According to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, climate warming caused by the burning of coal and oil has doubled the likelihood of heavy rain and was the main cause of the historic four-day rainstorm in Central Europe in mid-September.
AP cited research by scientists showing that weather changes cause heavier rains from 7% to 20%.
Scientists also warn that global warming will also increase the likelihood of major storms lasting four days by 50% and become more intense.
To examine the impact of climate change, scientists rely on weather data analysis combined with comparisons of current European climate models with pre-industrial times.
Torrential rains from Storm Boris in mid-September affected much of central Europe including Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Germany. Flooding killed 24 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, which is estimated to cost billions of euros to repair.
European Committee President Ursula von der Leyen pledged billions of euros in aid to countries directly affected by recent storms and floods.
The World Weather Attribution Group began in 2015 with the mission of assessing whether climate change is the cause of extreme weather events.
