Across the central U.S., very heavy (greater than three inches per day) and extreme (greater than six inches per day) precipitation events increased in the period from 1979 to 2009 compared to the 1948 to 1978 period. Model projections for the central U.S. suggest a potential increase in these events, especially during winter months. Other future climate projections indicate that the Midwest may experience two to four more days of extreme precipitation by the end of the century. However, downscaled projections for the Midwest indicate less projected change in heavy precipitation events (greater than one inch) in the southern half of region (including the Chicago area) than the Midwest as a whole. A study that specifically focused on the Chicago area suggests that the frequency of extremely wet days (days with greater than 1.57 inches of precipitation) will increase by 25 to 60 percent by the end of the century. These increases are greater than the increase in total precipitation, indicating there will also be a decrease in the number of days with light precipitation.