The Quiet Shift in America's Seasons

For more than a century, from 1850 to 2014, the rhythm of America's seasons has been quietly shifting.

Around the 1930s, the rainfall in the U.S. dropped due to theDust Bowl drought. Over-farming broke down soil structure; dust storms formed, rainfall decreased, and the region fell into years of severe drought.

In the 1950s, another major drought coincided with the peak of industrial pollution. Sulfate aerosols from coal power plants created a heavy pollution belt, creating a clear "drying effect" that suppressed summer rainfall across the eastern and midwestern U.S.

By 2014, we reached a critical turning point. Decades of atmospheric change are written into the long-term rise and fall of seasonal precipitation. Now, we face a choice that will reshape America's climate future.

Under a high-emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5), precipitation patterns will shift dramatically by 2100. Extreme events will become more frequent, regional disparities will intensify, and heavy rainfall events will increase by 5-15% nationally.

However, with aggressive climate action and a sustainable pathway (SSP1-2.6), we can expect more moderate changes. Regional variations will be less extreme, patterns more predictable, and adaptation more manageable-stabilizing precipitation by 2100.

The difference in precipitation level under two different scenarios is 0.36mm/day.
It may not seem a lot at first glance ...