Whidbey Island landslide, Washington – BEFORE
On March 27th 2013, a week of torrential rain caused a devastating landslide in the Whidbey Island area of Washington. A huge landslide pushed 200,000 cubic yards of earth down the west side of the Island.
But let’s talk geography – why are landslides a result of climate change?
As temperatures rise, The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group has predicted that:
‘we will see earlier snowmelt and more precipitation in the form of rain rather than snow.’
That means the annual precipitation increases by about 1/3 of an inch every ten years (in Washington). Keeping up? Yep, you guessed it… these increasingly intense rainfalls will increase the likelihood of landslides in the area and damage to the neighbourhood.
Whidbey Island landslide, Washington – AFTER
