Denmark is facing a historically wet April, where an 88-year-old rainfall record is on the verge of being broken. According to the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), just 3.2 millimeters of rain need to fall from Friday at 9:00 am to break the record from 1936, when 98 millimeters of rainfall were measured during the month. Mikael Scharling, a climatologist at DMI, explains that 94.9 millimeters of rain have already been measured in April, and with more rain in the forecast, it is expected that the record will be broken by the afternoon.
“It is unusually wet for April, which is normally one of the driest months,” he says. This record is not just a result of random weather phenomena. Scharling points out that climate change plays a significant role in changing weather patterns, leading to more extreme weather conditions such as longer periods of drought and intense rainfall. “Climate change contributes to more stagnant weather systems, resulting in more records in both temperature and rainfall,” he explains.
DMI’s rainfall measurements date back to 1874, and the current situation highlights the increased frequency of extreme weather events that researchers have warned about in connection with climate change. While the April record may be broken this year, it is a reminder that climate change will continue to challenge the historical weather patterns we have known.