Extensive flooding in the Iowa Midwest resulted from a combination of melting snow, a bomb cyclone storm, and climate change. Over 100 rivers hit major or moderate flood stages, with many reaching historic levels, forcing two Iowa and Nebraska residents to evacuate. An extremely wet winter, with snowfall 100 mph higher than average, meant the region was already on the cusp of flooding before the bomb cyclone's record-low pressure and 100 mph winds dropped huge volumes of precipitation over the area. In the case of extreme rain, the connection to climate change is simple: Warmer ocean waters evaporate more moisture into the air. This convergence of weather events was helped by a warm climate, which has increased rainfall by 40% since 1958 .
Extensive flooding in the Iowa Midwest resulted from a combination of melting snow, a bomb cyclone storm, and climate change. Over 100 rivers hit major or moderate flood stages, with many reaching historic levels, forcing two Iowa and Nebraska residents to evacuate. An extremely wet winter, with snowfall 100 mph higher than average, meant the region was already on the cusp of flooding before the bomb cyclone's record-low pressure and 100 mph winds dropped huge volumes of precipitation over the area. This convergence of weather events was helped by a warm climate, which has increased rainfall by 40% since 1958 .