Scientists have warned that extreme rains could become more common in eastern Australia, following heavy downpours from May 19-23 that caused widespread flooding, claimed five lives and left some 50,000 people stranded. The warning is based on a recent rapid analysis by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a global research network that examines the role of climate change in extreme weather events. WWA’s analysis shows that extreme four-day rainfall events, like the one that occurred in the state of New South Wales in May, are now around 10% more intense and twice as likely in today’s climate, which is 1.3° Celsius (2.3° Fahrenheit) warmer than in preindustrial times. Report co-author Mariam Zachariah, from Imperial College London, said in a press release sent to Mongabay that it’s unclear how much climate change influenced the recent floods in NSW. “However, it is certain that floods in the state are causing serious harm and the risk of even more dangerous events needs to be taken seriously.” The May rainfall damaged more than 10,000 properties and killed five people in the state, media reported. Farmers also lost their livestock and hundreds of residents had to flee to evacuation centers. Mongabay previously reported on floods devastating normally arid parts of the country, in addition to wildfires and cyclones, some of which have been attributed to climate change. From May 19-23, coastal areas of NSW received 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain per day. The WWA study showed such rainfall in the studied area has become relatively…This article was originally published on Mongabay