The storms caused over 50 deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in Morocco, and caused billions of Euros in damages.
You can read the full study here: www.worldweatherattribution.org/increasingly... 5/5
The southern region was impacted by an atmospheric river that gained additional moisture by passing over a marine heatwave in the Atlantic.
Our colleagues at @climatecentral.org found that this marine heatwave was made 10x more likely by climate change. 4/5
Observational-based data shows that the highest rainfall days are now approximately one-third wetter than they were before the planet warmed by 1.3°C
Carbon emissions are responsible for about an 11% increase in rainfall intensity in the northern region we studied. 3/5
In Grazalema, southern Spain, over a year’s worth of rain fell in just a matter of days forcing the town’s population to evacuate. 2/5
NEW STUDY: Winter downpours are getting heavier in parts of Spain, Portugal and Morocco as the region recovers from a month of relentless storms.
Between mid-January and mid-February nine named storms brought torrential rain hurricane force winds causing major damage and disruption. 1/5
a map of southern south America showing the location of burning fires with lots of red dots.
Patagonian wildfires show how denying climate change & pushing environmental destruction make the reality of climate change much worse. Threatening the destruction of trees that have been alive when the bronze age collapsed. @wwattribution.bsky.social www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
Some of world’s oldest trees hit by climate-fuelled wildfires in Patagonia
- Some Alerce trees had stood undisturbed for thousands of years, say researchers, but global heating is now supercharging blazes
@wwattribution.bsky.social
#climatecrisis
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
Read the full analysis here: www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
5/5
While climate change is the primary driver, other factors are at play. La Niña also played a smaller role in these dry conditions.
Critically, large budget cuts for fire management in Argentina are believed to have amplified the impact of the blaze there. 4/5
We found a very clear climate change signal, with the weather behind these wildfires made about 2.5 to 3x more likely.
Impacted areas are also receiving about 20-25% less rainfall than they would have in a world without fossil fuel burning, providing lots of dry vegetation for fires to feed on 3/5
Between Jan 17-19, wildfires in Chile’s Biobío & Ñuble regions killed 23 people and destroyed 1,000+ homes.
Across the border in Argentina, blazes have torn through Los Alerces National Park and are still burning. 2/5
NEW STUDY: Climate change is fueling deadly fires that threaten some of the world’s oldest living things: the ancient Alerce trees of Patagonia, which can live for over 3,000 years.
Our analysis shows that human-induced warming is making weather conditions more conducive to fire. 1/5
As long as we continue to burn fossil fuels, the science tells us that these events will grow worse.
Full report and data here: 🔗 www.worldweatherattribution.org/la-nina-clim... (4/4)
The impact is a "textbook case of climate injustice."
90% of homes in some impacted areas are made of sun-dried earth - structures that simply cannot withstand rainfall of this intensity.
Vulnerable communities are paying the price for a crisis they didn't cause. (3/4)
The current weak La Niña phase naturally brings wetter conditions to the region, but it is now operating in a much warmer, moisture-rich world.
While still a rare 1-in-50 year event, climate change acted as a "force multiplier," turning a heavy rain event into a more deadly deluge. (2/4)
💡New Study: Southern Africa was hit by intense rainfall this month. Our analysis has found that downpours in the region are now 40% more intense than they were in pre-industrial times.
The resulting floods across Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini have been catastrophic. 🧵 (1/4)
A map of southeastern Australia showing the temperature anomalies during the heatwave.
While Australian heatwaves were some of the very first extreme events attributed to climate change, people still underestimate how much worse they got - killing more people than all other natural hazards combined. New @wwattribution.bsky.social study. www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan...
The full study is now available here: www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-chan... 6/6
Those with access to cooling relied heavily on solar - which met 60% of the peak demand during the heatwave - a major contrast from the fossil-fuel heavy responses to previous heatwaves. 5/6
That has a human cost: Melbourne’s airport saw temperatures top out at 44.4°C on Jan 9 and one hospital reported a 25% spike in emergency admissions. Heatwaves kill more Australians than all other natural hazards combined. 4/6
Yet the world continues to heat with 2.6°C of warming expected by the end of the century under current global policies. This would turn a once rare event into a normal part of the Australian summer. 3/6
Even with a weak La Niña - which typically brings cooler weather - fossil fuel emissions "far outweighed" natural cooling. This heatwave was 1.6°C hotter than it would have been in a world without human-caused warming. 2/6
🚨 NEW STUDY: As Australia prepares for another heatwave, our latest study found the early January heatwave which hit SE Australia was made 5x more likely due to climate change. What was once a relatively rare 1-in-25-year event is now expected about every 5 years. 🧵 1/6
Great to see coverage of our first full @wasitusie.bsky.social study on RTE (and elsewhere). Kudos @clairebergin.bsky.social and Lionel swan as well as met Éireann colleagues and thanks as ever to @wwattribution.bsky.social for the hugely valuable collaboration www.rte.ie/news/ireland...
🚨 Wildfires in Spain & Portugal were made 40x more likely by climate breakdown, says @wwattribution.bsky.social
“The sheer size of these fires has been astonishing,” adds CEP’s Clair Barnes (@clairbarnes.bsky.social) 🌍🔥
#ClimateCrisis #Wildfires
⚠️Climate change made the hot, dry and windy weather that fueled the deadly July wildfires in Spain and Portugal 40 times more likely 🧵
📝 ow.ly/SoRo50WPvih
The extremely hot, dry weather conditions that primed Spain and Portugal for this year's catastrophic wildfire season are no longer a rare occurrence thanks to human-caused warming. This probably shouldn't come as a surprise, but if it does, the full study is @wwattribution.bsky.social...
📣Job alert!
We're hiring a Media Relations Manager at Imperial College London. Applications are closing tomorrow.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOK861/m...
