At Least 19 Dead as Storm Boris Impacts Central Europe

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Above: A submerged foot bridge during high water levels in the Danube Island area of Vienna, Austria, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Image copyright: Michaela Nagyidaiova/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Facts

  • At least 19 people have reportedly died till now in flooding caused by Storm Boris in central and eastern Europe, particularly Romania, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

  • Among the dead are a firefighter in Austria's state of Lower Austria. Over 25K emergency personnel are deployed in that region.

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The Spin

Narrative A

A rare coming together of extreme weather systems — Arctic air colliding with warm, moist air from the east — catalyzed deadly Storm Boris. This was intensified by record humidity and a historically warm Mediterranean Sea. The deluge has caused tragic losses and is a stark reminder of the intensifying effects of climate change.

Washington Post

Narrative B

It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality, they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.

FT

Metaculus Prediction