Europe faced in 2024 the most extensive floods recorded in the region since 2013, with 30% of Epirus rivers overflowing, although high record temperatures were recorded at the same time, according to a report by the European Copernicus Observatory in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization.

By the flooding They lost their lives at least 335 people In Europe in 2024, while more than 410,000 were affected, the two organizations pointed out in their joint announcement.

At the same time, Southeast Europe has experienced the longest -lasting heatwave ever recorded, a total of 13 days, the Swedish glaciers decreased at the fastest rates that have been observed so far, and the thermal stress has increased to the inhabitants of Epirus.

The thunderstorms in 2024 “were probably more violent than the warmer and wider atmosphere,” explained Samantha Berges of the European Center for Medium Term Meteorological Forecasts (ECMWF). “With climate change we observe more often and more extreme meteorological phenomena,” he added.

Europe the continent that heats the most

From the years of 1980 Temperature in Europe is rising twice as fast as in relation to the global average. It is “the most heated continent” and has been reduced to one of the “hot spots” of climate change, said Florence Rabier’s ECMWF director.

This also confirms the provisions of IPCC climate experts (UN Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change), according to which Europe is one of the worlds where the most will grow the most flood risk due to global warming.

“It is urgent to act because the severity of the danger is expected to reach critical or devastating levels until the middle or the end of the century,” Andrew Feron Ferron’s scientific coordinator in the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Only half of European cities have drawn up adjustment plans to tackle extreme meteorological phenomena, such as heatwaves and floods.

Western Europe was hit more, with 2024 being the tenth of the wetter year the region has experienced since 1950, when archives began to be preserved. Storms and floods also caused $ 18 billion damage.

These are “the most extensive floods” Europe has known “since 2013”, Samantha Berges of the European Center for Medium Term Meteorological Forecasts (ECMWF) said during a press conference.

These disasters occurred during the warmest year that people have known since records of records, and The hottest for Europeand show that a warmer planet that absorbs more water than the atmosphere leads to more violent rainfall and floods.

“Every additional tenth of the degree of temperature raises is important because it is risks to our lives, our economies and our planet,” said Selest Saulo of the world meteorological organization.