A Canadian minister has said he has "no doubt" that a deadly storm in British Columbia is linked to climate change. Thousands were evacuated after an "atmospheric river" - a long strip of moisture in the air that transports water from tropical areas towards the poles - dumped the region's monthly rainfall average in 24 hours.

The storm severed road and rail links and caused mass power cuts. One person was killed in a landslide, and at least two others are missing.

Mike Farnworth, the local minister of public safety, told reporters he had "no doubt these are climate-related events".

The impact of climate change on the frequency of storms is still unclear, but we know that increased sea surface temperatures warm the air above and make more energy available to drive hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons. As a result, they are likely to be more intense with more extreme rainfall.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

The extreme weather in Canada comes days after world leaders met for the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

The same region, British Columbia, suffered a record high heat wave in the summer that killed more than 500 people, and wildfires that destroyed an entire village.

(Source: BBC)