The city is experiencing its wettest year on record after 8 inches of rain in recent days.
Researchers say climate change is worsening the situation. Australia has warmed by around 2.6 degrees since 1910. A warming atmosphere holds more moisture and can increase the intensity of extreme rainfall events.
“Australia has long been a continent of droughts and flooding rains; having said that, projections indicate that climate change will supercharge this variability,” Chiara Holgate, a researcher with the Australian National University and ARC Center of Excellence for Climate Extremes, said in an email. “Observations show there’s been an increase in the intensity of heavy rainfall events in Australia, including the short-duration events, which can be associated with flash flooding.
Holgate said Australia needs to prepare for more intense flooding events, as floods are one of the most expensive disasters the country faces. Flooding in southeast Queensland and New South Wales in February and March cost about $3.
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