Extreme weather in Central Europe has led to a multitude of forced evacuations and at least 15 deaths. Climate experts are unfortunately not surprised by the intensity of the torrential rainfall and flooding, and are concerned over how unprepared the world is for future devastating weather events based on the damage Europe is currently experiencing.
Central Europe has experienced multiple deaths, reports of missing people, and forced evacuations amid extreme weather events including torrential rain and major flooding. Climate experts are concerned over how unprepared the world seems for the future as climate change will only continue to intensify and cause even more unpredictable weather.
The flooding throughout Central Europe has killed at least 15 people and demolished buildings from Austria to Romania, according to reports. Additionally, flooding occurred in Myanmar, submerging entire villages, and a jail in Nigeria experienced 300 prisoners escaping due to a massive flood.
These major flooding events around the world have climate scientists concerned. Joyce Kimutai, from Imperial college London’s Grantham Institute, said the damage caused by recent extreme weather events is very concerning, but unfortunately not surprising.
“The [death and damage shows] how poorly prepared the world is for such floods. The catastrophic rainfall hitting central Europe is exactly what scientists expect with climate change.”
Kimutai said that “weather station data indicated that bursts of September rainfall have become heavier in Germany, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia since 1950.”
Scientists know that there’s multiple factors that influence the Earth’s water cycle, however, climate change driven by human activity is a main focus when it comes to these extreme weather events. Hotter air in general can cause more moisture to accumulate in the atmosphere.
“Immediate analysis of the central European floods suggested most of the water vapor came from the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, both of which have grown hotter as a result of human-induced climate breakdown, resulting in more water evaporating into the air,” said Sonia Seneviratne, a climate scientist at ETH Zürich.
“On average, the intensity of heavy precipitation events increases by 7% for each degree of global warming,” she stated.
“We now have 1.2 degrees Celsius of global warming, which means that on average heavy precipitation events are 8% more intense.”
According to local media in Poland, flooding caused a bridge to collapse and washed houses away as well. In the Czech Republic, rescue helicopters saved citizens who were stranded from rising water levels as well.
Vienna, Austria has been the site of Europe’s largest weather and climate conference for almost 20 years. This year, the torrential rainfall flooded a motorway and shut down metro lines.
“Scientists at the conference used to discuss the physics of how climate change increases rainfall intensity over lunch on the banks of the New Danube. It is ironic to now see these banks, where we were sitting in the sun and discussing the science of extreme precipitation, now being flooded,” Erich Fischer, a climate scientist at ETH Zürich, said.
“It’s clear that even highly developed countries are not safe from climate change. As long as the world burns oil, gas and coal, heavy rainfall and other weather extremes will intensify, making our planet a more dangerous and expensive place to live,” said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the Grantham Institute.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
