Floods as a Consequence of Climate Change: Comprehensive Meteorological and Hydrological Analysis of the 2024 Flood Course in the Bóbr River Basin (Southwestern Poland)

Flooding is a phenomenon that has become more frequent in recent years due to climate change. This also includes Poland, where a flood occurred in 2024 due to the inflow of the Genoese low. The main objective of the article is to comprehensively characterize this phenomenon in the Bóbr River Basin. To achieve this objective, available hourly hydro-meteorological data from stations monitored by the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management were used. On this basis, the duration, magnitude, scale of the flood, and selected runoff measures were determined. Data shows that the flood was caused by rainfall, which occurred at the highest intensity between 13.09 and 15.09. The duration of the flood was 536 h, assuming warning levels as boundary points. The average duration of the flood in all stations was 125.32 h, and its average magnitude (ratio of the highest level to the alert level)—1.53. The 10-point flood scale adopted in the article indicates that the flood affected the area around Jelenia Góra the most (average 3.10 for the entire basin). In 6 out of 22 stations, the highest water flow measurements in history were recorded in 2024. The area around Jelenia Góra was selected as the region most exposed to flooding. This work can be a compendium of knowledge in the field of understanding the mechanisms related to flooding. It may be important in the context of formulating the future water policy, developing documents related to flood protection, adaptation to climate change and sustainable development goals.