Within the PacificNorthwest (PNW) region (Oregon, Washington, British Columhia, and northern California), we can now make this statement in hindsight: the region has flooded again and again, through much of fall 2021 and now into January 2022. At the time of this writing, the PNW has experienced at least half a dozen major, flooding storms. This November Highlight looks at just one of them, on November 13-15, 2021. The first figure shows the extent of the heavy rains, with up to 5-7 inches falling in a 24-hour period, based on NASA satellite estimates. The fall cumulative rains and snowfall have been extraordinary in this region, breaking records for this winter season. The problem is that while the torrential precipitation is important to help reverse the region's drought, with each storm it's the case of too much in too little time. The rain storms have proven to be a double-edged sword, with such a volume and recurrence of rain that floods, mudslides, and debris flows have become unrelenting.
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