Spatiotemporal patterns in extreme hydrologic events in Tennessee counties
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Keywords: spatiotemporal analysis, flood, drought, trend, hot spot, climate change impacts
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract
Authors:
Ingrid Luffman, East Tennessee State University
Emmanuel Afriyie, East Tennessee State University
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Abstract
In Tennessee, extreme hydrologic events have created hazards for residents in impacted communities. Extreme drought in 2016 led to wildfires in Sevier County, TN which impacted areas in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, claiming 14 lives. Extreme rainfall has led to flash flooding, most recently in Waverly, TN in August 2021 which set a new state 24-hr rainfall record of 20.73”, claiming 20 lives, and causing over $100M in economic losses. A major concern associated with current and future changes in climate is changes in extreme hydrologic events. Therefore, this research evaluates trends in both droughts and flash floods in Tennessee counties through space and time. US Drought Monitor data were obtained from USDA for 2000-2021 and flood data from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Storm Events Database for 1996-2021. Trend analyses and emerging hot spot analyses (with the county as the spatial unit and a yearly time step) revealed counties showing increasing and decreasing trends for both hazards. Further, we identified emerging hot spots of counties where these hazards are of particular concern. This research will be useful for emergency planners and is essential information to consider during revision of state and county hazard mitigation plans.
Spatiotemporal patterns in extreme hydrologic events in Tennessee counties
Category
Paper Abstract
