Bryan Fitzgerald is reporting in the Times Union the Northeast, more than any other part of the country, has become a hot spot for record rain and flooding in recent years. In addition to being more frequent, major storms are bigger, slower and thus more prolonged. Soil is wetter than ever. All of this, meteorologists said Mon., Apr. 14, at an extreme weather forum at the State University at Albany, has coalesced to increase the chances of severe floods in the Capital Region and beyond. According to one expert, rainstorms have increased in the Northeast by 74 percent in recent years. In the past three years, low-lying areas around the Capital Region have been destroyed by floods like never before, most notably small creekside towns and villages in Greene and Schoharie counties. Speakers noted how, unlike tornadoes or other catastrophic weather, the damage from floods can be mapped and somewhat mitigated, but floods will almost certainly become more frequent in the coming years. The forum Monday was hosted by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. Read the full story in the Times Union.