Heavy rainfall and flooding are to become more frequent as the climate warms, warns a Bristol climate change scientist.

The caution follows recent storms that brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the UK, causing widespread disruption.

Homes, shops, and roads were damaged, and residents in Yate were evacuated. In Bradford-on-Avon and Chippenham, town centers were paralysed, with road closures and schools shut.

“We expect that the intensity of rain will increase as the climate continues to warm,” said Dr Leanne Archer, research associate at the University of Bristol.

She continued: “So it will not only happen more frequently but when it does happen, the rain will be harder and that means that the water has to find somewhere to go much more quickly.

“That’s more likely to lead to these kinds of flood impacts that we’re seeing.”

Wiltshire councillor Ross Henning described the events as a stark reminder that “climate change is creeping up on us.”

He added: “There should be some mitigation put in place for people affected by floods. There are things that Wiltshire Council can do.”

According to Met Office data analysed by Carbon Brief, UK winters are likely to grow wetter and warmer over time.

Dr. Archer, a climate scientist, said researchers are already examining how climate change influenced Storm Bert.

Contemplating the possible solutions to mitigate future flood risks, Dr Archer said: “There is probably not one single solution but we definitely need to make sure that our current defences in place are future-proofed for our changing climate.”

She called for ambitious government targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and emphasised protecting new homes near rivers and floodplains through embankments or natural floodplain management.

A government spokesperson said: “We are prioritising our mission to become a clean energy superpower and accelerating the transition to net zero.

“Since July we have swept away barriers to onshore wind, consenting more than 2GW of solar and launched the publicly-owned Great British Energy to invest in renewables,” they added.

“At COP29 we unveiled our ambitious and pragmatic new target to reduce emissions by 81% by 2035 – building on the legacy of the Climate Change Act.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Withers highlighted the Environment Agency’s efforts to invest government funding in flood defence schemes to safeguard communities.

“We absolutely need to recognise that climate change is happening and our rainfall is becoming worse,” said Ian Withers, the Environment Agency’s director for Wessex.

These initiatives aim to mitigate the growing risks of flooding as the climate crisis accelerates.

“There’s a lot of work that we do with communities to understand how they can make their properties and businesses more resilient to flooding,” he said.

“But our flood defences won’t keep the water out forever.

“So our lifestyles and our businesses and our households need to be better protected to the risk of flooding.”

Both experts stressed the importance of proactive planning and emissions reductions to combat the increasing challenges posed by extreme weather events.