Dee Davis remembers watching his grandmother float by in a canoe during the 1957 flood that hit Whitesburg, Ky. The water crested at nearly 15 feet back then--a record that stood for over half a century, until it was obliterated last week.

The water was more than six feet higher than the 1957 mark when floodwater destroyed the gauge.

The flooding took out bridges and knocked houses off their foundations. It had claimed at least 35 lives as of Monday afternoon.

And it was just the latest record-breaking flooding event to hit the U.S. this summer.

NPR's Rebecca Hersher explains that climate change is making extreme floods more frequent. A warming atmosphere can hold more moisture, which means, when it rains, it rains harder.

This episode also features reporting from NPR's Kirk Siegler, KJZZ's Michel Marizco and St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fentem.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at [email protected].

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy