People around the globe are experiencing dramatic heatwaves, deadly floods and wildfires as a result of climate change.

The UK and parts of Europe have seen temperatures of above 40C this month, leading to transport disruption and water shortages.

Emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels have been trapping heat in the atmosphere since the start of the industrial era. This extra heat isn't evenly distributed across the globe, and bursts out extreme weather events.

Unless global emissions are cut, this cycle will continue.

Here are four ways climate change is changing the weather.

1. Hotter, longer heatwaves

To understand the impact of small changes to average temperatures, think of them as a bell curve with extreme cold and hot at either end, and the bulk of temperatures in the middle.

A small shift in the centre means more of the curve touches the extremes - and so heatwaves become more frequent and extreme.

We may have to get used to winters where spells of weather go on for weeks - or even months.

New research suggests that the main system that helps determine the weather over Northern Europe and North America may be changing.

The study shows that the so-called jet stream has increasingly taken a longer, meandering path.

This has resulted in weather remaining the same for more prolonged periods.

The work was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago.

The observation could be as a result of the recent warming of the Arctic. Temperatures there have been rising two to three times faster than the rest of the globe.

According to Prof Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University in New Jersey: "This does seem to suggest that weather patterns are changing and people are noticing that the weather in their area is not what it used to be."

“We can expect more of the same and we can expect it to happen more frequently” Prof Jennifer Francis, Rutgers University

The meandering jet stream has accounted for the recent stormy weather over the UK and the bitter winter weather in the US Mid-West remaining longer than it otherwise would have.

"We can expect more of the same and we can expect it to happen more frequently," says Prof Francis

The jet stream, as its name suggests, is a high-speed air current in the atmosphere that brings with it the weather.

It is fuelled partly by the temperature differential between the Arctic and the mid-latitudes.

The cost of damage from extreme weather events is projected to increase in the future.