Why Is Inland America Flooding?

Inland flooding in the United States is driven by a combination of climate-induced increases in heavy rainfall and land-use practices that reduce the landscape's ability to absorb water. Rising global temperatures increase evaporation and the atmosphere's capacity to hold water vapor, leading to more frequent and heavier precipitation. Additionally, the destruction of natural areas, development in floodplains, and the creation of impermeable surfaces like asphalt exacerbate flood risks.

• Rising global temperatures, caused by heat-trapping emissions, lead to increased evaporation from land and oceans and allow the atmosphere to hold more water vapor, which increases the potential for heavy rainfall—the primary cause of inland flooding.
• Modern land use practices have diminished the landscape's capacity to handle heavy rainfall, thereby increasing flood risk and worsening impacts. Specific contributing factors include the destruction of natural areas, development within floodplains, and the increase of impermeable surfaces such as asphalt.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). Why Is Inland America Flooding? https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/flooding-infographic-climate-change.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Why Is Inland America Flooding? n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/flooding-infographic-climate-change.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Why Is Inland America Flooding? |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/flooding-infographic-climate-change.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsndwhy, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Why Is Inland America Flooding?}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/flooding-infographic-climate-change.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }