ENVIRONMENT: Frequency of extreme weather events rising

The frequency of episodes of extreme heat and rainy events worldwide has increased and the pattern is expected to continue.

Extreme weather events that occur in summer, such as heatwaves, droughts or rainy periods, could increase their duration if global temperatures rise 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels, according to a study released on Monday, August 19.

Peter Pfleiderer of the Climate Analytics Center in Berlin and a group of colleagues presented in the latest issue of the journal Nature an analysis of the persistence of weather conditions in the latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

With global warming, the frequency of episodes of extreme heat and rainy events worldwide has increased and this pattern is expected to continue.

Experts have warned, as the scientific journal recalls, that the rise in extreme temperatures and rainfall can have an impact on people’s health, agriculture and the environment.

The study indicates that extreme meteorological phenomena are usually measured by their intensity or frequency, but it is generally the duration or persistence of these events that generate the most serious effects.

Pfleiderer and his research team warned that if temperatures rose 2 degrees Celsius – relative to preindustrial levels – periods of heat lasting more than two weeks could increase by about 4%.

Accordingly, an increase of up to 20% in periods of persistent heat and drought could occur in the northeastern United States.

The authors of the research also stated that episodes of heavy rains that last more than a week and that can lead to flooding could increase by 26%, if temperatures rise 2 degrees.