Spain deployed more than 1,000 troops to help with rescue efforts on Wednesday, but many crews remain cut off from their villages due to flooded roads and downed communication and power lines.
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said she had activated the Copernicus satellite system to help coordinate Spanish rescue teams. Other European neighbors also offered to send reinforcements.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Wednesday morning that flooding across the region was an “unprecedented phenomenon.”
Heavy rain eased in central regions on Wednesday, but weather officials warned rain was moving into the northeastern Catalonia region. Weather warnings were also issued in several parts of the country, urging residents to prepare for flooding and evacuate.
Many factors affect flooding, but atmospheric warming due to climate change increases the likelihood of extreme rainfall.
Meteorologists said the main cause of the torrential rain was ‘gota fria’. This is a natural weather phenomenon that hits Spain in the fall and winter when cold air descends into the warm waters of the Mediterranean.
But rising global temperatures are causing clouds to produce more rain, scientists told the BBC.
“For each degree of warming from fossil fuels, the atmosphere holds more moisture, which leads to more heavy rainfall,” said Dr. Friederike Otto of Imperial College London. He leads an international group of scientists trying to understand its role. Warming comes into play in these types of events.
“Undoubtedly, these extreme rainfall events have become more severe due to climate change.”
The world has already warmed by about 1.1 degrees since the beginning of the industrial age, and unless governments around the world drastically reduce emissions, temperatures will continue to rise.
