Nathan Williams
Live page editor

The severe flooding caused by Storm Boris has resulted in at least 21 people losing their lives.

In Poland a state of natural disaster has been declared in affected areas, and some 5,500 soldiers and 19 helicopters are assisting in relief and rescue operations.

In Slovakia's capital Bratislava and the Hungarian capital Budapest have both been preparing for possible flooding as the River Danube rose.

As our colleagues in BBC Weather point out, climate scientists have been warning us for years about extreme rainfall events like these as the planet warms.

Heavy rain is expected over much of Italy over the next few days, with the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lazio under yellow weather alerts.

We're now closing our live coverage but you can continue to read more in our main news article

We also have this explainer on the impact of climate change on weather

This page was brought to you by Cachella Smith, Rorey Bosotti, Sofia Ferreira Santos, Thomas Copeland, Sophie Abdulla, Rob Corp and me. Thanks for following along.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Central Europe is grappling with the aftermath of what some weather experts have described as the worst flooding in the region in nearly 30 years.

Before we end our coverage of the ongoing emergency, here's a brief summary of what has been happening on the continent:

• Twenty-one people have died across Poland, Hungary, Romania and Austria as a consequence of the flooding;
• The city of Nysa, in southwestern Poland, is still shoring up defences despite the provincial local authority confirming water levels have fallen;
• Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia remain on high alert as more heavy rain is forecast, threatening to push the Danube's water levels up again;
• The Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Lazio have activated a yellow weather alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms;
• Romania has declared a state of emergency for the counties of Galati and Vaslui that will stay in place until 16 October. Poland also declared a state of natural disaster;
• The Czech Insurance Association estimates the flood could ultimately cost the country 17bn crowns (£700);
• Several of the countries affected, mainly Poland and the Czech Republic, can expect severe disruption after heavy damage to their railway systems. Water traffic on the Danube remains shut in Austria

Countries need to work together in responding to flooding event, an expert tells the BBC.

Dr Carmen Solana, Associate Professor in Volcanology and Risk Communication at the University of Portsmouth says floods, such as the ones that have hit Europe this week, are becoming more frequent.

"Floods at this scale affect many countries and although in Europe we do have some cooperation and agreements, there is a need of even more international coordinated responses," she says.

Over the last few days, Nigeria has also experienced flooding caused by the collapse of a dam following heavy rainfall; at least 30 have died and several hundred thousand evacuated.

In Myanmar, at least 226 have died after severe floods and mudslides were triggered in the wake of Typhoon Yagi.

The storm swept through northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar in early September and has killed more than 500 people across the region so far, according to official figures.

Image source, Reuters

The director of the residence in Ostrava says elderly patients were moved to the upper floors as the water approached the building.

The Czech town is one of the worst-affected after heavy downpours ravaged large swathes of central Europe over the past few days.

Michal Marianek, who manages Iris Retirement Home, notes that lessons learned from a major flood in 1997 helped ensure staff was prepared to evacuate.

"We had a plan in place for what would happen. I have to say, we didn’t think the water would reach here, like it has today," he adds.

Despite the planning, residents still had to spend two nights in precarious conditions and will now be moved to alternative accommodation in the area.

Image source, Reuters

In Austria emergency service workers have been leading clean-up operations following heavy downpours.

In the city of Rust im Tullnerfeld, firefighters said some residents have been able to return to their homes this morning after the situation began to improve.

Stefan Oellerer, a spokesperson for a local fire department, said in the previous two days "the water level rose to knee-high" in some residences.

"There was water on the ground floor and in the cellar of all the buildings", he told Reuters news agency.

The superintendent for another local fire department described the situation in the last few days as "extremely chaotic".

"We basically found flooded streets," he told Reuters.

"Streams burst their banks, the whole situation was very chaotic, but the fire services from Lower Austria did a very, very good job."

Nick Thorpe
Central Europe Correspondent in Budapest

The height of the Danube is now falling slightly in Austria but still growing in Slovakia, Hungary and other countries downstream.

Waters peaked at 9.7 metres in Bratislava in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and are expected to peak here in Budapest on Friday. After that, the big question is how long the flood emergency will last.

In Hungary, power has been switched off for safety reasons to several villages. Sandbags are being built in vulnerable places along the 400km Hungarian section of the river, as well as on the shores of many tributaries.

In Romania, more rain is forecast in the eastern Carpathians, endangering towns and villages in Galati and Vaslui counties, which have already been hard hit.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

On the banks of the Danube, two brothers are piling sandbags next to the windows of their restaurant.

“We are very nervous but we have confidence in our defence structures and we are strengthening them where we can," Janos Botyanszki tells the Reuters news agency.

Image source, Reuters

"The real test is the live test, we will see now how much the dam can hold," says Jonas' brother, Lazlo.

Hungary's capital is bracing itself for record high water levels on the River Danube in the coming days.

"We have not received any help at all. All this comes from our own expenses. It will cost us about 25 to 30 million forints (£65,000)," adds Jonas.

Image source, Reuters

Firefighters in Pescara, Abruzzo say they have received more than 200 calls for help after heavy rainfall triggered flooding.

The southern Italian region is now under a yellow weather warning as the regional capital continues to experience persistent downpours.

The mayor's office confirms local police and officers from the civil protection department are working to limit disruption.

"We're working hard to stem the most difficult situations," they add.

Matt Taylor
Broadcast Meteorologist, BBC Weather

Image source, HELMUT FOHRINGER/APA/AFP via Getty Images

Storm Boris was the result of what meteorologists call a "cut-off low".

This is where part of the jet stream becomes detached from the main area of strong winds and circles over the same region for several days. An area of low pressure developed in it, with heavy and persistent rain (and mountain snow) pummelling the same areas again and again.

Record heat ahead of Storm Boris, and moisture-laden air being drawn in from above a "warmer than normal" Mediterranean, clashed with much cooler air trying to work in from the north which helped to make the storm even worse.

This resulted in record rainfall across a large area. In the Czech Republic, up to 500mm of rain fell in just five days. For a few places this was nearly 10 times the normal September rainfall.

Climate scientists have been warning us for years about extreme rainfall events like these occurring as the planet warms. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall.

Warmer oceans also lead to more evaporation, feeding storm systems.

For every 1C rise in the global average temperature, the atmosphere is able to hold about 7% more moisture.

Image source, Reuters

Smaller villages hit by flooding have no mobile network or even electricity, an aid worker in Poland tells the BBC.

"Services like firefighters, rescuers cannot communicate with each other," says Wiktoria Maciejewicz, director of field missions in Europe for the Global Empowerment Mission charity

"Some of the villages are completely cut off from the world" so water and food are being flown in by helicopters.

"The water has receded but leaves a path of destruction," Maciejewicz says.

"People have lost all their belongings, their homes, everything. Some also lost their lives."

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Police in Poland have said that they have information about six drowning fatalities caused during the flooding in the south west of the country.

Writing on the X platform, the police cautioned against "false information" following media reports that have put the total number of people killed at more than a dozen.

"Police headquarters has information about six people whose deaths may have been caused by drowning," the police said.

"We appeal to everyone not to provide false information about the number of flood victims in the media," they added.

Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe Correspondent in Poland

The flood waters are receding in some places here and spreading in others.

We are trying to reach Lewin Brzeski - a town with around 6000 residents - but the main road in, is impassable.

The town centre was inundated overnight, as the river overflowed.

The authorities say they're evacuating people and we’ve seen a couple of helicopters overhead and some volunteers trying to get through with a boat.

We've had to stop about 3km from town where there's water still pouring into the street from the surrounding fields, past the old church tower.

There is barely anyone around, but a couple of men drinking beer and paddling barefoot.

They shrugged. "What else are we meant to do?"

Up the road we saw men filling sandbags, but for a lot of these houses the damage is already done.

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The Polish ministry of defence has said 5,500 soldiers are supporting people affected by the devastating floods.

One thousand troops are supporting the services in Wrocław, the ministry said in a post on the X platform.

Nineteen helicopters are taking part in the relief and rescue operations and eight teams of military engineers are strengthening flood embankments and restoring transport links.

Military field kitchens are being set up to provide food and water to those in need.

In the town of Ladek-Zdroj, which was devastated by flooding when a reservoir dam burst, 700 beds have been prepared in a rehabilitation hospital and spa for people who have been evacuated from their homes.

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been in Wroclaw, the capital of Lower Silesia with a population of 600,000, for a crisis management meeting.

Almost 40% of the city was inundated by severe flooding in 1997 – the flooding killed more than 100 in Poland and the Czech Republic - and the mayor expects water levels in the River Oder to peak on Wednesday evening.

Tusk said there have been reports of looting in the town of Kłodzko in Lower Silesia, which was flooded on Sunday. He said looters would face the full force of the law.

A state of natural disaster has been declared in the affected areas until 16 October and at least four people have died in the flooding, police said.

Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe correspondent in Poland

As the floodwaters have drained from Glucholazy, they’ve exposed huge damage. On the pretty, main town square a vehicle, washed away from somewhere, has come to a halt, nose down in a deep hole in the pavement.

The main bridge was smashed by the swollen river and collapsed. Its ruins, plunged in the river, are now covered in the tree trunks that were torn from the embankment. Beyond that, most of Glucholazy’s streets are now thick with mud.

The floods rushed in so quickly at the weekend, many people had no time to evacuate.

On Monday, we found Natalia, in tears, mopping the dirt from her bedroom. She remembered seeing the flood coming. "I was scared," she told me.

"The water was everywhere."

Next door, her neighbour Krzysztof was distressed too. He and his wife only finished decorating their flat a month ago. Now a dirty line on the wall shows how the water rose over a metre high inside his flat.

"I've lost everything. All our money went on repairs," Krzysztof told me, surrounded by children’s toys coated in dark-brown mud.

"Now we have nothing."

As we've been reporting, several countries in central and eastern Europe have been hit by devastating floods over the last few days as Storm Boris continues to bring heavy rain in the region.

Slovakia and Hungary are bracing for floods as water levels continue rising in the region, while Italy is expected to see heavy rainfall in the coming days.

If you're just joining us, here's what you need to know about the floods hitting Europe after Storm Boris washed over the continent this weekend:

• At least 19 people have been killed in Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Romania.
• Other European countries including Hungary, Slovakia and Italy are now preparing for severe weather conditions in the coming days
• The Czech-Polish border areas are among the worst-hit - 15,000 people have been evacuated in Czech Republic, 3,000 in Poland, and tens of thousands are still without power
• Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk has declared a month-long state of natural disaster, with the worst flooding excepted to hit the Polish city of Wroclaw tomorrow

Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent

The Czech Republic's largest health insurer VZP has warned its clients against scam text messages offering people "insurance payments" to cover the cost of the recent floods.

VZP said fraudsters were apparently targeting people in the worst-hit areas, sending them texts purportedly from the insurer. Clicking on the link directed them to a fake website where people were asked to enter their bank details.

The authorities are making cash funds available to those hardest hit by the floods. Employees from the Czech Labour Office are being sent out in mobile teams to make immediate emergency payments to cover the cost of temporary accommodation, clothing and household appliances.

People will also be able to claim for loss of earnings and other expenses such as the cost of staying at home to care for loved ones.

The cost of flood damage in the Czech Republic has been estimated at 17 billion crowns (£700m) by the Czech Insurance Association.

Experts in Croatia say they expect to see water levels for three of its main rivers rise because of the heavy rain that pummelled central Europe in recent days.

The Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service warns the Danube could experience an "extremely rare" water increase and plans are in place to put up flood barriers if necessary.

Experts expect the Danube, Europe's second-longest river, to hit a level higher than eight metres (26ft) although they don't think it will burst its banks.

The Mura and Drava rivers are also being closely monitored with a presumption their water levels will also increase in the coming days.

Image source, Reuters