Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and the impacts of climate change here are clear. 2024 was the warmest year on record for Europe, with record temperatures in central, eastern and southeastern regions.
A report,The European State of the Climate, found that Storms were often severe and flooding widespread, claiming at least 335 lives and affecting an estimated 413,000 people.
During the year, there was a striking east-west contrast in climate conditions, with extremely dry and often record-warm conditions in the east, and warm but wet conditions in the west.
2024 was the warmest year for Europe, with record-high annual temperatures in almost half of the continent.
For the year as a whole, Sea Surface Temperatures for the European region was the highest on record, at 0.7°C above average, and for the Mediterranean Sea, at 1.2°C above average.
There was a distinct east-west contrast in precipitation conditions. Western Europe saw one of the ten wettest years in the analysed period since 1950.
Europe experienced the most widespread flooding since 2013. Almost one third of the river network saw flooding that exceeded at least the ‘high’ flood threshold. Storms and flooding affected an estimated 413,000 people in Europe, with at least 335 lives lost.
The numbers of days with ‘strong’, ‘very strong’ and ‘extreme heat stress’ were all the second highest on record. 60% of Europe saw more days than average with at least ‘strong heat stress’.
Meanwhile The proportion of electricity generation by renewables in Europe reached a record high in 2024, at 45%
The area of European land that experienced fewer than three months (90 days) of frost days was the largest on record (~69%, the average is 50%).
There was a record low number of days with at least ‘strong cold stress’.
All European regions saw a loss of ice; glaciers in Scandinavia and Svalbard saw their highest rates of mass loss on record.
In September, fires in Portugal burned around 110,000 ha (1100 km2) in one week, representing around a quarter of Europe’s total annual burnt area. An estimated 42,000 people were affected by wildfires in Europe.
“This report highlights that Europe is the fastest-warming continent and is experiencing serious impacts from extreme weather and climate change. Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet. Adaptation is a must. WMO and its partners are therefore intensifying efforts to strengthen early warning systems and climate services to help decision-makers and society at large to be more resilient. We are making progress but need to go further and need to go faster, and we need to go together,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
