New Climate Report: Flooding and Heatwaves in Europe and Rapid Glacier Melting in Scandinavia in 2024

Hundreds of thousands of individuals were affected by flooding and severe weather during what has been recorded as the hottest year in Europe. In Norway, glaciers experienced unprecedented melting rates. The implications of extreme heat are central to the latest report titled "European State of the Climate 2024."

Carlo Buontempo, director of the European Union's climate monitoring service, C3S, noted, "We observed the longest heatwave in Southeast Europe and significant glacier mass loss in Scandinavia and Svalbard." He confirmed that 2024 marked the highest recorded temperatures in Europe to date.

Particularly high temperatures were noted in Eastern Europe, where several flooding events were triggered by unusually heavy rainfall in the western and central regions of the continent. Additionally, 2024 was reported as the hottest year globally, according to C3S and other research organizations, with the global temperature record being surpassed for the second consecutive year.