Water, water everywhere
Jan 3, 2013
Bishop Hill in Climate: WG2

The Met Office is hot out of the blocks on the climate front this year, issuing the first "climate disaster" story of the year via the BBC's Roger Harrabin.

The frequency of extreme rainfall in the UK may be increasing, according to analysis by the Met Office.

Statistics show that days of particularly heavy rainfall have become more common since 1960.

The analysis is still preliminary, but the apparent trend mirrors increases in extreme rain seen in other parts of the world.

It comes as the Met Office prepares to reveal whether 2012 was the wettest year on record in the UK.

Given the apparently overwhelming drought risk in the South East of England - of similar magnitude to the Sahara apparently - we should probably be grateful for this rain. And while we're on the topic, let's not forget the Institute of Civil Engineers' report on water availability in the UK:

By the 2050s, summer river flows may reduce by 35% in the driest parts of England and by 15% for the wetter river basin regions in Scotland. This will put severe pressure on current abstractions of water.

This being the year of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report, I think we should expect a lot of this kind of thing in coming months.

Article originally appeared on (http://www.bishop-hill.net/).
See website for complete article licensing information.