Currently in Boston — August 22nd, 2022
The weather, currently.
It was a gorgeous conclusion to the weekend with plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures. Tonight clouds will roll in as a weather system approaches from the west and south. I'm going to introduce the chance for showers later Monday. We've definitely seen the opportunity for rainfall over the past few months but Mondays opportunity should mean that most of you see at least some rainfall. It will be quite humid Monday afternoon and some partial clearing arrives on Tuesday. There may be another round of showers Tuesday afternoon as a front approaches. Dry weather returns for Wednesday.
What you need to know, currently.
Houston is using nature to reduce flooding.
And now that hurricane season is well underway, the city’s green solutions are more important than ever.
Exploration Green in Clear Lake was once an abandoned golf course. Now, it is both a public greenspace and a flood detention project. The project first started in 2005 and is a collaboration between the conservancy and the Clear Lake City Water Authority.
The fifth and final retention pond will be finished around next year. During storms, these five ponds can each hold 100 million gallons of floodwater that would otherwise be rushing into the local bayous and causing flash flooding. One the ponds are full, the water will drain into the bayous. When it’s not raining or storming, the ponds hold water to support native plant and animal life.
Exploration Green works with nature, rather than against it, mimicking natural life to absorb and slow down rain water. In fact, when Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, the first pond was almost complete filled with stormwater, saving around 150 homes from flooding, according to reporting by Houston Public Media.
Along with mitigating flood risk, green infrastructure is also known to improve water and air quality, minimize erosion and reduce urban heat.
—Aarohi Sheth
