Publication Date December 6, 2015 | The Weather Channel

Storm Desmond Lashes U.K., Ireland With Flooding, Winds Over 100 MPH; Taps Caribbean Moisture

United Kingdom
Flooded roads in the centre of Appleby, north west England, as Storm Desmond hits the United Kingdom, Saturday Dec. 5, 2015. Roads have been closed throughout the North and Scotland as Storm Desmond caused road chaos, landslides and flooding. Photo: Owen Humphreys/AP
Flooded roads in the centre of Appleby, north west England, as Storm Desmond hits the United Kingdom, Saturday Dec. 5, 2015. Roads have been closed throughout the North and Scotland as Storm Desmond caused road chaos, landslides and flooding. Photo: Owen Humphreys/AP

Six years after an unnamed storm wreaked havoc across Cumbria, Storm Desmond struck the county with fearsome impact once again...Environmental campaigners suggested it was a sign of a bleak future for Britain and the rest of the world, accusing negotiators at the UN’s climate change conference in Paris of “fiddling while Britain floods”...[The Met Office] said the indications were that some parts of the county might have experienced 300mm of rainfall, well over the normal 200-250mm expected in the average December...Asked specifically if the weekend’s chaos could be directly related to climate change, a spokesmanfor the agency said: “Climate change is happening now and we must build resilience and adapt to the changes that are unavoidable."