Air that is warmer is able to evaporate more water into the atmosphere. An air mass with more water vapor available to precipitate will naturally create more precipitation. While this is not the only reason, it is the primary reason for greater rainfall in the Triad during the summer months.

“What we see is that global warming is not only increasing precipitation due to having more water vapor in the atmosphere, but a higher proportion of this extreme precipitation is falling as rain instead of snow.” Hazards multiply when there's more rain and less snow.

Warmer oceans increase the amount of water that evaporates into the air. When more moisture-laden air moves over land or converges into a storm system, it can produce more intense precipitation—for example, heavier rain and snow storms.

Because moisture and warm air are crucial to thunderstorms, it makes sense that they would occur more often in the spring and summer, particularly in humid areas such as the southeastern United States. The high humidity, in conjunction with warm temperatures, creates a warm, moist air mass rising into the atmosphere.