It sounds like something out of a bad science fiction movie, but according to climate researchers with the US Geological Survey, it’s an all-too-real possibility. A Pacific Ocean phenomenon known as the Arkstorm could be heading towards California. The Arkstorm is a giant storm, akin to a typhoon but bigger, that last hit California 150 years ago and scientists say the timing is right for a return visit.
“An atmospheric river comes in from the Pacific ocean, and dumps days of rain on California,” says US Geological Survey director Marcia McNutt. “It takes out one-fourth of the homes in California, one-third of the agricultural land and one-third of the taxable land in California and renders it inoperable.”
The damage from an arkstorm, should one hit with the fury that accompanied the last California super storm in 1861, could be in the trillions of dollars. Not billions, trillions. That’s four or five times the damage that would accompany the long-predicted 8.0 earthquake, due to the area the storm will hit and how far along it will be spread. Somebody better call Noah and get the experts working on an ark!
Tags: US Geological Survey, USGS, Arkstorm, giant storm could destroy California, weather, apocalypse weather predictions, Marcia McNutt, Pacific Coast superstorm, giant storm in the Pacific, weather events, California, California super storm, super storms, giant storms, super thunderstorm
