It hangs precariously on the brink of the rushing stream for a split second. Next thing you know, the whole structure—including the house—turns and tumbles into the river. "Oh my! As they observe the construction fall then float away, onlookers record the scene with gasps. Devastating floodwaters have recently engulfed the western U.S. park Yellowstone.
According to Paul Pastelok, chief long-range forecaster at AccuWeather, "There's some really unusual things occurring, stuff that's not normal at all" as he enumerates these and other instances of severe weather occurrences in the United States this year.
India, Pakistan, Europe, the United States, and portions of East Asia have all seen very early heat waves, horrific wildfires, and devastating floods this year (2022). German and Mexican cities have been hit hard by freak hail storms, while US meteorologists are predicting a hurricane season that is above average.
Many of these occurrences, according to meteorologists, are part of a concerning pattern. Even if 2022 hasn't seen the most severe weather on record just yet, the effects of climate change and the domino effect of bad weather on other bad weather are already visible.
According to Pastelok, one should consider the Yellowstone deluge. The exact explanation is still up for debate among meteorologists, but it seems to have had something to do with a lengthy winter that lingered into spring, dumping snow and ice on the mountains, and then an unexpected, rapid warm surge in May.
"The rivers were full with water during the first melt, but it was pushed out of their banks by the second warm period in early June," he says.
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