Why were seeing so many deadly floods [Video]

Editor’s Note: Adam H. Sobel, a professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, is an atmospheric scientist who studies extreme events and the risks they pose to human society. Sobel is the host of the podcast “Deep Convection” and the author of “Storm Surge,” a book about Superstorm Sandy. Follow him on Twitter: @profadamsobel. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.

There have been so many floods, in so many parts of the world, in such a short period of time.

In the past few weeks alone, there have been major flood events in Massachusetts, Hong Kong, Greece and Spain. The greatest catastrophe was in Libya, where heavy rains associated with storm Daniel in the Mediterranean caused dam failures and led to a death toll that is at …