Climate experts have published guidance to help water and sewerage companies and flood risk management authorities to prepare for future increases in rainfall intensities from global warming.
Published today (22 July), are data and user guidance from FUTURE-DRAINAGE, a Newcastle University-led consortium involving the Met Office, JBA Consulting and Loughborough University, funded by the NERC (UKRI) UK Climate Resilience Programme. The data on future rainfall changes (‘uplifts’) are designed for organisations who need to allow for an increase to design storm rainfall in sub-daily to daily durations, to account for the impact of climate change projections in the UK
The team used the new UK Climate Projections (UKCP) high resolution 2.2km data (UKCP Local) to derive more robust rainfall uplift estimates using the high greenhouse gas emissions scenario RCP8.5 for 2050 or 2070.
Hayley Fowler, Professor of Climate Change Impacts at Newcastle University’s School of Engineering, said: “It is clear that the pace of climate adaptation in the UK is failing to keep up with increasing climate risks, with this growing gap recently identified by the Committee on Climate Change. Recent flood events have been made more intense by global warming, and their impacts show the need for upgrades to existing infrastructure systems across the UK. The new rainfall uplifts from FUTURE-DRAINAGE will provide the climate change allowances for high-intensity rainfall needed for climate adaptation; increasing our climate resilience to these severe weather events.”
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