Now the data are bearing out what everyone suspected: This flood event is on an entirely different scale than what we’ve seen before in the United States. (The Washington Post)A 1,000-year flood event, as its name implies, is exceptionally rare. Apart from Harvey, there’s simply no record of a 1,000-year event occupying so much real estate. (Claritza Jimenez,Angela Fritz/The Washington Post)While no one questions the exceptional nature of Harvey’s rainfall, the concept of a 1,000-year flood event has been criticized by some academics and flood planners. Climate change studies have found that what’s considered a 500-year flood today may become much more frequent in coming decades.

Source: Washington Post August 31, 2017 18:00 UTC