DISCUSSION: It is hard to believe that it has been a little over 13 years since a good portion of the Gulf Coast of the United States experienced prolific and historic impacts from the full force of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina left an unforgettable set of horrific memories for many millions of people who lied in the path of that historic tropical cyclone back in August of 2005. Hurricane Katrina began in a very modest fashion as a weak hurricane in Florida by around 25 August 2005 and was originally expected to re-curve into parts of northeast Florida. However, the course of this historic tropical cyclone was forced to change as a result of an area of high-pressure which built in across parts of the Mid-Atlantic United States between 25 and 27 August which forced Hurricane Katrina to take a track further west across the central Gulf of Mexico.
As Hurricane Katrina continued moving across the central Gulf of Mexico, it gained substantial strength and size which made it a large and incredibly dangerous hurricane which would go on to make a historic and terrifying track into Louisiana which will never be forgotten. Between a record-breaking storm surge, powerful onshore winds, and intense as well as persistent tropical rainfall, Hurricane Katrina went on to compromise the strength of the levee system guarding the city of New Orleans to the point that they gave way to the power of the rushing ocean water into Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana. As a result, New Orleans and surrounding area experienced an unprecedented flooding event unlike anything the city had ever experienced before in recorded history. Furthermore, as shown above in the text caption (courtesy of Meteorologist Brian McNoldy), Hurricane Katrina still remains to be the costliest hurricane in recorded U.S. history which is likely a recorded that will not be broken for quite a long time considering the extent of Katrina's impacts. To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz
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 DISCUSSION: As the age-old phrase goes, it is always critical to take the time to learn from the past, so we are not doomed to make the exact same mistakes in the future. In looking just beyond 2 days and 32 years ago today, a prolific and somewhat isolated stationary thunderstorm event generated more than ten inches of rain which funneled into the narrow Thompson River Canyon which is located out in northeastern Colorado. As a result of this heavy rainfall event, there were documented reports of a wall of water measuring up to or possibly over six to eight feet high moving through various cities across portions of northeastern Colorado. This major flooding event unleashed an absolutely horrific twenty-five-mile path of destruction from Estes Park to Loveland which ultimately ended up taking the lives of 144 civilians. As part of this tragic flooding event, the flash flood caught campers and caused extensive structural and highway damage.
The results of this tragic flooding (and perhaps flash flooding) event is a truly crucial reason to always live out the words of wisdom which goes by "turn around, don't down" and "always respect the natural power of Mother Nature." When you are under the gun of an ongoing flooding and/or flash flooding event or situated in a location wherein there is a viable short-term threat for a heavy rainfall event, it is imperative to respect the natural power of quickly rushing rainfall run-off and not attempting to "simply pass by" or "just gun through it." Hence, never underestimate the natural power of running water and always treat heavy rainfall events with tremendous respect. To learn more about this particular historic Colorado flooding event, click on the following link: https://www.denverpost.com/2016/07/31/big-thompson-river-flood-1976-photos/. To learn more about other past historic weather events, be sure to click here! © 2018 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz |
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