These 5 rivers in Europe will breach severe flooding thresholds in 2023

Climate scientists calculated that a third of Europe’s rivers breached the high flood threshold last year, while 16% exceeded the severe flood threshold.

From Italy to Slovenia and Greece, rising river levels in 2023 took a deadly toll.

Such fluctuations in hydrology are one of the major impacts of the climate crisis on Europe, as a new report details. climate conditions Reports from EU climate agency Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

exist 2023Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), said Europe has experienced its largest wildfires on record, one of its wettest years, severe marine heatwaves and widespread destruction Sexual flood.

Precipitation in our blue continent is around seven per cent above average, causing river levels to reach dangerous levels in some areas.

flood Last year, 44 people died in Europe – the same number as in 2017. wildfire – while the storm caused 63 climate-related deaths.

According to preliminary estimates from the International Disaster Database, approximately 1.6 million people were affected by floods, causing most of the economic losses (81%).

Five major river flooding events in Europe in 2023

In 2023, river flows in 16% of Europe’s river networks exceeded the 1 in 20-year severe flood threshold. This means that a flood event has a 5% chance of occurring in a given year, and the high flood threshold category occurs over a five-year period.

storm become stronger climate change These events were responsible for many of Europe’s worst flooding events, and are reviewed in depth in the Copernicus report.

5. Storm Minerva hits Italy, May 2023

The first serious trouble began in May, when heavy rainfall caused flooding in the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche. Storm Minerva After the first floods peaked on May 2, the floods arrived on May 16, bringing heavy downpours to the already saturated ground.

Flooding RenoA major river that rises in the Apennines and flows northwest to Bologna well beyond its dams for severe flooding.

A total of 23 rivers burst their banks, with water levels in some reaching record highs. Subsequently, a large number of landslides occurred, flooding an area of ​​540 square kilometers.

As of May 20, 2023, approximately 36,000 people were displaced and 15 deaths were reported.

Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumechi said at the time, new normal Extreme weather events in the Mediterranean require Italians to adapt and the country to rethink flood protection measures across the country.

“We can’t pretend nothing happened,” he said. Everything had to change: the planning of water infrastructure had to change, engineering methods had to change.

4. In August 2023, Slovenia received record-breaking rainfall

Slovenia was affected by persistent heavy rainfall in early August, causing flooding that affected two-thirds of the country. A marine heat wave Extreme rainfall in the Mediterranean in early August was partly responsible for this.

Rainfall levels in several locations were the highest since 1950. Extensive flooding was reported in the river, Sava, Mura and Ljubljanica river basins.

river flows into sava river The peak exceeded the severe flooding threshold. About 1.5 million people were affected, 8,000 were evacuated, and six people died.

Total damage was estimated at US$4.7 billion, making it considered the costliest disaster in Slovenia’s history.

In order to avoid a recurrence of the disaster, the government has embarked on major flash flood response work: building weirs, widening river banks, and raising embankments.

3. Storm Hans hits Norway and Sweden particularly hard in August 2023

From August 6 to 12, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and strong winds Storm Hans (named Finnish Storm Sylvia hit much of northern Europe, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Flooding occurred in Norway and Sweden, while other countries were more affected by strong winds and hail.

The rainfall resulted in the highest average monthly river flows in August on record gloma river In Norway, a severe threshold was crossed. A partial collapse of the Brask Redfors hydroelectric power plant on the Gloma River caused further flooding downstream. More than 5,000 people were displaced by the floods.

In Sweden, river flows occur once every 50 years. The storm uprooted a million cubic meters of trees, while a train derailed in the east of the country, injuring several people.

2. Storm Daniel causes damage to the Mediterranean Sea, September 2023

When Storm Daniel made landfall in early September, Greece, Bulgaria and Terkiye were affected by record extreme rainfall and flooding.

From September 4th to 6th, the rainfall in some parts of Greece in one day was equivalent to the annual average.According to satellite data, about 700 square kilometers of land were flooded and river flows Pinhos The peak was well beyond severe flooding levels.

Storm Daniel could be the most intense yet in terms of rainfall Greece This phenomenon has been experienced many times since records began in 1930.

17 people have been killed in Greece, about 5,000 people have been displaced, and large areas Agricultural land incorporated. Eight people were also killed in Telkiye and four in Bulgaria.

But Storm Daniel became even more deadly as it headed west across the Mediterranean. Libya. Extreme rains and flash floods caused a dam to burst, flooding the city of Derna and killing at least 4,700 people.

As of mid-December 2023, 8,000 people were still missing.

1. Five consecutive storms hit in December 2023

The last major river flooding event detailed in the report was actually a series of storms in December. Northwest and central Europe received more than normal rainfall from October to December, leaving land saturated and vulnerable to flooding after five storms.

These are: Storms Vanja and Walter in Ireland and the UK; Storm Zoltan hitting the UK, southern Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium and the north Germany; Storm Geralt (Bodo) over Ireland, UK, Norway and France; Storm Geraldine (Costa) affecting Ireland, UK and France.

Average river flows across the entire river network in December were the highest on record.

The deputy director of C3S explained that in Northern Europe, especially in winter, more rainfall events are more likely because the atmosphere is warmer and can hold more moisture Samantha Burgess. These events are likely to be more intense.

Nearly a quarter of waterways experienced unusually high flows, particularly in northwest and central Europe, including the Rhine and danube. The Loire River recorded a record monthly flow in November.

Floods hit many states in Germany, with the worst-affected areas entering a state of emergency and ordering evacuations.this weser river Just after Christmas, we passed the 20-year return period.

Storms and flooding across the UK have caused severe travel disruption, power outages and damage from flooding, fallen trees, landslides and tornadoes.

Can higher river flows be harnessed to generate electricity?

Many other flooding events occurred in 2023; plan out By scientists; from deadly flooding in Latvia and Belarus in April, to flooding caused by storms in Spain in September.

On the other hand, parts of Europe are also suffering from drought. in Spain, Ebro Traffic in May was near an all-time low.italian precious River flows were below average throughout the year, associated with severe snow cover deficits in the Italian Alps.

River flows in 2023 were generally close to average for Europe as a whole. hydroelectric power.

Last year, most countries, with the exception of Spain, Norway and Romania, had better-than-average levels of renewable energy generation.

Storms at the end of the year in particular caused run-of-river hydropower capacity to peak, nearly 20% above average. Increased storms also increase wind power production potential.

The last positive message from Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization is that the proportion of actual power generation in 2023 hit a record high renewable energy In Europe, the share is 43%, of which 17% comes from hydropower.