Climate change increases the frequency of 100-year floods.

Is it true that climate change increases the frequency of 100-year floods?

Partly. Several regional modeling studies project larger or more frequent 100-year flood events under climate change in Thailand, Quebec, Malaysia and Canada, and one US study finds extreme precipitation outpacing the 100-year standard. However, an intercontinental gauge analysis found no compelling evidence of consistent increases in major-flood occurrence, and none of the items settles the general global claim.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 5 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 18 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Assessment of Climate Change Impact on 100-year Floods using d4PDF in the Chao Phraya River Basin, Thailand.. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.11520/jshwr.36.0_334

Climate-driven trends in the occurrence of major floods in North America and Europe. (2014). hal.inrae.fr. https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02600780v1

The impact of climate change on seasonal floods of a southern Quebec River Basin. (2001). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.323

The effects of climate change on flood hazards in Kelantan River Basin Malaysia. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/880/1/012016

MODELLING OF FUTURE FLOOD RISK ACROSS CANADA DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. (2018). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.2495/risk180131

Kim, J., Porter, J., & Kearns, E. J. (2023). Exposure of the US population to extreme precipitation risk has increased due to climate change. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48969-7