Dr. Kerry Cook: Heavy rain and climate change
SciLine interviews experts and then makes the video and other resources rapidly available for TV newsrooms to use on air.
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Climate change is bringing heavier downpour and more flooding across the U.S. On June 3, 2026, SciLine interviewed Dr. Kerry Cook, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studies the effects of climate change and the atmosphere.
TV bundle includes:
- Soundbite (SOT)
- VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
- Downloadable graphic
- Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)
These resources are free to use. No attribution to SciLine is required.
Soundbite (SOT) and pronouncer
Downloadable video of the soundbite
High definition (mp4, 1280x720)
- Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
-
ANCHOR
CLIMATE CHANGE IS LEADING TO HEAVIER RAINFALL AND INCREASING FLOOD RISKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.VO
DOCTOR KERRY COOK… A CLIMATE PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN… SAYS AS CLIMATE CHANGE WARMS THE ATMOSPHERE… IT CAN HOLD MORE MOISTURE.
AND THAT GIVES STORMS MORE FUEL… INCREASING THE EXTREME RAIN EVENTS WE SEE IN THE U-S.
SHE SAYS A COMMON MISCONCEPTION IS THAT THIS MEANS CITIES WILL SEE MORE RAIN OVERALL… WHEN REALLY… SOME PLACES ARE SEEING LESS.
INSTEAD… SHE SAYS RAIN IS FALLING IN SHORTER… HEAVIER BURSTS… LEAVING LITTLE WARNING BEFORE A FLOOD HITS.SOT
Duration: 0:17
Super: Dr. Kerry Cook – Professor, University of Texas at Austin
“The crucial aspect is getting that communication out to the public. And especially in the next stage when you have an emergency that you might only have an hour or two’s notice of very extreme flooding coming to you.”VO
DOCTOR COOK POINTS TO LAST YEAR’S DEADLY FLOODS IN CENTRAL TEXAS AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW QUICKLY CONDITIONS CAN TURN DANGEROUS.
SHE ENCOURAGES COMMUNITIES TO ADVOCATE FOR STRONGER WARNING SYSTEMS… LIKE TEXT ALERTS… EMAILS… OR SIRENS LIKE THOSE USED FOR TORNADOES.
Graphic: Climate change and heavy rain
Download a graphic illustrating the county-by-county projected % change in extremely rainy days if the planet continues to warm. (Source: Fifth National Climate Assessment (2023), U.S. Global Change Research Program)
.ZIP file contains high-res graphic in multiple formats.
Raw, full-length interview covers:
- How climate change is making heavy rain more extreme and shifting when and where it falls;
- Why a warmer atmosphere fuels more intense storms;
- Where changing weather patterns are increasing flood risk;
- Which types of conditions on the ground, like dry or saturated soil, can make flooding worse; and
- What people and communities can do to prepare for and reduce the impacts of flooding.
