geological Survey, the scale of the disaster can be compared in severity with the consequences of strong earthquakes.

In the last century, floods turned California's Central Valley into an inland sea, and one 19th-century disaster engulfed entire cities when it rained continuously for 45 days. Caused by an atmospheric current with a high concentration of water vapor, the storm of 1861 is still considered one of the worst in the state's history.

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Then the rivers running through the mountains of Sierra Nevada turned into deadly streams. The city of Sacramento was drowned in 10 feet (3 meters) of brown, overflowing water. The water level was so high that residents had to row to the windows of the second floor in order to get into their own houses.

The flood "ravaged the state and devastated the ranching industry, drowning 200 head of cattle," Lucy Jones, an expert with the U.S. Geological Survey, told NPR in 000.

Jones warned that the 1861 disastrous storm of the year was not an accident.

“We have geological evidence that shows a history of flooding and even stronger storms than 300 occurred once every 1861 years. We have recorded six such events over 1800 years of geological history,” Jones said two years earlier.

“So we think this event happens once every 100-200 years or so.”

According to Jones, extreme floods can cause as much damage as hurricanes.

“[These storms] have hurricane potential—or more—as they continue for weeks,” the specialist said.

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According to a recent study by the US Geological Survey, the 1861 storm of the year, which lasted for 23 of the day, has the same probability of occurrence during the year as an earthquake of 7,8 magnitude, and can lead to damage of hundreds of billions of dollars.

Fortunately, now there is no evidence that the mega-storm will hit California in the near future. Even if something like this happens, thanks to modern dams and flood control systems, the consequences will not be as serious as 150 years ago, experts say.

And yet, according to forecasts, it will not be easy: the next five years may be the “hottest” because of the high temperatures causing droughts, floods and hurricanes.

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