An analysis by the World Weather Attribution group revealed that human-caused climate change exacerbated a series of deadly storms in early April across several U.S. states. These storms, which resulted in at least 24 fatalities, were found to carry 9% more rainfall and be 40% more likely than in pre-industrial conditions. The warm Gulf of Mexico contributed to the storms, with climate change making this warming 14 times more probable. Future storms may become increasingly severe unless significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are achieved, according to the analysis.
"That one in 100 years . . . is likely to go down to once every few decades," said Ben Clarke, a researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy.
"Rapid analyses from the WWA use peer-reviewed methods to study an extreme weather event and distill it down to the factors that caused it."
"Climate change increased rainfall intensity in the storms by 9% and made them 40% more likely compared to probability of such events in the pre-industrial age climate."
"Even heavier downpours are expected to hit the region in the future unless the world rapidly slashes emissions of polluting gases such as carbon dioxide and methane."
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