How did climate change impact the recent southern Africa floods?

Human-caused climate change significantly worsened the torrential rains and floods, increasing the intensity of downpours and turning normally severe rain into a much more violent deluge.

What was the scale of destruction from the southern Africa floods?

The floods killed over 100 people, displaced more than 300,000, and caused widespread damage to housing and infrastructure, estimated in the millions of dollars.

Why is developing African climate models important?

Developing African climate models is crucial for accurately understanding the dynamics and extent of climate change impacts in the continent's various regions, as current global models may not fully capture these specifics.

Home / Environment / Climate Change Fuels Deadly Southern Africa Floods

Climate Change Fuels Deadly Southern Africa Floods

29 Jan

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Summary

Torrential rains killed over 100, displacing 300,000.
Region received a year's rain in just 10 days.
Human-caused climate change significantly worsened the floods.

Climate Change Fuels Deadly Southern Africa Floods

Torrential rains and severe flooding in southern Africa, which claimed over 100 lives and displaced over 300,000 people, have been significantly worsened by human-caused climate change. Researchers from the World Weather Attribution analyzed recent heavy rainfall across South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

This analysis revealed that the region endured a year's worth of rain in a mere 10-day period. The extreme weather caused extensive damage to housing and infrastructure, estimated to cost millions of dollars. Many homes in Mozambique were submerged, and roads and bridges were swept away in affected areas of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Scientists utilized peer-reviewed methods to assess the influence of climate change on these severe weather patterns. Their findings indicated a distinct shift towards more intense downpours, a phenomenon occurring approximately once every 50 years. This intensity was further amplified by the La Niña weather pattern, which typically brings wetter conditions to the region, but was operating within a significantly warmer global atmosphere.