September 2024 floods in the Slovak part of the Morava and Danube River basins

Slovakia, like many other countries, has experienced an increase in extreme weather conditions caused by climate change. At the beginning of September 2024, following an extremely warm and dry period, a significant shift to cold autumn weather occurred, particularly in western Slovakia, accompanied by heavy precipitation and strong winds. According to forecasts, continuous heavy rainfall was expected over five days, which was expected to alleviate the dry conditions across the entire region. The rainfall was also anticipated to cause a significant rise in water levels, potentially reaching flood stages and increasing the risk of flooding.

The discharge rates of surface water during the summer months reached very low values. In some cases, they were close to reaching absolute minima at water gauging stations. August was evaluated as the driest month in 2024, after the aforementioned extraordinary precipitation totals on 11.9. – 16.9.2024, with a recurrence period of up to 200 years, there was a significant change in the hydrological situation, especially in the Slovak part of the Morava and Danube River basins. Significant increases in the water levels were recorded. During this time, 64 direct discharge measurements were carried out on fourteen rivers in the Morava River basin, and another 34 direct measurements on 4 rivers in the Danube River basin. To assess the impact of the extreme situation, the obtained data were analyzed, and the hydrological situation was evaluated.

 

Keywords: September 2024, floods, Morava River basin, Danube River basin

 

Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the Contract no. APVV-23-0332 and as part of project „Udržitelné hospodaření s podzemními vodami v česko-slovenském příhraničí“, ITMS21+:403201DNJ4, an Interreg Slovensko-Česko 2021-2027 Programme project co-funded by the European Union.