A dam along the river Rur in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which has been hit by flooding, broke Friday night, the government says
How climate change is fueling extreme flood events, like those devastating Europe this weekA man rows a boat down a residential street after flooding in Angleur, Province of Liege, Belgium, on July 16.
While there are many factors that can worsen the impacts from heavy rainfall — ground type, such as soil or concrete, and how much moisture was in the ground to being with — the most important variable is how much rain falls over a period of time, or the rainfall rate. “Simply put, warmer air holds more water vapor,” said Jim Kossin, an atmospheric research scientist at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. With more water vapor in a warmer atmosphere, rainfall rates can increase and flash flooding is more likely to occur.
While the overall amount of rainfall may not change over the course of the year in any given location, more of the rain is expected to fall in shorter bursts, which would tend to increase the frequency of flooding events. This was noted by scientists with the European Environmental Agency, who said that “the projected increase in frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation over large parts of Europe may increase the probability of flash floods, which pose the highest risk of fatality.
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