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Daily Record
24-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Record
How climate change is 'supercharging summer storms' as Scotland battered with wild weather
Fierce and fast summer rainstorms are on the rise, and a 2C temperature rise could double their frequency, the study warns Scotland has faced intense weather patterns over the last eight months, with a total of five named storms having battered the country since October 2024, including a powerful and record-breaking cyclone which hit the UK in January. Storms Ashley, Bert, Conall and Darragh have all made landfall in recent times, but the most notable was Storm Éowyn - the UK's most powerful windstorm for a decade, bringing red warnings, severe impacts and tragic deaths. But what is behind this string of wild weather? Well, climate change seems the most obvious reason. But the Met Office said in the recent climate that "there is no evidence of positive or negative trends in windstorm number or intensity." Trends in windstorm numbers are difficult to detect due to how these naturally vary year-to-year and decade-to-decade, the weather agency added. However, a new study focusing on the Alpine regions suggests otherwise. Intense, short-lived summer downpours are expected to become both more frequent and more intense as the climate warms, according to scientists from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the University of Padova. Although the study, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, is specific to Alpine regions, the repercussions could be felt or similar weather events may occur in other parts of Europe, including the UK. Scientists demonstrated that an average temperature rise of 2C could double the frequency of short-lived summer rainstorms in the Alpine region. With such warming, an intense storm currently expected every 50 years could occur every 25 years in the future. "An increase of 1C is not hypothetical - it is likely to occur in the coming decades," Francesco Marra, one of the main authors, pointed out. "We are already witnessing a tendency for summer storms to intensify, and this trend is only expected to worsen in the years ahead." In June 2018, the city of Lausanne in Switzerland experienced an extreme and short-lived rainfall episode, with 41 millimetres of precipitation falling in just 10 minutes. Large parts of the city were flooded, resulting in estimated damage of 32 million Swiss Francs. These short, extreme events, often causing severe damage to property and posing risks to lives, are still very rare in Switzerland today. However, with the rise in temperatures caused by global warming, they are likely to become more frequent in the future, particularly over the Alpine mountains and their surroundings, said the researchers. Warm air retains more moisture (around 7% more per degree) and intensifies thunderstorm activity. As the Alpine region is warming faster than the global average, it is particularly hard hit. It is therefore urgent to assess the impact of global warming in these regions. To obtain these results, the researchers examined data from almost 300 weather stations in the European Alps, spread across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Italy. They focused on record-breaking rainfall events (lasting from 10 minutes to an hour) between 1991 and 2020, as well as temperatures associated with these storms. "Our results show that an average temperature rise of 1C would already be highly problematic," Nadav Peleg, first author of the study, warned. "The sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water prevents the soil from absorbing the excess. This can trigger flash floods and debris flows, leading to infrastructure damage and, in some cases, casualties." Peleg said it is "crucial" to understand how these events may evolve with climate change, adding: "This means planning appropriate adaptation strategies like improving urban drainage infrastructure where necessary." It comes as a 358-mile storm is set to sweep over Scotland from the Atlantic in the coming days. Rain is forecasted for Glasgow every day for the next week. And while Edinburgh and Aberdeen won't be as sodden, there's no sign of a return to the balmy highs of 25C experienced last Friday and Saturday. The monster storm is predicted to usher in next month on a wet note, following on from June's dreary start. And it comes off the back of a weekend of extremes, where the hottest days of the year in Scotland were followed with thunderstorms, lightning blasts, and heavy downpours within mere hours. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. 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Local France
20-06-2025
- Science
- Local France
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps: study
Researchers said that in a scenario where temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the Alps and nearby regions could experience episodes of intense summer rainfall twice as often as currently. "With such warming, an intense storm currently expected once every 50 years could occur once every 25 years in the future," said the Swiss university, which conducted the study in collaboration with the University of Padua in Italy. "Hot air holds more moisture (around seven percent more per degree), intensifying storm activity", the researchers said. "As the Alpine environment warms faster than the global average, it is particularly affected," they added. The study used summer rainfall data collected from nearly 300 meteorological stations across the European Alps in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. They focused on record-breaking rainfall events -- lasting from 10 minutes to an hour -- that occurred between 1991 and 2020, as well as the temperatures associated with these episodes. "The sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water can exceed the soil's absorption capacity," which can "trigger flash floods and debris flows, causing damage to infrastructure", said Nadav Peleg, a researcher at UNIL and the study's lead author. Researchers recommend "preparing urban water management systems and other infrastructures" that are ill suited to handle significant rainfall volumes. Advertisement "Promptly updating engineering and urban planning standards" would help mitigate potential risks associated with these events, they added, while also emphasising the need to "limit global warming to 1.5C or less above current levels". According to scientists from the United Nations' IPCC panel on climate change, there is a 50 percent chance of global temperatures rising by an average of 1.5C by 2030-2035. "We are already observing a trend towards intensified summer storms and this trend is expected to worsen in the coming years," said Francesco Marra, a researcher at the University of Padova and a co-author of the study.
Local Italy
20-06-2025
- Science
- Local Italy
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps: study
Researchers said that in a scenario where temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the Alps and nearby regions could experience episodes of intense summer rainfall twice as often as currently. "With such warming, an intense storm currently expected once every 50 years could occur once every 25 years in the future," said the Swiss university, which conducted the study in collaboration with the University of Padua in Italy. "Hot air holds more moisture (around seven percent more per degree), intensifying storm activity", the researchers said. "As the Alpine environment warms faster than the global average, it is particularly affected," they added. The study used summer rainfall data collected from nearly 300 meteorological stations across the European Alps in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. They focused on record-breaking rainfall events -- lasting from 10 minutes to an hour -- that occurred between 1991 and 2020, as well as the temperatures associated with these episodes. "The sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water can exceed the soil's absorption capacity," which can "trigger flash floods and debris flows, causing damage to infrastructure", said Nadav Peleg, a researcher at UNIL and the study's lead author. Researchers recommend "preparing urban water management systems and other infrastructures" that are ill suited to handle significant rainfall volumes. "Promptly updating engineering and urban planning standards" would help mitigate potential risks associated with these events, they added, while also emphasising the need to "limit global warming to 1.5C or less above current levels". According to scientists from the United Nations' IPCC panel on climate change, there is a 50 percent chance of global temperatures rising by an average of 1.5C by 2030-2035. "We are already observing a trend towards intensified summer storms and this trend is expected to worsen in the coming years," said Francesco Marra, a researcher at the University of Padova and a co-author of the study.
Local Germany
20-06-2025
- Science
- Local Germany
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps: study
Researchers said that in a scenario where temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the Alps and nearby regions could experience episodes of intense summer rainfall twice as often as currently. "With such warming, an intense storm currently expected once every 50 years could occur once every 25 years in the future," said the Swiss university, which conducted the study in collaboration with the University of Padua in Italy. "Hot air holds more moisture (around seven percent more per degree), intensifying storm activity", the researchers said. "As the Alpine environment warms faster than the global average, it is particularly affected," they added. The study used summer rainfall data collected from nearly 300 meteorological stations across the European Alps in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. They focused on record-breaking rainfall events -- lasting from 10 minutes to an hour -- that occurred between 1991 and 2020, as well as the temperatures associated with these episodes. "The sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water can exceed the soil's absorption capacity," which can "trigger flash floods and debris flows, causing damage to infrastructure", said Nadav Peleg, a researcher at UNIL and the study's lead author. Researchers recommend "preparing urban water management systems and other infrastructures" that are ill suited to handle significant rainfall volumes. Advertisement "Promptly updating engineering and urban planning standards" would help mitigate potential risks associated with these events, they added, while also emphasising the need to "limit global warming to 1.5C or less above current levels". According to scientists from the United Nations' IPCC panel on climate change, there is a 50 percent chance of global temperatures rising by an average of 1.5C by 2030-2035. "We are already observing a trend towards intensified summer storms and this trend is expected to worsen in the coming years," said Francesco Marra, a researcher at the University of Padova and a co-author of the study.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps: Study
Climate change could double summer rainfall in the Alps (Picture credit: AFP) GENEVA: Short, intense summer rainfall in Alpine regions is likely to become more frequent and severe in the future because of global warming , according to a study released Thursday by the University of Lausanne (UNIL). Researchers said that in a scenario where temperatures rise by two degrees Celsius (about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the Alps and nearby regions could experience episodes of intense summer rainfall twice as often as currently. "With such warming, an intense storm currently expected once every 50 years could occur once every 25 years in the future," said the Swiss university, which conducted the study in collaboration with the University of Padua in Italy. "Hot air holds more moisture (around seven per cent more per degree), intensifying storm activity", the researchers said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "As the Alpine environment warms faster than the global average, it is particularly affected," they added. The study used summer rainfall data collected from nearly 300 meteorological stations across the European Alps in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. They focused on record-breaking rainfall events, lasting from 10 minutes to an hour, that occurred between 1991 and 2020, as well as the temperatures associated with these episodes. "The sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water can exceed the soil's absorption capacity," which can "trigger flash floods and debris flows, causing damage to infrastructure", said Nadav Peleg, a researcher at UNIL and the study's lead author. Researchers recommend "preparing urban water management systems and other infrastructures" that are ill-suited to handle significant rainfall volumes. "Promptly updating engineering and urban planning standards" would help mitigate potential risks associated with these events, they added, while also emphasising the need to "limit global warming to 1.5°C or less above current levels". According to scientists from the United Nations' IPCC panel on climate change , there is a 50 per cent chance of global temperatures rising by an average of 1.5°C by 2030-2035. "We are already observing a trend towards intensified summer storms and this trend is expected to worsen in the coming years," said Francesco Marra, a researcher at the University of Padova and a co-author of the study.
