The city of Derna, Libya on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Floods from extreme rain killed thousands of people and washed entire neighborhoods into the sea.The city of Derna, Libya on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Floods from extreme rain killed thousands of people and washed entire neighborhoods into the sea., according to local authorities. The disaster comes after a string of deadly floods around the world this month, from China to Brazil to Greece. In every case, extremely heavy rain was to blame.
The enormous loss of life on multiple continents reinforces the profound danger posed by climate-driven rain storms, and the need for better warning systems and infrastructure to protect the most vulnerable populations. Climate change makes heavy rain more common, even in arid places where the total amount of precipitation is small. That's because a hotter atmosphere can hold more moisture. Everyday rainstorms, as well as bigger storms such as hurricanes, are increasingly dangerous as a result.
In Libya, a storm called Daniel swept in from the Mediterranean over the weekend and resulted in a jaw-dropping 16 inches of rain in just 24 hours,