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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Gabrielle Canon

Risk of catastrophic megafloods has doubled in California, study finds

This handout image shows flood destruction in the Death Valley national park in August 2022.
This handout image shows flood destruction in the Death Valley national park in August 2022. Photograph: National Park Service/AFP/Getty Images

Driven by the climate crisis, exceedingly rare megafloods will become more common – and more catastrophic – according to a new study that found their likelihood has already doubled in California.

The unexpected threat lingers even as browning hillsides, fallowed fields and bathtub ring-laden reservoirs serve as a constant reminder of the drought disaster in the state, which may be woefully unprepared when the coin inevitably flips.

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