This is exactly how fast the weather changed in Houston during the storm on Thursday

[Bundbuster]

5. Scientists say storms like those that battered Houston could become more intense as the planet warms

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/17/climate/thunderstorms-wind-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tU0.F7e5.-yI83APx41sE&smid=url-share

As the planet warms, severe storms of all kinds are likely to deliver even bigger payloads of rain. The reason: Warmer air holds more moisture, which effectively increases a storm’s capacity to carry precipitation.

Because the air can hold more moisture, that also means there is more water vapor in the sky that can condense into liquid, forming clouds. The heat energy released into the atmosphere by this condensation is what feeds thunderstorms. In short, more condensation, stronger storms.

Thunderstorms can also produce strong winds that fan out in straight lines rather than twisters. In a study published last year, Dr. Prein estimated that much larger areas of the central United States were now experiencing these straight-line gusts compared with the early 1980s.

The market for homeowners insurance has been in turmoil in the United States, and not just because of hurricanes and wildfires. As a New York Times investigation documented this week, severe storms are also causing insurers to lose money on homeowner coverage.