Geneva, April 27, 2022 (WMO) – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Hurricane Committee has retired Ida from the rotating lists of Atlantic tropical cyclone names because of the death and destruction caused by the category 4 hurricane in the United States of America in 2021. Imani will instead be used in the lists of names, which are […]
World Meteorological Organization
WMO recognizes new Arctic temperature record of 38⁰C
GENEVA, December 14, 2021 (WMO) – A temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk on 20 June 2020 has been recognized as a new Arctic temperature record by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The temperature, more befitting the Mediterranean than the Arctic, was measured at a meteorological observing station during an exceptional […]
WMO endorses Water Declaration, including the Water and Climate Coalition
The Extraordinary World Meteorological Congress has endorsed a Water Declaration, including the Water and Climate Coalition, to accelerate implementation of SDG 6, and approved a new vision and strategy for hydrology and an associated plan of action. The resolutions reflect the top priority given to water by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in the face […]
WMO: Weak La Niña may re-emerge
A weak La Niña event may re-emerge later in 2021 for the second consecutive year, with the risk that forecast precipitation patterns may exacerbate existing drought in some parts of the world and increase the risk of heavy rainfall and flooding in others. But despite La Niña’s cooling influence, temperatures over land areas are expected […]
WMO: New climate report is a clarion call for urgent action
Geneva, 9 August 2019 (WMO) – A landmark new report by hundreds of the world’s top climate scientists is a clarion call for immediate action to slash greenhouse gases in the face of unprecedented and accelerating climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I […]
Water-related hazards dominate disasters in the past 50 years
Geneva, 23 July 2021 (WMO) – Water-related hazards dominate the list of disasters in terms of both the human and economic toll over the past 50 years, according to a comprehensive analysis by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Of the top 10 disasters, the hazards that led to the largest human losses during the period […]
WMO verifies one temperature record for Antarctic continent and rejects another
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has recognized a new record high temperature for the Antarctic continent of 18.3° Celsius on 6 February 2020 at the Esperanza station (Argentina). However, it rejected an even higher temperature, of 20.75°C, which was reported on 9 February 2020 at an automated permafrost monitoring station (Brazil) on Seymour Island. The […]
WMO: La Niña ends
Geneva, 1st June 2021 (WMO) – The 2020-2021 La Niña event has ended and neutral conditions (neither El Niño or La Niña) are likely to dominate the tropical Pacific in the next few months, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Air temperatures are expected to be above average between June and August, especially in the […]
WMO: New climate predictions increase likelihood of temporarily reaching 1.5 °C in next 5 years
Geneva, 27 May 2021 (WMO) – There is about a 40% chance of the annual average global temperature temporarily reaching 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level in at least one of the next five years – and these odds are increasing with time, according to a new climate update issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). There is […]
La Niña has peaked, but impacts continue
February 9, 2021 – The 2020-2021 La Niña event has passed its peak, but impacts on temperatures, precipitation and storm patterns continue, according to a new update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Despite the general cooling influence of La Niña events, land temperatures are expected to be above-normal for most parts of the globe […]
2020 closes a decade of exceptional heat
December 24, 2020 – As 2020 draws to an end, it closes the warmest decade (2011-2020) on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. This year remains on track to be one of the three warmest on record, and may even rival 2016 as the warmest on record. The six warmest years have all been […]
La Niña has developed
Geneva, 29 October 2020 – La Niña has developed and is expected to last into next year, affecting temperatures, precipitation and storm patterns in many parts of the world, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The global declaration of a La Niña event is used by governments to mobilize planning in climate sensitive sectors like […]
WMO will verify temperature of 54.4 degrees C (135 degrees F) in Death Valley, California
August 19, 2020 – The World Meteorological Organization will verify a temperature reading of 54.4°C (130°F), recorded at Death Valley, California, on 16 August amid an intense and extensive heatwave on the west coast of the USA. If validated, it would be the highest temperature on Earth since 1931 and third hottest temperature ever recorded […]
WMO certifies Megaflash lightning extremes
Geneva, 25 June, 2020 (WMO) A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) committee of experts has established two new world records for the longest reported distance and the longest reported duration for a single lightning flash in, respectively, Brazil and Argentina. The new records for “megaflashes”, verified with new satellite lightning imagery technology, more than double the […]
WMO: Record CO2 levels and temperatures highlight need for action on World Environment Day
As the global community comes together to celebrate World Environment Day, important new data shows that the causes and indicators of climate change have reached new heights. May 2020 was the warmest May on record, according to one internationally recognized dataset. Carbon dioxide levels at a benchmark observing station also set a new record. This will […]
Global Seasonal Climate Update provides guidance on temperatures, rainfall
Geneva, 12 May 2020 – Warmer than average sea surface temperatures across large parts of the globe in May and June are expected to result in above-normal land temperatures, particularly at tropical latitudes and much of the northern hemisphere, according to a new Global Seasonal Climate Update compiled for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The […]
WMO: COVID-19 impacts global observing system
Geneva, 7 May 2020 – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is concerned about the increasing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quantity and quality of weather observations and forecasts, as well as atmospheric and climate monitoring. Meteorological measurements taken from aircraft have plummeted by an average 75-80% compared to normal, but with very large […]
International Cloud Atlas translated into official UN languages
Geneva, 9 April 2020 – The International Cloud Atlas – the global reference for identifying clouds – has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. The digitized Atlas has been available in English since 2017, replacing a hard cover publication which was first issued in the late 19th century. “The International Cloud Atlas is […]
WMO expects above average temperatures, but no El Niño
Geneva, 2 March 2020 – Above average temperatures are expected in many parts of the globe in the next few months, even without the presence of a warming El Niño event, according to the World Meteorological Organization. WMO’s El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Update said that there is a 60% chance of ongoing ENSO-neutral conditions continuing […]
WMO Confirms 2019 as second hottest year on record
Geneva, January 15, 2020 – The year 2019 was the second warmest year on record after 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s consolidated analysis of leading international datasets. Average temperatures for the five-year (2015-2019) and ten-year (2010-2019) periods were the highest on record. Since the 1980s each decade has been warmer than the previous […]