Climate change intensified flood-hit Europe's recent rains, study finds

The heavy rains across Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia turned calm streams into wild rivers, triggering floods that wrecked homes and killed two dozen people

The lower embankment of the overflowing River Danube was submerged in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday, September 20. Storm Boris stalled over central Europe in mid-September and unleashed record-breaking amounts of rain upon Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Photo: Tibor Illyes/MTI via AP

Planet-heating pollution doubled the chance of the extreme levels of rain that hammered central Europe in September, a study has found.

Researchers found global heating aggravated the four days of heavy rainfall that led to deadly floods in countries from Austria to Romania.