Analysis by climate scientists working as part of the World Weather Attribution group shows that the heavy rain and storms seen last Autumn and Winter were 10 times more likely in a world with global warming of 1.2C. This is the latest of hundreds of studies which clearly point to observable changes in our weather being linked to human-created global warming.

As well as making such rainfall events more likely, global warming also means the rain is 20% more intense. The Met Office predicts that wet winters like the one we’ve just seen could occur once every five years, and it warns that could be every three years if global temperatures rise by 2C.

The rapidly changing climate makes it imperative that more is down to build resilience so that communities can better cope. Less well off households are particularly vulnerable, the scientists say, as they are much less likely to have insurance and cannot afford the costs of repairs following flooding.

More information of the report, published by the Met Offices, is here.