<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en-US">
<head>
  <title>How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston? - MarketWatch</title>
  <link id="canonical-link" rel="canonical" href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-much-is-climate-change-behind-the-hurricane-harvey-flooding-in-houston-2017-08-28" />
  <link rel="amphtml" href="https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/guid/B1A32622-8BF7-11E7-807D-1E6895EF225D" />
      <link rel="alternate" href="mwatch://article?id=B1A32622-8BF7-11E7-807D-1E6895EF225D" />
      <meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=336693422,app-argument=mwatch://article?id=B1A32622-8BF7-11E7-807D-1E6895EF225D" />
<link href="https://mw4.wsj.net/mw5/content/images/favicons/apple-touch-icon.png" rel="apple-touch-icon"/>
<link href="https://mw4.wsj.net/mw5/content/images/favicons/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152"/>
<link href="https://mw4.wsj.net/mw5/content/images/favicons/apple-touch-icon-167x167.png" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="167x167"/>
<link href="https://mw4.wsj.net/mw5/content/images/favicons/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180"/>
<link href="https://mw4.wsj.net/mw5/content/logos/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon"/>
    <link href='https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/foxtrot/public/article.min-7bada4a58a.css' media='all' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>
    <script src='https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/foxtrot/public/article.min-ebaf39a94a.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1" />
<meta name="page.site" content="marketwatch" />
<meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=336693422" />
<meta name="fb:app_id" content="283204329838" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="MarketWatch" />
<meta name="twitter:site:id" content="624413" />
<meta name="twitter:domain" content="marketwatch.com" />
<meta name="article.content_group" content="marketwatch" />
<meta name="article.id" content="B1A32622-8BF7-11E7-807D-1E6895EF225D" />
<meta name="article.section" content="General" />
<meta name="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/marketwatch" />
<meta name="author" content="Andrew King " />
<meta name="description" content="Hurricanes are the result of many factors coming together, but we know that climate change is enhancing extreme rainfall." />
<meta property="og:description" content="Hurricanes are the result of many factors coming together, but we know that climate change is enhancing extreme rainfall." />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Hurricanes are the result of many factors coming together, but we know that climate change is enhancing extreme rainfall." />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:url" content="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-much-is-climate-change-behind-the-hurricane-harvey-flooding-in-houston-2017-08-28" />
<meta property="og:title" content="How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?" />
<meta name="article.column" content="The Conversation" />
<meta name="article.doctype" content="103" />
<meta name="article.template" content="Opinion" />
<meta name="robots" content="noarchive,noodp" />
<meta property="og:image" content="http://s.marketwatch.com/public/resources/MWimages/MW-FT185_harvey_ZG_20170828104035.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:domain" content="marketwatch.com" />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="http://s.marketwatch.com/public/resources/MWimages/MW-FT185_harvey_ZG_20170828104035.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:image:width" content="1320" />
<meta name="twitter:image:height" content="742" />
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="parsely-title" content="How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?" />
<meta name="parsely-link" content="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-much-is-climate-change-behind-the-hurricane-harvey-flooding-in-houston-2017-08-28" />
<meta name="parsely-type" content="post" />
<meta name="parsely-section" content="General" />
<meta name="parsely-author" content="Andrew King " />
<meta name="parsely-pub-date" content="2017-08-29T17:11:00-04:00" />
<meta name="parsely-tags" content="The Conversation,103,Opinion" />
  <script type="text/javascript">
    window.NREUM||(NREUM={}),__nr_require=function(t,e,n){function r(n){if(!e[n]){var o=e[n]={exports:{}};t[n][0].call(o.exports,function(e){var o=t[n][1][e];return r(o?o:e)},o,o.exports)}return e[n].exports}if("function"==typeof __nr_require)return __nr_require;for(var o=0;o<n.length;o++)r(n[o]);return r}({QJf3ax:[function(t,e){function n(t){function e(e,n,a){t&&t(e,n,a),a||(a={});for(var c=s(e),f=c.length,u=i(a,o,r),d=0;f>d;d++)c[d].apply(u,n);return u}function a(t,e){f[t]=s(t).concat(e)}function s(t){return f[t]||[]}function c(){return n(e)}var f={};return{on:a,emit:e,create:c,listeners:s,_events:f}}function r(){return{}}var o="nr@context",i=t("gos");e.exports=n()},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],ee:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("QJf3ax")},{}],3:[function(t){function e(t,e,n,i,s){try{c?c-=1:r("err",[s||new UncaughtException(t,e,n)])}catch(f){try{r("ierr",[f,(new Date).getTime(),!0])}catch(u){}}return"function"==typeof a?a.apply(this,o(arguments)):!1}function UncaughtException(t,e,n){this.message=t||"Uncaught error with no additional information",this.sourceURL=e,this.line=n}function n(t){r("err",[t,(new Date).getTime()])}var r=t("handle"),o=t(5),i=t("ee"),a=window.onerror,s=!1,c=0;t("loader").features.err=!0,window.onerror=e,NREUM.noticeError=n;try{throw new Error}catch(f){"stack"in f&&(t(1),t(4),"addEventListener"in window&&t(2),window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&t(3),s=!0)}i.on("fn-start",function(){s&&(c+=1)}),i.on("fn-err",function(t,e,r){s&&(this.thrown=!0,n(r))}),i.on("fn-end",function(){s&&!this.thrown&&c>0&&(c-=1)}),i.on("internal-error",function(t){r("ierr",[t,(new Date).getTime(),!0])})},{1:8,2:5,3:9,4:7,5:20,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],4:[function(t){function e(){}if(window.performance&&window.performance.timing&&window.performance.getEntriesByType){var n=t("ee"),r=t("handle"),o=t(2);t("loader").features.stn=!0,t(1),n.on("fn-start",function(t){var e=t[0];e instanceof Event&&(this.bstStart=Date.now())}),n.on("fn-end",function(t,e){var n=t[0];n instanceof Event&&r("bst",[n,e,this.bstStart,Date.now()])}),o.on("fn-start",function(t,e,n){this.bstStart=Date.now(),this.bstType=n}),o.on("fn-end",function(t,e){r("bstTimer",[e,this.bstStart,Date.now(),this.bstType])}),n.on("pushState-start",function(){this.time=Date.now(),this.startPath=location.pathname+location.hash}),n.on("pushState-end",function(){r("bstHist",[location.pathname+location.hash,this.startPath,this.time])}),"addEventListener"in window.performance&&(window.performance.addEventListener("webkitresourcetimingbufferfull",function(){r("bstResource",[window.performance.getEntriesByType("resource")]),window.performance.webkitClearResourceTimings()},!1),window.performance.addEventListener("resourcetimingbufferfull",function(){r("bstResource",[window.performance.getEntriesByType("resource")]),window.performance.clearResourceTimings()},!1)),document.addEventListener("scroll",e,!1),document.addEventListener("keypress",e,!1),document.addEventListener("click",e,!1)}},{1:6,2:8,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],5:[function(t,e){function n(t){i.inPlace(t,["addEventListener","removeEventListener"],"-",r)}function r(t){return t[1]}var o=(t(1),t("ee").create()),i=t(2)(o),a=t("gos");if(e.exports=o,n(window),"getPrototypeOf"in Object){for(var s=document;s&&!s.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener");)s=Object.getPrototypeOf(s);s&&n(s);for(var c=XMLHttpRequest.prototype;c&&!c.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener");)c=Object.getPrototypeOf(c);c&&n(c)}else XMLHttpRequest.prototype.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener")&&n(XMLHttpRequest.prototype);o.on("addEventListener-start",function(t){if(t[1]){var e=t[1];"function"==typeof e?this.wrapped=t[1]=a(e,"nr@wrapped",function(){return i(e,"fn-",null,e.name||"anonymous")}):"function"==typeof e.handleEvent&&i.inPlace(e,["handleEvent"],"fn-")}}),o.on("removeEventListener-start",function(t){var e=this.wrapped;e&&(t[1]=e)})},{1:20,2:21,ee:"QJf3ax",gos:"7eSDFh"}],6:[function(t,e){var n=(t(2),t("ee").create()),r=t(1)(n);e.exports=n,r.inPlace(window.history,["pushState"],"-")},{1:21,2:20,ee:"QJf3ax"}],7:[function(t,e){var n=(t(2),t("ee").create()),r=t(1)(n);e.exports=n,r.inPlace(window,["requestAnimationFrame","mozRequestAnimationFrame","webkitRequestAnimationFrame","msRequestAnimationFrame"],"raf-"),n.on("raf-start",function(t){t[0]=r(t[0],"fn-")})},{1:21,2:20,ee:"QJf3ax"}],8:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){var r=t[0];"string"==typeof r&&(r=new Function(r)),t[0]=o(r,"fn-",null,n)}var r=(t(2),t("ee").create()),o=t(1)(r);e.exports=r,o.inPlace(window,["setTimeout","setInterval","setImmediate"],"setTimer-"),r.on("setTimer-start",n)},{1:21,2:20,ee:"QJf3ax"}],9:[function(t,e){function n(){c.inPlace(this,d,"fn-")}function r(t,e){c.inPlace(e,["onreadystatechange"],"fn-")}function o(t,e){return e}var i=t("ee").create(),a=t(1),s=t(2),c=s(i),f=s(a),u=window.XMLHttpRequest,d=["onload","onerror","onabort","onloadstart","onloadend","onprogress","ontimeout"];e.exports=i,window.XMLHttpRequest=function(t){var e=new u(t);try{i.emit("new-xhr",[],e),f.inPlace(e,["addEventListener","removeEventListener"],"-",function(t,e){return e}),e.addEventListener("readystatechange",n,!1)}catch(r){try{i.emit("internal-error",[r])}catch(o){}}return e},window.XMLHttpRequest.prototype=u.prototype,c.inPlace(XMLHttpRequest.prototype,["open","send"],"-xhr-",o),i.on("send-xhr-start",r),i.on("open-xhr-start",r)},{1:5,2:21,ee:"QJf3ax"}],10:[function(t){function e(t){if("string"==typeof t&&t.length)return t.length;if("object"!=typeof t)return void 0;if("undefined"!=typeof ArrayBuffer&&t instanceof ArrayBuffer&&t.byteLength)return t.byteLength;if("undefined"!=typeof Blob&&t instanceof Blob&&t.size)return t.size;if("undefined"!=typeof FormData&&t instanceof FormData)return void 0;try{return JSON.stringify(t).length}catch(e){return void 0}}function n(t){var n=this.params,r=this.metrics;if(!this.ended){this.ended=!0;for(var i=0;c>i;i++)t.removeEventListener(s[i],this.listener,!1);if(!n.aborted){if(r.duration=(new Date).getTime()-this.startTime,4===t.readyState){n.status=t.status;var a=t.responseType,f="arraybuffer"===a||"blob"===a||"json"===a?t.response:t.responseText,u=e(f);if(u&&(r.rxSize=u),this.sameOrigin){var d=t.getResponseHeader("X-NewRelic-App-Data");d&&(n.cat=d.split(", ").pop())}}else n.status=0;r.cbTime=this.cbTime,o("xhr",[n,r,this.startTime])}}}function r(t,e){var n=i(e),r=t.params;r.host=n.hostname+":"+n.port,r.pathname=n.pathname,t.sameOrigin=n.sameOrigin}if(window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&!/CriOS/.test(navigator.userAgent)){t("loader").features.xhr=!0;var o=t("handle"),i=t(2),a=t("ee"),s=["load","error","abort","timeout"],c=s.length,f=t(1);t(4),t(3),a.on("new-xhr",function(){this.totalCbs=0,this.called=0,this.cbTime=0,this.end=n,this.ended=!1,this.xhrGuids={}}),a.on("open-xhr-start",function(t){this.params={method:t[0]},r(this,t[1]),this.metrics={}}),a.on("open-xhr-end",function(t,e){"loader_config"in NREUM&&"xpid"in NREUM.loader_config&&this.sameOrigin&&e.setRequestHeader("X-NewRelic-ID",NREUM.loader_config.xpid)}),a.on("send-xhr-start",function(t,n){var r=this.metrics,o=t[0],i=this;if(r&&o){var f=e(o);f&&(r.txSize=f)}this.startTime=(new Date).getTime(),this.listener=function(t){try{"abort"===t.type&&(i.params.aborted=!0),("load"!==t.type||i.called===i.totalCbs&&(i.onloadCalled||"function"!=typeof n.onload))&&i.end(n)}catch(e){try{a.emit("internal-error",[e])}catch(r){}}};for(var u=0;c>u;u++)n.addEventListener(s[u],this.listener,!1)}),a.on("xhr-cb-time",function(t,e,n){this.cbTime+=t,e?this.onloadCalled=!0:this.called+=1,this.called!==this.totalCbs||!this.onloadCalled&&"function"==typeof n.onload||this.end(n)}),a.on("xhr-load-added",function(t,e){var n=""+f(t)+!!e;this.xhrGuids&&!this.xhrGuids[n]&&(this.xhrGuids[n]=!0,this.totalCbs+=1)}),a.on("xhr-load-removed",function(t,e){var n=""+f(t)+!!e;this.xhrGuids&&this.xhrGuids[n]&&(delete this.xhrGuids[n],this.totalCbs-=1)}),a.on("addEventListener-end",function(t,e){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&"load"===t[0]&&a.emit("xhr-load-added",[t[1],t[2]],e)}),a.on("removeEventListener-end",function(t,e){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&"load"===t[0]&&a.emit("xhr-load-removed",[t[1],t[2]],e)}),a.on("fn-start",function(t,e,n){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&("onload"===n&&(this.onload=!0),("load"===(t[0]&&t[0].type)||this.onload)&&(this.xhrCbStart=(new Date).getTime()))}),a.on("fn-end",function(t,e){this.xhrCbStart&&a.emit("xhr-cb-time",[(new Date).getTime()-this.xhrCbStart,this.onload,e],e)})}},{1:"XL7HBI",2:11,3:9,4:5,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],11:[function(t,e){e.exports=function(t){var e=document.createElement("a"),n=window.location,r={};e.href=t,r.port=e.port;var o=e.href.split("://");return!r.port&&o[1]&&(r.port=o[1].split("/")[0].split(":")[1]),r.port&&"0"!==r.port||(r.port="https"===o[0]?"443":"80"),r.hostname=e.hostname||n.hostname,r.pathname=e.pathname,"/"!==r.pathname.charAt(0)&&(r.pathname="/"+r.pathname),r.sameOrigin=!e.hostname||e.hostname===document.domain&&e.port===n.port&&e.protocol===n.protocol,r}},{}],gos:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("7eSDFh")},{}],"7eSDFh":[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){if(r.call(t,e))return t[e];var o=n();if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{return Object.defineProperty(t,e,{value:o,writable:!0,enumerable:!1}),o}catch(i){}return t[e]=o,o}var r=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=n},{}],D5DuLP:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){return r.listeners(t).length?r.emit(t,e,n):(o[t]||(o[t]=[]),void o[t].push(e))}var r=t("ee").create(),o={};e.exports=n,n.ee=r,r.q=o},{ee:"QJf3ax"}],handle:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("D5DuLP")},{}],XL7HBI:[function(t,e){function n(t){var e=typeof t;return!t||"object"!==e&&"function"!==e?-1:t===window?0:i(t,o,function(){return r++})}var r=1,o="nr@id",i=t("gos");e.exports=n},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],id:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("XL7HBI")},{}],loader:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("G9z0Bl")},{}],G9z0Bl:[function(t,e){function n(){var t=p.info=NREUM.info;if(t&&t.agent&&t.licenseKey&&t.applicationID&&c&&c.body){p.proto="https"===d.split(":")[0]||t.sslForHttp?"https://":"http://",a("mark",["onload",i()]);var e=c.createElement("script");e.src=p.proto+t.agent,c.body.appendChild(e)}}function r(){"complete"===c.readyState&&o()}function o(){a("mark",["domContent",i()])}function i(){return(new Date).getTime()}var a=t("handle"),s=window,c=s.document,f="addEventListener",u="attachEvent",d=(""+location).split("?")[0],p=e.exports={offset:i(),origin:d,features:{}};c[f]?(c[f]("DOMContentLoaded",o,!1),s[f]("load",n,!1)):(c[u]("onreadystatechange",r),s[u]("onload",n)),a("mark",["firstbyte",i()])},{handle:"D5DuLP"}],20:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){e||(e=0),"undefined"==typeof n&&(n=t?t.length:0);for(var r=-1,o=n-e||0,i=Array(0>o?0:o);++r<o;)i[r]=t[e+r];return i}e.exports=n},{}],21:[function(t,e){function n(t){return!(t&&"function"==typeof t&&t.apply&&!t[i])}var r=t("ee"),o=t(1),i="nr@wrapper",a=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=function(t){function e(t,e,r,a){function nrWrapper(){var n,i,s,f;try{i=this,n=o(arguments),s=r&&r(n,i)||{}}catch(d){u([d,"",[n,i,a],s])}c(e+"start",[n,i,a],s);try{return f=t.apply(i,n)}catch(p){throw c(e+"err",[n,i,p],s),p}finally{c(e+"end",[n,i,f],s)}}return n(t)?t:(e||(e=""),nrWrapper[i]=!0,f(t,nrWrapper),nrWrapper)}function s(t,r,o,i){o||(o="");var a,s,c,f="-"===o.charAt(0);for(c=0;c<r.length;c++)s=r[c],a=t[s],n(a)||(t[s]=e(a,f?s+o:o,i,s,t))}function c(e,n,r){try{t.emit(e,n,r)}catch(o){u([o,e,n,r])}}function f(t,e){if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{var n=Object.keys(t);return n.forEach(function(n){Object.defineProperty(e,n,{get:function(){return t[n]},set:function(e){return t[n]=e,e}})}),e}catch(r){u([r])}for(var o in t)a.call(t,o)&&(e[o]=t[o]);return e}function u(e){try{t.emit("internal-error",e)}catch(n){}}return t||(t=r),e.inPlace=s,e.flag=i,e}},{1:20,ee:"QJf3ax"}]},{},["G9z0Bl",3,10,4]);
    ;NREUM.info={beacon:"bam.nr-data.net",errorBeacon:"bam.nr-data.net",licenseKey:"6e882eab2f",applicationID:"4126423",sa:1,agent:"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-476.min.js"}
  </script>
  <script>
      var slotMachine = (function () {
          var _slots = {};
          return {
              add: function(name, slot, id) {
                  if (!_slots[name]) { _slots[name] = {} };
                  _slots[name].slot = slot;
                  _slots[name].id = id;
              },
              get: function(key) {
                  if (typeof key === 'string') {
                      return _slots[key];
                  }
                  else if (typeof key === 'object') {
                      for (var name in _slots) {
                          if (_slots.hasOwnProperty(name) && _slots[name].slot === key) {
                              return name;
                          }
                      }
                  }
              },
              getAll: function(device) {
                  return _slots;
              },
              onRenderEnd: function (event) {
                  var name = slotMachine.get(event.slot);
                  if (_slots[name]) {
                      _slots[name].rendered = true;
                  }
                  if ($) {
                      //$(window).trigger('adRendered', { name: name, slot: event.slot });
                      $('#' + _slots[name].id).trigger('rendered', { name: name, slot: event.slot });
                  }
              },
              slots: _slots
          }
      })();
    var googletag = googletag || {};
    googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || [];
    (function() {
      var gads = document.createElement("script");
      gads.async = true;
      gads.type = "text/javascript";
      var useSSL = "https:" == document.location.protocol;
      gads.src = (useSSL ? "https:" : "http:") + "//www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js";
      var node =document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
      node.parentNode.insertBefore(gads, node);
    })();

    googletag.cmd.push(function() {
        googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad();
        googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', slotMachine.onRenderEnd);
        googletag.enableServices();
    });


        var prebidEnabled = true;
  </script>


  <script>
    var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime();
  </script>
  <script src='https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js'></script>
</head>
<body class="with-hero ">

<section class="container container--masthead">

<header class="region region--masthead fixed">
    <input class="toggle toggle--menu" type="checkbox" id="toggle--menu" onclick="MarketWatch.repositionShareTools()" />
    
    <div class="column column--full masthead full-width">

        <div class="button-group left">
            <label class="btn btn--secondary btn--menu" for="toggle--menu">
                <i class="icon"></i>
                <span class="text">Sections</span>
            </label>
            <button onclick="document.location.href='//www.marketwatch.com/watchlist'" class="btn btn--outline btn--watchlist">
                <span class="text">Watchlist</span>
                <i class="icon icon--angle-right"></i>
            </button>
        </div>

        <h1 class="mw-logo"><a href="//www.marketwatch.com/"><img src="https://mw3.wsj.net/mw5/content/logos/mw_logo_onDark.svg" height="30" /></a></h1>

        <div class="button-group right">
            <div class="profile">
                <div class="account-links">
                    <a class="btn btn--text btn--signup" class="user" data-identity="register">
                        <span class="label">Signup</span>
                    </a>
                    <span class="divider"> • </span>
                    <a class="btn btn--text btn--login" class="user" data-identity="login">
                        <span class="label">Login</span>
                        <i class="icon icon--caret-down"></i>
                    </a>
                </div>
            </div>
            <button class="btn btn--transparent btn--search" id="site-search-button">
                <span class="text">Search</span>
                <i class="icon icon--search"></i>
            </button>
        </div>
    </div>

    <nav class="column column--full nav full-width">
        <div class="nav__dropdown clearfix">
            <ul class="list list--navigation">
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Home" tabindex="0">Home</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/newsviewer" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Latest News" tabindex="1">Latest News</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/markets" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Markets" tabindex="2">Markets</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/personal-finance" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Personal Finance" tabindex="3">Personal Finance</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/the-moneyist" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Moneyist" tabindex="4">The Moneyist</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/retirement" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Retirement" tabindex="5">Retirement</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/investing" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Investing" tabindex="6">Investing</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/section/financial-adviser-center" data-track-click="MW_Nav_FA Center" tabindex="7">FA Center</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Economy Politics" tabindex="8">Economy &amp; Politics</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/real-estate" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Real Estate" tabindex="9">Real Estate</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/tools/marketsummary" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Quotes" tabindex="10">Quotes</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/video" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Video" tabindex="11">Video</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/video/sectorwatch" data-track-click="MW_Nav_SectorWatch" tabindex="12">SectorWatch</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/entertainment" data-track-click="MW_Nav_ENT" tabindex="13">Entertainment</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/premium-newsletters" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Premium Newsletters" tabindex="14">Premium Newsletters</a></li>
            </ul>
            <ul class="list list--profile">
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/my" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Profile" tabindex="15">Profile Settings</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/tools/alerts/myalertsummary.asp" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Email Alerts" tabindex="16">Email &amp; Alerts</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/watchlist" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Watchlist" tabindex="17">Watchlist</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="//www.marketwatch.com/game" data-track-click="MW_Nav_Games" tabindex="18">Games</a></li>
                
            </ul>
            <div class="button__group">
                <a class="btn btn--neutral" href="" data-track-query=".btn--signup" data-track-click="MW_Header_Signup" data-identity="register"><span class="label">Signup</span></a>
                <a class="btn btn--primary" href="" data-track-query=".btn--login" data-track-click="MW_Header_Login" data-identity="login"><span class="label">Login</span><i class="icon icon--profile"></i></a>
            </div>
                    <div class="ad ad--navigation">
                                <div id="ad-nav-sponsor" class="ad      " data-name="Nav Sponsor"  data-conditions="1"     data-site="marketwatch.com" data-zone="nav_front"
                                data-size="280x40" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="">
                                                
                                </div>
                                            </div>
        </div>
    </nav>
</header>
<div id="share-tools-fixed">
    <div id="share-tools-content"></div>
</div><div class="column column--full bulletins fixed">
</div>
        <div class="container--bannerAd full-width">
                    <div id="ad-banner" class="ad      " data-name="Banner"  data-conditions="0"     data-site="marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
                    data-size="728x90,970x66,970x90,970x250" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="">
                                    
                    </div>
                    </div>
</section>
<div id="non-chrome">
  <div id="content-cutout">
  </div>

  <main id="main-hole" role="main">
    <div class="lame-content-wrapper">

      <div id="above">
        <div class="breadcrumb-container">
        <ol vocab="http://schema.org/" typeof="BreadcrumbList" class="nav--breadcrumb ">
          <li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem" class="fa fa-angle-right breadcrumb_item">
            <a property="item" typeof="WebPage" href="//www.marketwatch.com/">
              <span property="name">Home</span>
            </a>
            <meta property="position" content="1">
          </li>
              <li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem" class="fa fa-angle-right breadcrumb_item">
                  <h2>
                    <a property="item" typeof="WebPage" href="//www.marketwatch.com/topics/columns/the-margin">
                      <span property="name">General</span>
                    </a>
                  </h2>
        <meta property="position" content="1">
              </li>
              <li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem" class="fa fa-angle-right breadcrumb_item is_column">
                <h2>
                  <a property="item" typeof="WebPage" href="//www.marketwatch.com/topics/columns/the-conversation">
                    <span property="name">The Conversation</span>
                  </a>
                </h2>
              </li>
</ol>
            <a id="column-alerts" href="//www.marketwatch.com/tools/alerts/newsColumn.asp?selectedType=3&amp;chkProduct2=0&amp;Column=The%20Conversation">Get email alerts</a>
        </div>

  <div class="article-headline-wrapper">
    <h1 id="article-headline" itemprop="headline">
        <span class="article-template opinion">Opinion:</span> How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?
    </h1>
  </div>
      </div>

      <div id="brass-rail">
        <div id="ad-display-ad" class="ad module  sticky inactive  " data-name="Display Ad"  data-conditions="2"  data-sticky-lower-bound-id="brass-rail" data-scroll-padding="500" data-refresh="20000" data-refresh-once="true" data-site="marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
        data-size="300x250,300x600,300x1050" data-phone="" data-portrait="300x250" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="">
                        
        </div>
      </div>

      <div id="topper">
<div id="author-bylines" class="byline">
    By
        
        <a rel="author" href="">Andrew King </a>
</div>

    <p id="published-timestamp" class="timestamp">Published: <span>Aug 29, 2017 5:11 p.m. ET</span></p>

<div id="share-bar" class="shareable" data-share-modprefix="mw_share_" data-share-text="How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?" data-share-url="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-much-is-climate-change-behind-the-hurricane-harvey-flooding-in-houston-2017-08-28">
    <div class="total-shares">Share</div>
    <div class="share-icons">
        <div class="share-buttons-wrapper">
            <button class="social-button facebook trackable" data-track-click="share_storytools_facebook">
                <span class="icon"><svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
	 viewBox="0 0 330.3 330.3" enable-background="new 0 0 330.3 330.3" xml:space="preserve">
<path d="M0,0v330.3h330.3V0H0z M284.8,72.1h-30.2c-10.6,0-14.4,6-14.4,14.4v28.7h44.6l-5.3,50.6h-39.3V307h-59.7V165.7h-30.2v-50.6
	h30.2V86.5c0-34,11.3-61.2,59.7-62.7h44.6V72.1z"/>
</svg></span>
                <span class="count"></span>
            </button>
            <button class="social-button twitter trackable" data-track-click="share_storytools_twitter">
                <span class="icon"><svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
	 viewBox="0 0 273.4 222.2" enable-background="new 0 0 273.4 222.2" xml:space="preserve">
<path fill="#FFFFFF" d="M273.4,26.3c-10.1,4.5-20.9,7.5-32.2,8.8c11.6-6.9,20.5-17.9,24.7-31C255,10.5,243,15.2,230.2,17.7
	C220,6.8,205.4,0,189.3,0c-31,0-56.1,25.1-56.1,56.1c0,4.4,0.5,8.7,1.5,12.8C88,66.5,46.7,44.2,19,10.3c-4.8,8.3-7.6,17.9-7.6,28.2
	c0,19.5,9.9,36.6,25,46.7c-9.2-0.3-17.8-2.8-25.4-7c0,0.2,0,0.5,0,0.7c0,27.2,19.3,49.8,45,55c-4.7,1.3-9.7,2-14.8,2
	c-3.6,0-7.1-0.4-10.6-1c7.1,22.3,27.9,38.5,52.4,39c-19.2,15-43.4,24-69.7,24c-4.5,0-9-0.3-13.4-0.8c24.8,15.9,54.3,25.2,86,25.2
	c103.2,0,159.6-85.5,159.6-159.6c0-2.4-0.1-4.9-0.2-7.3C256.4,47.4,265.9,37.5,273.4,26.3z"/>
</svg>
</span>
                <span class="count"></span>
            </button>
            <button class="social-button flipboard trackable" data-track-click="share_storytools_flipboard">
                <span class="icon"><svg version="1.1" id="Layer_1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
	 viewBox="-824 416 250 250" style="enable-background:new -824 416 250 250;" xml:space="preserve">
<style type="text/css">
	.st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}
	.st1{fill:#E12828;}
	.st2{fill:#FAEAEA;enable-background:new    ;}
	.st3{fill:#FAD4D4;enable-background:new    ;}
</style>
<rect x="-824" y="416" class="st0" width="250" height="250"/>
<g>
	<path class="st1" d="M-824,416v250h250V416H-824z M-624,516h-50v50h-50v50h-50v-50.5v-50V466h50.5h50h49.5V516z"/>
	<polygon class="st2" points="-673.5,466 -724,466 -724,516 -673.5,516 -624,516 -624,466 	"/>
	<rect x="-724" y="516" class="st3" width="50" height="50"/>
</g>
</svg>
</span>
            </button>
            <div class="social-button email trackable">
                <a class="shareicon" href="/story/how-much-is-climate-change-behind-the-hurricane-harvey-flooding-in-houston-2017-08-28/email" title="Email this story">
                    <span class="icon"><svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
	 viewBox="0 0 26.296 16.507" enable-background="new 0 0 26.296 16.507" xml:space="preserve">
<path fill="#FFFFFF" d="M26.102,0H0.335L13.15,10.961L26.102,0z M13.145,12.941L0,1.697v14.81h26.296V1.81L13.145,12.941z"/>
</svg></span>
                </a>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
        <div class="comment-icons">
            <button class="social-button comment trackable">
                <span class="icon"><svg version="1.1" id="Layer_1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
	 width="16.87px" height="16.94px" viewBox="0 0 16.87 16.94" enable-background="new 0 0 16.87 16.94" xml:space="preserve">
<path fill-rule="evenodd" clip-rule="evenodd" fill="#FFFFFF" d="M16.87,1.18v10.63c0,0.66-0.529,1.19-1.18,1.19H7.88L3.17,16.94
	L3.82,13H1.18C0.53,13,0,12.47,0,11.81V1.18C0,0.53,0.53,0,1.18,0h14.51C16.34,0,16.87,0.53,16.87,1.18z"/>
</svg>
</span>
                <span class="count"></span>
            </button>
        </div>
</div>

<div id="article-tools">
    <button class="tool text-resize">
        <svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
        	 viewBox="0 0 34.969 20.191" enable-background="new 0 0 34.969 20.191" xml:space="preserve">
        <g>
        	<g>
        		<path fill="#CED5D4" d="M6.338,0L0,19.919h5.767l0.983-3.719h6.311l0.956,3.719h5.74L13.34,0H6.338z M7.839,11.805
        			C8.645,8.693,9.165,6.608,9.4,5.549C9.635,4.491,9.792,3.731,9.872,3.27c0.088,0.498,0.272,1.321,0.551,2.47
        			c0.279,1.148,0.517,2.085,0.711,2.809l0.837,3.257H7.839z M33.381,5.74c-1.059-0.977-2.553-1.466-4.484-1.466
        			c-2.675,0-4.889,0.461-6.643,1.384l1.502,3.501c1.691-0.76,3.086-1.14,4.185-1.14c1.223,0,1.833,0.633,1.833,1.9v0.217
        			l-2.511,0.082c-2.117,0.1-3.733,0.549-4.849,1.351c-1.116,0.801-1.675,2.02-1.675,3.656c0,1.574,0.407,2.795,1.223,3.664
        			c0.814,0.868,1.931,1.303,3.348,1.303c1.151,0,2.091-0.163,2.817-0.488c0.726-0.326,1.438-0.932,2.139-1.818h0.106l0.996,2.035
        			h3.601V9.837C34.969,8.083,34.439,6.716,33.381,5.74z M29.801,14.248c0,0.651-0.225,1.18-0.671,1.588
        			c-0.448,0.406-0.985,0.609-1.614,0.609c-0.983,0-1.475-0.469-1.475-1.41c0-1.222,0.854-1.863,2.563-1.928l1.196-0.054V14.248z"/>
        	</g>
        </g>
        </svg>    </button>
    <a href="/story/how-much-is-climate-change-behind-the-hurricane-harvey-flooding-in-houston-2017-08-28/print" class="tool print">
        <svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px"
        	 viewBox="0 0 26.311 25.725" enable-background="new 0 0 26.311 25.725" xml:space="preserve">
        <path fill="#D2D2D2" d="M20.545,0H5.766v4.243h14.779V0z M25.029,5.772H1.281C0.574,5.772,0,6.346,0,7.053v9.424h3.859v-5.721
        	h18.592v5.721h3.859V7.053C26.311,6.346,25.738,5.772,25.029,5.772z M23.529,8.913c-0.566,0-1.025-0.459-1.025-1.025
        	s0.459-1.024,1.025-1.024c0.564,0,1.023,0.458,1.023,1.024S24.094,8.913,23.529,8.913z M19.453,24.217h-6.186
        	c-2.24,0-1.16-5.31-1.16-5.31s-5.18,1.258-5.246-1.116v-4.875H5.354v6.867l0.441,0.442l5.5,5.5h9.666V12.916h-1.508V24.217z"/>
        </svg>    </a>
</div>

    <h2 id="article-subhead" itemprop="alternativeHeadline">
        

<p>Climate change is enhancing extreme rainfall</p>
    </h2>

      </div>

      <div id="content-hole">

    <script type="text/javascript">
      window.videoDomain = 'https://video-api.wsj.com';
    </script>


    <article id="article" class="with-hero " itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/NewsArticle" itemref="article-headline article-subhead">
        <meta id="article-section" itemprop="articleSection" content="">
        <meta id="thumbnail-url" itemprop="thumbnailUrl" content="">
            <meta id="date-created" itemprop="dateCreated" content="Aug 29, 2017 5:11 p.m. ET">
            <meta id="date-published" itemprop="datePublished" content="Aug 29, 2017 5:11 p.m. ET">

                <figure class="hero-figure has-caption">
                <div class="hero-image-wrap">
                    <img class="article-image ZH" src="https://ei.marketwatch.com/Multimedia/2017/08/28/Photos/ZH/MW-FT185_harvey_20170828104035_ZH.jpg?uuid=da5d8858-8bfe-11e7-baa1-9c8e992d421e" />
                    <cite>Getty Images</cite>
                </div>
                    <figcaption>Stranded vehicles in Houston.</figcaption>
                </figure>

        <div id="article-meat">
            <div id="article-left-rail" class="left-rail">
                <div id="author-dreds" class="">
                        <div class="author-dred no-dred">
                                    <p>By</p>
                                    
                                <h3 class="module-header">
                                        Andrew<b>King </b>
                                </h3>
                                    

                                <div class="social">
                                </div>
                        </div>
                </div>
            </div>

            <div id="article-body" itemprop="articleBody">
                            
                            
                            
                                                        
                            
                            
                                                        
                            
                            
                                                               <p>Over the past week we have seen two major tropical storms devastate different parts of the world. First Typhoon Hato struck Hong Kong and Southern China, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-24/typhoon-hato-hits-southern-china/8838850" target="_new" class="icon " >killing at least a dozen people</a>. And over the weekend Hurricane Harvey made landfall from the Gulf of Mexico, bringing extremely heavy rain to southern Texas and causing <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-28/catastrophic-floods-strike-houston-thousands-flee-homes/8847624" target="_new" class="icon " >devastating floods in Houston</a>.</p> 

                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                  
                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
          <div class="inset external-content-inset ">
                      <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This event is unprecedented &amp; all impacts are unknown &amp; beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Harvey?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Harvey</a> <a href="https://t.co/IjpWLey1h8">pic.twitter.com/IjpWLey1h8</a></p>&mdash; NWS (@NWS) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWS/status/901832717070983169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


          </div>
                                   <p>Tropical cyclones are, of course, a natural feature of our climate. But the extreme impacts of these recent storms, especially in Houston, has understandably led to questions over whether climate change is to blame.</p> <p> <strong>Read: </strong> <a href="/story/houston-forecast-unprecedented-50-inches-of-rain-2017-08-27" class="icon none" >Harvey expected to dump ‘unprecedented’ 50 inches of rain on Houston area</a> </p> <h6>How are tropical cyclones changing?</h6> <p>Tropical cyclones, called typhoons in the Northwest Pacific and hurricanes in the North Atlantic, are major storm systems that initiate near the equator and can hit locations in the tropics and subtropics around the world.</p> <p>When we look at the Atlantic Basin we see increases in tropical storm numbers over the past century, although there is high year-to-year variability. The year 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, marks the high point.</p> 

                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                  
                            
                            
                                      <figure class="article-figure NS">
              <div class="article-image-wrap shareable" data-share-text="How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?" data-share-modprefix="mw_image_">
                  <img class="article-image NS" src="https://ei.marketwatch.com/Multimedia/2017/08/28/Photos/NS/MW-FT181_atlant_20170828100402_NS.jpg?uuid=bed196c4-8bf9-11e7-804f-9c8e992d421e" />
                  <!-- Image Credit -->
                      <cite>U.S. National Hurricane Center</cite>
            <!-- Caption inside of wrapper on slideshow media types -->
              </div>
                  <!-- Caption outside of wrapper for normal article images -->
                      <figcaption>There is a trend toward more tropical storms and hurricanes in the North Atlantic.</figcaption>
    </figure>
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                         <p>We can be confident that we’re seeing more severe tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic than we did a few decades ago. It is likely that climate change has contributed to this trend, although there is low statistical confidence associated with this statement. What that means is that this observed increase in hurricane frequency is more likely than not linked with climate change, but the increase may also be linked to decadal variability.</p> <h6>Has Harvey been enhanced by climate change?</h6> <p>Unlike other types of extreme weather <a href="https://theconversation.com/southeast-europe-swelters-through-another-heatwave-with-a-human-fingerprint-82139" target="_new" class="icon " >such as heat waves</a>, the influence of climate change on tropical cyclones is hard to pin down. This is because tropical cyclones form as a result of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090827030639/http:/www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A15.html" target="_new" class="icon " >many factors coming together</a>, including high sea surface temperatures, and weak changes in wind strength through the depth of the atmosphere.</p> 

                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                  
                            
                            
                                  
          <div class="inset video-inset">
              <div class="placeholder-wrapper">
                  <div class="wrapper">
                      <div class="inner-video" id="video-B312482F-1107-47B1-AC83-7BB1DAB66182" data-guid="B312482F-1107-47B1-AC83-7BB1DAB66182" data-section="News" data-subsection="U.S. News"></div>
                  </div>
              </div>
          </div>

      
      
      
      
      
      
                                         <p>These storms are also difficult to simulate using climate models. To study changes in tropical cyclones we need to run our models at high resolution and with interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean being represented.</p> <p>It’s much easier to study heat extremes, because we can do this by looking at a single, continuous variable: temperature. Tropical cyclones, on the other hand, aren’t a continuous variable; they either form or they don’t. This makes them much harder to model and study.</p> <p>Tropical cyclones also have many different characteristics that might change in unpredictable ways as they develop, including their track, their overall size, and their strength. Different aspects of the cyclones are likely to change in different ways, and no two cyclones are the same. Compare that with a heat wave, which often have similar spatial features.</p> <p>For all these reasons, it is very hard to say exactly how climate change has affected Hurricane Harvey.</p> 

                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                  
                            
                            
                                      <figure class="article-figure ZH">
              <div class="article-image-wrap shareable" data-share-text="How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?" data-share-modprefix="mw_image_">
                  <img class="article-image ZH" src="https://ei.marketwatch.com/Multimedia/2017/08/28/Photos/ZH/MW-FT182_harvey_20170828100516_ZH.jpg?uuid=eac8dc4c-8bf9-11e7-9a06-9c8e992d421e" />
                  <!-- Image Credit -->
                      <cite>Getty Images</cite>
            <!-- Caption inside of wrapper on slideshow media types -->
              </div>
                  <!-- Caption outside of wrapper for normal article images -->
                      <figcaption>A JetSki is used to help people evacuate homes in Houston on Sunday.</figcaption>
    </figure>
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                         <h6>So what can we say?</h6> <p>While it’s hard to pin the blame for Hurricane Harvey directly on climate change, we can say this: human-caused climate change has enhanced some of the impacts of the storm.</p> <p>Fortunately, in Harvey’s case, the storm surge hasn’t been too bad, unlike for Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, for example. This is because <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-27/lack-of-a-storm-surge-keeps-harvey-from-katrina-sandy-status" target="_new" class="icon " >Harvey didn’t travel as far, and weakened rapidly when it made landfall.</a></p> <p>We know that storm surges due to tropical cyclones have been enhanced by climate change. This is because the background sea level has increased, making it more likely that storm surges will inundate larger unprotected coastal regions.</p> <p>Building levees and sea walls can alleviate some of these impacts, although these barriers will need to be higher (and therefore more expensive) in the future to keep out the rising seas.</p> <h6>Deluge danger</h6> <p>Harvey’s biggest effect is through its intense and prolonged rainfall. A low pressure system to the north is keeping Harvey over southern Texas, resulting in greater rainfall totals.</p> 

                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                  
                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
          <div class="inset external-content-inset ">
                      <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The reason <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Harvey?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Harvey</a> stalled - another low pressure system with northerlies to the north <a href="https://t.co/jBd591sq7J">https://t.co/jBd591sq7J</a> <a href="https://t.co/Q8ACpcA49O">pic.twitter.com/Q8ACpcA49O</a></p>&mdash; Martin Jucker (@DrJucker) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrJucker/status/901968781634748416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2017</a></blockquote>


          </div>
                                   <p>The rainfall totals are <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSHouston/status/901975198517395456" target="_new" class="icon " >already remarkable</a> and are only going to get worse.</p> <p>We know that climate change is enhancing extreme rainfall. As the atmosphere is getting warmer, it can hold more moisture (roughly <a href="https://theconversation.com/increases-in-rainfall-extremes-linked-to-global-warming-11933" target="_new" class="icon " >7% more for every 1 degree Celsius℃ rise in temperature</a>). This means that when we get the right circumstances for very extreme rainfall to occur, climate change is likely to make these events even worse than they would have been otherwise. Without a full analysis, it is hard to put exact numbers on this effect, but on a basic level, wetter skies mean more intense rain.</p> <h6>Houston, we have a problem</h6> <p>There are other factors that are making this storm worse than others in terms of its impact. Houston is the <a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/Houston-among-the-fastest-growing-cities-in-the-7743136.php" target="_new" class="icon " >second-fastest growing city in the U.S.</a>, and the fourth most populous overall.</p> 

                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                  
                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
          <div class="inset external-content-inset ">
                      <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Impervious surface change (1940-2017) in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Houston?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Houston</a> People + things + hazard = disaster.  <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/houstonflood?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#houstonflood</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Harvey?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Harvey</a> <a href="https://t.co/sjq5DzVc4E">pic.twitter.com/sjq5DzVc4E</a></p>&mdash; Stephen M. Strader (@StephenMStrader) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenMStrader/status/901852872547213314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


          </div>
                                   <p>As the region’s population grows, more and more of southern Texas is being paved with impermeable surfaces. This means that when there is extreme rainfall the water takes longer to drain away, prolonging and intensifying the floods.</p> <p>Hurricane Harvey is likely to end up being one of the most costly disasters in U.S. history. It is also likely that climate change and population growth in the region have worsened the effects of this major storm.</p> <p> <em>Andrew King is a Climate Extremes Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. This first appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_new" class="icon " >The Conversation</a> — <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-hurricane-harvey-a-harbinger-for-houstons-future-83098" target="_new" class="icon " >Is Hurricane Harvey a harbinger for Houston’s future?</a></em> </p> 

                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                  
                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
          <div class="inset external-content-inset ">
                  <div class="embedded iframe">
                      <iframe class="iframe-embed" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/83098/count.gif" width="1" height="1" scrolling="auto"></iframe>
                  </div>

          </div>
                            
                            
                            
                                                        
                            
                            
                                  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      


                            <div class="module" id="related-articles">
                                

<strong>More on Hurricane Harvey:</strong> <ul class="articleList"> <li> <a href="/story/10-things-politicians-wont-tell-you-about-femas-flood-insurance-2017-08-28" class="icon none" >The crazy math of government flood insurance</a> </li> <li> <a href="/story/more-than-half-of-houstons-flood-prone-properties-arent-in-areas-that-require-insurance-corelogic-2017-08-28" class="icon none" >More than half of Houston’s flood-prone properties aren’t in areas that require insurance: CoreLogic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/story/heres-how-much-more-you-might-pay-for-gasoline-because-of-hurricane-harvey-2017-08-25" class="icon none" >Here’s how much more you might pay for gasoline because of Hurricane Harvey</a> </li> <li> <a href="/story/what-homeowners-in-the-path-of-hurricane-harvey-should-do-after-the-storm-2017-08-26" class="icon none" >What homeowners in the path of Hurricane Harvey can do to avoid financial disaster</a> </li> <li> <a href="/story/americans-who-live-far-from-coasts-should-also-worry-about-flooding-2017-08-28" class="icon none" >Americans who live far from coasts should also worry about flooding</a> </li> </ul>
                            </div>
                



            </div>
        </div>
    </article>



        <div id="ad-teads" class="ad module    pixel " data-name="Teads"  data-conditions="0"     data-site="marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
        data-size="1x1" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="product=inarticlevid;">
                        
        </div>
            <div id="inline-video-ad"></div>
        <div id="ad-browsi-ad" class="ad module     " data-name="Browsi Ad"  data-conditions="0"     data-site="marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
        data-size="1x3" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="product=browsi;">
                        
        </div>
      </div>

      <div id="right-rail">
<div id="trading-center" class="module">
    <h3 class="module-header">MarketWatch <b>Partner Center</b></h3>
    <ul class="list list--broker">
    <li class="broker__item">
                <div id="ad-broker-button-1" class="ad      " data-name="Broker Button 1"  data-conditions="1"    data-refresh="420000" data-refresh-once="false" data-site="brokerbuttons.marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
                data-size="120x60" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="pos=1;tile=10;">
                                
                </div>
            </li>
    <li class="broker__item">
                <div id="ad-broker-button-2" class="ad      " data-name="Broker Button 2"  data-conditions="0"    data-refresh="420000" data-refresh-once="false" data-site="brokerbuttons.marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
                data-size="120x60" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="pos=2;tile=11;">
                                
                </div>
            </li>
    <li class="broker__item">
                <div id="ad-broker-button-3" class="ad      " data-name="Broker Button 3"  data-conditions="1"    data-refresh="420000" data-refresh-once="false" data-site="brokerbuttons.marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
                data-size="120x60" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="pos=3;tile=12;">
                                
                </div>
            </li>
  </ul>
</div>
<div id="moreNews" class="module">
    <h3 class="module-header">Most Popular</h3>
    <ul class="topStories">
      <li>
        <div class="thumbnail ">
          <img src="https://s.marketwatch.com/public/resources/MWimages/MW-FO731_cboe_h_MC_20170619095434.jpg">
        </div>
        <a href="/story/how-wall-streets-fear-gauge-is-being-rigged-according-to-one-whistleblower-2018-02-13?mod=MW_story_top_stories">How Wall Street’s ‘fear gauge’ is being rigged, according to one whistleblower</a>
      </li>
      <li>
        <div class="thumbnail ">
          <img src="https://s.marketwatch.com/public/resources/MWimages/MW-GD678_weiksn_MC_20180213142923.jpg">
        </div>
        <a href="/story/meet-cryptocurrency-guru-george-weiksner-hes-11-2018-02-13?mod=MW_story_top_stories">Meet cryptocurrency guru George Weiksner—he’s 11</a>
      </li>
      <li>
        <div class="thumbnail ">
          <img src="https://s.marketwatch.com/public/resources/MWimages/MW-GD645_amp_MC_20180213111558.jpg">
        </div>
        <a href="/story/keep-cash-on-the-sidelines-because-another-hit-is-coming-warns-fund-manager-2018-02-13?mod=MW_story_top_stories">Keep cash on the sidelines because another hit is coming, warns fund manager</a>
      </li>
      <li>
        <div class="thumbnail ">
          <img src="https://s.marketwatch.com/public/resources/MWimages/MW-GD256_Na_pro_MC_20180207113548.jpg">
        </div>
        <a href="/story/this-is-the-real-reason-many-americans-stay-poor-2018-02-13?mod=MW_story_top_stories">This is the real reason many Americans stay poor</a>
      </li>
      <li>
        <div class="thumbnail ">
          <img src="https://m.wsj.net/video/20170315/03152017_tonyrobbinssw/03152017_tonyrobbinssw_167x94.jpg">
        </div>
        <a href="/video/sectorwatch/tony-robbins-says-this-is-how-to-get-rich-when-the-market-tanks/E720A46F-98FB-4E21-B2AC-F2A03F0E9120.html?mod=MW_story_top_stories">Tony Robbins says this is how to get rich when the market tanks</a>
      </li>
    </ul>
</div>
        <div id="ad-bottom-display-ad" class="ad module in-view sticky   " data-name="Bottom Display Ad"  data-conditions="4"  data-sticky-lower-bound-id="main-hole"   data-site="bottom.marketwatch.com" data-zone="article"
        data-size="300x250,300x600" data-phone="" data-portrait="" data-landscape="" data-desktop="" data-targeting="">
                        
        </div>
    <script type="text/javascript">
        $(function () {
            if (typeof dianomiUnitCallback !== 'undefined') {
                var dianomiCallback = new dianomiUnitCallback('articlerightrail', 2583, 'dianomiRightRail', '', '');
                dianomiCallback.initialize('dianomiRightRail');
            }
        });
    </script>
    <div id="dianomiRightRail" class="dianomi-widget-dianomiRightRail sticky" data-sticky-lower-bound-id="main-hole"></div>

        <script type="text/javascript">
            $(function() {
                if (window.MutationObserver) {  // arrive breaks if MutationObserver not supported by browser
                    $("#dianomiRightRail").arrive(".dianomiContent", function () {
                        $("#dianomiRightRail").unbindArrive();
                        $("#dianomiRightRail").trigger("rendered");
                    });
                }
                else {  // TODO ~ remove; listening to this event causes performance problems
                    $("#dianomiRightRail").on('DOMNodeInserted', function () {
                        $("#dianomiRightRail").off('DOMNodeInserted');
                        $("#dianomiRightRail").trigger('rendered');
                    });
                }
            });
        </script>
      </div>

      <div id="little-hole">

  <div class="module noBio defaultPromo" id="comment-promo">
        <h3 class="module-header">
            We Want to
            <b>Hear from You</b>
        </h3>
        <div>
                <p>Join the conversation</p>
            <button id="join-conversation" type="button">Comment</button>
        </div>
    </div>

        <div id="sponsored-links">
            <script id="mNCC" language="javascript">
                (function () {
                    var isSSL = 'https:' == document.location.protocol;
                    window.nativeAdsContext = {
                        appId: "CFEAB5E0AC88686BA597A26FB4B54555349E3478",
                        apikey: "ARAPgnyc0MRHNRr40%2b9oSrfSwlZG5%2bAfMeBkG2%2fh9AatBHngxiuMRHpQ%2bFJ%2fxfgc2iE%3d",
                        publisherId: "204461",
                        publisherName: "MarketWatch",
                        tracingtag: "mw-tracingtag",
                        msNativeAdsScriptLoc: "//h6.msn.com/nativeads/ms-nativeads.min.js",
                        pageCategory: "money",
                        pageType: "articles",
                        bingTrafficPercent: "100"
                    };
                    window.bingNACallBackToLoadOtherScript = function() {
                        window.medianet_width = "600";
                        window.medianet_height = "250";
                        window.medianet_crid = "305312222";
                        window.medianet_versionId = "111299";
                        
                        var mnSrc = (isSSL ? 'https:' : 'http:') + '//contextual.media.net/nmedianet.js?cid=8CU6CD37D' + (isSSL ? '&https=1' : '');
                        document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="' + mnSrc + '"></scr' + 'ipt>');
                    }                    
                    var date = new Date();
                    var concatDate = "?date=" + date.getFullYear() + "" + date.getMonth() + "" + date.getDate();
                    var bingNAJS = (isSSL ? 'https:' : 'http:') + window.nativeAdsContext.msNativeAdsScriptLoc + concatDate;
                    document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="' + bingNAJS + '"></scr' + 'ipt>');     
                })();                   
            </script>
        </div>
    <div id="article-comments" data-article-id="B1A32622-8BF7-11E7-807D-1E6895EF225D" data-config="https://mw4.wsj.net/mw5/content/livefyre/js/livefyre-config.js" data-tags="article,The Conversation"></div>
      </div>

    </div>
  </main>

</div>
<div class="content-region region--circular full-width">
    <div class="template template--full">
        <div id="circular-widget"></div>
    </div>
</div><div id="moreHeadlines">
    <script type="text/javascript">
        $(function () {
            if (typeof dianomiUnitCallback !== 'undefined') {
                var dianomiCallback = new dianomiUnitCallback('belowarticle', 2582, 'dianomiBelowArticle', 'dianomi__list', 'padding:10px');
                dianomiCallback.initialize('dianomiBelowArticle');
            }
        });
    </script>
    <div id="dianomiBelowArticle"></div>
</div>
<footer class="container container--footer footer">
    <button class="link link--top">BACK TO TOP</button>
    <div class="region region--full primary full-width">
        <div class="column column--full">
            <ul class="list list--footer">
                <li class="heading"><h4>MarketWatch</h4></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/site-index">Site Index</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/topics">Topics</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/help">Help</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/support/feedback.asp">Feedback</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/newsroom/roster">Newsroom Roster</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/video">Media Archive</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/premium-newsletters?link=djmc_footer_multi">Premium Products</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/mobile">Mobile</a></li>
            </ul>
            <ul class="list list--footer">
                <li class="heading"><h4>Company</h4></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/companyinfo">Company Info</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="https://www.dowjones.com/code-conduct/" rel="nofollow">Code of Conduct</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/topics/columns/corrections">Corrections</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="http://dowjonesonline.com/" rel="nofollow">Advertising Media Kit</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="http://www.wsjlocal.com/" rel="nofollow">Advertise Locally</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="http://www.djreprints.com/" rel="nofollow">Reprints &amp; Licensing</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="https://www.dowjones.com/cookies-policy/#cookies_advertising" target="_blank">Your Ad Choices</a></li>
            </ul>
            <ul class="list list--footer">
                <li class="heading"><h4>Dow Jones Network</h4></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="https://www.wsj.com/">WSJ.com</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="http://www.barrons.com">Barron's Online</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="http://www.bigcharts.com/">BigCharts</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="/game">Virtual Stock Exchange</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="https://www.fnlondon.com">Financial News London</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="http://guides.wsj.com/small-business/">WSJ.com Small Business</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="https://www.realtor.com/" target="_blank">realtor.com</a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="link" href="https://www.mansionglobal.com/" target="_blank">Mansion Global</a></li>
            </ul>
            <div class="element element--image">
                <img class="image" src="https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/foxtrot/public/images/backgrounds/mobile_devices.png" height="250" />
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="region region--full secondary full-width">
        <div class="element element--text">
            <p class="copyright">Copyright &copy; 2018 MarketWatch, Inc.  All rights reserved.</p>
            <p class="text text--terms">
                By using this site you agree to the <a href="//www.marketwatch.com/support/disclaimer.asp">Terms of Service</a>,
                <a href="https://www.dowjones.com/privacy-policy/" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a>, and
                <a href="https://www.dowjones.com/cookies-policy/" target="_blank">Cookie Policy</a>.
            </p>
        </div>
        <div class="element element--list">
            <ul class="list list--social">
                <li class="list__item"><a class="icon icon--facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/marketwatch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="icon icon--twitter" href="https://twitter.com/marketwatch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="icon icon--linkedin" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketwatch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a></li>
                <li class="list__item"><a class="icon icon--google" href="https://plus.google.com/+marketwatch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a></li>
                <li class="list__item app-badges">
                    <a class="app__link" href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/marketwatch/id336693422?ign-mpt=uo%3D6&amp;mt=8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">
                        <img class=" lazyloaded" data-src="https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/maggie/static/images/app-store.svg" alt="Download from the App Store" src="https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/maggie/static/images/app-store.svg">
                    </a>
                    <a class="app__link" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marketwatch&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">
                        <img class=" lazyloaded" data-src="https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/maggie/static/images/google-play.png" alt="Download from the Google Play Store" src="https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/maggie/static/images/google-play.png">
                    </a>
                </li>
            </ul>
        </div>
        <small class="text text--legal">Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to <a class="link" href="/investing/terms-of-use">terms of use</a>. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.</small>
    </div>
	<!-- This is a placeholder for cxense widgets -->
	<div id="cx-scrim"></div>
	<div id="cx-notification"></div>
</footer>
<div class="lightbox lightbox--search">
    <div class="container search--container">
        <div class="row search--bar">
            <div class="col col--12">
                <button class="close"><svg version="1.2" baseProfile="tiny" id="Layer_1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px" viewBox="0 0 792 612" overflow="scroll" xml:space="preserve"><polygon fill="#FFFFFF" points="396,320.927 104.927,612 90,600.805 384.805,306 90,14.927 104.927,0 396,294.805 690.805,0 702,14.927 410.927,306 702,600.805 690.805,612 "/></svg></button>
                <input class="search__input" type="text" placeholder="Enter a symbol or keyword">
                <i class="fa fa-search"></i>
                <div class="search--advanced">
                    <a href="/search?q=">Advanced Search</a>
                </div>
            </div>
        </div>
        <div class="row row--results search--results"></div>
    </div>

    <template id="sr-template">
        <div id="search-stocks" class="col col--7 search--section">
            <h3>Stocks</h3>
        </div>
        <div class="col col--5 search--editorial">
            <div id="search-columns" class="search--section">
                <h3>Columns</h3>
            </div>
            <div id="search-authors" class="search--section">
                <h3>Authors</h3>
            </div>
            <div id="search-topics" class="search--section">
                <h3>Topics</h3>
            </div>
        </div>
    </template>

    <template id="sr-result-count">
        <span class="results-count"></span>
    </template>

    <template id="sr-no-results">
        <div class="no-results">No results found</div>
    </template>

    <template id="sr-quote-result">
        <a class="quote-box" href="">
            <h4></h4>
            <div class="company"></div>
            <div class="quote">
                <span class="price"></span>
                <span class="net change"></span>
                <span class="percent change"></span>
            </div>
        </a>
    </template>

    <template id="sr-editorial-result">
        <div>
            <a href=""></a>
        </div>
    </template>

    <template id="sr-topic-result">
        <div class="result-type"></div>
        <div class="result-value">
            <a href=""></a>
        </div>
    </template>
</div><div id="media-swatch"></div>
<div id="general-overlay">

</div>
<script>
    var blueGrass2SilentTest = { enabled: false, endpoint: 'https://mw-silent.bgdev.dowjones.io/bg2' };
</script>
<script src='https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/foxtrot/public/vendor.min-66e6eb83d3.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src="https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/foxtrot/public/circular.min-f6bc63a231.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src='https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/foxtrot/public/articletail.min-c77c295e74.js' type='text/javascript'></script>

<div data-module-id="9" data-module-name="mw.svc.page.Partials" data-module-zone="partials" class="zonedModule">

<script data-template-id="../view/partials/_search_results" type="text/mustache">{{#linker}}

{{#results}}
    <div id="site-search-stocks" class="site-search-section">
        {{#symbolsResultsText}}
            <span class="results-count">{{symbolsResultsText}}</span>
        {{/symbolsResultsText}}
        <h3>Stocks</h3>
        {{#symbols}}
            {{#quote}}
                <a class="quote-box" href="{{quote.link}}">
                    <h4 class="display">{{ticker}}</h4>
                    <div class="company">{{company}}</div>
                    <div class="quote">
                        <span class="price">{{formattedLastPrice}}</span>
                        <span class="change {{netChange}}">{{formattedNetChange}}</span>
                        <span class="change {{changePercent}}">{{formattedChangePercent}}</span>
                    </div>
                </a>
            {{/quote}}
        {{/symbols}}
        {{^symbols}}
            <div class="no-results">No results found</div>
        {{/symbols}}
    </div>
    <div id="site-search-editorial">
        <div id="site-search-columns" class="site-search-section">
            {{#columnsResultsText}}
                <span class="results-count">{{columnsResultsText}}</span>
            {{/columnsResultsText}}
            <h3>Columns</h3>
            {{#columns}}
                <div>
                    <a href="{{columnLink}}">{{title}}</a>
                </div>
            {{/columns}}
            {{^columns}}
                <div class="no-results">No results found</div>
            {{/columns}}
        </div>
        <div id="site-search-authors" class="site-search-section">
            {{#authorsResultsText}}
                <span class="results-count">{{authorsResultsText}}</span>
            {{/authorsResultsText}}
            <h3>Authors</h3>
            {{#authors}}
                <div>
                    <a href="{{authorLink}}">{{name}}</a>
                </div>
            {{/authors}}
            {{^authors}}
                <div class="no-results">No results found</div>
            {{/authors}}
        </div>
        <div id="site-search-topics" class="site-search-section">
            {{#topicsResultsText}}
                <span class="results-count">{{topicsResultsText}}</span>
            {{/topicsResultsText}}
            <h3>Topics</h3>
            {{#organizations}}
                <div class="result-type">Organizations</div>
                <div class="result-value">
                    <a href="/organizations/{{link}}">{{name}}</a>
                </div>
            {{/organizations}}
            {{#people}}
                <div class="result-type">People</div>
                <div class="result-value">
                    <a href="/people/{{link}}">{{name}}</a>
                </div>
            {{/people}}
            {{#subjects}}
                <div class="result-type">Subjects</div>
                <div class="result-value">
                    <a href="/subjects/{{link}}">{{name}}</a>
                </div>
            {{/subjects}}
            {{#companies}}
                <div class="result-type">Companies</div>
                <div class="result-value">
                    <a href="/companies/{{link}}">{{name}}</a>
                </div>
            {{/companies}}
            {{^topics}}
                <div class="no-results">No results found</div>
            {{/topics}}
        </div>
    </div>
{{/results}}

{{/linker}}</script>

<script data-template-id="../../mw.module.article/view/partials/_qt_news" type="text/mustache"><li><span class="timestamp">{{FormattedTimestamp}}</span><a href="{{Url}}?mod=MW_story_hoverstory">{{Headline}}</a></li></script>

<script data-template-id="../view/bulletin" type="text/mustache">{{^Expired}}
{{^closed}}
<div class="element element--bulletin full-width">
            {{^link}}
            <div class="bulletin">
                <h3 class="bulletin__headline">
                    <span class="text">{{Subject}}</span>
                    <i class="icon"></i>
                </h3>
                <i class="icon icon--close"></i>
            </div>
            {{/link}}

            {{#link}}
            <div class="bulletin">
                <h3 class="bulletin__headline">
                    <a href="{{url}}" class="link trackable" data-track-mod="bnbh">{{Subject}}</a><i class="icon"></i>
                </h3>
                <i class="icon icon--close"></i>
            </div>
            {{/link}}
</div>   
{{/closed}}
{{/Expired}}</script>

<script data-template-id="../view/investor_alert" type="text/mustache">{{#alert}}
<div id="investor-alert" class="notification">
  {{#text}}
  <h3 class="module-header">Investor</h3>
  <span class="message">
    {{text}}
    <span class="timestamp">{{time}}</span>
  </span>
  <div class="investor-alert-ad">
    {{#sponsor}}
    {{> ad}}
    {{/sponsor}}
  </div>
  {{/text}}
</div>
{{/alert}}</script>

</div> <!-- data-module-name="mw.svc.page.Partials" -->

    <script>
        var ScrillaZilla = {
            number: '2',
            site: 'marketwatch.com',
            zone: 'article'
        }
    </script>
<script>
    window.__mw_inactiveSettings = {
        isEnabled: true,
        inactiveTime: 120000
    };
</script><script>
    var utag_data = {
	"user_type": "free",
	"page_site_product": "MW",
	"page_site": "MarketWatch",
	"page_ad_zone": "article",
	"page_content_type": "Article",
	"page_content_type_detail": "article",
	"page_section": "General",
	"page_content_source": "MarketWatch.com",
	"article_id": "B1A32622-8BF7-11E7-807D-1E6895EF225D",
	"article_type": "The Conversation",
	"article_template": "Opinion",
	"article_headline": "How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?",
	"article_headline_orig": "How much is climate change behind the Hurricane Harvey flooding in Houston?",
	"article_publish_orig": "2017-08-29 17:11",
	"article_publish": "2017-08-29 17:11",
	"article_author": "Andrew King ",
	"article_access": "free"
};
</script>
<div id="settings" data-e-bg="https://mwstream.wsj.net/bg2" data-e-c="https://www.marketwatch.com/community/commenting" data-e-m="https://api.wsj.net" data-e-ap="https://sts3.wsj.net/bucket-a/foxtrot/public" data-e-u="//www.marketwatch.com/" data-e-vd="https://video-api.wsj.com" data-e-dt="https://api.wsj.net/api/deltoro-mw" data-e-id="https://accounts.marketwatch.com">
</div><!-- Begin Proximic Tag -->
  <script src="https://segment-data.zqtk.net/dowjones-d8s23j?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketwatch.com%2Fstory%2Fhow-much-is-climate-change-behind-the-hurricane-harvey-flooding-in-houston-2017-08-28"></script>
<!-- End Proximic Tag -->
<!-- Begin Tealium Tag -->
    <script>
        (function(a,b,c,d){
        a='//tags.tiqcdn.com/utag/wsjdn/marketwatch/prod/utag.js';
        b=document;c='script';d=b.createElement(c);d.src=a;d.type='text/java'+c;d.async=true;
        a=b.getElementsByTagName(c)[0];a.parentNode.insertBefore(d,a);
        })();
    </script>
<!-- End Tealium Tag -->
<!-- Begin Dianomi Tag -->
    <script src="//www.dianomi.com/partner/marketwatch/js/dianomi-marketwatch.js?v=1.1"></script>
<!-- End Dianomi Tag -->
</body>
</html>
