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Photos: See the effects of extreme weather caused by climate change from across the world

A boy plays in a residential area that flooded by monsoon rains near the banks of the Yamuna River, in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday. | Source: Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

The Bay Area had an unusually wet winter that brought multiple atmospheric rivers, flooding and felled trees. Now the rest of the world is experiencing some of the same as lethal flooding has simultaneously hit India, Japan, China, Turkey and the U.S. Northeast.

Scientists have long warned that more extreme rainfall is expected in a warming world. Climate pollutants such as carbon dioxide and methane hold more heat in the atmosphere, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. That results in storms dumping more precipitation with sometimes deadly outcomes.

Schools in New Delhi were forced to close Monday after heavy monsoon rains battered the Indian capital, with landslides and flash floods killing at least 15 people over the last three days. In Japan, torrential rain pounded the southwest, causing floods and mudslides that left two people dead and at least six others missing.

Although destructive flooding in India, Japan, China, Turkey and the United States might seem like distant events, atmospheric scientists say they have this in common: Storms are forming in a warmer atmosphere, making extreme rainfall a more frequent reality now. The additional warming that scientists predict is coming will only make it worse.

That’s because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which results in storms dumping more precipitation that can have deadly outcomes. Pollutants, especially carbon dioxide and methane, are heating up the atmosphere. Instead of allowing heat to radiate away from Earth into space, they hold onto it.

While climate change is not the cause of storms unleashing the rainfall, these storms are forming in an atmosphere that is becoming warmer and wetter.

Below are nine more photos that illustrate of the impact of the volatile weather around the world.

A damaged car lays on a collapsed roadway along Route 32 in the Hudson Valley near Cornwall, New York, on Monday. Heavy rain has washed out roads and forced evacuations in the Northeast as more downpours were forecast throughout the day. | Source: Paul Kazdan/AP Photo
A backhoe transports citizens after they are rescued from a flooded area after heavy rains hit Bartin, Turkey, on Sunday. Vehicles had difficulty in advancing due to the water; some vehicles and houses were submerged. | Source: Selim Bostanci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People walk through a bridge across River Beas swollen due to heavy rains in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India, on Monday. Scientists have long warned that more extreme rainfall is expected in a warming world. | Source: Aqil Khan/AP Photo
Damaged vehicles are pictured at the spot of a landslide following heavy rains at the construction site of a residential building in Mumbai on Wednesday. | Source: Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images
A man watches as heavy rain sends mud and debris down the Ottauquechee River in Quechee, Vermont, on Monday. The heavy rains and flooding throughout Vermont have already caused tens of millions of dollars in damage, officials said. | Source: Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
A security guard walks past an overhead water misting system on a hot day in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan, on Monday. On Monday, temperatures rose to 35 Celsius in Tokyo and local officials issued the first heatstroke notice of the season for Tokyo and nearby regions. | Source: Philip Fong/ AFP/Getty Images
A man rides a bicycle through a water fountain in Piazza Castello on Tuesday in Turin, Italy. The temperature in Turin was expected to hit the mid-90s on Tuesday. | Source: Stefano Guidi/Getty Images
Two people stand at the Zabriskie Point during sunset as 120 Fahrenheit was expected over the weekend in Death Valley on Sunday. Death Valley is widely known as one of the hottest places in the world. | Source: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A man rides his bike on a small road in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises on Sunday. Scientists say crushing temperatures that blanketed Europe last summer may have led to more than 61,000 heat-related deaths, highlighting the need for governments to address the health impacts of global warming. | Source: Michael Probst/AP Photo

RJ Mickelson can be reached at rj@sfstandard.com