Heavy precipitation and flooding will become “more intense and frequent” in Europe due to climate change, a UN report has warned.

The organisation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said the activity of humans will lead to increases in the intensity of hot extremes such as heatwaves and rainfall, while reducing Arctic sea ice and snow cover.

It says these changes will be evident when the world reaches or exceeds temperature rises of 1.5C.

The report warns: “With further global warming, every region is projected to increasingly experience concurrent and multiple changes in climatic impact-drivers.

“Changes in several climatic impact-drivers would be more widespread at 2C compared to 1.5C global warming and even more widespread and/or pronounced for higher warming levels.”

It says global warming will “further intensify” the water cycle, meaning precipitation and surface water will become “more variable” over land regions.

Very wet and dry weather systems will also be intensified with implications for flooding and drought when this occurs, the report warns.

There is a “medium confidence” of Europe facing increased precipitation and associated flooding at 1.5C global warming.

However, the report goes on to say: “At 2C global warming and above, the level of confidence in and the magnitude of the change in droughts and heavy and mean precipitation increase compared to those at 1.5C

“Heavy precipitation and associated flooding events are projected to become more intense and frequent in the Pacific Islands and across many regions of North America and Europe (medium to high confidence).”

The report adds: “Several regions in Africa, South America and Europe are projected to experience an increase in frequency and/or severity of agricultural and ecological droughts with medium to high confidence.”

Mean precipitation is also expected to rise in northern European regions, the report sets out.

Another impact of global warming is that the Artic is likely to be “practically sea ice free” in September at least once before 2050.

In a stark warning, the report also warns: “Many changes due to past and future greenhouse gas emissions are irreversible for centuries to millennia, especially changes in the ocean, ice sheets and global sea level.”