Western Cape Floods: Is climate change to blame?

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During the Heritage Day long weekend, a cut-off low pressure system unleashed torrential rainfall and fierce winds upon the Western Cape. More than ten people died. Some towns and farms were isolated. Families had to be evacuated from their homes. Major roads became impassable as bridges collapsed.

A question on many people’s minds is no doubt: was human-caused climate change responsible for the severity of this September storm?

Cut-off lows are low pressure systems which have been ‘cut-off’ from main atmospheric circulation. As a result, they linger in one area for an extended period. This persistence can lead to severe weather, which can cause flooding.a year and are most dominant in autumn and spring, contributing to filling dams in anticipation of the long, dry summer months that lie ahead.

Explore Cape Town and its surroundings with these incredible deals on cars for under R100 000. Find car listingsDelving into the world of academic literature, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ’s Annual Reports, alongside interviews with esteemed university professors, a resounding message emerges: climate change does, and will continue to, intensify the frequency and severity of extreme events.

Fitchett cautions that it is important to remember that a once-off ‘experience’, without adequate data and modelling expertise, cannot immediately be ascribed to climate change. Until such a study has been done it’s near impossible to say with any degree of certainty that this event was caused by climate change.

 

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