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At the end of October 2024, 12 inches of rain fell in one day on Valencia, Spain. Twenty inches fell in eight hours on the town of Chiva, 20 miles uphill. Flood waters 8 feet tall rushed down into Valencia, sweeping up cars like autumn leaves, piling them two cars deep from sidewalk to sidewalk. Hundreds of people drowned.
In July this year, dozens of girls and counselors at a summer camp drowned in Texas when as much 18 inches of rain fell in four days, and the Guadalupe river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes.
On Oct. 27 this year, 5 feet of rain fell in 24 hours on the City of Hue in Vietnam — 2 feet more than the most rain ever seen in a single day before in Hue.
On Oct. 28, fueled by global warming, Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica with 185 mph winds.
On Oct. 30, 2 inches of rain fell on New York, most of it within 20 minutes, maybe in only 8 minutes. Streets flooded with up to 2 feet of water. Two men drowned, trapped in basement apartments.
These extreme weather events do not have to be dangerous. The Army Corps of Engineers deals with these kinds of things all the time. Many cities have flood walls. In Los Angeles, there are enormous concrete canals to handle flash floods safely.
Engineers look at what has happened in previous years, estimate the risks and build protection to stop anything like the dangers seen before. What they don’t usually cope with is catastrophes that have never happened before.
The New York City stormwater system was built to handle 1.7 inches of rain in a single hour. That is a quarter inch in 10 minutes. Oct. 30th’s deluge brought four times as much: a full inch in 10 minutes, maybe fewer.
In Spain, engineers put in canals to reroute the Turia river to prevent flooding in Valencia. That worked for 70 years. Last year’s 20 inches on Chiva was more than had ever fallen there in a single day before.
Why Is This Happening to Us?
Engineers can’t build to protect us from things they cannot see coming. An engineer will tell you, “I can’t protect you from things I can’t anticipate.” These unantincipated catastrophes appear because climates around the world are changing.
The deluges of rain are happening because the average temperature of our planet’s air has been lifted 2 °F since 1970. That’s like your body temperature rising from 98.6 to 100.6.
Warmer air pulls and holds more water. Hotter air makes droughts, forces farmers to apply more water to their fields, and carries that extra water around before dropping it somewhere else in deluges.
We make our air hotter and hotter by mixing more and more carbon dioxide into it year after year. Our carbon dioxide pollution comes from our burning fossil fuels — gasoline, natural gas and coal. That is why, in October, the Catholic bishops of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean together called for an end to the global warming of fossil fuels:
“The climate crisis is an urgent reality… We must limit global warming… It is the Global South and future generations who are already suffering the consequences… phase out fossil fuels… Abandoning fossil fuels is not only necessary to reduce emissions, but also to repair an ecological and moral debt to the global South and communities affected by pollution, extraction, and climate change.”
Good News
Globally, electric utilities are switching away from fossil fuel power plants that release global warming pollution. Utilities are building up renewable generation: solar and wind.
In the first six months of 2025, global electricity production grew by 369 terawatt hours over 2024. Solar generation grew by 306 terawatt hours. Wind grew by 97 terawatt hours. Fossil fuel generation fell by 27 terawatt hours.
Around the world, if new power plants are built, chances are 90% that the new generating capacity is solar or wind.
Countries are adding solar panels and windmills and retiring power plants that release global warming pollution because climate change is unacceptable and because they want to make more money. Solar and wind provide the greatest profits for electric utilities.
Locally, people are buying electric cars and trucks for the same reasons: If you charge at home, it would cost about $4.50 for the electricity to drive up to Vancouver, BC. Buying gasoline for the same trip would cost about $23. On top of that, gasoline cars spew out global warming pollution. Electric cars do not.
Charging Your EV
I talk with people about EVs all the time. For years, a big anxiety was about charging. Most homeowners charge at home overnight, which is easy. But for some renters and condo residents, there is no electricity where they park. They have to charge at public charging stations.
Public charging is my situation now. Last month, my family traded up to a better used EV. So far, we can’t charge at home.
My first charging was at the EVgo station at Winco, but that cost over 60 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). Since then, we have been charging for less than 50 cents per kWh at Electrify America stations, either up at Alderwood Mall or down at the Shoreline Target. Both of those stations are far from home, but not a hassle if you’re already in the neighborhood. It’s like filling up with gas at Costco: better prices, but you have to get there.
On Plugshare, I see that chargers at the Lynnwood Civic Center cost less than 40 cents, but I haven’t tried them yet.
What EVs Are Available?
As I talk with people about buying EVs, I am encouraged that two new concerns have come up in the last year. One is about what kind of EVs are available. You can see people have gotten past whether they will get an EV and are starting to think about which EV they will get.
Because EVs are a recent thing, what’s available on the used market is more limited than for gas vehicles. But for used electric SUVs, there are Toyotas, Kias, Volkswagens and more. For used electric sedans, there are Teslas, Hyundais, BMWs, and others. For used electric hatchbacks, there are Fords, Chevys, Nissans and others.
For a car that will carry seven people, there are not yet reasonably priced used options, because seven-seater EVs only appeared in the last two years. For a seven-seater right now, there is a plug-in hybrid version of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan. You can get a used 2018 plug-in Pacifica for under $20,000. A Pacifica will take you 33 miles every day without adding gasoline. If you usually drive less than 33 miles a day, you would buy gas about once a year.
Buying an EV
The other new issue I hear about now is that it’s a hassle dealing with car salespeople. This is great to hear. Folks complaining about dealerships know they want an EV and they know which EV they want. Now the issue is no longer the EV. It’s the buying.
Last month, I bought our car at a national used-car chain that offers no-negotiation pricing and no negotiation on your trade in. The price is what the price is. Take it or leave it. The experience was quick and not bad.
I recommend inviting friends to come along as emotional support. If you have three people on your side, that might feel more comfortable.
How Are We Doing in Washington State and the North Sound Region?
Since 2019, sales of new EVs have been dominated by Tesla. Tesla’s ups and downs make the total market’s metrics jump around. Since the release of the Cybertruck, Tesla sales have been falling, according to data from the Washington State Department of Licensing.
EVs from other manufacturers have risen as a portion of the new-vehicle market since early 2020.
From October 2024 to September 2025, 16% of new vehicles were EVs. Of those, 7% were Teslas and 9% were not Teslas.
Quarterly Metrics: EV Percent of New Sales
For new vehicles registered in Edmonds-Lynnwood-MLT, electric vehicles dropped from 23% of new vehicle sales in the third quarter of 2024 to 20% in 2025. In Washington state overall, EV buying in the third quarter dropped from 20% to 18%. Those drops are due to Tesla sales falling faster than the rise of non-Tesla sales.
EV Percent of Used Sales: Up 48%
EV purchasing continues rising quickly in used-vehicle purchases. For used cars and trucks in Edmonds-Lynnwood-MLT, electric vehicles rose 48% — from 3.1% of used-vehicle sales in third quarter 2024 to 4.5% in 2025. In used vehicle purchases in Washington state overall, EVs rose 32% — from 2.1% to 2.7%.
EVs on the Road: Up 27%
In September 2025, 4.3% of the vehicles registered in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace were electric. That is a 27% increase over the 3.4% of September 2024. Washington state saw the same 27% growth: EV ownership statewide rose from 2.6% in September 2024 to 3.3% in 2025.
How Are We Doing?
We’re getting there, but kind of slowly. We’re adding renewable electricity generation and we’re dropping fossil fuels. That’s good.
Getting up to 4% of the vehicles on the road is a good start. We have 96% of the way to go. The Catholic bishops of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean ask us to get to 100% as fast as we can.
Nick Maxwell is a certified climate action planner at Climate Protection NW and teaches about climate protection at the Creative Retirement Institute. His Climate Protection opinion column appears monthly. All views expressed are those of the author.
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