Blame climate change: Heavy downpours on the rise in Northeast Ohio

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland’s been hit with more rainfall than usual this year — but it’s not the kind you can ease into. Instead of gentle, all-day drizzles, storms have come fast and furious, dumping water so quickly that streets flood and storm sewers struggle to keep up.

Other parts of the country — from the East Coast to Texas — have made headlines for extreme flash floods. Cleveland’s own rain data shows a similar story: the storms we get are becoming more intense.

Half of the city’s top 10 rainiest days ever have happened since 2000, and downpours are getting more severe, according to National Weather Service data collected at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport since 1938.

It’s part of a broader trend tied to climate change. As the atmosphere warms, it holds more moisture, which gets released in shorter, stronger bursts.

Though Northeast Ohio is better known for snowy winters than soggy summers, the numbers point to a shifting climate here — one that’s not just wetter, but more unpredictable.

Here are five facts from our recent

reporting that shows how Cleveland’s rainy days are changing — and intensifying — over time

:

1. Half of Cleveland’s rainiest days occurred since 2000

Five of Cleveland’s 10 wettest days on record have occurred since 2000, including two separate 3.5-inch deluges just weeks apart in 2011.

2. Extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent

Since 1938, when data was first collected at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland has experienced 61 days with two-plus inches of rainfall, with 25 of those days occurring since 2000 — representing a third of the historical record.

3. 2025 is already unusually wet for Cleveland

Through June, Cuyahoga County has received about four inches more precipitation than the historical average, making 2025 the 16th wettest year to date over the past 131 years.

4. Climate change is driving the precipitation pattern shift

Warmer air holds 7% more water for every degree (celsius) the air increases, creating what scientists describe as a “giant sponge” effect that releases moisture in increasingly intense, unpredictable downpours.

5. Extreme weather events are increasing nationwide

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s climate extreme index shows weather extremes across the contiguous U.S. are 58% higher than in the 1980s, reflecting a broader national pattern of climate change impacts.

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This story was written with the assistance of AI.

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