Flooding and landslides continue to pummel parts of Europe

After a hot early summer that saw heatwaves followed by major flooding hit Europe last month, extreme weather conditions have continued across the continent.

Authorities in Poland mobilised emergency services on Monday after roads and basements flooded in Zakopane and nearby towns. Firefighters were also called to intervene in many places.

Flooding caused by a cloudburst made the Zakopianka route connecting the Tatra Mountains to Krakow impassable for several hours.

The extreme weather event also affected neighbouring Austria, where a thunderstorm with heavy rain hit the municipalities of Waldkirchen and Rappolz near the border with the Czech Republic.

The thunderstorm followed Sunday afternoon’s devastating hailstorm. A village in the neighbouring municipality was declared a disaster area, and firefighters and rescuers tried to cover the buildings with tarpaulins late into the night.

Meanwhile, in Slovenia, meteorologists have warned that storms originating in Italy will continue into the country on Tuesday.

The adverse weather conditions already have left dozens of roofs and crops in many parts of the country destroyed

At least four killed in Switzerland as flooding strikes Italy

At least four people were killed over the weekend after extensive flooding and landslides caused by heavy storms struck Switzerland and northern Italy. 

The bodies of three people were recovered after a landslide in the Italian-speaking Swiss county of Ticino on the southern side of the Alps. 

Heavy rain had pounded the South and West of Switzerland throughout the weekend. Camping sites were evacuated, bridges collapsed, and one person is still missing in the Swiss Lavizzara valley. 

The Rhone River, further north, burst its banks in several areas within the Valais region. A motorway and a railway line were both flooded. 

Local police said that side valleys south of the Rhone saw particularly heavy rain, and the body of a man whose partner had reported him missing was found early Sunday morning.

Firefighters in Italy say they carried out about 80 rescue operations across the weekend, evacuating dozens of people in the northern Piedmont region. 

Two adults and a three-month-old girl were rescued near Montanaro after the rising waters left them stuck in their car. 

Several villages in the Valle D’Aosta region were isolated due to overflowing streams, storms and landslides.  

Scientists have attributed the latest extreme weather events, including scorching heatwaves, to climate change driven by human activity.