From mountain tops to ocean depths, the summer of extremes continues. Heatwaves are baking large parts of the northern hemisphere, fuelling unprecedented wildfires and disrupting marine ecosystems. Floods have transformed desert landscapes. The high-impact weather in August follows the hottest ever month on record in July.
The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially concluded on 30 November. It was so active that, for the second consecutive year, it exhausted the regular list of names from WMO’s rotating list. Accurate forecasts and coordinated early warnings protected life and property throughout the season.
There were 21 named storms with winds of 64 km/h (39 mph) or greater, including seven hurricanes (winds of 118 km/h (74 mph) or greater)...
Hurricane Delta made landfall in Northeast Mexico as a strong category 2 on the Saffir Simpson scale. It then went on to hit the Gulf Coast of the United States of America.
The top global forum on preventing and mitigating disaster impacts opened its biennial session on 23 May in the Mexican resort of Cancun with calls for more unified and concerted action against interlocking natural hazards that disrupt the lives of millions of people every year.
Climate change, sea level rise, water stress, population growth and rapid urbanization have dramatically increased vulnerability levels. The impacts of natural disasters force an estimated 26 million people into poverty every year and roll back socio-economic development. Improved early warning systems and concerted efforts to reduce the risk of disasters are therefore more important than ever before.
19 May 2017 - Climate change, associated extreme weather and demographic shifts means that record numbers of people are exposed to floods, heatwaves and other hazards. Improved early warning systems and more coordinated disaster risk reduction are therefore more important than ever before.
To meet the growing challenges, an international conference will launch a concerted drive to improve warnings for an interlocking range of hazards and to translate these warnings into effective action on the ground.
