Europe faced widespread flooding, heatwaves in 2023: Report

By Nur Asena Erturk

Europe faced widespread flooding and heatwaves in 2023, according to a report.

“Much of Europe was impacted by heatwaves during the extended summer, and both August and September also saw severe flood events,” the European State of the Climate report stated on Monday.

The report was compiled by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

“At the peak of a heatwave in July, 41% of southern Europe was affected by at least ‘strong heat stress’, with potential for health impacts,” it added.

The report stressed that the continent saw “around 7% more precipitation than average,” and river flows “were the highest on record for December.”

“During 2023, one third of the European river network saw river flows exceeding the ‘high’ flood threshold, and 16% exceeding the ‘severe’ flood threshold,” Copernicus said.

- Snow, glaciers

A lack of snow marked 2023 in Europe, the report said, with “fewer days with snow than average, particularly across central Europe and the Alps during winter and spring.”

The Alps also suffered from an “exceptional glacier ice loss” in 2023, according to the same source, due to low snow accumulation in winter, and melting due to heat waves in summer.

“Over 2022 and 2023, glaciers in the Alps have lost around 10% of their remaining volume,” Copernicus said.