And farmers and fishermen concede that the only way to get that much rain quickly -- from a tropical storm or hurricane -- would cause more damage than the worst dry spell ever in one the wettest places on Earth.
Well as far as the U.S. is concerned, a March 2006 NOAA study published in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association reports that conditions during the twentieth century have become wetter (more precipitation), but less extreme in terms of severe flood-producing hydrological (rain storm) occurrences.
The heavy rainfall -- particularly this storm had a lot of rain ahead of it as it was moving ashore -- the concern was where we could expect rainfall.
Montgomery and Bucks counties, north of Philadelphia, took the brunt of a two-storm collision that produced 9 inches of rain along the county line in about two hours.
Nonetheless, its storm surge -- joined by heavy wind, rain and tornadoes -- left a swath of destruction from east Texas to Alabama.
The luxurious new Black Rock Oceanfront Resort is a curving sweep of glass, steel, and wood beside the rain forest and above a surge channel that boasts the best storm-watching in the West.
Emergency officials in New Jersey said they were monitoring a coastal storm, expected to bring lashing rain, wind, snow and possibly coastal flooding to the region hit by super-storm Sandy in October.
"The brunt of the storm itself was intense but short -- there was very strong rain and wind for about 15 minutes, at which point the rain cleared and the lightning show began, " said Matthew Burke, a CNN iReporter who photographed lightning sprawling across the New York City skyline.
CNN: N.Y. state official among 3 killed during powerful storms
The weatherpersons on television, always eager for ratings-boosting disasters, had predicted a fierce autumn storm for New England, with driving rain and high winds.
Once traffic is restored--it could take six months or more to get back up to prestorm levels--the long-term fix for New Orleans lies in the ancient coastal wetlands that suck up the rain and storm surges that periodically imperil the city.
It is feared the hurricane could combine with a winter storm crossing from the west - intensifying its power and lashing the region with violent winds, rain and snow.
While Isaac is likely to become a hurricane today, Fugate and Knabb urged those in the path of the storm to focus less on its particular classification and more on the storm's size and the potential for a storm surge that could reach 6 to 12 feet -- as well as record levels of rain fall.
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