Long-term UK Forecast - Hotter, Wetter, More Flash Floods - Guardian

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"Britain should expect more dangerous flash floods, catastrophic rain and hail storms, droughts and heatwaves from the rapid changes in rainfall patterns brought by global warming, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said yesterday as clean-up operations continued in flooded Boscastle. The Prince of Wales interrupted a Scottish holiday to fly to the Cornish village to offer financial help and praise the emergency services

Fifty-seven people, many thought to be elderly, were airlifted to safety in central Scotland last night after becoming trapped in their vehicles by landslides after torrential rainstorms. Three rescue helicopters were scrambled after about 20 vehicles,were stranded between two landslips in the Lochearnhead area, north of Stirling. No-one was believed to be in immediate danger.

The average number of European climate-related disasters has doubled in 10 years and two out of three of the "catastrophic" events since 1980 are now directly attributed to floods, storms, droughts or heatwaves, the EEA said.

David Viner of the University of East Anglia's climatic research unit, one of the report's authors, said: "Heavy rainfall patterns are changing. "We are moving towards more intense rainfall. Drier summers are being punctuated by particularly intense incidents such as we have just seen in Cornwall."

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1286030,00.html