Extreme heat has once again gripped large parts of India and Pakistan, impacting hundreds of millions of people in one of the most densely populated parts of the world. The national meteorological and hydrological departments in both countries have working closely with health and disaster management agencies to save lives, in line with the WMO drive to strengthen early warnings and early action.
Humanity is “at a crossroads” when it comes to managing drought and there is an urgent need to accelerate mitigation using every tool possible, says a new report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Normal to above normal rainfall is most likely during the 2022 southwest monsoon season (June – September) over most parts of the South Asia, according to an authoritative seasonal forecast from the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum.
The South African government has declared a national state of emergency to deal with the impact of heavy rainfall and flooding in the province of KwaZulu-Natal last week. On 11 and 12 April, between 200 and 400 mm of rain fell in a 24 hour period.
The disaster underlines once again the increasing hazards posed by intense rainfall in a changing climate and the need for impact-based early warnings which reach everyone.
A successful ten-year project in Haiti has demonstrated the challenges, opportunities and benefits involved in rebuilding and modernizing a national meteorological and hydrological service in an LDC which is regularly hit by extreme weather and climate change impacts.
