A new map based on research recently published in Geophysical Research Letters shows that most of the northern US is increasing in susceptibility to flooding based on trends in water tables.  In the South and Southeast, recent droughts have lowered water tables and stream flows, reducing their likelihood of flooding.  You can read more about it in the UPI report here, which includes a link to the original article.

While it looks at trends in USGS data over time, the data set is limited to 1985-2015, a time period when there were many droughts in the Southeast, and which may or may not reflect longer term changes in climate in the region.  It also does not address whether weather patterns that cause floods are being affected by warmer temperatures.

A new map highlights the increasing flood risks in the northern half of the country and the decreasing risks in the West, South and Southwest. Photo by University of Iowa/American Geophysical Union