Why does Vermont keep flooding? It’s complicated, but experts warn it could become the norm

Not just yesterday, two weeks ago and a year before that, but experts say the state could see catastrophic events like these for the foreseeable future. Climate change is fueling stronger, more persistent storms and the state’s infrastructure is feeling the effects in villages along the Green Mountains’ rivers and streams, which carry a huge amount of water. “This essentially gives storms more fuel, so that when you have the right conditions for an extreme precipitation event like the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, it creates a larger storm relative to what we would have experienced without climate change,” he said. Vermont has experienced four floods in the past year, and the combination of climate change and the state’s mountainous geography are big pieces of why, said Peter Banacos, science and operations officer with the National Weather Service in Burlington. Heavily manipulated rivers Vermont’s history of heavily manipulating its rivers and streams also plays a role in increased flooding, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources secretary Julie Moore said.