Image source, Italian National Civil Protection Service

The Italian Meteorological Service has issued warnings for heavy rainfall, strong winds and intense storms from the early hours of this morning, lasting until Thursday.

The alerts stretch from northern coast of Emilia-Romagna to the south of the country.

The National Civil Protection Service has also issued yellow alerts for nearly 50 regions tomorrow, warning that there is a risk of storms, landslides and floods.

What role has warming Med played in the flooding?published at 12:37 British Summer Time 17 September

12:37 BST 17 September

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

One important element in the torrential rain and flooding seen across central Europe has been the heating experienced across the Mediterranean Sea.

By early August, the average temperature of the whole sea was almost 2C warmer than normal, according to newspaper reports, with a tidal gauge off Majorca recording the water hitting a very warm 30C.

These types of temperatures lead to higher evaporation rates, putting more moisture in the air.

A similar story happened in the Black Sea.

When this overload of warm moisture met a cold front it created the ideal conditions for the devastation that Storm Boris delivered.

Humans have played a major role in making the Mediterranean region warmer according to researchers from the World Weather Attribution group.

They found that a heatwave this July across the Mediterranean would have been "virtually impossible" if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels.

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Matt Taylor
Broadcast Meteorologist, BBC Weather

Low pressure has now stalled over Italy. Frequent showers and thunderstorms are expected quite widely over the next few days.

However, forecasts are pinpointing the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions as an area of greatest concern.

We could see one or two months-worth of rain fall across the region in the next three days alone, and the prospect of flooding is a great concern.

Red weather warnings have already been issued by the Italian Air Force Meteorological Service for Wednesday.

In the Czech city of Ostrava, a broken barrier where the Oder river meets the Opava river caused flooding throughout the city's industrial centre.

Recovery efforts are now under way here while rivers continue to burst their banks across the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic has experienced the worst flooding in over 27 years, according to a local NGO.

Volunteers from Člověk v tísn, a Prague-based non-profit, estimate the damage following this week's flooding to more extensive than previous deluges.

"The situation is far worse than we expected. In many places, the flood caused more damage than the catastrophic floods of 1997. The affected area is huge, including many hard-to-reach villages," the group says in a statement.

In 1997, the Oder Flood caused an estimated €3.4bn (£2.8bn) in damages and killed 114 people.

As we've been reporting, at least 18 people have died in flooding in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Austria. In the Czech Republic, Ostrava has been one of the most affected towns - pictures show the extent of the devastation.

Image source, RADEK MICA/AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, RADEK MICA/AFP via Getty Images

How is extreme rainfall linked to climate change?published at 11:53 British Summer Time 17 September

11:53 BST 17 September

Mark Poynting
Climate and environment researcher

Extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and more intense across central Europe, as across much of the world.

While events in central Europe fit with expectations of more extreme rainfall in a warming world, it is not yet possible to quantify exactly how much of a role climate change has played.

For that, we need to wait for a full scientific analysis of the natural and human influences, which can take weeks or months.

Warmer air can hold more moisture – about 7% for every 1C of temperature rise. This extra moisture can lead to heavier rainfall.

Europe has warmed particularly quickly in recent decades. The last five years were on average around 2.3C warmer than the second half of the 19th Century, according to the European climate service, Copernicus.

Image source, EPA

The Polish government is expecting the worst of the flooding to hit tomorrow in the Lower Silesian capital of Wroclaw.

More than 3,000 people have been evacuated across the country already, the Polish deputy climate minister Urszula Sara Zielińska tells the BBC.

"Everyone is focused on making people safe, evacuating areas that need to be evacuated and monitoring the flooding infrastructure, making sure it is operational," she says.

Flooding of this severity is not normal, Zielińska adds.

After a devastating flood in 1997 it was said that natural disasters of that scale would "happen once every thousand years," Zielińska says, but flooding on a similar scale has hit Poland again.

"There is a clear cause to that and it's called climate change," she says.

Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe correspondent, reporting from Poland

It was a tense night in Nysa, Poland, as volunteers packed sacks full of sand then formed human chains to get them to the riverbank.

There were sirens and helicopters through the night, as teams – including soldiers and firefighters – worked to plug a gap in the embankment that had partially collapsed under the pressure of the swollen river.

That’s why the mayor ordered an emergency evacuation on Monday, with an alarming warning that if the patch-up efforts failed, a wave of flood water could inundate the whole town.

We saw people heading out on foot - lots of them with their pets and small cases. By morning, though, the immediate danger had passed.

There’s now a wall of sandbags in place and the level of the river water is falling. On Sunday, it was smacking against the bottom of the main bridge. Today, it’s far lower and the sun is shining.

Matt Taylor
Broadcast Meteorologist, BBC Weather

The good news for those affected by flooding over the last few days in central Europe is that the rain is now easing off and, other than a few isolated showers, much drier conditions are expected through the rest of the week.

However, the massive amounts of rain that fell is now working its way through the river systems and we are starting to see flooding in areas that avoided the worst of the rain.

With major rivers such as the Danube, Elbe, Vistula and Oder all having catchments in the flooded region, we can expect to see river flooding more widely across parts of Germany, Poland, Hungary and Romania over the coming days.

The main focus for heavy and potentially flooding rains has shifted into parts of Italy.

The satellite image below shows that whiter, rain bearing clouds are now located in and around the country.

Image source, Reuters

We're now hearing from residents in Poland and the Czech Republic, where the situation appears to be improving in certain areas following several days of heavy rain and flooding.

56-year-old Darek Krzysztan, from Ladek Zdroj in Poland, said flood waters had risen up to the first floor of his house.

"Branches were flowing and they barged through windows, doors", he told Reuters news agency.

"Gates were broken and branches were flowing through apartments, dragging all the furniture, everything."

In the same town, 16-year-old Szymon Krzysztan said the losses are "unimaginable" for the city.

"The city looks like an apocalypse, I would call it a ghost town", he told Reuters.

Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, a resident from Ostrava told Reuters he woke up to find "water everywhere" and had to wait to be rescued with his family.

The city is one of the worst-hit in the country.

Flooding caused by heavy rain is affecting a wide area of Central Europe - with at least 18 people dead across Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Romania.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Austrian Ministry of Defence Handout

Image source, 2024 Shutterstock

Image source, 2024 Shutterstock

Image source, Reuters

Late last night Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala posted on X , externalabout the impact of flooding in the country.

The Reuters news agency reports this morning that more than 13,000 people have been evacuated and three people have died in the Czech Republic.

Fiala wrote that since Friday 5,500 of 6,500 professional and volunteer firefighter units have been deployed.

He added they are expecting the situation to calm down and the rain to stop.

Fiala said the government is looking at how to pay for restoration work following the floods and that 2,000 soldiers have been deployed to help with recovery - in particular the reconstruction of bridges.

Seven countries including Ukraine have offered to help the Czech Republic.

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

Here's a round-up of what has happened in some of the worst-hit countries:

Poland:

• Four people have died
• Water levels in the southern town of Nysa are now receding after residents spent the night helping emergency services place sandbags to shore up an embankment to protect the city
• A state of disaster has been declared in affected areas until 16 October
• Prime Minister Donald Tusk has allocated one billion zlotys (£197m) for immediate flood relief

Romania:

• Seven people have died
• State of emergency declared for one of the worst-affected regions until 16 October

Czech Republic:

• Three people have died and more than 13,000 people have been evacuated
• State of emergency declared in two north-eastern regions

Austria:

• Four people have died and thousands of households were without electricity and water in Lower Austria
• €300m (£253m) has been allocated for flood relief

The River Danube is rising in Slovakia and Hungary, with water levels in Slovakia exceeding 9m (30ft) over the weekend and expected to rise further, and Hungary bracing for potential floods in the coming days.

Image source, EPA

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk held a crisis management meeting in the city of Wroclaw this morning as the south-west of the country deals with serious flooding.

The city's mayor expects water levels in the River Oder to peak this evening and officials hope a massive overflow reservoir plus more solid embankments will hold back the water.

A month-long state of natural disaster has been declared in the areas worst hit by flooding, and Tusk has allocated one billion zlotys (£197m) for flood relief.

"There will be no shortage of money, whether for immediate or long-term aid," Tusk said.

Adam Easton
Reporting from Warsaw

Image source, EPA

The Polish Ministry of Defence has said 5,500 soldiers are supporting people affected by the devastating floods in the south of the country.

Around 1,000 soldiers have been deployed in the Lower Silesian capital of Wroclaw where city authorities expect water levels to peak in the coming days.

When floods his in 1997, almost 40% of the city was underwater.

Almost 20 helicopters are taking part in the relief and rescue operations, the ministry said.

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 those evacuated from their homes.

Image source, Reuters

We're following developments in central and eastern Europe, after Storm Boris caused flooding in several countries at the weekend and continues to bring heavy rain.

At least 18 people have died - with border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland hit especially hard, with Romania and Austria also affected.

Water levels in Nysa have started receding after the mayor of the southern Polish town, of more than 40,000 people, ordered residents to evacuate on Monday due to damage to a nearby floodbank.

The River Danube has been rising in Slovakia and Hungary.