Climate Change Is Raising the Threat Level on Rain
More frequent and intense precipitation has emerged as a key impact of rising temperatures, one just as dangerous as heat waves and rising sea levels.
Residents transport a motorcycle on a boat to avoid floodwaters left by torrential rains of Typhoon Doksuri in the Philippines on July 29.
Photographer: Earvin Perias/AFP/Getty Images
Torrential rainfall in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri has been inundating parts of northern China, flooding neighborhoods, damaging roads and killing 20 people. Areas of Beijing saw up to three inches of rain, just over half of what the city usually gets in all of July. While it’s too soon to determine whether Typhoon Doksuri was made stronger by climate change, higher temperatures are raising the odds of more intense precipitation around the world — and the dangers that come with it.
Read More: China Says 20 Died in Floods as Storms Sweep Northern Areas