Winter storm rainfall in Ireland ‘made 20% heavier by climate change’

Storm Babet in Cork City. Picture: Larry Cummins

Downpours in the storms which battered Ireland last autumn and winter were made around 20% heavier by climate change, scientists have said.

A rapid attribution study has assessed the role of rising temperatures in the storms and heavy rain which led to at least 13 deaths and widespread damage across the two countries, as more than a dozen severe storms swept in between October and March.