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Why the UK is set to endure even more rain and flooding every year

Somerset hit by heavy flooding in Storm Chandra as major incident declared
  • A new study warns that UK winters are becoming significantly wetter, dramatically increasing flood risks due to rising greenhouse gas concentrations.
  • Researchers found that the UK's winter rainfall is increasing by approximately 7 per cent for every degree of global or regional warming, a rate faster than most climate models predict.
  • This trend is primarily driven by a warmer atmosphere's ability to hold more moisture, leading to larger and more intense rainstorms.
  • Leading global climate models significantly underestimate this change, projecting an average 4 per cent rise in rainfall per degree of warming compared to the observed 7 per cent.
  • The UK is currently experiencing winter rainfall levels that climate models had not expected until the 2040s, making the country increasingly vulnerable to flooding.
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