Louisiana Flooding: NASA Animation of Accumulated Rainfall
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Days of intense rainfall in August 2016 led to widespread flooding in southern Louisiana, as rivers swelled high above their banks and many crested at record-high levels. According to news reports, the floods prompted the rescue of at least 20,000 people and caused at least six deaths. Louisiana’s governor declared a state of emergency on August 12 and a “major disaster” on August 14.
The animation above shows satellite-based measurements of the rainfall as it accumulated over the southern United States. Specifically, it shows rainfall totals every three hours over the span of 72 hours from August 12-14, 2016. These rainfall totals are regional, remotely-sensed estimates, and local amounts can be significantly higher when measured from the ground.
The data come from the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), a product of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The GPM satellite is the core of a rainfall obseQrvatory that includes measurements from NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and five other national and international partners.
According to Weather Underground, the multi-day rainfall accumulations (more than 20 inches in some places) stemmed from an unusual storm system. The low-pressure system developed a warm core, and counter-clockwise air flow pulled in moisture from warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. In that sense, the storm was similar to a tropical depression, except that surface winds were light.
The system was extremely slow moving. Over a seven-day period, rain totals in southern Louisiana were at least 600 percent of normal, according to the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center of the US National Weather Service.
Via earthobservatory
Barack Obama declared the flooding a major disaster, and so far, 20
parishes have been added to that declaration, officials say. More than
70,000 people in the state have registered for FEMA assistance.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/17/louisiana-flood-victims-face-long-road-back-to-normal-i-lost-everything/?%3Ftid%3D=sm_pg&utm_term=.0ef9992f62fe
Louisians`s state map is changing due to climate change and flooding.
In the last eighty years, close to 1,900 square miles of land have slipped into the Gulf of Mexico – that’s an area equivalent to the entire state of Rhode Island, plus half a dozen times Washington D.C.
http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/boot-no-more-a-wetter-map-of-louisiana