Environment Maryland is out with a new report that claims heavy downpours or snowstorms that happened once every 12 months are now happening every seven months.

Director Tommy Landers said they looked at data from 1948 through 2011 and found these weather events are happening at an alarming rate. In order to reverse this trend two things need to happen.

"The first is to help limit the impact that global warming is already having on the world and on Maryland and we can do that by reducing carbon emissions and that is absolutely critical. Scientists tell us that we need to reduce carbon emissions by at least 35% before 2005 levels over the next decade basically," Landers said.

He said the second is "to help mitigate the reality that global warming is happening. I think we need to fortify our towns and cities and have better infrastructure that is able deal with the increase kinds of precipitation events."

Landers said scientists have concluded that the increase in severe heavy rainstorms and snowstorms are linked to global warming. It happens because warming increases evaporation and allows the atmosphere to hold more water, providing more fuel for extreme rainstorms and heavy snowstorms. This past June, powerful thunderstorms with heavy downpours knocked out power to thousands of Maryland residents.