OSLO
Torrential rains have become more frequent worldwide since 1980, a scientific study claimed on Tuesday.
It further stated that Southeast Asia was getting the biggest increase in downpours.
The report added to evidence that rising man-made green house gas emissions are stoking extremes from heatwaves to precipitation, as warmer air absorbs more moisture, leading to downpours.
“We find a clear overall upward trend for these unprecedented hazards,” lead author Jascha Lehmann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said in a statement.
Overall, there were 12 per cent more downpours which broke local records from 1981 to 2010 than would be expected in an unchanged climate, according to an analysis of rainfall statistics from thousands of weather stations since 1900.
The study said 2010 was the year with most records broken, from Texas to Pakistan.
Flooding in Pakistan was the worst in its history, killing more than 2,000 people and affecting 18 million.
