FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

DULUTH - A new report titled "When it Rains it Pours" finds downpours in Minnesota are on the rise.

"The impacts are here and we're feeling them everyday," Freshwater Future Associate Director Julie O'Leary said.

The report finds downpours are up 30% over the last 65 years in Minnesota.

"More frequent downpours will leave Minnesota even more vulnerable to dangerous flooding in years to come," Environment Minnesota Policy Director Ken Bradley said.

Dangerous flooding like the historic Northland Flash Flood.

"Top of the scale of an extreme rainfall event," said Bradley.

On average, heavy downpours used to happen once every 12 months now they're happening every nine months.

Not only are they happening more often, but the biggest rainstorms are getting bigger.

"The amount of precipitation released by the largest annual storms in Minnesota increased by 12%," said Bradley.

Environmentalists say global warming is to blame.

"As global warming increases evaporation enables the air to hold more water providing fuel for these rainstorms," said Bradley.

They say as global warming intensifies, bigger rainstorms will mean longer periods of dryness and increased chances of drought.

"The same increased evaporation that leads to more water in the air also leads to drier soil," said Bradley.

Environmentalists say the extreme rainfall could also have damaging effects on the lakes.

"The kind of immediate effects it brought in a lot of sediment a lot of clay into the lake," Large Lakes Observatory Acting Director Erik Brown said. "It has the potential to have negative impacts on the fish and I think potentially some of the young fish that live in the coastal areas."

While things are being done on a federal level to reduce carbon which drives global warming, researchers say there are things we can do on an individual level.

"Purchase the most fuel efficient car, buy appliances and other products that are energy star that use less energy," said Bradley.

The study also revealed snowstorms are getting bigger.