The DANA caused 70% of flood deaths across Europe last year.

BarcelonaEurope is the continent warming most rapidly due to the climate crisis, causing extreme weather events to increase year after year. In fact, intense rainfall and flooding had a particularly severe impact last year, causing a total of 335 fatalities across the continent, 235 of which occurred during the historic DANA (Flood Flood) that primarily hit the Valencian Community in late October. This means that 70% of flood-related deaths across Europe were recorded during that fateful event, an extraordinary figure. Torrential rains affected a total of 413,000 people throughout 2024, and wildfires affected 42,000 people.

This is the conclusion of the 2024 State of Europe Climate Report, published this Tuesday by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The data determines that 2024 was one of the ten wettest years in Western Europe since 1950. The entire continent has not experienced such extensive flooding since 2013, with damage to almost a third of the river network.

However, the report highlights the stark contrast in weather conditions across the continent: while the west experienced an extremely rainy year, eastern Europe suffered severe drought and record heat.

The warmest year on record

"2024 was the warmest year on record for Europe, with the longest heatwave ever observed in southeastern Europe," explains Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus climate change service, in the report. In this sense, the heatwave in the southeast of the continent lasted thirteen days. record number of days with "strong heat stress" (66) and tropical nights (23)

Buontempo also highlights a "record loss of glacial mass" last year in Scandinavia and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. annually, as it allows for "quality" information on climate change on the continent. "Learning how to use climate data and information to make our decisions should be a priority for everyone," he concludes. Europe recorded the most above-average days with these conditions. It was also the second year with the most tropical nights, 12 on average across the continent. The report warns that these conditions can harm Human health. In fact, it is estimated that global warming of 1.5°C could lead to 30,000 heat-related deaths annually in Europe.

"Adaptation is a necessity"

Furthermore, 2024 was the year with the lowest number of days with extreme cold, while there has never been so much European area (69%) with less than three months of days with frost. The annual temperature of sea water also broke records, with 0.7 °C above the average in all the waters that bathe the continent. The Mediterranean in particular registered 1.2 °C above average.

''This report highlights that Europe is the continent that is heating up most rapidly and that is experiencing the greatest impacts of extreme temperatures and climate change,'' states Celeste Saulo, secretary general of the WMO, in the report, warning: ''Every additional fraction of a degree of increase in temperature matters, because accentuates the cliffs for our vines, for the economies and for the planet; Adaptation is a necessity.''

Currently, 51% of European cities already have a climate adaptation plan, a figure that is significantly higher than 26% in 2018. In addition, electricity generation through renewable energy in Europe increased and reached an all-time high in 2024, with 4