As Corpenicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) publish each year in their report on how the climate is in Europe, 2024 was the hottest year of all time; as the first reports of the beginning of the year suggested. The effects of climate change are clear: "Since 1980, Europe has warmed twice as fast as the world average and has become a continent of rapid warming," they say, noting that the warming is due to the Arctic, which is considered a region of rapid warming.

They warn of the abundance of extreme events: the rains have caused "catastrophic" flooding, resulting in at least 413,000 damage and 335 deaths. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe, and at least 42,000 people were affected by the fires. All this has also led to an increase in energy consumption.

A Significant Difference Between East and West

The eastern areas were generally sunny and warm, while the western areas were more cloudy and humid.

Research has shown that despite the increase in temperature across Europe, this trend has been driven by conditions in Eastern Europe. In this area, record heat temperatures and temperatures higher than the European average were recorded.

By contrast, the year in the West is one of the wettest ten years since 1950. The impact was evident in the rivers, where the highest water flows were measured in both spring and autumn. The east, however, recorded lower river flows.

Floods and heat waves

Europe is among the regions where flood risks have increased the most. 30% of the rivers exceeded the "high" flood threshold and 12% exceeded the "severe" flood threshold. The flooded rivers were the largest in number since 2013 and the fifth largest in 32 years.

In terms of heat, the number of days of “extreme heat stress” and tropical nights increased last year. Of the 95 days from June 1 to September 5, 43 were in a heat wave in Europe. The driest summer of the last twelve years was also recorded according to the "drought index".

Trends in climate indicators

The sea surface temperature increased since the 1980s: waters around the world +0.6°C; European waters +1.0°C and Mediterranean seas +1.3°C.In terms of temperature, the growth compared to the previous industry is as follows: globally, 1.3°C in Europe 2.4°C and 3.3°C in the Arctic.

Since 1999, sea levels have increased by +3.7 mm globally and +2-4 mm in Europe. The number of glaciers has fallen sharply since 1976: globally -9200 km³ and in Europe -915 km³. Finally, the loss of the ice surface since 1970 has been the following:In Greenland -6776 km3 and Antarctica -5253 km3.