Later floods affected several river basins across Europe including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

In addition to the confirmed fatalities, the flooding led to widespread power outages, forced evacuations and damage to infrastructure and agriculture in the affected areas.

[6] In the aftermath, scientists, activists and reporters all highlighted the connection to global trends in extreme weather, especially more frequent heavy rainfall caused by climate change.

[14] Floods started in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland on 14 July 2021 after record rainfall across western Europe caused multiple rivers to burst their banks.

[5] On 15 July, all residents of the city of Liège with a population of approximately 200,000 were urged to evacuate amidst fears that the Meuse river was on the verge of bursting its banks and that a dam bridge could collapse.

[22] In addition, due to the heavy flooding and because tens of home fuel tanks had broken loose and started leaking into rivers, a number of municipalities in Liège and Namur provinces were left without potable tap water.

[29] Early estimates also pointed to severe damage to the agricultural sector of the country, including long-term effects like soil erosion.

[33] In the evening of 24 July, southern and central parts of Belgium were hit again by severe flash floods as a result of intense but shorter thunderstorms.

Particularly the city of Dinant and its surroundings in the province of Namur were badly hit, where tens of floating cars resulted in a pile-up and in damage to railroads.

[55] Some of the worst damage from the flood was in the district of Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate, where the river Ahr rose, destroying many buildings and causing at least 110 deaths.

The researchers used numerical weather prediction and hydrodynamic modeling to generate near-real-time flood inundation and impact forecasts, providing authorities with up to 17 hours of lead time.

Their findings highlight the need for integrating such high-resolution forecasts into operational flood early warning systems to improve disaster preparedness and response.

[64] In Blessem, floodwaters of the Erft river inundated a quarry on 16 July, leading to a major landslide with several people possibly dead.

[69] Drones were deployed to inspect the dam; while no cracks were found, local politicians said the situation as of 16 July[update] remained "critical".

[86] The River Meuse in Limburg reached its highest summertime level in over 100 years, according to authorities, and was expected as of 15 July[update] to surpass the winter records set in 1993 and 1995.

The Heroes' Avenue was completely flooded, cars were damaged by falling trees, some neighborhoods were left without electricity and two people were injured by flying debris.

[100] Several rail services were temporarily suspended, and a ban on large watercraft like container ships on the Rhine was affecting the country's access to some goods like petroleum products due to the high reliance on the Port of Switzerland [de].

[100] The cut-off low that caused the severe flooding across western Europe first moved over the United Kingdom on 12 July, resulting in more than the average monthly rainfall total to be recorded in a 24-hour period across parts of the country.

[102] The London Fire Brigade received more than 1,000 calls relating to flooding incidents, as houses were evacuated and cars were submerged by quickly rising floodwaters.

[104] German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "shocked by the catastrophe that so many people in the flood areas have to endure" and that her "sympathy goes out to the families of the dead and missing.

[108][46] German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz on 17 July announced plans for a federal emergency aid of 300 million Euro.

[73] The Belgian Minister of Home Affairs Annelies Verlinden described the events as "one of the greatest natural disasters our country has ever known" at a press conference on 19 July.

[109] On 15 July, the Belgian royal couple King Philippe and Queen Mathilde traveled to Chaudfontaine, which had been particularly badly hit by the flooding.

[112] After a Belgian request, the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was activated on 14 July, and a helicopter and a flood rescue team was sent from France to Belgium immediately after this.

[113][114][115][116][117][118][119] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said the UK was ready to provide assistance, while Italy and Austria offered to send flood rescue teams to affected areas in Belgium.

[121] The floods followed unprecedented heat waves in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Europe, prompting scientists to evaluate a possible connection to climate change.

[125][126] Examples of such extreme events would include heavy rainfall; an increase in the atmosphere's temperature allows it to absorb more water vapour, resulting in more precipitation.

[125][57] Antonio Navarra, climatologist at the University of Bologna and president of the Euro-Mediterranean Center Foundation on Climate Change, said that there is a clear correlation between the increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and the frequency and intensity of floods, heat waves and drought periods.

[129] Dieter Gerten, a researcher from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, characterised the magnitude of the floods and other extreme weather events as exceeding predictions from current climate change models, noting that the abrupt increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather may indicate that a tipping point has been crossed.

[125] Stefan Rahmstorf of the University of Potsdam warned that further losses of Arctic ice would likely result in a weaker jet stream and more extreme weather, saying "we should not play with this sensitive climate system".