Harvey came expected. By the U.S. hurricane forecasters who saw the storm forming days before landfall in Texas and did their best to adjust their forecast as it moved along. By the residents of the Texas coast, especially around Houston because the area is known to be prone to storms and resulting floods. And none the least by NatCat risk experts like Allianz Re’s hydrology and water resources expert Kathrine Wenigmann, who follow floods around the world, and atmospheric science expert Jonathan Meagher, who analyzes
non-European storms and hurricanes.
This time, the guest brought an unexpected gift in the form of a record-breaking rainfall. Harvey brought incredible 51 inches (around 1.3 meters per square meter) of rainfall, breaking the national record and forcing the U.S. National Weather Service to add two more colors to their maps to be able to display the amount correctly.