Climate change caused widespread destruction across Europe in 2024 as it experienced its warmest year on record – and continues to warm faster than other continents, according to the EU climate service Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
Extreme weather events, exacerbated by global warming and human-caused carbon emissions, resulted in €18.2 billion in damages – 85 per cent of which was attributed to flooding, the agencies say in their annual European State of the Climate report published on Tuesday.
During the year, there was a striking east-west contrast in climate conditions, with extremely dry and often record-warm conditions in the east, and warm but wet conditions in the west (including Ireland), it adds.
With record temperatures in central, eastern and southeastern regions, storms were often severe and flooding widespread, claiming at least 335 lives and affecting some 413,000 people.
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There were record-breaking numbers of days with at least “strong heat stress” (66) and tropical nights (23) in southeastern Europe during summer.
Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record, at 0.7 degrees above average, with the Mediterranean Sea at 1.2 degrees above average.
Europe is one of the regions with the largest projected increases in flood risk, and a global warming of 1.5 degrees could result in 30,000 annual deaths in Europe due to extreme heat, it warns.
More than 100 scientists contributed to the report, which reviews climate variables, from heat and cold stress to sunshine duration and cloudiness, and from wildfires to glaciers.
In 2024, people living in Europe experienced very different weather and climate with a distinct east-west contrast of dry, sunny and extremely warm conditions in the east and cloudier, wetter and less warm conditions in the west.
It confirms that 2024 was the first year more than 1.5 degrees hotter than before the industrial revolution, a level of warming that has alarmed scientists.
Western Europe saw one of the wettest years in the analysed period since 1950, while record-high annual temperatures occurred in almost half of the continent.
Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said 2024 “was the warmest year on record for Europe”.
“We observed the longest heatwave in southeastern Europe and record glacier mass loss in Scandinavia and Svalbard,” he said. “But 2024 was also a year of marked climate contrasts between eastern and western Europe.”
[ Earth saw ‘spiralling weather and climate impacts’ in 2024, WMO report findsOpens in new window ]
On flooding, the most extreme events were in central and eastern Europe associated with Storm Boris. Extreme heat and drought in southeastern Europe during the summer was a factor in extreme precipitation and flooding leading to devastating impacts and fatalities in Valencia and neighbouring regions in Spain during October.
“The 2024 report reveals that almost one third of the river network exceeded the high flood threshold, and heat stress continues to increase in Europe, highlighting the importance of building greater resilience,” said Florence Rabier, director general at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which is linked to Copernicus.
“With 51 per cent of European cities now having a dedicated climate adaptation plan, this underscores the value of our information, which is rooted in scientific excellence, to better support decision making around climate adaptation.”
WMO secretary general Celeste Saulo said the report highlighted “that Europe is the fastest-warming continent and is experiencing serious impacts from extreme weather and climate change. Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet.”
Adaptation is a must, she added, including putting in place a network of early warning systems to enable places to better prepare for extreme weather events, made worse by global warming.
Copernicus-WMO report key points:
Flooding: In 2024 Europe experienced the most widespread flooding since 2013. Almost one third of the river network saw flooding that exceeded at least the “high” flood threshold, mainly in western Europe – 30 per cent of the river network exceeded the “high” flood threshold during the year, while 12 per cent exceeded the “severe” flood threshold.
Heat stress: The numbers of days with “strong”, “very strong” and “extreme” heat stress were all the second highest on record – with 60 per cent of Europe experiencing more days than average with at least “strong” heat stress.
Renewable energy: The proportion of electricity generation by renewables in Europe reached a record high in 2024, at 45 per cent.
Cold extremes: The area of European land that experienced fewer than 90 days of frost days was the biggest on record.
Cold stress: There was a record low number of days with at least “strong cold stress”.
Glaciers: All European regions saw a loss of ice; glaciers in Scandinavia and Svalbard saw their highest rates of mass loss on record.
Wildfires: In September, fires in Portugal burned around 110,000 hectares (1,100 km2) in one week, representing around a quarter of Europe’s total annual burnt area. An estimated 42,000 people were affected by wildfires in Europe.
