Heavy rain - dancing in the rain
Dancing in the rain instead of rain dancing
Surely everyone has experienced this for themselves: especially now in the peak summer months of July and August, it's often warm and even hot – and very dry. Not a cloud mars the blue sky. As a gardener, you can't keep up with lugging watering cans – and farmers are once again complaining about poor harvests due to the drought. The risk of forest fires is also increasing – we hear about it constantly in the news these days.
A good downpour or even a summer thunderstorm comes in very handy – doesn’t it?
On the one hand, yes – but these weather conditions pose another danger that you might not immediately think of: heavy rain with extremely large amounts of water in a small area, i.e. at least 25 liters per square meter in one hour.
The dried-out, hardened soil simply can't absorb that much quickly – and our sewer systems aren't designed to handle such quantities. Small streams can quickly become raging rivers – and the water "standing" on the surface finds its way into lower areas, such as your basement shaft or staircase.
So exactly where we don't want it and can't use it.
According to a study in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature, flood events caused by heavy rainfall are likely to increase in northwest Europe in the future.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1495-6
The German Weather Service (DWD) has been recording heavy and persistent rainfall events since 2001. By definition, this requires at least 25 liters per square meter of rainfall in one hour—or 35 liters in six hours. Rainfall amounts over 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours are also recorded using radar instruments. While this is less precise, it provides more comprehensive data than recording exclusively via weather stations, because such torrential downpours often occur in very localized areas.
The wise man prepares:
With SCHABUS water detectors and sensors, we are immediately alerted to water ingress – and can take protective measures in time before the damage becomes more serious – e.g., closing flaps and valves to prevent the backflow of wastewater from the sewer system, covering basement windows and light shafts or protecting them with sandbags – as well as ground-level house entrances.
https://www.elektrotechnik-schabus.de – definitely more relaxed
