Mapping LA’s Flood Risk Reveals Hidden Harm in Vulnerable Communities In 2023, Californians endured a relentless barrage of atmospheric river systems, the massive volumes of water vapor that snake across the Pacific and unleash copious precipitation when they reach land. Tropical Storm Hilary drenched areas of Los Angeles with as much as six inches of rain in late August. Street flooding occurred downtown, and numerous roads were washed out in the surrounding mountains. The deluge boosted historically low water levels, ending the state’s severe drought. But the flooding and landslides that the systems bring severely test infrastructure and endanger lives and livelihoods, illustrating the many ways climate change increases risk to communities around the world. California’s “weather whiplash,” the rapid swings between dry and wet spells, is also worsening. Cities such as New York and Miami face risks from coastal and urban flooding, Brett Sanders, director of the University of California, Irvine, Flood Lab, standing in the LA River. 10
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