Europe faced a particularly challenging year in 2024, marked by extreme weather events—most notably widespread flooding—that left hundreds dead, caused immense destruction, and forced the continent to confront the escalating impacts of climate change. According to a joint report by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Europe is warming at twice the global average rate, with dire consequences already unfolding in the daily lives of its citizens.

One of the report’s most alarming findings is that nearly one-third of Europe’s river monitoring network exceeded critical flood thresholds in 2024, with Western Europe being hit the hardest. The numbers paint a stark picture: Europe is now warming faster than any other region on the planet.

The Hottest Year on Record

In detail, 2024 was officially the warmest year ever recorded in Europe. Record-breaking temperatures were observed across central, eastern, and southeastern parts of the continent. Storms became more intense and flooding more widespread, leading to at least 335 deaths and directly impacting around 413,000 people.

The year also revealed a growing climate divide across the continent: while Eastern Europe experienced extreme drought and record-breaking heat, Western Europe saw unseasonably warm but also extremely wet weather. These storms and floods were the most costly weather-related disasters in Europe, with damages exceeding €18 billion.

Storm “Boris”

In September storm “Boris” dumped three months’ worth of rain in just five days across parts of Central and Eastern Europe. The resulting floods caused widespread destruction across eight countries.

Just a month later, powerful storms fueled by warm, humid winds from the Mediterranean brought torrential rains to Spain. The region of Valencia was especially hard-hit, suffering massive destruction and the tragic loss of 232 lives.

A Year of Floods and Heatwaves

Severe flooding became a nearly monthly occurrence across Europe in 2024:

  • January: United Kingdom
  • February: Northern Spain
  • March & May: Northern France
  • June: Germany and Switzerland

Meanwhile, Southeastern Europe endured the longest heatwave ever recorded in the region—lasting 13 consecutive days. In Sweden, glaciers shrank at the fastest pace seen to date, and across the continent, people faced increased levels of heat stress.

A Troubling Climate Trajectory

Since the 1980s, Europe’s average temperature has been rising at twice the global average rate. Despite these warnings, only about half of European cities have adopted climate adaptation plans to deal with extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods.

Still, this marks a significant improvement compared to 2018, when just 18% of cities had such plans in place—an encouraging sign of progress, the report notes.