Experts: Megastorms could become norm

Megastorms such as Tropical Storm Harvey, which is expected to dump record-setting rainfall on parts of Texas over the next few days, will be increasingly common if the human factors fueling global warming aren’t addressed, climate change experts warn.

“As we move to these abnormal extremes in many places, to me, it points to the role of increasing temperatures on our planet,” said Lonnie G. Thompson, senior research scientist at Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar Research Center. “It’s becoming the new norm.”

Before all is said and done, weather experts expect the powerful tropical storm will swamp Houston with as much as 50 inches of rain, a figure the National Weather Service has called “unprecedented.”

Juliette Rooney-Varga, director of University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative, said steadily rising sea surface and air temperatures are contributing to everything from destructive storms like Harvey to droughts.

“As the ocean warms, they can transfer energy through the storm. The warmer the atmosphere is, the more moisture it can absorb from the ocean,” she said. “We are hearing the terms ‘record-setting rainfall’ or ‘intense precipitation’ more and more across the country — not just in this storm.”

Boston University earth and environment professor Anthony Janetos said rising sea levels caused by climate change contributed to the destruction in Texas.

“It’s a big wake-up call,” Janetos said. “These are the kinds of events that cities near the coast have to cope with ... They’ve got to figure out what they’re going to invest to protect the infrastructure and to protect lives as the sea continues to rise.”