'We need giant steps': Experts on impacts of extreme rainfall, drought
Millions of Americans are under siege from heavier rains and longer droughts as climate change alters precipitation patterns from coast to coast.
Rising temperatures and rising oceans have for years been framed as the impending disasters on the crest of climate change. But this year, like few before it, changing rainfall patterns bullied their way into the collective consciousness, USA TODAY found in a yearlong reporting effort called "Downpour."
Read "Downpour": How a summer of extreme weather reveals a stunning shift in the way rain falls in America.
The reporting reveals a stunning shift in the way precipitation falls in America, and it makes clear the nation was built for the climate of the past. Roads, bridges, sewer systems and entire communities that decades ago seemed safe from fire and flood now lie within one or both danger zones.
USA TODAY reporters talked to dozens of experts about the rainfall extremes and the impacts to communities. We have assembled here a selection of their comments, organized by topic.
On the increase in extreme rainfall
On the influence of humans
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On the impact to communities and infrastructure
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Experts on the impacts of extreme rainfall