Heavier Rainfall Rates in U.S. Cities

Analysis of 144 U.S. weather stations shows that 88% of cities experienced increased hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2024, with an average increase of 15% across those locations. The highest average regional increases occurred in the Upper Midwest (+18%), Northern Rockies and Plains (+16%), and Ohio Valley (+15%). Individual cities with the largest increases include Wichita, Kansas (+38%), Reno, Nevada (+37%), Fairbanks, Alaska (+37%), and El Paso, Texas (+37%). Projections indicate that with 2°C of global warming, 85% of U.S. counties are likely to see a 10% or higher increase in precipitation on the heaviest 1% of days, with particularly high intensification expected in Alaska (43%) and Hawaii (30%).

• Between 1970 and 2024, 126 of the 144 analyzed U.S. cities (88%) saw an increase in hourly rainfall intensity, with an average increase of 15% across these locations.
• The increase in rainfall intensity was observed across all nine U.S. climate regions, with the most significant average increases in the Upper Midwest (+18%), Northern Rockies and Plains (+16%), and Ohio Valley (+15%).
• High increases in hourly rainfall rates occurred in both wet and dry locations; the highest increases were recorded in Wichita, Kan. (+38%), Reno, Nev. (+37%), Fairbanks, Alaska (+37%), and El Paso, Texas (+37%).
• Under a 2°C global warming scenario, 85% of U.S. counties (2,645 out of 3,111) are projected to experience a 10% or higher increase in precipitation on the heaviest 1% of days, with Alaska and Hawaii seeing intensification of 43% and 30% respectively.

APA

Climate Central (2025). Heavier Rainfall Rates in U.S. Cities. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heavier-rainfall-rates-in-us-cities

Chicago

Climate Central. Heavier Rainfall Rates in U.S. Cities. 2025. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heavier-rainfall-rates-in-us-cities.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Heavier Rainfall Rates in U.S. Cities |date=26 March 2025 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heavier-rainfall-rates-in-us-cities |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2025heavier, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Heavier Rainfall Rates in U.S. Cities}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heavier-rainfall-rates-in-us-cities}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }