DISASTERS
Climate change made Spanish floods worse
October 31, 2024 - Catastrophic flash floods that have killed more than 150 people are the result of a meteorological phenomenon known as DANA, which is believed to be growing more severe due to climate change.
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Meteorologists have said that the rainfall in Spain is most likely the result of a sudden “cold drop,” also known as DANA, a Spanish acronym for a high-altitude isolated depression.
That happens when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, allowing the hotter, moist air at the surface to rise quickly and produce giant rain clouds. Then, the storm system pushes these moisture-rich clouds over land.
Crews are searching for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings following the flash floods that claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in the eastern Valencia region alone.