Publication: Washington Post

UCLA Expert: Daniel Swain: Assistant Researcher and Climate Specialist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis: Since 1979, average temperatures in the U.S. have risen between 0.32 and 0.55 degrees Fahrenheit per decade. In addition to the low precipitation, a warmer atmosphere is driving more evaporation from the ground, worsening drought conditions.

UCLA in the News: “Summertime thunderstorm downpours have been especially intense this year,” Swain said. “It is precisely the kind of extreme precipitation that we expect to increase the most in a warming climate.”

Read more at Washington Post.