This article was published by the Atlantic’s CityLab.
This is not surprising for anyone familiar with the Emerald City. What is surprising, though, is that a place synonymous with precipitation may not be prepared for the rain that’s coming.
Thunderstorms and downpours are historically rare in Seattle, which actually receives less annual rainfall than Miami. Most of its precipitation comes in the form of an inescapable drizzle. More of a mist, really. The city’s stormwater infrastructure is built with these steady, low volumes in mind.
However, a recent study found a significant rise in the number of heavy rains in recent decades, and climate models predict an increase in both the frequency and intensity of what officials call extreme weather events: deadly deluges that, within 24 hours, are capable of overwhelming water drainage infrastructure to cause flooding and send raw sewage into nearby waterways.
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STEPHEN ROBERT MILLER 