Hype Over Flooding

 For the past three days, there's been a lot of chatter going on in Germany over the flooding and destruction business. What you can generally say is that a couple of communities in the states of North Rhineland Westphalia and Rhineland Pfalz....got hit by something you'd call a microburst of rainfall.  

To explain a microburst of rainfall?  You have 'super' conditions: rapidly sinking airflow in a thunderstorm....where hail and extremely heavy rain occur in a very tight circle.

My experience around twenty years ago in my old village (near K-Town):  late afternoon....a storm front moves in on a Saturday afternoon.  My village sat at the base of a farming area which had the higher elevation (maybe 50 meters higher than the village, and lying about two km away.  The 'slant'.....would bring any rainfall into the village, but the storm system (drainage ditches were made to handle the worst of the worst).  

Rain started and in roughly five minutes....it went from drizzle to heavy rain, and five minutes later....the front was dumping an inch of rain around every five minutes.  It was more than the farmland on the higher elevation could handle, and around minute twenty of this experience....you could see the excess going past the drainage ditch area, and proceeding into the village.

Around minute thirty....probably two inches of cascading water was progressing down through the village streets.  Around minute forty....probably twelve inches of rain was progressing down the village streets.

Around minute fifty, the rain stopped, but the flooding continued.  The village drainage system did eventually catch up and move the water along....but that was around two to three hours later.  

In the case of this event from three days ago....it went by the same scenario.  These were towns with hills on all sides, and the microburst of water brought excess water to middle of the village....destroying everything in its path.  Their drainage system was built for the worst of the worst.....but probably only halfway capable for what this event delivered.

Microbursts and history?  Well...they've been around forever.  It's nothing new.  It's just that it's rare and some bursts occur in non-populated areas.  Connected to the evil 'demon' of climate change?  Once you establish that they've existed for millions of years....the 'demon' thing is a joke. However, this will provoke the pro-demon enthusiasts to get on board and declare microburst a evil thing.  

I should note....some people already believe that the nation should make every town and village 'safe' from microbursts.  You'd be talking about hundreds of billions to build the mechanisms required.