Heavier Rains Are a Result of Climate Change
The flooding in Kentucky comes just two days after intense rains in St. Louis, Missouri killed at least two people, shut down highways and roads, and broke regional records. Intense rainfall events around the world are expected to increase as the planet warms, since warmer air can hold more moisture. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report issued last year found that heavier rains around the world are now 30% more likely than they used to be. The U.S. National Climate Assessment found that, in the Northeast and Midwest U.S., the amount of precipitation that could come with a heavy rainfall event could increase by 30% by the end of the century if the planet continues to warm.
