Scientists alarmed by dramatic rise in intensity of global weather events

New data from US space agency NASA has revealed a dramatic rise in the intensity of weather events such as droughts and floods over the past five years.

- Roger Harrabin

The study shows that such extreme events are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe, with the past year's figures reaching twice that of the 2003-2020 average.

The precipitousness of the rise was not foreseen. The researchers say they are alarmed by the latest figures from NASA's Grace satellite, which tracks environmental changes in the planet. They say climate change is the most likely cause of the apparent trend, even though the intensity of extremes appears to have soared even faster than global temperatures.

The new data is not yet peer-reviewed, and researchers warn they will need another 10 or more years to confirm in order to conclusively call it a trend.