Europe’s Hottest Year on Record: 2024 Brings Unprecedented Heat, Floods, and Human Impact
Europe endured its hottest year ever recorded in 2024, marked by record-breaking heatwaves, widespread flooding, and escalating climate damages, according to the European State of the Climate 2024 report released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
A Year of Extremes:
€18.2 billion in climate-related damages, with floods accounting for 85%
335 lives lost, 413,000 people affected
Nearly 30% of Europe’s rivers exceeded flood thresholds — the widest extent since 2013
Eastern Europe faced its longest and most intense heatwave, with 66 strong heat stress days and widespread water scarcity
“Since the 1980s, Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average,” the report highlights. Drivers include Arctic ice melt, altered atmospheric patterns, and reduced air pollution particles (aerosols).
Flooding: Europe’s Most Expensive Climate Risk
Storm Boris (September 2024) inundated 8 countries; 8,500 km of rivers surged beyond double their annual peaks.
In Valencia, Spain, a staggering 771.8 mm of rain fell in just 24 hours — the second-highest ever recorded in the country.
12% of rivers crossed the “severe” flood threshold.
Heatwaves Scorch Southeastern Europe
13-day heatwave in southeastern Europe, with “feels-like” temperatures reaching 38°C
23 tropical nights recorded — nearly triple the norm
35% of rivers in the region saw exceptionally low flows due to drought
The IPCC warns that without urgent action, heat-related deaths could reach 30,000 per year in Europe, with southeastern countries most at risk.
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