Most common natural disasters Europe 2001-2020, by type

Floods are the most common type of natural disaster recorded in Europe. Between 2001 and 2020, flooding accounted for 41 percent of all weather-related disasters reported. By comparison, extreme temperature made up 23 percent of all natural disaster occurrences in that time period. As of 2021, the 1953 storm surge in the Netherlands and Belgium was the deadliest flood in Europe, with over 2,000 fatalities, while the 2021 river/flash flood in Germany and Belgium had 209 fatalities.

Contributors to weather-related incidents

Contributors to weather-related disaster incidents may be human action, land use, and land cover besides the obvious climatic factors. As of 2021, around 92 million addresses in Germany had a flooding risk category of hazard class 1. Elevated temperatures and strong winds can also intensify extreme weather disasters, as has been the case for wildfires in the Mediterranean in recent years.

Other effects and costs

Besides environmental damage, weather-related disasters affect the local population, hinder economic growth and come with huge insurance costs. For example, between 2013 and 2020, programmed restoration expenditure for forests damaged by fire in Italy amounted to 130 million euros.