U.K. Braces for Storm Evert Amid Rise of Warmer, Wetter Weather

(Bloomberg) -- Storm Evert is set to lash the southwest of England with rain and winds of up to 70 miles per hour, the latest example of a rise in extreme weather events as climate change manifests in the U.K.

While rain has long been a common occurrence in Britain, the intensity of storms is ramping up with global temperatures. Last year was the third-warmest and the fifth-wettest on record, according to a report published Thursday in the Royal Meteorological Society’s International Journal of Climatology.

“This latest report is a reminder that climate change is happening here, it’s happening now and it’s happening to all of us,” said Ella Gilbert, a climate scientist and researcher at the University of Reading. “The longer we put off decisive action on climate change, the more damaging these impacts will be – with tangible impacts for us all.”

Storm Evert Set to Hit U.K. With Rain and High Wind Thursday

Storm Evert follows less than a week after heavy rains left parts of London flooded. And that storm followed a heat wave that prompted the U.K.’s Met Office to issue its first ever extreme heat warning. Extreme weather events around the world this summer are highlighting the risks of a changing climate.

In Britain, the annual State of the U.K. Climate report found warming temperatures in all months and across the country. In the 30-year period to the end of 2020, the country was 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the preceding 30 years. That warming was consistent, but slightly higher than the change seen in global average temperature, the report found.

While the U.K. has made a commitment to eliminating its carbon footprint in the coming decades, those reductions will play only a small part in preventing the rise in global warming. The government’s independent adviser, the Climate Change Committee, has warned that not enough is being done to help protect citizens from a changing climate.

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