In Texas, vast masses of hot, humid air and extreme drought have led to catastrophic flooding.

A spectacle of desolation and a tragic toll. The devastating floods that ravaged Texas, in the southern United States, left more than 100 dead, including 28 children. State Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday, July 8, that 161 people were still missing. This tragedy was caused, from a climatic perspective, by a cocktail of factors. exceptional, to which is added the impact of human-caused climate change.

The flash floods were caused by torrential rains that hit Kerr County, in the center of the state, very early Friday, July 4, the American Independence Day holiday. Between 10 and 12 inches of rain fell between Thursday and Sunday, according to the AccuWeather website , more than four months' worth of rain. The vast majority fell in just three to six hours. on the night of Thursday to Friday.

"Nearly 400 billion liters of water were released into the county, which is more than what flows over Niagara Falls in a day," compares Hatim Sharif, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. This rainfall caused the waters of the Guadalupe River to rise eight meters in just 90 minutes. The flow of this river, whose banks were notably home to the Christian summer camp for girls, Camp Mystic, exploded, going from 2.7 cubic meters per second (m³/s) to 4,700 m³/s.

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