COLUMBUS, Ohio—Weather extremes like those during 2018, much more rain, and heavier downpours are likely to become the norm rather than the exception in Ohio, according to a climate expert with The Ohio State University.
As a result, the state's farmers will have to deal with more and more water pouring onto and running off of their fields, and that could threaten the quality of water downstream, said Aaron Wilson, climate specialist with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
Last year was the third wettest year ever in Ohio. Temperatures have been getting warmer across the Midwest, with the coldest temperature in the year now up 3 degrees from what it was in the first half of the 20th century, Wilson said. Warmer temperatures have led to a greater amount of water vapor in the atmosphere and increased rainfall.
Intense rain events are more common now. On Aug. 4, nearly 2 ½ inches of rain fell in one hour near Cincinnati, and from Sept. 8–9, nearly 7 ½ inches of rain fell in Brookville, just east of Dayton.
“The question is, what do we do with it? How do we steward that water?” Wilson asked.