After causing devastation in Louisiana, the remnants of Hurricane Ida will inject copious moisture across the Tennessee River Valley and as far to the northeast as Southern New England. Augmented by a cold front that is dipping across the region, the heavy rains are expected to produce widespread flooding, especially in areas where the soil is already water-logged.
While hurricanes are best known (and most feared) for their high winds and storm surge, inland flooding is often their most deadly consequence, especially in areas where hilly or mountainous terrain concentrates the run-off. Ida's tropical moisture may thus prove to be most problematic in the Southern Appalachians.
Of course, our warming climate is, once again, playing a role in this scenario. The warming seas fuel the tropical storm or hurricane and the warmer air carries more moisture to distant landscapes. Meanwhile, out west, the forests bake and wildfires rage.
