Megafloods are rare and hence difficult to predict. However, using a collation of historical flood observations across Europe, it is now shown that recent megafloods could have been anticipated — local surprises are in fact not surprising at the continental scale.
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This is a summary of: Bertola, M. et al. Megafloods in Europe can be anticipated from observations in hydrologically similar catchments. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01300-5 (2023).
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Locally surprising megafloods in Europe can be anticipated from continent-wide observations. Nat. Geosci. 16, 942–943 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01301-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01301-4