Europe had most widespread floods for more than a decade in 2024, scientists say

By Kate Abnett

Europe faced its most widespread flooding last year since 2013, with 30 per cent of the continent’s river network hit by significant floods, scientists said on Tuesday, as fossil fuel-driven climate change continued to prompt torrential rain and other extreme weather.

Flooding killed at least 335 people in Europe in 2024 and affected more than 410,000, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological