Since mid-January, an unusually high number of named storms have brought hurricane-force winds and unprecedented levels of rainfall to Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. The precipitation sparked widespread destruction to vital infrastructure like roads and energy supplies, and is believed to have caused billions of Euros in damage. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the extreme weather, while more than 50 have died.
In Grazalema, a village in southern Spain, more than an entire year of expected rain fell in just a matter of days. Over in Portugal, Storm Leo brought one-day rainfall totals that are so extreme they would be expected once in a century, at most. 3℃ compared to pre-industrial levels.
this is exactly what climate change looks like, with weather patterns turning into more dangerous disasters
Researchers combined these observed increases with climate model simulations and found that carbon emissions from humans caused an 11 percent increase in rainfall intensity in the northern region studied. In the southern region, climate models did not reproduce the observed trend. The storms were supercharged by atmospheric rivers which draw moisture from a strong to severe marine heatwave further west in the Atlantic.
Dr. Friederike Otto, Professor of Climate Science at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, says this is exactly what climate change looks like, with weather patterns turning into more dangerous disasters. She argues that Europe has the tools and knowledge to prevent these violent weather events from getting worse.
Europe has the tools and knowledge to prevent these violent weather events from getting worse
Maja Vahlberg of Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre says the sheer number of people displaced and killed in the storms is a tragic reminder that defences are being overwhelmed.
the sheer number of people displaced and killed in the storms is a tragic reminder that defences are being overwhelmed