OBSERVER: Europe’s Warmest Year on Record—Striking Climate Contrasts in 2024

OBSERVER: Europe’s Warmest Year on Record—Striking Climate Contrasts in 2024
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The European State of the Climate 2024 (ESOTC 2024) report, jointly published on 15 April by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), reveals that 2024 was the warmest year, both for Europe and globally, since records began. Across the continent, people experienced dramatic and contrasting climate conditions. While the east faced dry, scorching heat, the west endured heavy rainfall and flooding, marking a year of profound and disruptive climate extremes.

Almost half the continent experienced record-high annual temperatures, with around 85% of Europe classed as “much warmer than average.” At the same time, Europe saw the most widespread flooding since 2013, and parts of the continent saw some of the highest recorded levels of heat stress and glacier melt.

Key climate-related events in Europe in 2024. Source: ESOTC2024. Credit: C3S/ECMWF. Explore the interactive version on the C3S website.



“2024 was the warmest year on record for Europe. We observed the longest heatwave in southeastern Europe and record glacier mass loss in Scandinavia and Svalbard. But 2024 was also a year of marked climate contrasts between eastern and western Europe,” said C3S Director Carlo Buontempo.

Globally, 2024 was also the warmest year on record, following on from the remarkable warmth of 2023. Last year became the first on record with a global average temperature exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level. Ocean temperatures were also exceptionally high last year, influenced by the residual effects of the strong El Niño that peaked in late 2023, and higher-than-average or record-high temperatures in most ocean basins.


Record-breaking temperatures in Europe and the Arctic

Europe has warmed twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s. All datasets confirm that 2024 was the warmest year on record. The largest anomalies—between 2°C and 3°C above the 1991–2020 average—were observed in eastern and southeastern Europe, while Iceland stood out as the only country with much cooler-than-average conditions.

Notably, 2024 had only four days of well-below-average temperatures and just 59 days below average overall. In stark contrast, around 12% of the year’s days set new daily temperature records, and 45% were classified as much warmer than average.

Anomalies and extremes in annual surface air temperature in 2024. The extreme categories (‘coolest’ and ‘warmest’) are based on rankings for 1979–2024. The other categories describe how the temperatures compare to their distribution during the 1991–2020 reference period. ‘Much cooler/warmer than average’ - cooler/warmer than 90% of temperatures. ‘Cooler/warmer than average’ - than 66% of temperatures. ‘Near average’ - within the middle 33%. Data: ERA5. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.



Seasonal analysis revealed a clear pattern: while winter displayed a north–south contrast, with cooler-than-average conditions in northern Europe and warmer temperatures in the south, the rest of the year was dominated by an east–west contrast. Spring and summer were the warmest on record for the continent, with autumn ranking as the third warmest on record.

Turning to the Arctic, 2024 was the third warmest year on record for the region overall and the fourth warmest for Arctic land areas. Temperatures for the Arctic as a whole were 1.11°C above average, and over Arctic land, they reached 1.34°C above average.

Svalbard continued to break records, experiencing its third consecutive warmest summer, with average temperatures 2.6°C above average—well above the previous records in 2023 and 2022. Sea surface temperatures in the Barents Sea remained well above average, reinforcing the trend in one of the fastest-warming places on Earth.


Soaring heat stress and tropical nights

With extreme temperatures came dangerous levels of heat stress, a growing threat to human health. In 2024, Europe experienced the second highest number of days with at least ‘strong’, ‘very strong’, or ‘extreme heat stress’.

This was particularly evident in southeastern Europe, where a 13-day heatwave in July became the longest ever recorded in the region. A staggering 66 days of at least ‘strong heat stress’ were registered during summer—more than double the average. On 13 August, 99% of southeastern Europe experienced at least strong heat stress, and 53% endured ‘very strong’ levels, where the “feels like” temperature is at least 38°C.

Number of days with at least ‘strong heat stress’ in 2024, and associated anomalies, relative to the average for the 1991–2020 reference period. A day with ‘strong heat stress’ has a maximum feels-like temperature, based on the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), of at least 32°C. Data: ERA5-HEAT. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.



Nighttime brought little relief. Tropical nights, during which temperatures remain above 20°C, occurred in record numbers. Southern Greece saw up to 55 more tropical nights than average, and much of Italy, Türkiye and the Balkans experienced similarly elevated figures. For Europe as a whole, 2024 saw the second-highest number of tropical nights on record.

While heat-related mortality estimates for 2024 are not yet available, recent data show a worrying trend: 47,700 deaths in 2023 and 61,700 in 2022 were attributed to heat, according to WHO data. Check out this article for more information on heat stress and how it is measured.

Extreme flooding and drought conditions

2024 also saw devastating flooding events, with 30% of the European river network exceeding the ‘high’ flood threshold and 12% surpassing the ‘severe’ threshold. This meant that Europe saw the most widespread flooding in one year since 2013. In total, at least 335 people died, and 413,000 were affected. Because of these extreme impacts, the ESOTC 2024 dedicates a spotlight section to flooding.

Storm Boris, which struck in September, brought extraordinary rainfall. Over just five days, parts of Poland, Germany and Czechia received three months’ worth of rain. In total, 8,500 km of rivers registered flood peaks at least twice the average annual maximum. Floodwaters surged along major rivers including the Danube, Elbe and Oder, displacing thousands and causing significant economic losses.

Overview of flooding in Europe in 2024. Source: ESOTC2024. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.



Just a month later, eastern Spain faced catastrophic flooding. On 29 October, 771.8 mm of rainfall in 24 hours was recorded in Valencia—the second highest daily total ever recorded in Spain. The event, triggered by a persistent low-pressure system, had devastating impacts, with at least 232 people killed in the province of Valencia and fatalities in three other provinces. There was widespread infrastructure damage and more than €16.5 billion in losses.

In southeastern Europe, persistent heat was compounded by extreme drought. Rainfall levels dropped dramatically over summer, leading to low river flows, with 35% of rivers experiencing ‘notably’ or ‘exceptionally low’ flows. Many lakes in the region had below-average water levels. Drought conditions were the most severe in 12 years, according to the report, which includes a spotlight section on the extreme heat and drought.
Glacier loss at alarming rates

Glaciers across all European regions suffered net ice loss in 2024, driven by low winter snowfall and intense summer heat. The worst impacts were recorded in Scandinavia and Svalbard, which saw their highest rates of glacier mass loss on record, with average thickness losses of 1.8 m and 2.7 m, respectively.

Europe’s shrinking glaciers from 1970 to 2015/16. Source: ESOTC2024. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.



Meanwhile, the Greenland Ice Sheet recorded its third-lowest mass loss since 2001. This anomaly was influenced by near-average summer temperatures and above-average snowfall, which temporarily reduced surface melt.

Urgent need for action

The data presented in ESOTC 2024 underline the accelerating impacts of climate change across Europe. With Europe warming faster than any other continent, and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events, the need for climate action has never been more urgent.

Extreme heat, destructive floods and shrinking glaciers are not just isolated events - they are symptoms of a rapidly changing climate system. The consequences touch every aspect of life, from health and food security to infrastructure and biodiversity.

Encouragingly, 51% of European cities now have a dedicated climate adaptation plan, a marked increase from 26% in 2018. The report also shows that renewable energy generation reached a record high in 2024, providing 45% of Europe’s electricity.

Examples of climate resilience and adaptation initiatives being implemented across Europe. Source: ESOTC2024. Credit: C3S/ECMWF.



However, as WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned in the press release introducing the report: “Every additional fraction of a degree of temperature rise matters because it accentuates the risks to our lives, to economies and to the planet […] We are making progress but need to go further and need to go faster, and we need to go together.”

European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, also underlined the broader significance of the findings:

“The alarming findings of the European State of the Climate Report show us how important it is to have an independent, world-class Earth Observation system. As such, Copernicus makes a crucial contribution to resilience and preparedness in the EU. This is both in support of Europe’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and to lead the new economy that will emerge.”

The report, the second edition released jointly by C3S and WMO, is authored by the ESOTC editorial team at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF*), with additional contributions from the WMO, and around 100 scientists from across Europe and the world.

For the first time, the ESOTC includes a graphics gallery providing access to all the charts included in the report and additional graphics, in all more than 130 charts and maps, showing the bigger picture of climate conditions in Europe. All the visuals provided are easy to download and share, including the corresponding data. The ESOTC 2024 also includes an executive PDF summary with additional infographics, and an update to the key global climate indicators.

For a comprehensive look at the key variables from across the Earth system that shaped Europe’s climate in 2024, and their impacts, check out the full ESOTC 2024 report.

*ECMWF implements the Copernicus Climate Change Service on behalf of the European Commission