Vermont continued to experience historic flooding on Tuesday, July 30, and more rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week. However, scientists warn that while these scenes of devastation may be shocking, this type of catastrophic flooding could soon become the new normal.
Scientists said that climate change is fueling stronger and more saturated storms, and the United States’ East Coast may face some of the worst of the flooding. A recent study found that the East Coast’s precipitation is expected to rise by 52% by the end of the century.
“There’s more moisture available in the atmosphere as the climate warms,” National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Banacos said. “We’re seeing higher dew points. We’re seeing more moisture-laden air masses making it up into our latitude.”
At that rate, experts say that current infrastructure won’t keep up. Some reportedly fear that Vermont’s roads, bridges, culverts and wastewater facilities are in danger of being washed away with more flooding.
Vermont also has mostly older, smaller dams, designed to power textile mills, provide water storage and irrigate farms. However, as intense storms become a more common threat, these dams may no longer be useful. Heavy flooding in the state last year led to five dams failing and around 60 dams overtopping.
Meanwhile, state officials are in the middle of a multidecade project to strengthen infrastructure to endure the effects of climate change. Officials said that the goal is to replace and repair structures and are working on statewide floodplain standards.
