The old cliche is more accurate than ever before: When it rains, it pours. According to an analysis of hourly rainfall data released Wednesday by the nonprofit science and media organization Climate Central, the U.S. has seen widespread increases in rainfall intensity since the 1970s. These extremes elevate the risk of dangerous flash floods, soil erosion, and the destruction of crops. And climate change is largely to blame.
"This is directly related to temperature increases," said Andreas Prein, a project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research who wasn't involved in the report. "The warmer it gets, the more extreme the rainfall rates get.
