EDINBURGH city centre streets were turned into "rivers" following intense flash flooding on Wednesday.
Footage shared on social media showed cars attempting to drive through flooded streets and water plummeting down staircases.
Climate experts and campaigners have now warned that such extreme weather events will only become more common as climate change progresses.
Dr Vikki Thompson, a climate scientist at the University of Edinburgh who specialises in climate extremes such as heavy rainfall events, said that "overall, we will see more flash floods" like the one in Edinburgh "because of climate change".
"We know that climate change is increasing the chance of extreme rainfall," she told The National.
Asked whether such extreme weather events are "the new normal", the academic said: "I'm never keen on using 'the new normal', because it's the current normal.
"That's what we've got this year, but until we get to net zero, it's going to keep getting worse.
"Next year, it'll be hotter and the extreme rainfall will be wetter because of climate change.
"And whilst we keep warming up the planet, the 'new normal' is constantly going to be increasing."
Dr Thompson warned that people are not taking climate change "seriously enough",
"We know it's going to get hotter, we know we need to change things – but it's just not happening quick enough," she said.
"We need more adaptation, like increasing the drainage and clearing the drains at the right time."
The climate expert added that more needed to be done to prepare for flash flooding in advance, rather than responding after extreme weather events take place.
Dr Thompson added: "When you see a video on social media, it's like, 'oh, that looks fun', and you don't fully understand it until it happens to you.
"Especially with flooding, people almost can't imagine what it's really like until they experience it. We need to be making changes before the events happen."
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Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, a climate coalition made up of more than 70 civil organisations, warned that "extreme see-sawing weather" will only become increasingly common as global warming gets worse.
Fraser Sutherland, coalition manager for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, told The National: “Visitors and locals alike have been caught off guard by the dramatic deluges that gushed through the streets of Edinburgh during the city’s world-famous festival, coming after a long dry spell this summer.
“Unfortunately, scenes like these will become ever more common as global temperatures continue to rise and disrupt the climate system."
Sutherland said that scientists have "long been warning" of the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet, and that the flash floods show "how this is already playing out".
“In the UK this summer we have endured a series of dangerous heatwaves, with thousands of extra deaths in the hottest parts of the country, widespread wildfires and farmers reporting one of their worst ever harvests," he said.
Sutherland added that experts have warned of the "devastation prolonged rainfall can bring after periods of drought dry up land", adding that "governments know what to do".
He continued: “We need to stop burning oil and gas, the main cause of climate change, and move to cleaner energy from our abundant renewable resources. This must be done in a swift but fair way that will benefit workers and communities.
“We must also cut emissions from transport and move to greener farming methods to tackle the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Swift and strong action will improve lives, benefit health, protect livelihoods and boost the economy.”
Scottish Greens Edinburgh councillor Claire Miller expressed concern at the flash floods, saying: "Everyone caught in the sudden flash flood yesterday would have been shocked to see the infrastructure of a modern capital city failing to cope, but this is happening more and more often in Edinburgh with the changing climate.
"To future proof against extreme weather including further flooding events like this, we must work harder to create more sustainable drainage systems, and I'll also be following up to find out when gullies in the Old Town were last cleared out."
The National understands that the flooding witnessed in Edinburgh was caused by the sheer volume of rain that fell in such a short space of time, rather than blockages to the city's drainage system – which has been widely assumed on social media to be the cause of the Wednesday's deluge.
It is understood that the City of Edinburgh Council's floods and drainage team did not receive any reports of blocked drains around the time of the flooding.
City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher told The National: “In Edinburgh we fortunately haven’t seen the extreme temperatures that those in the south of England have had to contend with this summer – but we are seeing warmer weather, more frequent storms, and increased rainfall.
"We aren’t being complacent and we knew when we declared a climate emergency that we needed to take action to tackle the causes of climate change and be ready to respond to its effects on our city.
“I’m pleased to see the progress we’re making against our plans to tackle both the city’s climate and nature emergencies, to make sure we’re prepared for a changing climate – and importantly to support residents and visitors to cope with warmer and wetter weather.
"I want to encourage residents to play their part by making small everyday changes to the way they do things that will collectively make a big difference."
