Intense heat is gripping large parts of the Northern hemisphere in this summer of extremes. New daily and station temperature records have been broken and it is possible that some national records may fall. The World Meteorological Organization will examine any potential new continental temperature records as the heatwave continues.
June saw the warmest global average temperature on record, which continued into 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.
Meanwhile, heavy precipitation has caused devastating floods and loss of life in some countries, including the Republic of Korea, Japan and northeastern USA.
In Canada, record-breaking wildfires continue to burn big forest areas. More than 500 wildfires were out of control as of 11 July. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre more than 9 million hectares already burnt in 2023 – compared to the 10-year average of about 800,000 hectares.
Sanbao weather station in Turpan city in China's Xinjiang province, had a temperature of 52.2°C on 16 July, setting a new national temperature record according to a report by the China Meteorological Administration.
“The exceptionally high temperatures in subtropical regions constitute the prime meteorological origin of the extended heat wave over the Mediterranean. The signature of the ongoing El Niño and climate change in the extent of this event, needs more data and analysis ” said Dr Omar Baddour, chief of climate monitoring at WMO.
Heavy rains and floods
Heavy rains and flooding caused severe damage and loss of life in several parts of the world.
Forty people were reported killed as torrential rain and flash floods hit the Republic of Korea on 14 July.
Floods in Northwest China killed a reported 15 people, prompting President Xi Jinping to urge greater efforts to protect the public from extreme weather.
In northern India, roads and bridges collapsed and houses were swept away as rivers overflowed during heavy monsoonal rainfall and flooding which killed dozens of people. The mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh was badly hit, as were the regions of Punjab, Rajastan and Uttar Pradesh. New Delhi reportedly marked its wettest July day in 40 years, with 153 millimeters (6 inches) of rain falling in one day.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued heavy rain emergency warnings on Monday for the Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, on Kyushu, the country’s third largest island. A new daily rainfall record of 376.0 mm fell on 10 July at Minousan and 361.5 mm at Hikosan, both in the Kyushu region.
"It’s raining like never before,” said JMA.
In Northeastern USA, parts of New England are facing yet more torrential rainfall on saturated soils following serious floods at the start of July. New York issued a flash flood emergency and more than four million people were under floods alerts on 11 July.
"As the planet warms, the expectation is that we will see more and more intense, more frequent, more severe rainfall events, leading also to more severe flooding,” said Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director of hydrology, water and cryosphere at WMO.
“?Developed countries like Japan are extremely alert, and they’re also very well prepared when it comes to flood management measures. But many low-income countries have no warnings in place, hardly any flood defense structures and no integrated flood management. WMO is committed to improving the situation,” he said.
Source: World Meteorological Organization