Above are Satellite Images taken of the Hudson River in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
Get ready for more of the same. More rain and more snow are on their way to the northeast. You don't have to be a meteorologist to understand that global warming causes incredible increases in precipitation, especially in temperate climates - and leaves behind great drought in warmer areas (see Texas). Heat causes greater evaporation, and more precipitation, and this past summer, according to NOAA, was the second hottest summer on record in the U.S.
I was fortunate enough to catch one of the last flights out before Hurricane Irene (we flew out of Philly to France for holiday the day before the big storm hit - New York airports were already closed), so I wasn't here to see it. We were very luck that our Hoboken property stayed dry as well. But I can tell by the Hudson River that Irene, and the subsequent Tropical Storm Lee, caused great damage.
A week later, the Hudson still flows muddy brown. The Hudson River Valley has swelled to great heights. And run-off pollutants will continue to threaten our waterway for weeks to come.
I hope to get back in my boat before the cold weather kicks in - maybe this weekend. Of course, the approaching Tropical Storm Maria might change my minds. It's just more of the same.
