McCAYSVILLE, Ga. — Thunderstorms with heavy rain caused flash flooding in parts of north Georgia overnight Wednesday into Thursday, with dangerous conditions making water rescues difficult. In north-central Georgia, the National Weather Service said Thursday morning that thunderstorms had dropped 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 centimeters) of rain in McCaysville, causing life-threatening flash flooding. The small town is just across the Toccoa River from Copperhill, Tennessee and is home to about 1,000 residents.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never says the flooding was at record levels or that a flash flood emergency, the highest level of flood warning, was in force for McCaysville and Copperhill. Without it a reader may take this for a routine flash flood rather than a record event.
McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley told local news outlets that more than 30 rescues were conducted overnight. He said the water was over the roofs of some homes and rescue boats were having trouble navigating the rushing water. The Fannin County Emergency Management Agency said swift water rescue teams evacuated residents but numerous people remained stranded, including some in areas where emergency crews couldn’t access due to dangerous conditions.
It did not specify how many people were affected or whether there were any injuries. “Please do not let the rain stopping give you a false sense of security,” the agency said on social media. “Floodwaters remain extremely dangerous, and conditions can continue to worsen even after the rain has stopped.”
The AP report, carried by NBC News, gives a clear and sourced account of the McCaysville flash flooding and the rescues. It never tells the reader that warming makes heavy rainfall like this more frequent and more intense, so the flood reads as a weather event with no wider cause.
Leaves out the climate link
Serious
“thunderstorms had dropped 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 centimeters) of rain in McCaysville, causing life-threatening flash flooding”
Why this matters
These words report an extreme rainfall total and the life-threatening flooding it caused. Nowhere in the article does the outlet say that warming makes downpours like this heavier or more frequent.
The impression it gives
A reader comes away thinking the deluge was simply bad weather, with nothing to do with the warming climate.
The context
Human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall more frequent and more severe. The article contains no word on climate or warming at all.
How we know
On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
On the recordIt is unequivocal that human influence, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels, has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “climate” and “warming”.
Thunderstorms dropped 3 to 5 inches of rain on McCaysville overnight, causing life-threatening flash flooding. Climate change is making heavy downpours like this more frequent and more intense.
Leaves out what changes the picture
Minor
What is missing
The article never says the flooding was at record levels or that a flash flood emergency, the highest level of flood warning, was in force for McCaysville and Copperhill. Without it a reader may take this for a routine flash flood rather than a record event.