By 2050, the Northwest can expect a drought nearly one in every three years. Longer dry spells dramatically build forest fire dangers. Large fires come to the Central Washington Cascades about once every four hundred years. With global warming, these large fires can be expected every century. And after our suppressing natural fires for 100 years, many choked forests are just waiting for a spark.
Landslides are most likely during or shortly after downpours.
World sea levels have already risen 4 to10 inches over the past century. Such rises would significantly boost storm surges, backing up rivers gorged with storm runoff and spreading floods far inland. Coastal communities such as Olympia, Raymond, and South Bend in Washington, and Tillamook, Cannon Beach, and Coos Bay in Oregon are particularly vulnerable. We are vulnerable to circumstances far beyond our control. Yet, to save much of what we value, we must find a way to alter global trajectories.