Kate Abnett for Reuters
The extreme rainfall causing deadly flooding across western Germany and Belgium has been so alarming, many across Europe are asking if climate change is to blame.
Submerged cars and other vehicles are seen on the federal highway B265 in Erftstadt, western Germany.
Photo: AFP or licensors
Scientists have long said that climate change will lead to heavier downpours. But determining its role in last week s relentless downpours will take at least several weeks to research, scientists said on Friday. Floods always happen, and they are like random events, like rolling the dice. But we ve changed the odds on rolling the dice, said Ralf Toumi, a climate scientist at Imperial College London.
The images from Germany are startling and horrifying: houses, shops and streets in the picturesque cities and villages along the Ahr and other rivers violently washed away by fast-moving floodwaters.
The flooding was caused by a storm that slowed to a crawl over parts of Europe on Wednesday, dumping as much as 6 inches of rain on the region near Cologne and Bonn before finally beginning to let up Friday. There was flooding in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, too, but the worst impacts were in Germany, where the official death toll passed 125 and was sure to climb.
The storm was a frightening example of an extreme weather event, with some places getting a month s worth of rain in a day. But in an era of climate change, extreme weather events are becoming more common.
Experts: Too soon to link floods to climate change rte.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rte.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Publishing date: Jul 17, 2021 • 9 hours ago • 3 minute read •
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MADRID/BRUSSELS The extreme rainfall causing deadly flooding across western Germany and Belgium has been so alarming, many across Europe are asking if climate change is to blame.
Scientists have long said that climate change will lead to heavier downpours. But determining its role in last week’s relentless downpours will take at least several weeks to research, scientists said on Friday.
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(Updates death toll)
By Isla Binnie and Kate Abnett
MADRID/BRUSSELS, July 17 (Reuters) - The extreme rainfall causing deadly flooding across western Germany and Belgium has been so alarming, many across Europe are asking if climate change is to blame.
Scientists have long said that climate change will lead to heavier downpours. But determining its role in last week s relentless downpours will take at least several weeks to research, scientists said on Friday. Floods always happen, and they are like random events, like rolling the dice. But we ve changed the odds on rolling the dice, said Ralf Toumi, a climate scientist at Imperial College London.