Weather & Science
Global Warming Is Making Extreme Rainfall More Intense in Australia
- Heavy, short-term rainfall events have increased, report says
- Global warming is making extreme weather more frequent
Workers clear boulders and rocks after a landslide due to heavy rain in Wollongong, Australia, on April 6.
Photographer: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Australia is expected to get drenched by more intense bursts of heavy rain that threaten to rapidly flood cities and swamp crops, as climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather.
Heavy, short-term rainfall events are becoming more intense, according to the eighth biennial State of the Climate report from Australia’s weather bureau and the country’s top scientific research body. They are expected to become more frequent, even in regions where average rainfall is forecast to fall.