Esme Stallard
climate and science reporter

The Japan Meteorological Agency estimates that at current levels of global warming, winter rains could go from once every 80 years to once every 20 years, and could become even more frequent if global warming continues.

Flood warnings were issued in more than 100 locations across the UK on Tuesday, with more than 300 homes already submerged in water, the Environment Agency (EA) said.

The daily heavy rainfall follows a similar pattern to the wet winters of recent years. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, six of the 10 wettest events since record-keeping began about 250 years ago have occurred this century.

Rainfall in the UK is strongly influenced by natural fluctuations, but the trend towards wetter winters is in line with forecasts from the Met Office.

The increased burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil over the past two centuries has released greenhouse gases such as CO2 into the atmosphere, warming the planet.

For every 1 degree rise in temperature, our atmosphere can hold 7% more moisture, leading to more heavy rainfall.