 | It has been suggested that this article besplit out into a new article titledStorm Boris (2024). (Discuss)(October 2024) |
%2c_pow%25C3%25B3d%25C5%25BA.jpg) Significant flooding inKłodzko, Poland (September 2024) | |
| Date | January 2024 – January 2025 |
|---|---|
| Location | United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Andorra, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Spain, France, Moldova, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro |
| Cause | Heavy rainfall |
| Deaths | 337+[a] |
| Missing | 19[b] |
| Property damage | €13.8 billion[c][1] |
Throughout much of 2024 and the start of 2025, numerousEuropean countries were affected by severefloods caused by prolonged heavy rains. Several were catastrophic, causing deaths and widespread damage due to overflowingriver basins andlandslides. Deaths occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Germany, Romania, Spain, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Montenegro, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal and Slovakia.
Strong winds and heavy rainfall battered Andorra due toStorm Kirk's circulation, with maximum gusts of 126 kilometres per hour (78 mph) inPort d'Envalira and rainfall of 34 millimetres (1.3 in).[2]
Concurrently with flooding in Germany in early June, rising river levels on the Danube River reached 6.86 meters on the morning of 4 June, causing it to burst its banks inLinz, submerging areas close to the river. All river traffic along the Danube in theLower Austria area was halted.[3]
The flooding caused significant disruptions to the2024 European Parliament elections, particularly in the province ofStyria. The heavy rainfall rendered several polling stations inDeutschfeistritz,Hartberg-Fürstenfeld District, andGraz inaccessible or destroyed, necessitating rapid responses from local authorities to ensure that voters could still participate in the election process. In addition, The Übelbach river burst its banks due to the intense rainfall, causing mudslides that destroyed houses and washed away cars inÜbelbach.[4] Five people, including one firefighter on duty, died in Lower Austria.[5] On 15 September, a skier was found dead under a snowdrift inUntertauern,[6] while another person was buried by an avalanche on 13 September atKarwendel and remains missing.[7]
On 3 January, one woman died after being hit by a blown-away fence during a period of heavy rainfall in Belgium.[8] An infant was killed by a falling tree due to heavy winds and rainfall at a park inBrussels on 9 July.[9]
On 10 October, theEau Rouge River, near the French border, overflowed due to heavy rains fromStorm Kirk, leading to flooding. Around theArdennes region in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, the most rain was reported.Couvin saw major flooding, leading to a communal emergency plan getting activated.[10]
Southern Bosnia and Herzegovina was affected by flooding due to torrential rain on the night of 3–4 October 2024. Several towns were rendered inaccessible along with surrounding villages, as roads, bridges, and railways were blocked by flood waters andlandslides.[11] Reportedly, houses collapsed in flash floods while residents were inside.[12] The floods killed 27 people.[13]
According to Croatian authorities, the Danube was expected to crest on the Croatia–Serbia border around the weekend of 21–22 September.[14] On 13–14 September, the low brought a temperature drop of up to 20 °C (36 °F) to Croatia, causing an unseasonable snowfall in the mountains.[15] Flash flood warnings were issued for 3–4 October.[16]Gračac andKrk broke their all-time records for daily rainfall, at 249 and 192 mm (9.8 and 7.6 in), respectively.[17] The riversSava,Kupa andOdra were on the rise due to rainfall. Localised flooding was reported inOgulin on 4 October[18] and 23 houses were flooded in theKarlovac area during the following night.[19]
The 2024 floods in the Czech Republic caused insured property damage equal to around 8.4 billionCzech crowns (€331.1 million), but insurance company estimates[20] place the damage as high as 19.3 billion Czech crowns (€761.5 million). From a financial perspective this makes it the second worst disaster in the country's history, second only to the2002 floods.
The flooding began on 13 September after heavy rains. Over 200 rivers were reported spilling over their banks as of 15 September. The most critical situation was inNorth Moravia, especially in the region ofJeseníky mountains, followed by North-East Moravia where thousands of people had to be evacuated.Jeseník andOpava were among the worst hit places where a few houses were destroyed by the overflowing river. The evacuation operation there started on the night of 14/15 September in the major residential area ofKateřinky. The biggest city, which was flooded,Ostrava, was affected only in some parts; the damages are estimated to be billions of crowns.[21] There was an ongoing threat in a handful of places in theSouth Bohemian Region. For the whole country, four people are reported missing, thousands were displaced and around 250000 were left without electricity.[needs update] Several roads and railroads were closed and water also leaked into one station of thePrague Metro, but it remained operational.
On 15 September,Martin Kupka, the Czech transport minister, announced that the railway operation around Ostrava region, one of the major regions in the country, will remain suspended for at least a week to repair the damage caused by heavy rain and floods.
On 14 September five people disappeared into the water, four of them drove their car into a river inLipová-Lázně, one was found alive. One person fell into a usually small and calm creek while trying to clear driftwood off a bridge inJankovice (Uherské Hradiště District). On 15 and 16 September, four people died in theMoravian-Silesian Region[22] and another was killed inKobylá nad Vidnavkou.[23] In July 2025, it was reported that the Czech Republic will receive €114 million (about CZK 2.8 billion) from the European Parliament after meeting the criteria for a major disaster, following its application for aid in December 2024.[24]
At least one person was killed when 1,300 homes were affected by floods in northern France as a result ofStorm Henk in January.[25] Eight departments in northern and western France were put under flood alert.[26] Particularly affected was the town ofArques in thePas-de-Calais department.[27] TheRiver Aa overflowed following heavy rains.[28] On 10 March, five people were killed by floods following violent storms across southern France,[29] with seven others reported missing.[30] On 31 March, heavy rainfall lead to the severe flooding of the town ofMontmorillon.[31] Floods in Central France affected the departments ofYonne andSaône-et-Loire in April.[32] In June, heavy rains caused flooding inEauze,Montréal, andFourcès inGers.[33]
Due toStorm Kirk, a storm swell near the port city ofSete overturned three boats, killing one amateur sailor and leaving another two in critical condition, according to Herault department authorities.[34]Hurricane Leslie's remnants brought significant flooding to the country. Numerous communes recorded over 300 mm (12 in) of rain, with rainfall inMayres exceeding 689 mm (27.1 in). Some buildings were submerged, along with 700 people losing power. Strong winds uprooted a tree, killing a man and injuring his two children.[35]
Flooding in Germany caused at least nine deaths, insured property damage of €2.2 billion, and over 3,000 displaced individuals.[36][37][38][39][40]
In May 2024, over 100 liters of rain per square meter came down in less than 24 hours overSaarland. A woman inSaarbrücken was injured during an evacuation and later died, while aRed Cross worker died following a rescue operation from heart failure.[41]
In June 2024, significant flooding struckSouthern Germany, striking the most inBaden-Württemberg andBavaria. Dozens of villages had to be evacuated across Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria due to the straining and failure of several dams and dykes caused by the persistent heavy rainfall.[42] Among the rivers whose water levels significantly rose include theDanube, theIsar, theZusam, theWeilach, theIlm, thePaar, theSchmutter,[43] theRoth, and theLeibi.[44] Many places had more rainfall in 24 hours than their whole monthly average, and in many areas, the water reached levels that were present only "once in a century" according to the Bavarian Flood Information Service.[45]
An inflatable rescue raft containing four firefighters capsized while evacuating citizens inPfaffenhofen from floodwaters from the overflowing Ilm River, resulting in the death of one firefighter.[46] Another firefighter was missing, as well as a woman in Schrobenhausen which was later found dead. Carriages of a train were derailed by alandslide caused by the heavy raining nearSchwaebisch Gmund. None of the 185 passengers were injured.[47]
On 4 June, a 57-year-old woman lost control with her car on a flooded road. She was later found dead.[38] The Falkenstein Castle inUpper Bavaria partially collapsed to the north due to heavy rainfall, causing the evacuation of 50 residents under the castle complex.[48] On 5 June, a 79-year-old woman which was missing since 2 June was found dead.[37]
Rainfall and upstream flooding from Germany and Austria caused several tidal surges along the banks of the Danube and theRába in Hungary starting on 6 June 2024. The Danube tidal surge forced closure of theBudapest Public Road along a section of the "lower quay of Buda between Mozaik Street andRákóczi Bridge" and a part of "the lower quay of Pest between Népfürdő Street and Közraktár Street". The "main building" of theBudapest University of Technology and Economics was closed due to elevated river levels.[49][50]
By 10 June 2024, alerts were activated along 912.4 kilometers of river sections, with the highest degree alerts in place along 10.42 kilometers of these sections. The Rába faced record water at 4.22m atSzentgotthárd, initiating a third-degree flood alert and prompting the National Water Management Directorate (OVF) to mobilize over 400 staff members to build up extensive flood defense efforts, including placing 120,000 sandbags to construct a 2.5 km flood barrier inKörmend. The Strém andPinka rivers nearly received the monthly rainfall average in six hours, the latter recording its highest water level ever at 5.08m inFelsőcsatár.[51]
Overflow in the Danube and Rába in turn caused severalmosquito breeding sites to arise inSopron,Debrecen, andMiskolc, requiring the National Directorate General for Disaster Management to use biological control to prevent further spread ofmosquito-borne disease.[52]
As of 17 September, 500 kilometres (310 mi) of the Danube is under flood warnings in preparation due to rising waters. InBudapest, the city government handed out 1 millionsandbags to citizens. Train services between Budapest and Vienna were cancelled.[14] The lower half ofMargaret Island was closed off.[53] On the 21st of September 2024 the Danube peaked at 830 cm.[54]
In Ireland, three people were killed byStorm Isha; a woman died inCounty Louth when a van collided with a tree, a man died when he drove into a flood inCounty Mayo,[55] and another man died after his van was involved in a crash with a fallen tree and another vehicle inLimavady,County Londonderry.[56]
Concurrently with the late June flooding in Switzerland, the Valle d'Aosta and Piedmont regions in Italy were impacted with significant flooding. Approximately 200 residents in theValle d'Aosta region had to be evacuated by helicopter from their homes inCogne due to flooding and mudslides. Around 120 people in thePiedmont region were evacuated from Alpine villages following torrential rain.[57][58]
Due toStorm Atena, four mountaineers lost their lives during a climb onMont Blanc. The victims, two Italians and two South Koreans, were all found frozen to death.[59][60]
Due toStorm Boris, on 17 September 2024, flooding occurred inPescara.[61] Important floods also occurred inMarche region.[62]
On 17 September 2024, a firefighter died inFoggia when his service car was swept away by a raging torrent on state road 90 connectingSan Severo toApricena.[63] That same day, a two-seater plane with three French nationals on board crashed into theTuscan-Emilian Apennines due to bad weather,[64] killing the occupants.[65] On September 24, a 64-year-old female German tourist was killed[66] and her infant nephew went missing after a river overflooded inMontecatini Val di Cecina, in theTuscany region;[67] a volunteer for theItalian Red Cross died during a traffic collision amid rescue operations.[68]
On 18 and 19 September, major flooding occurred inEmilia-Romagna, around the same areas affected by thedeadly floods of May 2023.[69] The rivers Marzeno andLamone overflooded inRomagna, causing the evacuation of more than 1,000 people.[70] Several landslides occurred in theApennine Mountains area.[71][72][73][74] Important floods also occurred inMarche region.[62]
On 17 October 2024, inLiguria, flooding inSori,Recco andRapallo due to heavy rains, amushroom hunter died in the woods ofBorzonasca, where heavy rains fell and on 18 October 2024, theEntella overflows inChiavari.[75][76][77] The rain was so intense and strong that it came down from the Sori bridge onto the river below, making it look like a waterfall.[78]On 17 October 2024, the train station ofSiena, inTuscany was flooded after heavy rains.[77]
In the night between 19 and 20 October, a severe flood hit the city ofBologna, in Emilia-Romagna region. In only six hours, more than 150 mm of rain fell, the same amount of rain which usually falls in two months,[79] causing the overflow of several streams and rivers. An 20-year-old man, reported missing overnight after his car was washed away when the Zena river broke its banks, was found dead in the early morning.[80] More than 3,000 people were evacuated through Bologna metropolitan area.[81] It was the third time in less than 17 months that the region was affected by a major flood.
On 19 October 2024, heavy rains and floods inCatania.[82]On 20 October 2024, severe flooding inLicata due to the overflowing of theSalso river, people saved themselves by climbing onto the roofs.[83]On 22 October 2024, heavy rains and floods betweenGiarre andMascali, in Sicily.[84]
On 26 October 2024, inLiguria, theBormida inCarcare and theQuiliano flooded. A person is missing in the municipality ofArenzano, dragged by a landslide with the car first into the Lissolo stream and then into the Lerone.[85] Several areas flooded betweenPisa andLivorno, 15 people rescued.[86]On 27 October 2024, InTurin thePo overflows at the Murazzi.[87]Also inSardinia, due to heavy rains, a 41-year-old man was overwhelmed with his off-road vehicle in theMonte Arcosu nature reserve by a torrent in flood that caused the vehicle to roll down a slope. The man was found dead on 31 October 2024.[88][89]
On 8 November 2024, InCatania,Sicily and neighboring towns such asAcireale, numerous floods and some streams overflowed due to heavy rains.[90][91]On 11 November 2024, red alert for heavy rains ineastern Sicily.[92][93][94]Protezione Civile on maximum alert in Sicily due to heavy rains.[95][96][97] Two days later, theProvince of Catania was heavily affected by floods: heavy rains occurred inTorre Archirafi, afrazione ofRiposto, where the streets have turned into rivers. Dozens of firefighters intervened. InAci Sant'Antonio, some people were rescued after being trapped inside a supermarket completely underwater. Some motorists stranded in their cars were also rescued. Critical situations also occurred inAcireale andGiarre. In thefrazione of Altarello, four people stuck on the lower floors of their flooded house were rescued.[98][99][100]
In Luxembourg, the heaviest rainfall fromStorm Kirk was around theUpper Sûre Lake. A park inMersch was flooded, but only few homes suffered damage.[101] In Sweden, the regions ofVästerbotten andVästernorrland, 50 millimetres (2.0 in) of rain fell. The rainfall led to many streams overflowing. A yellow and orange alert was issued in the country.[102]
In July, two people were killed by lightning caused by a storm in Montenegro, with heavy winds and rain uprooting trees and causing minor damage to buildings.[103] In early October, flooding was reported in parts of the country, with buildings being swept away by large streams of water.[104]
From 13 September, storms and torrential rainfall struckOpole Voivodeship andLower Silesia, leading to flooding on 14–16 September. Ten people were reported dead as a result of the floods, with thousands displaced and between 50 and 70 thousand left without electricity.[105][106] Severe flooding alerts were reached in 82 measuring stations, primarily in the river basin of theOder.[107]
On 14 September, in the town ofGłuchołazy, water overflew flood barriers and destroyed a temporary bridge on theBělá river, leading to mandatory evacuation.[108] Schools in the towns ofNysa,Kłodzko andJelenia Góra were closed. Trains in the region were suspended due to multiple cases of track erosion and fallen trees.[109]
On 15 September, Prime Minister of Poland,Donald Tusk, declared astate of natural disaster.[110] 2600 people were evacuated from affected areas on that day alone.[111] Flood barriers failed in the towns ofKłodzko andNysa, leading to flooding up to 150 cm in the town centre of Kłodzko, with mayors calling for evacuation.[112][113] The dam inMiędzygórze overflew and was deemed out of control by the Regional Water Management Board inWrocław.[114] Later same evening, the dam inStronie Śląskie failed, causing torrents strong enough to completely destroy homes.[115][116] On the night of 15–16 September, thePilchowice Dam overflowed, resulting in flooding of the towns ofLwówek Śląski,Gryfów Śląski andWleń.[117][118] Other badly affected towns includedBystrzyca Kłodzka,Lądek-Zdrój andLewin Brzeski.[119][120]
A 21-year-old female tourist from Spain was killed while hiking inMadeira due to a landslide on 23 August.[121]
In October, the remnants of Kirk caused widespread flooding and heavy winds across Portugal. InPorto, 400 trees were uprooted. The storm cut power to more than 300,000 households, according to the country's electricity supplier. Weather and civil protection officials, who had predicted winds of up to 75 mph (121 km/h) and heavy rain, placed the coast on a yellow alert as waves reached up to seven metres (23 ft) high.[122] Strong winds from Kirk severely impacted the country's apple production, with over 65% of the crops suffering damage. Losses from this are estimated to be in the "tens of millions of euros".[123]
Seven people were reported dead as the result of floods in Romania.[124][125]
After a strong wind on the night of 14 to 15 September 2024, which was preceded by several days of heavy rains, water streams in Slovakia also rose. The worst hydrological situation occurred in basins ofKysuca and Myjava rivers, and smallerLittle Carpathians basins. The riversDanube andMorava also rose.[126]Rohožník,Jablonica,Stupava,[127] andDevínska Nová Ves were flooded during night and morning. The Blatina (Saulak)brook overflowed and flooded the parking lot and the underground of an apartment building on Dona Sandtnera Street inSídlisko Sever II,Pezinok.[128][129] The 2nd and 3rd level of flood activity was issued forWestern Slovakia on 15 September.[126] On Monday, 16 September, at noon, the level of the Danube reached a height of 926 centimeters and overflowed onto the Tyrš Embankment (Tyršovo nábrežie) and Fajnor Embankment (Fajnorovo nábrežie) inBratislava.[130] The Danube reached height of 970 centimeters on Tuesday, 17 September, at 2:30 a.m.,[131] at 7:00 a.m. The body of a 73-year-old man was found in the flooded basement of a family home inDevín borough,[132] and the level of Danube reached 966 centimeters at 10 a.m.[131] On Wednesday, 18 September, the level of the Danube and Morava peaked between 970 and 980 centimeters, in Devín they reached approximately 910 centimeters.[133]
Although the city centre of Bratislava was mostly unscathed by the floods, severaltram lines, theBratislava Zoo and theBratislavský lesný park sustained major damage.[134] Damages across the country were estimated at 20 million euros.[135]
Four people were killed duringStorm Nelson in Spain in three separate incidents on 28 March, all of which involved the sea. Two of them were inAsturias; a tourist was killed after falling into the sea inMuros de Nalón and a woman was killed inCudillero after falling into the sea and being thrashed against some rocks.[136] A Moroccan boy and a German man drowned nearTarragona,Catalonia, after the man entered the water to help the boy.[137]
From 11 to 13 June, heavy flooding caused by torrential rain severely affected the regions ofCosta Blanca,Murcia andMallorca in Spain. Heavy flooding in Murcia prompted 113 emergency calls, requiring the local Emergency Coordination Centre to respond to 324 issues. Damage by heavy rainfalls were exacerbated by inadequate drainage and road blockages caused by fallen trees and other debris. InCalasparra, a person trapped in their car while attempting to cross a flooded road was rescued by the fire brigade and taken to the hospital withhypothermia.[138]
In Mallorca, Storm Tamara caused 71.8 mm of rainfall in four hours at thePalma Airport, flooding its runways and leading to its temporary closure. Videos from the terminal showed floodwaters nearly reaching the bottom of airplane engines. Over 100 flights were canceled or delayed, affecting British tourists traveling to and fromGatwick,Luton, andBristol airports. In Costa Blanca, a sudden 20-minute downpour causing hail and significant flooding, with several recorded videos showing violent waters flowing through town centers and trapped citizens in cars, producing more rain than the entire summer's average.[138] In September, further flooding resulted in the deaths of two British hikers.[139]
Due toStorm Kirk, six people were injured, including five inCastile and León; a total of 370 incidents were reported in the region.[140] Two people required medical attention after a car accident in Valladolid.[141]
On 29 October, an unusually intensecold drop led towidespread flooding in Valencia and other parts of southeastern Spain, such asAlmería[142][143] andMálaga,[144] killing 230 people and leaving 4 more missing.[145] The floods were considered the worst natural disaster in the country's modern history.[146]
In late June, a series of violent thunderstorms and melting snow triggered severe flooding and landslides in southern Switzerland, resulting in the deaths of at least eight individuals, with six more reported missing,[57] including one fromBinn.[147] The cantons ofTicino andValais in Switzerland were significantly affected. In the Ticino canton, three people lost their lives in a landslide in theValle Maggia. Their bodies were recovered in the Fontana area of the valley. A bridge downstream from the disaster area was submerged, complicating rescue efforts. One campsite in the Valle Maggia was evacuated by helicopter, in addition to 300 participants in a local soccer tournament.[57]
Another person was reported missing in theLavizzara side-arm of the valley. In the Valais canton, a man was found deceased in aSaas-Grund hotel, which Swiss police said was likely due to unexpected flooding exacerbated by melting snow. Another individual was reported missing in a different area in Valais.[57]
Flooding was recorded in parts of the United Kingdom due toStorm Henk.[148] Two people were killed due to falling trees inMalmesbury,Wiltshire[149] andCrays Pond,Oxfordshire.[150] Due toStorm Isha, an elderly man died after the car he was travelling in hit a fallen tree inGrangemouth,[151] and another man was killed after falling into a manhole inBradford.[152] One fatality was also reported fromStorm Jocelyn; a 73-year-old man from theIsle of Lewis was fatally injured in a car crash.[153] On 22 May, a 10-year-old girl was killed by a mudslide inNorth York Moors.[154] On 20 November, the body of a man was found at a flooded marsh inFrodsham.[155]
Media related to2024 floods in Europe at Wikimedia Commons
