COPENHAGEN: A record amount of precipitation fell in Denmark in 2023, meteorologists said on Wednesday, noting that more increases could be expected as a result of climate change.

The annual tally of snow and rainfall as of Wednesday was over 907 millimeters (35.7 inches), national meteorological institute DMI said with over a week left in the year.

The previous record since measurements started in 1874 was 905 mm, a level reached in 1999 and 2019. On average, the Scandinavian country sees around 760 mm of precipitation annually, but this could increase.

“The warming from anthropogenic climate change gradually also leads to increased precipitation in Denmark,” Rasmus Anker Pedersen, a climate scientist at DMI, said.

According to Pedersen, by the end of the century, annual precipitation is expected to increase by seven per cent.

“The change is not uniform over the year — we do not expect a substantial change in the summer precipitation amounts, while the winter precipitation will increase by 12 percent.

Keeping in mind the climatic change, Danish renewable energy firm Orsted said it will build the world’s single largest offshore wind farm off Britain’s eastern coast. The company said it had made a final investment decision to build the Hornsea 3 project, which will have a 2.9-gigawatt capacity to power more than 3.3 million UK homes.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2023