Forecasters have identified the cause of the devastating natural disaster in Odessa.

The Odessa flood triggered a localized cyclone over the Black Sea, whose northward and eastward movement was blocked by an anticyclone. This led to the intensification of atmospheric fronts and record rainfall.

The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center reported this.

According to forecasters, the intensity of the severe weather was also influenced by warm and humid air over the sea. The Odessa weather station recorded 94 mm of precipitation in one day, which is 224% of the monthly average. By comparison, September 2016 saw an all-time record of 113 mm in one day.

Experts note that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common due to climate change. While heavy rainfalls used to occur two or three times per decade, 14 such events have been recorded in Odesa over the past 10 years.

Experts add that the cause is the warming of the Black Sea surface, the intensification of convective processes, and the accumulation of moisture in the atmosphere. Extreme precipitation events are increasingly observed in the coastal zone, requiring further scientific study.