Factors promoting super typhoon pouring 34 billion m3 of water into Texas

The long stay and coastal position made Harvey a nightmare for the people of Texas when pouring down 34 billion cubic meters of water.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, USA late August 25, causing heavy damage to residential communities in the southeastern part of the state with heavy rain and flooding the streets, forcing thousands of people. must seek shelter and cause at least 10 people to die, according to Live Science.

According to estimates by the US National Meteorological Agency, super typhoon Harvey poured about 34 billion cubic meters of rainwater into Texas. This is twice the amount of water in Salt Lake, the sixth largest lake in the United States and the eighth in the world in Salt Lake City, Utah, or equivalent to the amount of water flowing from the Mississippi River into Houston for nine days in a row. customary Forecast of heavy rain will continue to pour into the area in the coming days. As of August 30, another 38 billion m ³ will fall into this state.

The scene flooded the streets of Texas.(Photo: Reuters).

The cause of this unprecedented heavy rainfall is related to the period when Hurricane Harvey is almost non-moving in southeast Texas.

" Tropical cyclone ," including tropical storm and Atlantic hurricane cyclone , often carries a lot of moisture and is associated with heavy rain , " Live Science leads Matthew. Kelsch, hydrometeorist at the University of Atmospheric Research University in Boulder, Colorado. "But what makes the situation worse is the tropical storm itself, the precursor of Hurricane Harvey, which almost doesn't move much. For a few days, it almost stays in the same place, so The same area continuously has heavy rain ".

The move is due to a high-pressure gas block that prevents the movement of Hurricane Y, according to Dave Gochis, scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder. In other words, Hurricane Harvey is stuck. Some places in Houston and the surrounding area are under 51 cm of rainwater. The National Meteorological Agency (NWS) warns that flood waters in the Texas coastal area may reach 127cm.

"These rains are causing a life-threatening flood disaster in much of southeast Texas, " the NWS said.

"Hurricanes like Harvey are likened to the float in the middle of the water, according to James Done, NCAR atmospheric scientist. 'Imagine you drop the fishing float into the water, it will follow the flow of the river. combined with Harvey, the river stopped guiding and the fishing floats indefinitely around the Texas coast, it was rushed to Texas by a large flow and then the flow dissipated, causing Harvey to stay in the coastal area. " , Done said.

Flooding makes it difficult for Texans to move.(Video: Reuters).

The coastal location also energizes the storm. Harvey continued to receive more moisture from the ocean and could even become stronger, according to Kelsch. But Harvey can move forward if the high pressure system blocks the road.

"The system seems to be weakening later this week. Stronger winds begin to shift the system north and then east. This process is expected to last for the next few days and they will We started to notice the initial shift from yesterday morning, but the process is very slow and the rain will continue to pour into the affected area , " Gochis said.

Southeast Texas will continue to be flooded with 20 to 38cm of rain until tomorrow, according to Jeff Weber, meteorologist at the University of Atmospheric Research Association. But the devastating power of Harvey has not ended.

"Concerns will go east when Typhoon Harvey starts to leave Texas and people in Louisina should be very careful to follow the next time because the storm is about to go their way. Lake Charles City in southwest Louisiana will New Orleans could also be affected next Wednesday with a 25cm rainfall , " Weber said.