EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Climate

    More Intense Rainfall Happening Across the U.S., Study Finds

    By: Paige Bennett
    Updated: October 13, 2022
    Edited by Irma Omerhodzic
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    New Yorkers Contend With Wet Weather Partly Brought On By Hurricane Ian
    The Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor in the rain on October 4, 2022 in New York City. NYC and much of the Northeast, has been experiencing days of wind, rain and rough surf associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ian which devastated parts of Florida last week. Spencer Platt / Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    A new study from Northwestern University has found that it is raining more intensely in most regions of the U.S. In places that once received lighter rainfall, more recent decades have brought moderate to heavy rainfall, especially in the central and eastern parts of the country.

    Researchers studied rainfall in 17 regions around the U.S. and found heavier rainfall patterns in most of the regions they observed. They published their findings in the journal Geophysical Research Letters this month.

    The study compared precipitation intensity from 1991 to 2020 to precipitation in the years 1951 to 1980. The researchers compared observations of rainfall in more recent decades to historical precipitation data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Global Historical Climatology Network database.

    Many regions, especially those east of the Rocky Mountains, are seeing harder rainfall each year. Precipitation east of the Rocky Mountains has seen about a 5% increase, although the researchers did not observe major intensity changes in rainfall on the Pacific Coast or over the Rocky Mountains.

    “When people study how climate change has affected weather, they often look at extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves and droughts,” Daniel Horton, senior author of the study and assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Northwestern University, said in a statement. “For this particular study, we wanted to look at the non-extreme events, which are, by definition, much more common. What we found is pretty simple: When it rains now, it rains more.”

    The eastern, southern and midwestern parts of the U.S. saw the most changes in intensity, while precipitation has remained largely the same around the western U.S., according to the study. 

    Study author Ryan Harp, an Ubben Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern, explained that the precipitation intensity is increasing and becoming more variable, which can lead to challenges with water resource management. As such, Harp and Horton plan to further research the variability of annual precipitation and the frequency of precipitation across the U.S. 

    While there are studies on climate change and extreme weather events, the researchers note that day-to-day rainfall changes can also put communities at risk. More information on this topic could help communities plan for more resilient infrastructure that can withstand changing precipitation patterns, which match up with existing climate prediction models that factor in the effects of global warming. 

    “You don’t need an extreme weather event to produce flooding,” Horton explained. “Sometimes you just need an intense rainstorm. And, if every time it rains, it rains a little bit more, then the risk of flooding goes up.”

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Paige Bennett

      Based in Los Angeles, Paige is a writer who is passionate about sustainability. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University and holds a certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She also specialized in sustainable agriculture while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Is Tree Pollen More Allergic in Polluted Areas?
      If you live in a polluted neighborhood, allergy season could
      By Olivia Rosane
      Record Renewable Energy Generation in Australia Led to Record Low Demand and Emissions in Fourth Quarter of 2022
      Australia’s national electricity market (NEM) had a good fourth quarter
      By Olivia Rosane
      <strong>‘China’s North Pole’ City of Mohe Just Saw Its Lowest Recorded Temperature at 63.4 Degrees Below Zero</strong>
      When the temperature fell to minus 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit in
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • Is Tree Pollen More Allergic in Polluted Areas?
          by Olivia Rosane
          January 26, 2023
        • First Commercial-Scale Nuclear Fuel Recycling Facility Being Developed
          by Paige Bennett
          January 26, 2023
        • How California’s Ambitious New Climate Plan Could Help Speed Energy Transformation Around the World
          by The Conversation
          January 26, 2023
        • Record Renewable Energy Generation in Australia Led to Record Low Demand and Emissions in Fourth Quarter of 2022
          by Olivia Rosane
          January 25, 2023
        • ‘China’s North Pole’ City of Mohe Just Saw Its Lowest Recorded Temperature at 63.4 Degrees Below Zero
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          January 25, 2023
        • Florida’s Three Major Utilities Propose 10% to 20% Rate Hikes, Citing Hurricane Damage, Natural Gas Prices
          by Olivia Rosane
          January 25, 2023
        • Traffic Air Pollution Can Impair Human Brain Function Within Just Two Hours, Study Finds
          by Paige Bennett
          January 25, 2023
        • Doomsday Clock Moves to 90 Seconds Before Midnight Following ‘Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and the Increased Risk of Nuclear Escalation’
          by Climate Nexus
          January 25, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more