The Stream, February 18, 2020: United Kingdom Faces 200+ Flood Warnings as Storm Dennis Brings Severe Weather

The Global Rundown

Hundreds of flood warnings are in place in England, Wales, and Scotland as Storm Dennis brings severe weather to the UK. California once again wobbles on the edge of drought. An Iowa company hoping to withdraw and send 2 billion gallons of water to the western United States pulls its permit request. Heavy rain deluges parts of the southern U.S. More than 200 million gallons of sewage spill from broken pipes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, over the past few months. 

“All the fish are dead there. Everything’s just gone. Crabs, oysters, barnacles and plankton. Crews have been out there picking up hundreds of fish out of the water so it doesn’t look like holy hell. Manatees are swimming in that poison.” –Jeff Maggio, a fisherman from Fort Lauderdale, in reference to a recent sewage spill at the city’s George English Park. Sewage pipes in Fort Lauderdale have busted several times since December, spilling a total of 211.6 million gallons (801 million liters) of sewage into city waterways. South Florida Sun Sentinel

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By The Numbers

200+ Flood warnings in place across England, Wales, and Scotland, including eight “danger to life” warnings, as Storm Dennis brings torrential rainfall to the region. Several waterways have burst their banks and reached record-high water levels. So far, one storm-related death has been reported. BBC

2 billion gallons Amount of water that Iowa-based Pattison Sand Co. hoped to withdraw from the state’s Jordan aquifer each year and ship to parched western states. Last week, the company notified the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that they are now removing their permit request. Earlier this month, the Iowa DNR announced they would likely reject the permit due to concerns about long-term water availability in the state. Des Moines Register

Science, Studies, and Reports

The latest edition of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that central California is edging back into a dry spell, with 9.5 percent of the state now experiencing moderate drought. California has been largely drought-free for several months, but is grappling with below-average winter precipitation. Los Angeles Times

On the Radar

Intense rainfall has swept across parts of the southern United States, with especially severe conditions in Mississippi and Tennessee. Mississippi’s Pearl River reached 36.8 feet (11.2 meters) on Monday, its third-highest level on record, and an estimated 1,000 homes have been flooded in the state. In Tennessee, February rainfall is reportedly 400 percent of normal. USA Today

Kayla Ritter

Kayla Ritter is a recent graduate of Michigan State University, where she studied International Relations and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is currently based in Manton, Michigan. Kayla enjoys running, writing, and traveling. Contact Kayla Ritter