Rainstorms are getting more intense amid climate change
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Rainstorms are getting more intense in many U.S. cities amid human-driven climate change, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: More intense precipitation events can cause flash-flooding, landslides, dangerous driving conditions and other potentially deadly hazards.
Driving the news: Hourly rainfall intensity increased between 1970 and 2024 in nearly 90% of the 144 locations analyzed, per a new report from Climate Central, a research and communications group.
- Among the cities with an increase, hourly rainfall intensity rose by an average of 15%.
How it works: The researchers divided each location's total annual rainfall by its total hours of annual rainfall, using NOAA weather station data.
- That approach quantifies how much rain fell for each hour it was raining in a given year — in other words, rainfall intensity.
- Some locations were not included because their stations haven't consistently collected hourly precipitation data.
Between the lines: Human-driven climate change is resulting in warmer air, which holds more moisture and thus can drive more intense precipitation.
- Hotter temperatures also evaporate more water vapor from lakes, oceans and vegetation.
Zoom in: Wichita, Kansas (+38%), Reno, Nevada (+37%) and Fairbanks, Alaska (+37%) had the biggest gains in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2024, per the analysis.
- That Reno is in the top three underscores Climate Central's point that rainfall intensity is rising in places that are generally dry, not just those that get at least a decent amount of annual rainfall.
Threat level: Flooding costs the U.S. economy up to nearly $500 billion annually, by one estimate, and is creating "climate abandonment" zones as people flee for safer areas, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.
- Researchers have also found that predominantly Black coastal communities may be particularly vulnerable to increased flood risk over the coming decades, Climate Central notes.
What's next: The group recommends that people stay aware of their area's flooding risks, and suggests homeowners carry flood insurance and improve their home's resiliency against flooding as able.
