Extreme weather: floods, droughts and heatwaves

Extreme weather events pose an increased risk to nature, buildings, infrastructure, and human health. These events, expected to increase in frequency and intensity because of climate change, are already causing substantial damage and loss. We must adapt and prepare for life in a changing climate.

The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record for Europe and globally. Over 370.000 hectars of forest have been destroyed by wildfires in the first nine months of 2024. Around two million people across Central Europe were affected by the severe flooding in September alone.

Over the past decades, Europe has been experiencing frequent and severe weather and climate-related natural hazards like droughts, forest fires, heatwaves, storms and heavy rain. Climate change will make these events even more intense and more frequent.

Extreme temperatures do not only impact the health of vulnerable groups but also cause sleep disturbance for everyone. Rivers and lakes are drying up, impacting all life dependent on them. Soils are also getting drier, increasing fire risks and reducing agricultural productivity.

Other parts of Europe are experiencing intense downpours, sometimes flooding buildings and damaging property and infrastructure within a matter of minutes. Coastal zones will be at risk of more frequent storm surges, also resulting in flooded buldings or agricultural lands. Wind speeds are reaching levels never seen Europe before, causing accidents and serious damages to property. Other parts are seeing severe cold spells.

These events are unfortunate reminders of the changing and volatile climate that Europe needs to adapt and prepare for, while taking action to drastically reduce carbon emissions in order to slow down and limit climate change.

In the past four decades, extreme weather has been responsible for:

Half a trillion euros in economic losses.
85,000 to 145,000 human fatalities.
Heatwaves alone have caused tens of thousands of premature deaths in Europe since 2000. Their length, frequency and intensity are expected to increase, leading to a substantial increase in mortality, especially in vulnerable populations, unless adaptation measures are taken.
Cold-related mortality is projected to decrease owing to better social, economic and housing conditions in many European countries. There is inconclusive evidence about whether or not the projected warming will lead to a further substantial decrease in cold-related mortality.

Different regions in Europe will experience different changes in the patterns of extreme weather:

In northern Europe, annual precipitation and heavy rainfall are likely to increase, with droughts becoming less frequent.
Central Europe is likely to experience lower summer rainfall, but also harsher weather extremes (heavy precipitation, river floods, droughts and fire hazards), with mixed changes in annual precipitation and aridity.
In southern Europe, annual precipitation and summer rainfall are projected to decrease, whereas aridity, droughts and fire hazards are all likely to increase.

Find out how different regions will be affected

Climate-related extreme weather events vary by region. This means that one-size-fits-all responses are no match for the growing threat that these hazards pose to property and lives.

The EU’s adaptation strategy aims to ensure that Europe is better prepared to manage the risks and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Closing the climate protection gap by increasing insurance coverage can be a crucial tool for improving recovery, reducing vulnerability, and promoting resilience. EU Member States are also responding with national adaptation policies, including national, regional and sectoral climate risk assessments.

Preparedness activities are also in place at the EU level to help Member States prepare for extreme weather events. Early warning systems are essential parts of these activities. The European Civil Protection Pool helps advance European cooperation concerning warning systems for a faster, well-coordinated and effective response to weather-related disasters and natural hazards.

See the EU policies we support

Press releases and articles

Publications

European climate risk assessment

Responding to climate change impacts on human health in Europe: focus on floods, droughts and water quality

Extreme summer weather in a changing climate: is Europe prepared?

Economic losses and fatalities from weather- and climate-related events in Europe

Europe's changing climate hazards — an index-based interactive EEA report

What will the future bring when it comes to climate hazards?

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Datahub

Frequently asked questions

Europe's changing climate and summer 2024

Heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires have become more common in Europe during summer months. August 2024 was the hottest August, summer 2024 was the hottest on record for Europe and globally.

In June 2024, the devastating floods in Germany caused several fatalities and significant economic damages. Catastrophic floods affected many countries in Central Europe in September, also causing fatalities and affecting millions of Europeans.

The season of possible droughts, forest fires, extreme rain and flooding is ahead of us. European Environment Agency offers key resources to better understand extreme summer weather in Europe.

Extreme weather: what to expect?

Weather-related hazards facing the EU in the coming decades can be groupes as follow:

Hot and cold: Mean air temperature will rise steadily across Europe.
Wet and dry: Changes in rainfall are expected to differ considerably throughout Europe, with heavy rain in the North, more extremes in Central Europe, and a greater risk of drought in the South
Wind: Storm intensity is projected to increase across Europe, but changes in the frequency are projected to differ across regions. 
Snow and ice: Snowfall is projected to decrease in central and southern Europe, whereas mixed changes are anticipated for northern Europe.
Coastal regions: Sea levels will rise in all areas except the northern Baltic Sea.
Open ocean: Sea surface temperature is projected to increase in all European seas, with associated increases in marine heatwaves. Europe’s seas are also expected to become more acidic.

See our climate hazards report

Heatwaves, droughts, other extreme weather events increasingly influencing adaptation policies

Read the briefing on the Status of reported national adaptation actions in 2023

ImageImage Zvonimir Zvonar, Climate Change PIX /EEA

Climate health risks posed by floods, droughts and water quality

Climate change is worsening floods, droughts and is reducing water quality, posing an increasing threat to our health, according to an EEA report . Fast-tracking implementation and better coordination of efforts by governments, water authorities and healthcare providers are urgently needed to prevent and reduce health impacts.

Between 1980 and 2022, 5,582 flood-related deaths and 702 wildfire-related deaths were recorded across 32 European countries. Already today, one in eight Europeans lives in areas potentially prone to river floods and around 30% of people in southern Europe face permanent water stress. Climate change will further increase exposure of people to weather extremes with serious health consequences.

Extreme weather: floods, droughts and heatwaves

Europe's changing climate and summer 2024

Extreme weather: what to expect?

Heatwaves, droughts, other extreme weather events increasingly influencing adaptation policies

Climate health risks posed by floods, droughts and water quality

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