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Fire and floods: The rising intensity of climate whiplash
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The cycle of sudden deluge and extended drought becomes a destructive see-saw of irrigation and ignition, bringing flash floods, landslides, and wildfire.
PHOTO: AFP
Anjana Ahuja
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As parts of southern California continue to burn in what could be the costliest disaster in American history, it feels odd to recall the record-breaking rainfall and snow that characterised the region’s previous two winters.
But even though wildfires and floods seem like meteorological opposites, they appear to be two sides of the same climate coin. Scientists suggest the two extremes could be related through a phenomenon known as “hydroclimate whiplash”, defined by volatile swings between very wet and very dry conditions – with climate change intensifying this.
