A recent Grist article called out the US media for ignoring the links between record Midwest floods and global warming. This type of flooding in the Midwest used to happen once every hundred years, says the article, but the frequency with which it’s taking place now is precisely what scientists have said is to be expected as the earth continues to warm. In fact, in 2007 we saw the second highest levels of precipitation in the United States in recorded history, according to NCDC’s Climate Extremes Index:

A 2004 analysis [PDF] by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center found an increase during the 20th century of “precipitation, temperature, streamflow, heavy and very heavy precipitation and high streamflow in the East.” They found a 14 percent increase in “heavy rain events” of greater than 2 inches in one day, and a 20 percent increase in “very heavy rain events” — best described as deluges — greater than 4 inches in one day. These extreme downpours are precisely what is predicted by global warming scientists and models [PDF]. [grist.org]

For the full article from Grist, click here. takepart and visit climateprogress.org, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to providing a progressive perspective on climate science, climate politics and climate solutions.

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