A perfect storm of climate change and cyclical La Nina weather patterns fuelled catastrophic flooding across southern Africa over the past month, killing 200 people and affecting hundreds of thousands of others, a study showed on Thursday.
The report by World Weather Attribution showed that the intensity of such extreme rainfall events has increased by 40 since preindustrial times - a clear sign that warmer ocean temperatures linked to greenhouse gas emissions are partly to blame - and that current La Nina conditions had worsened things.
Severe flooding since December has wrought havoc across Mozambique , South Africa , Zimbabwe and Eswatini, with some areas receiving over a year's rain in just days, the study said. Burst rivers forced the closure of South Africas Kruger park, and will cost millions of dollars to repair.
