Climate experts warn temporary increases in water levels will not mitigate a crisis that has been years in the making
Flash floods hitting the American south-west in recent days have shuttered parts of national parks including in Moab and Zion, closed highways in Colorado, submerged cars in Texas and trapped tourists in a New Mexico cave. A young woman remains missing after being swept away while hiking in Zion on Friday.But the destructive deluges have not been enough to relieve the drought and the continued pressure on water resources, experts say.
“There’s a duality in the effect of climate change on the hydrologic cycle,” said Dr Andrew Hoell, a meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s physical sciences laboratory, noting that the heavy rains and underlying drought conditions exist on separate time scales. It will take a sustained rainy season over the cold winter months to crack the conditions and forecasts aren’t causing much optimism for the months ahead.
“Our search and rescue operation is ongoing,” said park spokesperson Jonathan Shafer. “We have searchers in the field again today and we are working closely with the National Weather Service to monitor the forecast and we are going to pay close attention to that going forward.”on Friday afternoon by rushing water in the popular Narrows area in the park, known for its spectacular red-rock cliffs and narrow canyons, in southern Utah near the Arizona border.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
China drought causes Yangtze river to dry up, sparking shortage of hydropowerA nationwide alert has been issued with the south-west especially badly hit, and even parts of the mighty Yangtze drying up
Read more »
A Nepali mother fled school as a teenager. Now she's studying alongside her own sonParwati Sunar studies seventh grade in her village in the south-west of the Himalayan nation, where just 57 per cent of women are literate.
Read more »
Two women shot dead in south-west Sydney 'assassination'Lametta Fadlallah is being farewelled at a funeral in Sydney's south-west this morning under police guard. The 48-year-old mother-of-two was shot dead in a targeted hit. SophieUpcroft 9News MORE:
Read more »
Test of Brendon McCullum’s coaching mettle starts now with shaky England | Barney RonayBazball was only ever a bit of fun – the remaining South Africa matches will tell us more about the coach’s real plans
Read more »
Torrential rains lash southern US as millions under flood warningsMeteorologists issue warnings for more than 13 million people in north-east Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico and Arizona
Read more »
Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, one of Somalia’s greatest poets, dies aged 79Somali social media has been flooded with tributes to the man better known as ‘Hadraawi’
Read more »