Climate Change Is Driving Extreme Rainfall and Flooding

Here's what Earthjustice is doing about it.

A Sheriff's deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Hunt, Texas, after a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A sheriff's deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area in July 2025. (Julio Cortez / AP)

Warmer air increases evaporation, which means that our atmosphere contains an increasing amount of water vapor for storms to sweep up and turn into rain or snow.

Just as drier areas are likely to get drier with rising global temperatures, those areas of the world that have historically trended toward heavy precipitation will only get wetter.

At least 119 people died in Texas in July 2025 due to storms that dumped an amount of water greater than the daily flow of Niagara Falls in just a few hours, raising the Guadalupe River by more than 20 feet.

Though it is difficult to determine with certainty whether climate change caused any specific weather event, scientists say that global warming will make storms like this one more common. New rain estimates issued in 2023 indicate that 12.6 million properties across the U.S. that were not previously thought to be at flood risk now are due to the increased likelihood of extreme precipitation events.

A large truck is impaled onto a tree after flash flooding on the bank Guadalupe River on July 5, 2025 in Center Point, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

A large truck is impaled onto a tree after flash flooding on the bank Guadalupe River on July 5, 2025, in Center Point, Texas. (Jim Vondruska / Getty Images)

Why is this happening?

Human activity is causing rapid changes to our global climate that are contributing to extreme weather conditions.

When fossil fuels are burned for electricity, heat, and transportation, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps solar radiation, is released into our atmosphere.

Over the past century, massive increases in carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gas emissions have caused the temperature on our planet to rise. That spike in global temperatures is fueling climate disasters that will only get worse unless we take action. Experts warn that we are running out of time to dramatically cut pollution to avoid climate catastrophe.

What is Earthjustice doing to help?

Americans across the political spectrum are feeling the urgency of our climate deadline and calling for action on a scale that matches the threat. We need bold and equitable climate solutions to move towards a pollution-free, 100% clean energy future.

Our attorneys use the law and partner with communities on the frontlines to tackle the climate crisis. Here are a few examples of the goals we’re working on and the progress we’ve achieved:

This fight to preserve a livable planet touches everyone. Together, we can drive transformative change in service of the earth and justice for its people.

Learn more about how climate change is fueling extreme weather.