Italy braces for heavy rain as 21 die in Europe floods

Severe storms lashing central Europe are now approaching Italy, where warnings of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding have been issued for much of the country.

Flooding was reported in the central city of Pescara, while weather warnings from Italy’s meteorological agency were in place from the northern coast of Emilia-Romagna to the far south.

The warnings come as Floods have devastated parts of Poland.Czech Republic, Romania and Austria this week, killing at least 21 people.

Authorities in Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia also warned of flooding in the coming days.

Severe flooding was caused by Storm Boris, which brought heavy rain and snow over the weekend.

More than 5,000 soldiers have been deployed to help people. southern polandincluding 40,000 residents evacuated from the town of Nysa.

Floodwaters are receding in some parts of the region and spreading in others, the extent of the damage has been revealed in places like Glucholazy.

The town’s main bridge collapsed after being damaged by rising river waters, while many streets were covered in thick mud.

Polish police confirmed at least six people had died, warning against spreading “false information” after media reports put the death toll at more than a dozen.

The country’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has declared a month-long state of disaster – the worst of the flooding is expected to hit the city of Wroclaw on Wednesday.

Areas along Czech-Polish border among the worst affected areas, where 15,000 people have been evacuated. Czech Republic same

According to local NGO Člověk v tísn, the country has experienced its worst flooding in more than 27 years.

Ostrava was one of the worst-hit towns after the Oder River burst its banks following heavy rain on Tuesday.

Water levels continue to rise rapidly on the Danube River Slovakia And Hungarywhile Slovakia’s capital Bratislava and Hungary’s capital Budapest are preparing for the risk of flooding.

Emergency services and volunteers, in some places backed by the military, are also working around the clock to protect low-lying settlements in the area.

Austrian authorities have closed parts of the Danube River to shipping on the vital waterway due to high water levels, according to local media reports.

Croatia’s Hydrometeorological Service has warned that the river could see an “extremely rare” rise in water levels – and plans are in place to erect flood barriers if necessary.

IN IDEAcountry of The National Civil Protection Agency has also issued a yellow alert for nearly 50 regions tomorrow, warning that there is a risk of storms, landslides and flooding.

BBC weather forecasts indicate that the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions are the areas of greatest concern.

In the next three days alone, the area could see a month or two’s worth of rain and there are major concerns about the possibility of flooding.

The Italian Air Force Meteorological Service issued a red weather warning on Wednesday.

Firefighters in Pescara, Abruzzo, said they received more than 200 calls for help after heavy rain caused flooding.

IN RomaniaFurther rain is forecast in the eastern Carpathians, posing a danger to towns and villages in the Galati and Vaslui districts, which have already been badly affected.

Extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and intense in Central Europe as well as in many other parts of the world.

While the events in Central Europe fit with predictions of more extreme rainfall in a warming world, it is not yet possible to precisely quantify the impact of climate change.

To know for sure, a full scientific analysis of the natural and human impacts is needed — which could take weeks or months.

But climate scientists have been warning for years about extreme rainfall events like this occurring as the planet warms.

Warmer air holds more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall.

Warmer oceans also lead to more evaporation, creating conditions for storm systems.

For every 1 degree Celsius increase in global average temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture.