Geneva, 22 May 2023 (WMO) – Extreme weather, climate and water-related events caused 11 778 reported disasters between 1970 and 2021, with just over 2 million deaths and US$ 4.3 trillion in economic losses, according to a new figure from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Economic losses have soared. But improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management has slashed […]
World Meteorological Organization
WMO: Prepare for El Niño
Geneva, 3 May 2023 (WMO) – The likelihood of El Niño developing later this year is increasing, according to a new update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This would have the opposite impacts on weather and climate patterns in many regions of the to world to the long-running La Niña and would likely fuel higher […]
WMO annual report highlights continuous advance of climate change
From mountain peaks to ocean depths, climate change continued its advance in 2022, according to the annual report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Droughts, floods and heatwaves affected communities on every continent and cost many billions of dollars. Antarctic sea ice fell to its lowest extent on record and the melting of some European […]
WMO: Past eight years confirmed to be the eight warmest on record globally
GENEVA, January 12, 2023 – The past eight years were the warmest on record globally, fueled by ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat, according to six leading international temperature datasets consolidated by the World Meteorological Organization. The average global temperature in 2022 was about 1.15 [1.02 to 1.27] °C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels. […]
Ozone layer recovery is on track, helping avoid global warming by 0.5°C
DENVER/NAIROBI/GENEVA, 9 January 2023 – The ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades, with the global phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals already benefitting efforts to mitigate climate change. This is the conclusion of a UN-backed panel of experts, presented today at the American Meteorological Society’s 103rd annual meeting. Examining novel technologies such as […]
More bad news for the planet: greenhouse gas levels hit new highs
Geneva/New York, 26 October (WMO) – In yet another ominous climate change warning, atmospheric levels of the three main greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide all reached new record highs in 2021, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reported the biggest year-on-year jump in […]
WMO predicts first “triple-dip” La Niña of the century
Geneva, 31 August 2022 – It is likely that the protracted La Niña event will last until at least the end of the year, becoming this century’s first “triple-dip“ La Niña, spanning three consecutive northern hemisphere winters (southern hemisphere summers), according to a new update from the World Meteorological Organization. The WMO El Niño/La Niña […]
“This heatwave is the new normal”, WMO Secretary-General says
July 19, 2022 – “We have broken an all-time high in the UK”, said Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General. “Heatwaves will happen more frequently because of climate change. The connection has been clearly demonstrated by IPCC”. Stable high pressures, and hence the heatwave, are here to last for several days. This Tuesday was expected to be […]
WMO: The first Red Extreme heat warning issued in UK, Western Europe suffocating
For the first time temperatures of 40°C have been forecast in the UK and the Met Office has issued the first ever Red warning for exceptional heat. In Portugal and Spain temperatures have reached highs up to around 46 degrees Celsius. Exceptional heat is expected to affect a large part of England early this week, with […]
WMO: Hurricane Committee retires Ida, prepares for 2022 season
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 […]
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 […]