Technology

Air pollution from chemical plants made Hurricane Harvey worse


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A roadway near Houston, Texas, was submerged in 2017 due to widespread flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey

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Air pollution can make the local effects of hurricanes worse, according to a study of 2017’s devastating Hurricane Harvey. Tiny particles of pollution can boost both heavy rainfall and lightning strikes.

Harvey was “one of the biggest hurricanes in the history of the US”, says Renyi Zhang at Texas A&M University in College Station. It struck Texas and Louisiana in August 2017 and caused particularly severe flooding in the city of Houston, Texas. More than 100 people were killed …



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