Hugh Wilson, MSN Environment Contributor

Extreme Weather and Why it Happens

Lightening storm pictured here in South London in August, 2008

Extreme weather seems to be everywhere at the moment. Floods in Bangladesh follow droughts in Australia. Hurricanes wreak havoc in the Gulf of Mexico while typhoons devastate Japan.

The forecast from scientists and climatologists is that we should brace ourselves for more of the same over the next century.

The most recent IPCC report, which looks at how climate change will affect us, predicted more intense cyclones, droughts, heat waves and precipitation for all parts of the world.

Check out the gallery below for our rundown of some of the most extreme weather of the last few years, and what it might forecast for decades to come.

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