A combination of thunderstorms and hurricanes led to above-normal rainfall. This increase in heavy rain isn't just a coincidence: It boils down to climate change.
"Since about 1970 we've observed about a 10% increase in moisture in the atmosphere due to global warming," said Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections. "Every 1 degree Fahrenheit that you increase the temperature you add about 4 percent more moisture and that has led to more extreme rainfall events. In the Northeast U.S. over the past 60 years, you guys have seen about a 70 percent increase in the number of extreme rainfall events."
There's also been an increase in ocean temperatures, which is tied to stronger hurricanes.
Brittany Bell examines our wet summer as well as the historic impact of Hurricane Ida in the video. You can also watch this report on your TV set by downloading ABC7NY's apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV. To download our app, viewers can search "ABC7 New York" in your device's app store.