By Faridat Salifu
Extreme downpour which broke records across several countries in Central Europe have been linked to human induced climate change, a study by the World Weather Attribution (WWA ) revealed.
The four day downpour in September in Central Europe caused flooding that have adverse effects on about two million people in Central Europe.
Countries that are mostly affected include Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Germany, and Slovakia. The heavy rain lasted four days, causing widespread damage and disrupting communities.
WWA researchers explained that the intense rainfall was triggered by a rare weather system known as a Vb depression, which occurs when cold air from the north meets warm air from Southern Europe.
These systems have historically been associated with heavy rain in Central Europe, but rising global temperatures have made such extreme events more frequent and severe.
In today’s climate 1.3°C warmer than pre-industrial times rainfall of this intensity is expected to happen once every 100 to 300 years.
However, the WWA analysis shows that heavy rainfall events like this one have become twice as likely and 20% more intense compared to the pre-industrial era. The study also found that human-driven climate change has increased the intensity of such storms by around 7%.
The study warns that if global temperatures rise by another 2°C, these heavy rainfall events will become even more intense and frequent, with a 5% increase in rainfall intensity and a 50% increase in likelihood compared to current conditions.
Joyce Kimutai, a researcher from Imperial College London and contributor to the study, said, “Our research clearly shows that climate change played a significant role in the floods that swept through Central Europe. These events serve as another reminder of the damaging effects of a warming planet.”
The findings highlights the urgent need for action to reduce fossil fuel emissions and limit further warming, as regions like Central Europe continue to face growing risks from extreme weather events.
