NY Storms Increase in Frequency and Severity

A cyclist rides in Central Park in the rain in Manhattan on May 18, 2011. (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—Weather is getting more extreme, a newly released analysis of precipitation across the United States from 1948 to 2011 found.

Advocacy group Environment New York released its report Wednesday.

Extreme rainstorms and hurricanes are 64 percent more frequent now in New York than in 1948. Heavy rain or snowstorms that used to occur every 12 months on average, now happen every 7.3 months on average, according to the report.

“As the old saying goes, when it rains, it pours,” Eric Whalen, field organizer for Environment New York, said in a statement.

Data from more than 3,700 weather stations was analyzed to identify storms with the greatest 24-hour precipitation and the time frame in which they occurred.

The study found that extreme precipitation increased 55 percent in the Mid-Atlantic. The region ranks second nationwide for having the largest increase in frequency of heavy storms. The amount of precipitation released during New York’s storms increased 25 percent from 1948 to 2011.

Forty-three states show a growing trend toward having more frequent storms with extreme precipitation, while only Oregon showed a decline in large storms.

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