Natalia Welzenbach-Marcu | October 16th, 2018

The National Weather Service recently reported on Waterloo, Iowa’s rainfall average for the past few months, and the town has been getting more rain than ever before, with a total of 13.35 inches of rain for September alone.

The heavy rain beat down on and off throughout the month, something of an unusual weather pattern, with 12 consecutive rain-free days breaking up the monotony before the weather returned to storms.

While floods are not uncommon in the Midwest, flooding this time of year is very unusual. The average temperature of the state has risen about 1 degree Fahrenheit between 1901 and 2006.

The temperature increase is caused by the steady and increasing release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. While a degree may not seem like much, the overall temperature increase changes the pattern of water evaporation. Warmer oceans create more moisture, which in turn increases rainfall and flooding in the Midwest.

Flooding was the subject of this year’s most recent climate statement.

Go here to read the statement in full

Go here to read Todd Dorman’s take on the statement