Intense heat is gripping large parts of the Northern hemisphere,...

Intense heat is gripping large parts of the Northern hemisphere, whilst heavy precipitation has caused devastating floods and loss of life in several other regions. June saw the warmest global average temperature on record, which has continued into the first part of July according to preliminary figures.

“The extreme weather – an increasingly frequent occurrence in our warming climate – is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies. This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.

“In addition, we have to step up efforts to help society adapt to what is unfortunately becoming the new normal. The WMO community is providing forecasts and warnings to protect lives and livelihoods as we strive to achieve our goal of Early Warnings for All,” said Prof. Taalas.

Heatwaves

Heatwaves are amongst the deadliest natural hazards with thousands of people dying from heat-related causes each year.

https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/extreme-heat-rainfall-highlight-need-more-climate-action