The El Nino weather pattern did not have “any influence” on widespread flooding that killed hundreds in East Africa this year, an expert group of scientists said Friday.
Torrential rainfall in Kenya, Tanzania and neighbouring nations killed more than 500 people, displacing hundreds of thousands as the deluge swept away homes and swamped roads during the March to May monsoon season. The region was hit by floods late last year as well, with researchers saying that the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) — a climate system defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between western and eastern areas of the ocean — contributed to the heavy rainfall.
This year’s rains were believed to have been exacerbated by El Nino — a climate phenomenon typically associated with increased heat that leads to drought in some parts of the world and heavy downpours elsewhere. But a study published by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group on Friday found that “researchers did not find any evidence that El Nino or the Indian Ocean Dipole had any influence” on this year’s extreme rainfall. The network of scientists has developed peer-reviewed methods for quickly establishing the potential role of global warming in specific extreme weather events.
