Study: Climate change makes European flooding more likely

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Scientists say global warming makes the kind of extreme rainfall that caused deadly flash flooding in western Europe last month more likely. The floods killed at least 220 people and caused billions of dollars in damage in Germany and Belgium. A study released Tuesday by the World Weather Attribution group used historical records and computer simulations to examine how temperatures affected rainfall from the late 19th century to the present. It found that across a large strip of western Europe stretching from the Netherlands to Switzerland the amount of rainfall in a single day increased by 3% to 19% over the period. The study calculated that downpours of the kind that caused the floods in Europe are now 1.2 to 9 times more likely and will increase with further warming.