The heaviest storms will produce dramatically more rain

A hotter atmosphere can hold more water vapor. That means at 2 degrees Celsius of global warming, the most extreme storms are supercharged with even more rain, raising the risk of flooding.

Total precipitation increase on heaviest 1% of days

Source: Data analysis and maps from the 2023 National Climate Assessment (Chapter 2, Figure 2.12). Annotations by NPR.

Credit: Brent Jones/NPR