Record-shattering rainfall in St. Louis caused panic among residents as flash flooding submerged vehicles and prompted evacuations.
The previous 24-hour rainfall record was 6.85 inches, recorded in 1915, according to the National Weather Service in St. Louis. That record was shattered in just eight hours on Tuesday, with 8.06 inches of rain, Axios reported. Some areas received three inches of rain per hour.
**All Time Daily Rainfall Record at St. Louis Shattered**
Through 7AM…8.06″ of rainfall has been observed @flystl which breaks the all time daily rainfall record from August 20th 1915 of 6.85″ (remnants of the Galveston 1915 Hurricane). #stlwx #mowx #ilwx— NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) July 26, 2022
CLIMATE CHANGE NOT A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR TO WASHINGTON FLOODING, UW SCIENTIST CONTENDS
“You couldn’t see where you going because it was raining so hard,” local resident Don Andrews told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “All of the sudden I just hit the water and my car shut off. I was a lame duck out there in the middle.”
The flooding prompted fire crews to travel out to 15 flooded homes to evacuate residents. They rescued six people and an equal number of dogs, with many more residents deciding to stay put.
The historic rainfall prompted the NWS to issue its most severe flood warning, dubbed a “flash flood emergency.”
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Some pointed to global warming as the culprit for the disaster, as warmer air can hold more moisture, and argued historic downpours will become more frequent.