Analysis: Valencia floods fueled by ocean warming in the Tropical Atlantic linked to climate change

The October 29, 2024, floods in Valencia, Spain, were driven by a low-pressure system (DANA) that utilized an atmospheric river carrying moisture from an unusually warm Tropical Atlantic. Analysis using the Climate Shift Index: Ocean and OISST data indicates that human-caused climate change made these elevated sea surface temperatures 50 to 300 times more likely.

• On October 29, 2024, the Valencia region of Spain suffered historic flooding caused by torrential rains, with some areas receiving up to 20 inches (500 millimeters) of rain, which is equivalent to a typical annual total for those locations. The event resulted in at least 95 deaths and significant damage to property and infrastructure.

APA

Climate Central (2024). Analysis: Valencia floods fueled by ocean warming in the Tropical Atlantic linked to climate change. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-shift-index-alert/ocean-csi-spain-floods

Chicago

Climate Central. Analysis: Valencia floods fueled by ocean warming in the Tropical Atlantic linked to climate change. 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-shift-index-alert/ocean-csi-spain-floods.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Analysis: Valencia floods fueled by ocean warming in the Tropical Atlantic linked to climate change |date=31 October 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-shift-index-alert/ocean-csi-spain-floods |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2024analysis, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Analysis: Valencia floods fueled by ocean warming in the Tropical Atlantic linked to climate change}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-shift-index-alert/ocean-csi-spain-floods}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }