Significant parts of Illinois were under flash flood warnings yesterday morning — some saw as much as 14 inches of rain in the space of 12 hours. The 21st spoke with an Illinois Public Media reporter who has following the aftermath of the central Illinois storms.

A string of natural disasters has hit the central U.S. in recent weeks. Tornadoes have devastated communities, tearing up trees and homes. Record rainfall has prevented countless farmers in America's breadbasket from planting crops. Rising rivers continue to flood fields, inundate homes and threaten aging levees from Iowa to Mississippi. And while none of these events can be directly attributed to climate change, extreme rains are happening more frequently in many parts of the U.S. and that trend is expected to continue as the Earth continues to warm.

There was no shortage of rain this month, but rather a shortage of drainage solutions. Collectively, Illinois received 8.9 inches of rainfall in June making it the wettest June on record and the fourth wettest month in the state's history according to records dating back to 1895. Currently, the wettest month on record happened in September of 1926 when 9.26 inches of rainfall fell over Illinois.