Researchers agree that climate change has made torrential downpours more frequent—but the science gets murky when examining how strong the link is between an extreme event and climate change.

Climate change is likely to make extreme weather events like those experienced in Texas occur more intensely and more frequently, scientists are warning.

Central Texas is infamous for its flash flooding and arid soil, hard-packed ground into which water does not easily infiltrate. So when rain hits the ground, it runs off the region's hilly terrain and canyons and accumulates into creeks and rivers rapidly, overwhelming them, causing them to rise quickly.