Extreme rain shifts toward larger, less frequent storms across eastern US

Phys · 🇺🇸 public United States · Aug 20, 2026 · 888 words · By Trinish Chatterjee

Natural Disaster Risk climate_change Meteorological Trends

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What to know about Natural Disaster Risk

The article discusses a study from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory regarding shifts in extreme precipitation patterns in the U.S. It reports that while small-area extreme rain events are decreasing, large-area events are becoming more common in the eastern U.S., potentially increasing the risk of widespread flooding and economic strain.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 7

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left14%

Center86%

Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Extreme rain shifts toward larger, less frequent storms across eastern US Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor Extreme precipitation events are among the most damaging natural disasters and a major concern in our changing climate.

Why it matters

In the U.S., since 1980, the most destructive events alone have caused more than 2,800 deaths and $700 billion in damages.

Common ground

But what is the total area of the country affected by these events each year?

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Natural Disaster Risk story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that In a recent study in Geophysical Research Letters, led by researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of the Columbia Climate School, the authors discovered some unexpected trends?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-08-extreme-shifts-larger-frequent-storms.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “In a recent study in Geophysical Research Letters, led by researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of the Columbia Climate School, the authors discovered some unexpected trends.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory confirm that researchers there published a study in Geophysical Research Letters regarding trends in extreme precipitation.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David T. Ho is an American scientist who works as a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is known for his work on air-sea gas transfer, mangrove carbon cycling, tracer oceanography, and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ho_(oceanographer)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dennis V. Kent is an American geologist and geophysicist who is a Doherty Senior Scholar at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and a Board of Governors Professor Emeritus at Rutge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Kent

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) is a research institution of Columbia University specializing in the Earth system science. It is located on its own campus north of Manhattan in Palisades, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamont–Doherty_Earth_Observato…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “In the U.S., since 1980, the most destructive events alone have caused more than 2,800 deaths and $700 billion in damages.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results (gaming news, Discord status, and general Wikipedia entries for the US and a song) and contains no data regarding deaths or damages from precipitation events.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Since U Been Gone" is a song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). The song, written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Since_U_Been_Gone

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The US Open Tennis Championships, commonly called the US Open (stylized in all lowercase), is a hardcourt tennis tournament organized by the United States Tennis Association annually in Queens, New Yo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Open_(tennis)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “the average weather station in the eastern half of the U.S. has recorded a growing number of days with extreme rainfall since 1980.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (one a news-style report and one from the research institution itself) explicitly state that the average weather station in the eastern half of the U.S. has recorded a growing number of days with extreme rainfall since 1980.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “extreme rainfall events might be decreasing in frequency.”

CORROBORATED

The claim that extreme rainfall events might be decreasing in frequency is explicitly stated in two separate web results discussing the Lamont-Doherty study.

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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 25, 2021 · Google Sheets QUERY - how to use AND and OR at the same time Hi I'm struggling with Query function that will display all Cells containing certain value and then use several other parame…
https://support.google.com/docs/thread/132394436/google-shee…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 5, 2021 · I want the query function in sheet 2 to bring both Text and Number grades value as they were originally written in sheet1 without changing the grade column formatting to text only in she…
https://support.google.com/docs/thread/100952191/how-to-sele…

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web search NEUTRAL — QUERY function Runs a Google Visualization API Query Language query across data. Sample Usage QUERY (A2:E6,"select avg (A) pivot B") QUERY (A2:E6,F2,FALSE) Syntax QUERY (data, query, [headers]) data -…
https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093343?hl=en

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Claim 5: “Across the U.S., it used to be more likely to have many small-area extreme rain events throughout the year, all happening on different days. Now, the entire country is tending toward fewer small-area extreme rain events.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding Dollar Tree stores in Texas and does not mention precipitation events.

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web search NEUTRAL — Dollar Tree occupies a position immediately near the intersection of Robert Wynn Street and Montwood Drive, in El Paso, Texas, at The Pavillions Shopping Center.
https://www.storeopeninghours.com/dollar-tree-the-pavillions…

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web search NEUTRAL — Find 48 listings related to Dollar Tree in El Paso on YP.com. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Dollar Tree locations in El Paso, TX.
https://www.yellowpages.com/el-paso-tx/dollar-tree

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web search NEUTRAL — This item is currently out-of-stock in the distribution center that services your area and is not available to be shipped for free to your local Dollar Tree or Deals store.
https://www.dollartree.com/masterPage

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Claim 6: “in the eastern U.S., large-area extreme rainfall events appear to be growing more common as well.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources confirm that large-area extreme rainfall events (such as hurricanes and atmospheric rivers) are a growing threat or are becoming more common/consolidated in the eastern U.S.

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web search NEUTRAL — Extreme rainfall events that cover large areas, including hurricanes, atmospheric rivers and thunderstorm complexes, are a growing threat, but many studies on extreme precipitation focus on the statis…
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-extreme-shifts-larger-frequent…

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web search NEUTRAL — Flood risk in the eastern United States could be shifting in a concerning way, making severe rainfall harder to handle. A new study indicates that while extreme rain events in the region may be happen…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/across-east…

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web search NEUTRAL — Extreme rainfall events that cover large areas, including hurricanes, atmospheric rivers and thunderstorm complexes, are a growing threat, but many studies on extreme precipitation focus on the statis…
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/08/20/the-changing-sh…

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Claim 7: “Trinish Chatterjee et al, Climatology and Trends in Spatial Scales of Extreme Precipitation Over Land in the Contiguous US, Geophysical Research Letters (2026). DOI: 10.1029/2025gl120662”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm the existence of the paper 'Climatology and Trends in Spatial Scales of Extreme Precipitation Over Land in the Contiguous US' by Trinish Chatterjee et al. in Geophysical Research Letters. One source explicitly mentions the 2026 publication date.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, ra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precipitation

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The effects of climate change on the water cycle are profound and have been described as an intensification or a strengthening of the water cycle (also called the hydrologic cycle). This effect has be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_climate_change_on_t…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a global climate phenomenon that emerges from variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean. Those variations have an irregular…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Niño–Southern_Oscillation

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.