Greater Cincinnati has experienced a week of extreme weather.
As people were still cleaning up from flooding caused by a massive Friday rainfall, severe storms hit the region again Tuesday, temporarily inundating more parts of Cincinnati with water.
For decades, scientists have predicted climate change will increase flooding and heavy rainfall across the Midwest. Now, Cincinnatians are seeing it play out.
What happened?
Intense storms in Cincinnati last Friday dumped nearly a month’s worth of rain in a day, flooding roads, homes and businesses in several neighborhoods east of I-75.
The flash flooding killed one person and injured three others.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington estimates four to five and a half inches of rain fell in about 90 minutes in some areas, including Oakley, Norwood, Hyde Park and Fairfax.
Julie Dian-Reed is a meteorologist and hydrologist with the weather service. She says while she doesn’t know yet if Friday’s rainfall amounts broke any records, the rainfall intensity was “tremendous.”
“The water simply fell too fast to be able to go places,” Dian-Reed told WVXU.
That overwhelmed infrastructure, like storm drains, meant to get rainfall away from streets and homes.
She compares Friday’s storms to flash flooding in Norwood in 2016, when the city got 4.4 inches of rain over the course of a few hours. The average monthly rainfall in the area during summer months is about three and a half to four inches.
A new normal?
Scientists say climate change is already causing more of these types of storms in the Midwest, because the atmosphere is warming and holding more moisture.
Aaron Wilson is the State Climatologist of Ohio and an ag weather and climate field specialist with Ohio State University Extension.
“In the summer, a lot of overnight low temperatures are warming faster... our humidity and moisture levels are increasing, and that's helping drive changes in the water cycle," Wilson said. "We're seeing heavier rainfall rates, bigger downpours that we then have to deal with here at the surface."
In Cincinnati, average rainfall intensity increased 10% between 1970 and 2025, according to an analysis of climate data by nonprofit Climate Central. Heavier rainfall is a key factor in flash floods.
Wilson also points to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that shows extreme heavy rainfall events are becoming more frequent across Ohio. Earlier this month, Kelleys Island got 13 to 16 inches of rain in a day, potentially setting a new state rainfall record.
“We often get trapped into thinking that this is a future problem, and it's not,” he said. “It's here.”
In addition to flooding and high rainfall, the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in Clermont County on Tuesday. Strong winds damaged houses, snapped trees and pulled down power lines.
The link between tornadoes and climate change is not yet fully understood. But researchers speculate climate change might be increasing the frequency of tornadoes in the Midwest and South by creating more of the conditions that lead to them.
Attribution studies
To understand the extent to which climate change influenced a specific weather event, scientists do attribution studies. They run a slate of climate and forecast models both with and without human-created carbon emissions.
Climate Central Chief Meteorologist Shel Winkley says it can be tricky to do attribution studies for small rain events, like last Friday’s. But looking at temperature and humidity can offer some insights.
He says last Friday, Cincinnati experienced a combination of higher-than-average heat and humidity that was made eight times more likely by climate change. So, it was a hotter-than normal day, there was more moisture in the atmosphere, and a big thunderstorm developed.
“Did climate change cause the rain that day? No. But is it more likely? Is it happening more frequently? And is it becoming more intense? Yes,” Winkley said.
“We can say with this fingerprint of climate change, that there was a piece of that, that made this event a little bit different than maybe what our parents or grandparents would have experienced just a couple decades ago,” he added.
Preparing for the future
Moving forward, Cincinnatians can expect to see more extreme weather like Friday’s storms. Here are some steps you can take to prepare:
- Have multiple ways to receive weather information
Having multiple ways of receiving warnings and information can help you stay safe, regardless of the weather hazard.
Dian-Reed with the National Weather Service recommends buying a NOAA weather radio, checking local news services and having a location-based weather app on your phone. Look at the weather before you head out.
“You may not live in a flood-prone area, but your commute might take you through a flood-prone area,” Dian-Reed said. “So be aware of where you're traveling.”
You can also sign up for emergency alerts through whatever method your county offers. Here’s how.
- Add more native plants to your yard
Using native plants for landscaping can slow down rainfall runoff and flooding. Many have deeper root systems, which are better able to absorb water into the soil.
“If we had repeat rain events one after the other, it would help so that the soil doesn't get as saturated at the top, and we wouldn't have as much runoff,” said Winkley, the Climate Central meteorologist.
He adds, native plants help reduce urban heat too.
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