New study on catastrophic flooding in California over the next 40 years

That would be a very severe flood that occurs over a wide area, and has the potential to have a catastrophic impact on the affected areas, causing more than $1 trillion in damage.

This photo shows a street scene in West Los Angeles, California on November 10, 2021.

The event was marked by a multi-week winter storm that caused catastrophic flooding in nearly all of California's low-lying areas, transforming the Sacramento and San San valleys, the study said. Joaquin Valley formed an inland sea nearly 300 miles long, and flooded much of the densely populated coastal plain today in Los Angeles and Orange County.'

The study, published August 12 in the scientific journal Science Advances, is led by project scientist Xingying Huang of the Coalition of Research Universities in Atmospheric Sciences, and climate scientist Daniel Swain of the University of California, Los Angeles write together.

'Statistics show that climate change has led to a significant increase in the risk of hurricane events in California, moving from a once-in-a-two-century (200-year) event to a one-time event. the event could happen about three times per century,' the study said.

The hardest hit areas will be California's Central Valley, which includes Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield, the study's authors said.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the Central Valley is roughly the size of the states of Vermont and Massachusetts combined, and produces a quarter of the nation's grain.

By far, the flood large enough to fill these valleys is likely to become the most damaging earth disaster, with more than $1 trillion, according to the study. This is more than five times the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. To date, Hurricane Katrina is said to be the most damaging disaster in US history.

Scientists say California's flood disaster is almost inevitable. So the question is only when, not if it will happen.

In 1862, Sacramento County, California was affected by a major flood.

In 1862, Sacramento County, California was affected by a major flood.

Floods have happened in California before. That disaster began in December 1861, when nearly 15 feet of snow fell in the Sierra Nevada (meaning 'snow mountain range' in Spanish).

Rained continuously for 43 days, then poured water from the mountain slopes into the valley, killing 4,000 people, destroying a third of state property, a quarter of livestock drowning or starving, 1/ 8 houses were flooded. In addition, a quarter of California's economy was destroyed, causing bankruptcy across the state.

Scientists have warned that catastrophic floods like the one that occurred more than 150 years ago will reappear more frequently and severely.

This study is the first phase of a three-part series examining the impact of future superflood events in California. The next two phases are expected to be announced in 2-3 years.