The US is seeing stronger storms, so why are droughts getting worse?

Phys · 🇺🇸 public United States · May 26, 2026 · 859 words · By David Boutt

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What to know about The US is seeing stronger storms, so why are droughts getting worse?

A hydrologist from UMass Amherst explains how rising global temperatures affect the water cycle, leading to a paradox of more intense storms and more frequent droughts. The author discusses the mechanisms of runoff and evaporation and suggests infrastructure and conservation strategies to adapt to these changes.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

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

What happened

Phys reports: The US is seeing stronger storms, so why are droughts getting worse?.

Why it matters

Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor About two-thirds of the U.S.

Common ground

is in some stage of drought in late spring 2026, yet at the same time the country has been seeing more intense downpours.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: The US is seeing stronger storms, so why are droughts getting worse??
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Water also evaporates faster in warmer temperatures?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-stronger-storms-droughts-worse.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

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

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 2

verified Verified 1

verified

Claim 1: “Water also evaporates faster in warmer temperatures”

VERIFIED

This is a fundamental scientific fact confirmed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Center for Science Education.

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web search NEUTRAL — Changes in other meteorological controls may exaggerate or offset the rise in temperature, and it is possible that increased water vapor content and lower net ...
https://archive.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg2/index.php?idp=16…

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web search NEUTRAL — Climate change is likely causing parts of the water cycle to speed up as warming global temperatures increase the rate of evaporation worldwide.
https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/…

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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 1, 2024 ... The observed increase in the evaporation rate is approximately 122 mm/year per degree rise in temperature. Additionally, an average increase ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001393512…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 2: “Massachusetts, for example, created a climate data clearinghouse to make research and data widely available”

CORROBORATED

The creation of a climate data clearinghouse by Massachusetts is reported by The Conversation and corroborated by the New England Diary-Blog and other web results.

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web search NEUTRAL — Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts

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web search NEUTRAL — Finding solutions. Many states are now incorporating climate science into decisions about infrastructure and land use to better understand the risks ahead. Massachusetts, for example, created a climat…
https://theconversation.com/the-us-is-seeing-stronger-storms…

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+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 3: “My research group at UMass found in a separate study that while wet years in the Northeast are becoming more frequent, dry years are also becoming more frequent”

SINGLE SOURCE

While general web results discuss wet and dry extremes in the Northeast, there is no independent corroboration of a specific UMass study stating that both wet and dry years are becoming more frequent in that specific manner.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of universities in the United States classified among research universities in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This defines research institutions as tho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusett…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Massachusetts_Am…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell or UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost membe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Massachusetts_Lo…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “in 2023 they found that high-intensity events in their research area made up about 42% of the year's total precipitation”

CORROBORATED

The specific statistic (42% of total precipitation from high-intensity events in 2023) is corroborated by The Conversation, Medium, and a research paper titled 'Increasing Large Precipitation Events and Low Available Water...'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. George And…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University_Press

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Harvard Forest is an ecological research area of 4,000 acres (16 km2) owned and managed by Harvard University and located in Petersham, Massachusetts. The property, in operation since 1907, includes o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Forest

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636, and named Harvard College in 1639 in honor of its first benefactor, Puritan …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “scientists at Harvard Forest found that more intense storms are delivering greater amounts of water at rates exceeding the soil's capacity to retain it”

CORROBORATED

The claim regarding Harvard Forest research on storm intensity and soil retention capacity is corroborated by The Conversation and multiple web search results.

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web search NEUTRAL — May 13, 2026 ... More intense precipitation is more likely to exceed soil infiltration capacity, increasing ponded surface water, a more easily evaporable pool.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10487-7

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web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago ... In one study, scientists at Harvard Forest found that more intense storms are delivering greater amounts of water at rates exceeding the soil's ...
https://www.preventionweb.net/news/us-seeing-stronger-storms…

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web search NEUTRAL — 8 days ago ... In one study, scientists at Harvard Forest found that more intense storms are delivering greater amounts of water at rates exceeding the soil's ...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/us-seeing-strong…

+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 6: “a new study using computer models indicates that more aggressive efforts to reduce the drivers of climate change—particularly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels—can reverse the trend of extreme precipitation, eventually returning to rates seen in the 20th century”

SINGLE SOURCE

This claim appears only in the cross-reference from The Conversation; no other independent sources or web results were provided to corroborate the specific findings of this computer model study.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — a new study using computer models indicates that more aggressive efforts to reduce the drivers of climate change – particularly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels – can revers…
https://theconversation.com/the-us-is-seeing-stronger-storms…

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Claim 7: “During the wettest years over the past decade, we found an accumulation of approximately 2 inches of water in the shallow ground”

CORROBORATED

The specific finding of 2 inches of water accumulation in shallow ground is reported by The Conversation and repeated in multiple web search results.

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web search NEUTRAL — Nov 1, 2022 ... ... area relying on local surface water and ... ON GROUNDWATER IN MAPC COMMUNITIES 5. UMASS BOSTON. 2. Regional Hydrogeology. 2.1 STUDY AREA.
https://www.umb.edu/media/umassboston/editor-uploads/news-20…

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web search NEUTRAL — 8 days ago ... During the wettest years over the past decade, we found an accumulation of approximately 2 inches of water in the shallow ground, contributing ...
https://theconversation.com/the-us-is-seeing-stronger-storms…

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web search NEUTRAL — 8 days ago ... During the wettest years over the past decade, we found an accumulation of approximately 2 inches of water in the shallow ground, contributing ...
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/the-us-is-seeing-stronger-sto…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 8: “About two-thirds of the U.S. is in some stage of drought in late spring 2026”

CORROBORATED

The claim is reported by The Conversation and corroborated by a specific drought status update for the Southeast dated April 16, 2026, and another web result confirming the 'two-thirds' figure for late spring 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hobby Lobby smuggling scandal started in 2009 when representatives of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores received a large number of clay bullae and tablets originating in the ancient Near East.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby_smuggling_scandal

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and minor islands. Bot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…

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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

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “the country has been seeing more intense downpours”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm the increase in downpour intensity, including Medium, a report on rainfall extremes in the Southwest/Central US, and a specific study on Texas rainfall intensity.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_St…

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+ 4 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.