By Sid Perkins
In August 2002, parts of central Europe experienced unprecedented flooding after record rains fell upon saturated soils and brimming reservoirs. Damages on the continent added up to more than 25 billion Euros, and in Dresden, Germany, the Elbe River reached 9.4 meters above flood stage, a level not seen since the Middle Ages.
Despite the 2002 season, a new analysis by German researchers suggests that extreme summer floods in the region aren’t becoming more frequent. In fact, the scientists say, widespread inundations have been on the wane for the past century or so.