Headlines from a warming world: Extreme weather and climate breakdown
Climate breakdown is not something in the future, it's here now. Already we are seeing more extreme weather events which can have a deadly impact, particularly in the poorest countries which have done least to cause the crisis.
The number of climate disasters has increased five-fold over recent decades. In the 1970s, 711 were recorded, but this number increased to 3536 in the 2000s and 3165 in the 2010s, a clear sign of climate breakdown. Better early warning systems have meant deaths have actually fallen over this period. But in the 2000s 329,000 people died from storms, floods, landslides, extreme heat, drought and wildfire, and 185,000 in the 2010s.
While people may be evacuated, their homes, farms and the infrastructure of towns and cities cannot be moved out of danger. Physical destruction and its economic cost has risen dramatically as climate disasters have increased. There is also an impact on ecosystems. The devastating Australian bushfires of 2019-20 are also estimated to have affected almost 3 billion animals, either killed or displaced with 'not great' prospects of survival.
Not all of these events make the headlines, and some which do are quickly forgotten, despite the fact that there is no full 'recovery' from some disasters. This page will be regularly updated with news of the most recent events and reports from ongoing crises. Some of these have a very clear link to human-caused global warming. Other extreme weather events fall within the range of 'normal' variability. However it is important to raise awareness of these too. As time goes on, patterns of increased frequency and severity can often be detected. They also help us remember how vulnerable particular regions (especially in the Global South) are to an increasingly destabilised climate.
For more information on the causal links between global heating and deadly events like drought, flooding, hurricanes and landslides, read A more dangerous climate: why extreme weather events are becoming more common
Latest headlines
Floods in Spain
At least 100 have now been confirmed killed by disastrous flooding across eastern and southern Spain, centred on Valencia. After prolonged drought in Spain, a year's worth of rain fell in some areas in just 8 hours.
Record October temperatures across all continents
These have not made 'headlines' - they are recorded by @extremetemps on X/Twitter. Heatwaves have broken local monthly maximum records and also records for the highest daily minimum night-time temperature.
In northwestern Mexico, temperatures were recorded up to 46.2C - unprecedented in the Northern Hemisphere in late October. In South America, countries affected included Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador.
The city of Tete, Mozambique recorded the country's hottest October night ever, with a heatwave affecting much of southern and eastern Africa including Kenya,Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana.
Across Asia, October heat records were set in the Middle East, Pakistan, China and Mongolia, Japan and South Korea, the Philippines and Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. A severe heatwave is also forecast for Australia into early November.
Flash floods in Mecca
Thunderstorms brought flash floods to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, turning streets into rivers.
Floods in Italy and France
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in Italy and Central France, with the region of Emilia Romagna again badly hit. On the Italian island of Sicily, emergency services rescued people from roofs of buildings and stranded vehicles.
Tropical Storm Trami hits Philippines
Tropical Storm Trami brought one or two months' rainfall within just 24 hours to some areas of the northern Philippines. Although half a million evacuated ahead of the storm, at least 100 people were killed. People were trapped on their roofs, and the rainfall also triggered mudslides. Typhoons are common in the Philippines at this time of the year, but Trami's rains were unusually heavy. Recent years have seen typhoons with stronger winds and heavier rains.
Flooding in Baku ahead of COP29
Ahead of hosting COP29 in November, severe flooding occurred in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, and surrounding regions due to two days of heavy rainfall. The downpour overwhelmed drainage systems, flooding streets, homes, and public buildings, with two people reported dead due to drowning.
Sudan floods make over 250,000 homeless
Over a million people in South Sudan have been affected by floods so far, in one of the worst flood seasons that South Sudan has experienced in recent decades. More than a quarter of these have been forced from their homes, and waters are still rising. Major supply routes have been rendered impassable, affecting the delivery of essential humanitarian aid, as South Sudan continues to deal with the impact of the 18-month civil war in neighbouring Sudan. With repeated severe floods in recent years, this is said to be the first example of a population permanently displaced through climate change.
Floods and landslides in Nepal
More than 215 people were killed after heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides across Nepal. Kathmandu experienced the most intense rains in over half a century. Forty-four of Nepal’s 77 districts were affected, with bridges and roads swept away.
Typhoon Krathon hits Taiwan
Taiwan is frequently hit by typhoons but rarely on the densely populated west coast. Krathon hit Taiwan's second largest city, Kaohsiung, with powerful storm surges and wind gusts of nearly 100mph that tore roofs from buildings, while some areas further from the centre of the storm experienced over 1.6m of rainfall.
Heatwave in US south-west continues into October
San Francisco recorded its hottest day of the year on 1 October, and Phoenix, Arizona, set a record for the hottest 1 October on record. More than 666 deaths in Phoenix this year have been confirmed as heat-related, or are still under investigation as potentially heat-related
Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton is the second-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico. Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the state's Big Bend region. The hurricane spawned a deadly tornado outbreak and caused widespread flooding in Florida, killing at least 35 people. Initial estimates were that the storm had caused $50 billion worth of damage. Analysis found that the huge amount of rainfall unleashed by Hurricane Milton was made 20-30% more intense and about as twice as likely due to human-caused changes to today’s climate..
September 2024
Hurricane Helene
After undergoing extremely rapid intensification over warm seas, Hurricane Helene was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida. It was the deadliest to strike the mainland US since Katrina in 2005. The storm caused catastrophic rainfall-triggered flooding, particularly in western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. At least 227 people died. With mass evacuations from the Florida coast, most of the deaths occurred inland, where the steepness of the terrain often funnelled rainwater into rivers and streams leading to extremely sudden flash flooding as high as rooftop levels, making evacuations impossible. Climate change increased both Helene's wind speeds and the rainfall amount.
Hurricane John hits Mexico twice
Hurricane John first made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on 24 September. Once inland, John rapidly dissipated. However, the mid-level remnants of John moved back over the ocean and redeveloped. On 27 September 27, Tropical Storm John made its second landfall. It left devastated towns and 17 dead in an area which had still not recovered from Hurricane Otis. Guerrero state, where the city of Acapulco is located, received 95 cm of rain in a few days,, about 80% of what it would usually experience in a year.
Further devastating flooding in West and Central Africa
Unprecedented flooding across Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Mali, Ghana and Liberia has triggered humanitarian crises, affecting an estimated four million people. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their destroyed homes in areas already suffering from food insecurity and conflict.
In Chad, an 1.5 million people have been affected, and over 164,000 homes destroyed. Once expected every 10 years, torrential rains now occur every 2 to 5 years.In Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, around 40% of the state capital, Maiduguri, was submerged when a dam burst. In Niger, the start of the new school year has been delayed by almost a month, while in Mali, the transitional government has declared a state of natural disaster.
Floods and landslides in Japan
Heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides along a peninsula in Japan that is still recovering from a deadly earthquake at the start of the year, killing at least six. Rainfall in two cities reached twice the levels for September in an average year, and flood waters inundated emergency housing built for those who had lost their homes in the New Year’s Day earthquake.
Wildfires in Portugal
Seven people were killed, including three firefighters and more than 50 injured in wildfires across central and northern Portugal.
Flooding in Central Europe
Storm Boris stalled over Central Europe from 12 to 16 September, inundating Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Austria, Czechia, Italy and Germany with torrential rain. This four days of rainfall was the heaviest ever recorded across Central Europe by a significant margin. The flooding killed 24 people, and thousands had to leave their homes as buildings were swept away, bridges collapsed and infrastructure was damaged. In the city of Faenza in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, houses were underwater for the third time in 16 months. Scientists said that the rainfall was made twice as likely by climate change.
Amazon wildfires
Despite President Lula's efforts to reduce deforestation, severe drought has exacerbated wildfires sweeping across the Amazon as well as other parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.
Abnormally low Antarctic winter sea ice
With warmer Southern Ocean temperatures, for the second year running Antarctic winter sea ice failed to reach anything like the normal extent, described by scientists as an 'outrageous' low.
Heatwave in Scandinavia
Both Sweden and Norway saw their highest September temperatures on record, never previously reaching over 30C in September.
Heatwave across US West
An intense heatwave across the US west put millions of Americans from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Seattle are under heat alerts.
Typhoon Yagi hits Southeast Asia
Yagi, one of the most powerful typhoons in the region over the past decade, made landfall in the Philippines on 2 September , killing at least 16 people in landslides and flooding. Two days later, Yagi hit the coast of China’s Hainan province with heavy rain and violent wind, killing two, triggering widespread power outages, and paralyzing local infrastructure, theni made landfall again in northern Vietnam, triggering deadly floods and landslides, and killing 292 people. Typhoon Yagi have caused then caused well over 200 deaths in Myanmar, where the civil war makes it much harder for any aid to get through.
August 2024
This month was the hottest August on record globally and the 15th month in a row with record heat. As of mid-August a record 15 national heat records had been broken since the start of 2024, despite El Nino fading, which would usually tend to cooler temperatures.
Typhoon Shanshan hits Japan
In Japan, Typhoon Shanshan killed at least three people and injured about 40 leaving more than 250,000 homes without power. The rainfall in one area over a two-day period was equivalent to half of the average rainfall in the UK across an entire year.
Winter heatwave in Australia
Temperatures in late August have exceeded 40C, with a heatwave across large parts of the country.
Floods in India and Bangladesh leave millions stranded
Torrential rains across India’s northeast and neighbouring Bangladesh’s east caused 13 deaths in Bangladesh, including among refugee camps of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar. Some 4.5 million people were affected by the floods in eastern Bangladesh. In India at least 23 people were killed and more than 65,000 forced from their homes.
Soldiers in lifeboats ferried people to safety in India’s northeastern state of Tripura on Friday after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides, forcing people from their homes and killing at least 23 people, the authorities said.
Athens wildfire
A fast-spreading wildfire burned through over 400 square kilometres of forests, and reached the suburbs of Athens, causing one death and with thousands being evacuated. In some areas flames were up to 25m high.
Floods increase threat of famine in Sudan and South Sudan
The river geography of Sudan and South Sudan makes both countries prone to seasonal flooding. This presents humanitarian challenges on its own, but is much more deadly when combined with conflict and huge numbers of refugees and internally displaced people.
On 24 August, the Arbaat Dam, north of Port Sudan, collapsed under pressure of heavy rainfall, killing at least 130.
After 15 months of war, Sudan is now facing what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory, and is on the brink of famine, with 10.5 million people currently displaced across the country. At the end of July the UN reported that, heavy rains and flash floods had affected more than 17,000 people in parts of western and eastern Sudan in this year's rainy season, including an estimated 10,700 in Kassala State, most of whom fled fighting in Sennar State; and about 5,600 people in North Darfur.
Floods have also reached Zamzam in North Darfur, Sudan's largest camp for internally displaced people, housing over 400,000 and recently confirmed as in a state of famine, with armed forces blocking aid. Now floodwaters have submerged outdoor toilets, raising the risk of cholera and other diseases.
Since 2019, increased rainfall have turned vast areas of South Sudan into permanent standing water or swamp, where formerly there were villages, farms and pastures for livestock. Floods have also destroyed infrastructure and increased the risk of water-borne diseases. (More on the human consequences here and here) Now over 740,000 refugees fleeing the war in Sudan are adding to nearly two million internally displaced people in South Sudan.
'Above-normal rainfall' is predicted by the World Meteorological Organization for July-October, with aid organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières warning of further devastating floods.
South Sudan refugee camp risks being overwhelmed by floodwater
Bentiu in South Sudan is effectively an island below water level, with floodwaters held back by dykes, constantly maintained and checked by an army of UN engineers. It is home to over 100,000 displaced people, and there are fears that if current flood warnings for this autumn come to pass, and water is released from Lake Victoria in Uganda, the dykes may be breached, with massive loss of life.
Flooding in Central and West Africa
Just two months into the 2024 rainy season in West and Central Africa, torrential rains and severe flooding have affected over 700,000 people in the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Togo. So far, Chad is the worst-hit country. The floods, which in many cases affect the same communities year after year, have also severely affected livelihoods and basic services, forcing communities into reliance on aid.
Hurricane Debby
Hurricane Debby, a slow-moving category 1 hurricane, caused widespread flooding across the southeastern US in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. Storms like this which, stall over land and dump large quantities of rainfall, are becoming more common with climate change.
Floods in Yemen
In Yemen, 30 people have been killed and hundreds displaced in flooding in the southern city of Hodeidah following several days of heavy rains. Floods also hit the southwestern city of Taiz where at least 15 were killed, and the northwestern city of Hajjah.
July 2024
Kerala landslide
Landslides in Kerala, southern India triggered by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 420 people. Climate change has increased rainfall as the Arabian sea warms, while deforestation and other land use changes made landslides more likely in the hilly state.
Typhoon Gaemi hits Philippines and Taiwan
Typhoon Gaemi brought more than 300mm of rainfall to Manila, with the resulting floods reaching as high as one-storey buildings in places. More than half a million people were evacuated or displaced, with at least 21 deaths, and the Philippines government declared a state of calamity. An oil tanker sank in Manila Bay as a result of rough seas, carrying 1.4 million litres of oil, set to devastate both ecosystems and local livelihoods in what could be the worst spill in Philippines history.
Gaemi then made landfall in Taiwan, bringing torrential rain and widespread flooding, with at least three deaths reported. At least four locations reported more than one metre of rainfall within a 14 hour period. In China and North Korea, the tail end of Typhoon Gaemi has hit with torrential rain, floods and mudslides, with more than 20 people reported to have died. Analysis found that Gaemi was 50% more likely because of climate change.
China floods break records
Just halfway through the peak flood season, at the beginning of August, China has already experienced the highest number of significant floods since record keeping began in 1998. It has also been the hottest July since 1961. China suffered $10.1 billion in economic losses from natural disasters in July, with 88% of those losses caused by heavy rains, floods or their effects. Natural disasters during the month affected almost 26.4 million people across China, with 328 either dead or missing. The government also announced a total of 1.1 million people were relocated, 12,000 houses collapsed and 157,000 more damaged. Some 2.42 million hectares of crop area were also affected.
In Henan province in June, farmers struggled to irrigate parched crops during a drought. In July, some areas were underwater, with extreme rain forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate. Parts of Nanyang city saw more than 60cm of rain in 24 hours, three-quarters of what they would normally expect in a whole year. Rescuers navigated waist-deep floodwaters to reach those stranded in their homes.
Flash floods also caused a bridge collapse in Shaanxi province which killed 15 people, while in the southwestern Sichuan province, at least 10 people were killed after flash floods hit a village.
Deadly landslides in Ethiopia
At least 229 people were killed in two landslides in southern Ethiopia caused by heavy rains
Heatwave across the US west
As of 11 July, heat advisories had been issued for nine states, including Texas, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. In Texas, especially around Houston, over a million people were still without power during the heatwave following Hurricane Beryl. Hospitals were filling up, due to health impacts of the heat and because people could not be sent back to homes without power. The city's football stadium was converted into a 'transitional facility' for when hospitals filled up.
Las Vegas, Nevada, recorded a record-breaking seven consecutive days of temperatures 46C or higher and set an all-time record high of 48.8C, while in Death Valley national park, temperatures reached 53.3C, close to its all-time high. The dangerous temperatures caused the death of a motorcyclist in the park.
In California, temperatures of up to 49C were forecast in places like Palm Springs, and there were multiple wildfires. The death of a prisoner at a California women’s prison drew attention to the plight of prisoners without relief from high temperatures.
Further north, the heatwave has also broken records in the states of Oregon and Washington, with temperatures of up to 39.4C in the city of Portland and 40.5C in Salem and Eugene, and at least six deaths.
Afghanistan floods
Flash floods from heavy rains and storms have killed about 40 people in eastern Afghanistan, with more than 340 injured and hundreds of homes destroyed.
Heatwaves around the Mediterranean and in the Balkans
Researchers found that the extreme temperatures experienced across Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Morocco in July 2024 would have been virtually impossible if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels. However similar heatwaves would be expected to occur about once every 10 years in today’s climate that has been warmed by 1.3°C.
In Morocco, temperatures reached as high as 48 degrees Celsius in some areas of the country. Over 20 people died during 24 hours in the central city of Beni Mellal. Morocco is experiencing its sixth straight year of drought and record heat.
Greece experienced its hottest July ever, following its hottest June, and 14 days in a row where the temperature reached 40C.
Italy's health ministry placed 12 cities under a red alert heat warning, the highest state of heat emergency. For Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, it is the second week that temperatures have been hovering around 40, with the Bosnian town of Mostar registering that high for the sixth consecutive day.
In North Macedonia, the government has declared a month-long state of crisis, with two heatwaves in July with temperatures rising to 42C. The country asked Serbia for firefighting helicopters as firefighters battled 17 wildfires in arid and mountainous regions.
Romania and neighbouring Moldova also experienced an intense heatwave, with temperatures in both country’s capitals, Bucharest and Chisinau respectively, exceeding 40 degrees.
Serbia’s public health institute declared dangerous conditions in 10 municipalities, while the Adriatic Sea hovered at temperatures around a record-high 29.5°C in several coastal resorts of Croatia. In Dubrovnik, Croatia's main tourism resort, temperatures were 28C even at dawn.
Devastating fires in Brazil, in the world's largest wetland
The vast Pantanal wetland extends across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. It floods from November to April, then drains in the dry season from May to October. It is one of the most biodiverse places on earth, home to more than 4,700 plant and animal species, but is under threat from climate change and development. Wildfires are common in the dry season and usually peak in August-September. The region is currently experiencing its worst drought in 70 years. This year the fires started in May, and unusually extreme hot dry and windy conditions in June drove wildfires burning around 440,000 hectares, when on average it would be 8,300 hectares.
As well as devastating wildlife, indigenous and traditional communities are among the worst affected by the fires. Researchers found that, in a world without climate change, these conditions would be very rare – occurring only once every 161 years, but in today’s climate, these conditions are a one-in-35 year event and if that planet reaches warming levels of 2C, such fires could be expected once every 18 years.
Torrential rain in South Korea
The southern regions of South Korea were hit with an intensity of rainfall that would be expected "once every 200 years." The city of Gunsan received over 13cm of rain within one hour, representing over 10% of the city's average annual rainfall, and the highest since record-keeping began. The resulting floods killed at least four people.
Record-breaking heat in Japan
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued extreme heat warnings on 7 July, after parts of Japan broke record heat levels, including 40C in the city of Shizuoka, the city's highest recorded temperature since records began. On 8 July, multiple heat records were broken in various cities in Japan by dramatic margins, including 36.9C in Shingu (10.3C higher than the previous record) and 39.2 in Fuchu (9.8C higher than the previous record).
Japan has experienced its hottest July in recorded history, beating the previous record for July, set only last year. More than 120 people died of heatstroke in the Tokyo metropolitan area in July
June 2024
Record-breaking Hurricane Beryl hits the Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl was the earliest category five Atlantic hurricane in records going back around 100 years, and only the second ever in July (after Hurricane Emily in 2005). Usually, such strong storms only develop later in the season. But in the main Atlantic hurricane development region, the ocean heat content is at levels not usually seen until September. Warmer seas mean more powerful hurricanes, because the storms can pick up more energy, enabling higher wind speeds.
Beryl caused catastrophic damage on Grenada's northern islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique and on several of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' southern islands, such as Union Island and Canouan. On Canouan, population 12,600, 90% of the houses were either extensively damaged or destroyed. On Carriacou and Petite Martinique the destruction was described as "almost Armageddon-like". In Carriacou, the majority of homes and buildings were extensively damaged or destroyed. There was essentially no vegetation left across the island and the mangroves destroyed. The electrical grid system was almost completely destroyed and boats and the marinas significantly damaged.
Other Caribbean islands were also hit, with $2 million damage estimated in St Lucia and $6 million in Jamaica. Serious damage was also experienced in Venezuela, where six people were killed and one person went missing as a result of the storm. In the United States, Texas experienced severe flooding and wind damage, with reports of at least 22 dead in the Houston region. Additionally, the outer bands of the hurricane produced a prolific tornado outbreak across Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, New York, and Ontario. One estimate put US damages alone at $28-32 billion.
Severe flooding in southern and central China
In Pingyuan County, Guangdong province, torrential rainfall over five days caused historic flooding and landslides, severely damaging infrastructure and farmland, and leaving at least 47 people dead. The county’s worst rains were recorded on 16 June, with one township registering over 36cm of rainfall. The resulting floodsseverely damaged infrastructure and farmland, causing a direct economic loss of about $503 million USD.
Days later, heavy rains across several provinces in central China caused floods and landslides that affected hundreds of thousands of people and left at least eight people dead.
This was followed by the worst flooding in 70 years in Pingjiang County, Hunan province which received more than 38cm of rainfall in 24 hours. The water level of the Miluo River rose by more than 8m in 24 hours. One-third of Pingjiang’s old town and half of its new town was underwater, with floodwater in some areas as high as 3m.
Heatwave continues in northern India and Pakistan
At the beginning of June, more than 50 people died in India over three days due to the heat, including polling officials, security guards and sanitation staff involved in the general election. In northern and central India and parts of the west maximum temperatures were around 45-46C for days at a stretch, even climbing up to 50C in some areas. Several regions experienced severe water and electricity shortages due to a rise in power consumption.
Between May and June 2024, Delhi experienced a record streak of 40 days with temperatures above 40C. June’s average maximum temperature soared to 41.95C. Three of the four highest June temperatures have occurred in the past 13 years. The average maximum temperature for May and June combined was 41.7C. The urban heat island effect has contributed to extremely hot nights, a factor which contributes to the health risk posed by heatwaves.The city is cooling down by only 8.5C at night compared to a 12.2C cooling down in urban outskirt areas. Between June 11 and 19, Delhi saw 192 heatwave-related deaths among its homeless population
An Indian health ministry official confirmed over 40,000 suspected heatstroke cases and at least 110 confirmed heatstroke deaths between March 1 and June 18 - certainly an underestimate of the actual number of cases. During this period, northwest and eastern India experienced twice the usual number of heatwave days.
For eight days at the end of June, the large port city of Karachi in southern Pakistan suffered a heat wave, coupled with unprecedented humidity. Temperatures kept exceeding 40°C, with no respite even at night. The number of bodies arriving at morgues rose. "Our morgues usually see between 25 and 30 bodies arriving every day," said Faisal Edhi, director of the Edhi Foundation, which manages mortuaries and a fleet of ambulances. "Between June 21 and 27, this number soared to 830."
Extensive flooding in Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam
About 1.8 million people have been stranded in northeast Bangladesh, following prolonged torrential rain and water runoff from the hilly regions upstream on the border with India. Large swathes of Sylhet city and the nearby town of Sunamganj underwater in the second wave of flooding to hit the region in less than a month. About 964,000 people in Sylhet and 792,000 in Sunamganj had been affected by the flooding and authorities said they had set up more than 6,000 shelters to help the displaced Damage to homes, farmland and infrastructure has been estimated at at least $11.4 million.
Monsoon rains and landslides have also affected southern Bangladesh, where about a million Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar community are living, many in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters perched on hilly slopes that are vulnerable to strong winds, rain, and landslides. Save the Children said about 8,000 people in 33 camps have been impacted by the torrential downpours, which have destroyed or damaged more than 1,000 shelters, and at least 10 people, including three children, have died. Landslides, heavy rains and flooding have also hit the neighboring Indian state of Assam, affecting more than 4 million people.
Mass deaths on Hajj pilgrimage
Over 1,300 people on the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca died due to extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 50C. Extreme heat caused heat stroke and dehydration, leading to the deaths. The majority of those who died were unregistered, outside the official quota, and therefore lacking access to public facilities like air-conditioned tents, misting centers, transportation, or water rehydration areas. Questions are being asked, however, of how the Saudi government will keep pilgrims safe in future heat. Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia plans to increase the annual number of religious pilgrims to 30 million from 8 million and hold other mega-events in sports and music. Saudi Arabia also hosts millions of migrant workers who carry out the vast majority of outdoor work and are exposed to extreme heat amid inadequate protections. There are multiple planned “giga-projects” that would rely on a huge migrant workforce. This includes FIFA’s 2034 Men’s World Cup, which Saudi Arabia – as the sole bidder – is expected to host;, the estimated US$500 billion NEOM city, the US$50 billion Red Sea project, and the US$200 billion Al Qiddiya projects.
Wildfires in the Arctic circle
Intense wildfires above the Arctic Circle in June released vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, mainly burning in the Sakha Republic in Russia's Far North. More than 160 wildfires had burnt almost 460,000 hectares of land by 24 June - less than in the megafires of 2019 and 2020 but a significant increase over 2021-2023 which had been at more normal levels. The wildfire season peaks during July and August.
Heavy rains and landslides hit Central America
Relentless heavy rains have resulted in floods and landslides across Central America, leaving at least 13 people dead since Saturday, June 15, 2024. The worst affected are Guatemala and El Salvador, where a state of emergency has been declared.
Earliest heatwave recorded in Greece
Schools and nurseries closed ahead of the heatwave, the earliest ever recorded, with winds from North Africa taking temperatures above 40C and to a high of 43C. There have been a series of tourist deaths.
Storms in France, Switzerland and Italy
Ferocious storms and torrential rains hit France, Switzerland and Italy killed seven people
Cote d'Ivoire floods and landslides
Flooding and landslides in Cote d'Ivoire’s largest city of Abidjan have left at least 24 people dead following a week of heavy rains. The recent rainfall was particularly violent with that more than 20cm in some districts, four times the usual amount in a day.
Torrential rain in southern Germany causes floods
After days of rain, a state of emergency has been declared in the Rosenheim area of Bavaria. At least five people have died in the floods, cars were swept away and residential areas were flooded. River levels on the Danube have also been rising in Austria and Hungary. The Danube burst its banks in Austria's third-largest city Linz
Floods and mudslides in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka closed schools as the death toll due to floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains rose to 16 people. Over 6,000 people had been moved to evacuation centers and more than 12,000 homes had been damaged
Floods in southern China
Tens of thousands of people across southern China have been evacuated, with many more potentially at risk, as torrential rains have caused flash flooding and mudslides. At least 55 people have died.
Heatwave and drought in central and northern China
Central and northern China have been hit by heat and drought, with temperatures in Henan and Hebei provinces reaching 43 °C (109 °F) or higher and farmers already reporting significant crop failures. An extreme drought warning is in effect. Henan and Hebei are major hubs of Chinese agricultural production, and the heatwave poses a significant threat to the region’s crop yields.
Sudanese refugees die in the heat
Heatwave temperatures in Egypt rose to maximums of at least 47C and 49.6C in the shadeDozens of Sudanese people fleeing the war in their country and attempting to illegally cross the border into Egypt have died, many from scorching heat. A mining company inspector in Aswan, working in areas intersecting with human smuggling routes, reported an increase in people found dead in the desert since last Tuesday. “Every day we find two or three cars on the road with people in them dead,” noting that most deaths are from hunger, thirst, and sunstroke, including children and the elderly.
May 2024
Heatwave in Pakistan and northern India
Areas of Pakistan and northern India have suffered life-endangering heat. In Pakistan's southern Sindh province, the extreme heat meant that labourers unable migrate to cooler areas are forced to reduce working hours and therefore pay. In Mohenjo Daro in Sindh, the temperature reached 52.2C. Schools in Pakistan's Punjab province were closed for a week, with 26 million children out of school.
In Delhi, where temperatures reached 49C, workers struggled to cope, with conditions worsened by water shortages and power cuts. In one hospital in Jaipur, so many casualties of the heat have arrived at the mortuary that its capacity has been exceeded. Many of the victims are poor labourers, who have no choice but to work outside, and homeless people.
Cyclone Remal
Around a million people were evacuated and at least 75 killed when Cyclone Remal made landfall on the coasts of Bangladesh and India. Among the fatalities were two children in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Mexico heatwave
The heatwave in Mexico has seen temperature records broken in many cities, including Ciudad Victoria up to 47C and a record 34.7C in Mexico City, whose altitude has traditionally given it a temperate climate. Water shortages are an ongoing problem including in Mexico City and low levels at hydroelectric dams have contributed to power blackouts in some parts of the country. Howler monkeys have been falling dead from trees in the extreme heat and drought.
Repeated floods in Afghanistan
On 10-11 May, north east Afghanistan was struck by heavy rains and deadly flash floods. At least 180 people are confirmed to have been killed and a further 280 injured, as homes were swept away. Then further heavy rains caused severe destruction in the northwest with over 130 reported to have died, and hundreds more missing. Afghanistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate breakdown. This month’s unusually high rainfall followed a dry winter, rendering the ground too hard to absorb water, leading to massive flooding. Unseasonably warm temperatures further complicated the situation by melting mountain snow, causing rivers to overflow and inundating villages with mud.
Floods in southern Brazil
Between 24 April and 4 May extreme rainfall in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, led to more than 90% of the state being affected by flooding, an area equivalent to the UK. In just three days, the state capital, Porto Alegre, was inundated with two months’ worth of rain. Researchers found that human-driven climate change made the extreme rainfall two to three times as likely and about 6% to 9% more intense.
The floods displaced more than 80,000 people, led to over 150,000 being injured and at least 169 deaths with 44 people still missing. As with any climate disaster, the poorest areas were hit hardest. As well as homes lost and damaged, agriculture, industry, small businesses and infrastructure have all been hit hard. Initial financial losses have been estimated at $1.9 billion, and the federal state has allocated a $10 billion assistance package. The costs of recovery could be almost three times higher than this, and will also need to increase resilience to likely similar flood events in future.
Research highlights climate impacts on UK agriculture
Researchers estimate the level of rain caused by the UK's wet and stormy winter would have occurred just once in 50 years without the climate crisis, but at current warming levels is now expected every five years, more frequently if heating continues. The wet weather has caused significant losses for farmers.
Canada wildfire season starts
Some six thousand people were told to evacuate Fort McMurray, Alberta and 3000 others were ordered to leave Fort Nelson, British Columbia, due to nearby fires amid severe drought. Canadian wildfire season used to start in July or August, but in the past 20 years the wildfire season has been starting earlier and earlier. In 2023, Canada had its worst fire season on record in 2023.
March-April 2024
April continues trend as the hottest on record
April 2024 was the hottest April on record, marking 11 consecutive months of unprecedented global temperatures.
Heatwaves across Asia
Throughout April and continuing into May 2024, extreme heatwaves affected South-East Asia, South Asia and West Asia, including Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan. The heatwave exacerbated already precarious conditions faced by internally displaced people, migrants and those in refugee camps and conflict zones across West Asia. In Gaza, extreme heat worsened the living conditions of 1.7 million displaced people.
In early April schools closing in the Philippines as a 'historic' heatwave hit South East Asia. In late April, they closed again with further record-breaking temperatures across the region. Schools also closed due to high temperatures in Bangladesh.
In Vietnam, a state of emergency was declared in response to the abnormally high temperatures, and an intense drought gripped the southern part of the country. In April, all 102 weather stations across the country recorded unprecedented highs. In one reservoir, hundredes of thousands of fish died as water levels ran low in the heat.
(overview briefing for South and South East Asia)
Analysis found that the high temperatures in South Asia were 45 times more likely with climate change, and would have been impossible in the Philippines without climate change.
Coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef and around the world
In March, the fifth mass coral bleaching event in eight years was confirmed on the Great Barrier Reef, with the most severe heat stress ever seen. Scientists report their shock at reefs looking as if they have been 'carpet bombed'
High temperatures throughout oceans have affected coral reefs around the world: in April the fourth mass global coral bleaching event was declared.
Heat records broken across Africa
Throughout February and into March and April, extreme high temperatures continued around Africa and records were broken, locally and nationally, across the continent. Climatologist M. Herrera (@extremetemps) tracked these on X/Twitter and there are too many to list individually - some examples: 5 March, 11 March, 28 March, 1 April, 18 April
In South Sudan all schools were closed in late March ahead of a heatwave.
Researchers analysed one event - the extreme heat experienced at the end of March and beginning of April across many countries of the Sahel and West Africa. For example Kayes in Mali recorded 48.5C on 3 April, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Africa in April. Researchers found this heatwave would not have occurred without climate change. They also highlighted that the true impact of such events often goes unnoticed, for example in one hospital in Mali hospital admissions surged and 102 deaths were recorded over 1-4 April, compared to 130 deaths recorded for the whole month of April 2023.
El Nino brings devastating drought to southern Africa
Experts warned more than 24 million people in southern Africa were facing hunger, malnutrition and water scarcity due to drought and floods. Zimbabwe joined other southern African nations in declaring its drought a national disaster, following earlier declarations by Zambia and Malawi - the latter for the fourth consecutive year due to the extreme weather conditions.
On top of long-term climate change, El Niño tends to bring high temperatures and low rainfall to this part of Africa. When it does rain, dried-out ground is unable to absorb the moisture, making flooding more likely. From late January to February, rainfall levels were the lowest in at least 40 years. Central parts of the region experienced the driest February in more than 100 years.
Dubai floods
In Dubai, which hosted last year's UN climate negotiations, COP28, roughly twice the UAE's yearly average rainfall fell in a single day, leaving much of the city under water.
Autumn heatwave in Australia
In a record-breaking autumn heatwave over south-east Australia, daytime temperatures across South Australia and Victoria reached as much as 20C above average, in some places exceeding those experienced during the peak of this year's summer.
Flooding in East Africa
Extreme rainfall has caused devastating floods in several countries in East Africa.The Nairobi River and the Athi River in Kenya have both burst their banks, leading to over 40,000 people having been displaced since March. In Kenya's capital, Nairobi, streets were turned into rivers. Thirty-five people have died since mid-March.
The government of Burundi has called for international assistance, with over 200,000 people displaced by flooding since September.
In Tanzania, floods have killed 155 people and injured 236 others, with more than 200,000 people affected. Flooded schools were closed and emergency services were rescuing people marooned by the floodwaters.
Floods in Guangdong, China
China has evacuated 110,000 people in the southern province of Guangdong due to extreme rainfall causing flooding. Footage from across Guangdong showed flooded villages, farmland and cities, along with collapsed bridges and floating vehicles.
Flooding in Russian and Kazakhstan
Floods in Russia, especially the Ural Mountains and Siberia, and Kazakhstan inundated an area the size of Western Europe, with the fast melting of large snowfalls amid heavy rain swelling the tributaries of several of Europe's largest rivers. These floods were said to expose Russia's lack of preparedness for climate change.
February 2024
Wildfires in Chile
Following a heatwave from late January, with temperatures 10-15C above average and reaching up to 40C, wildfires broke out. In early February there were 162 forest fires across central and southern Chile. Over 43,000 hectares of land were affected. This is in the context of a 'mega-drought' that has affected the country over the last decade. Deadly blazes ripped through the coastal town of Viña del Mar.
Dangerous humid heat in West Africa
In February, abnormally high temperatures and humid air along the southern coast of West Africa resulted average Heat Index values (a measure combining the impact of heat and humidity) of about 50C, which is classified to be in the ‘danger’ level. In some places it even entered the level of ‘extreme danger’ that is associated with high risk of heat stroke, with values up to 60C. Analysis found such humid heat has become much more likely, it is at least 10 times more likely in today’s world.
January 2024
Congo River flooding
The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a hydrological and ecological catastrophe after the worst flooding in the country for six decades. Heavy rains caused the Congo River to overflow, flooding the capital, Kinshasa and leaving tens of thousands in temporary shelter. More than 300 people have died and 280,000 households in more than half the country have been forced to leave their homes since heavy rains started at the end of November.
In the Republic of Congo, whose capital, Brazzaville, sits on the opposite riverbank from Kinshasa, at least 17 people have died and 320,000 people have been affected by flooding
Drought in southern Africa
From January 2024, large parts of Southern Africa experienced significantly below average rainfall, with Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique and Botswana receiving less than 20 percent of the typical rainfall expected for February, with devastating consequences for the population largely depending on rainfed agriculture in drought linked to El Nino.
Snowless winter in Kashmir
With abnormally dry and warm weather, the territory of Jammu and Kashmir experienced a snowless winter, affecting livelihoods from tourism.
December 2023
Queensland floods
Major floods inundated parts of Queensland, Australia, with tropical cyclone Jasper bringing a year's worth of rain to some areas. The city of Cairns received more than 2m of rainfall since the weather event began.
Extreme rainfall in Tamil Nadu, India
In early December, heavy rains from Cyclone Michaung flooded the city of Chennai and killed at least 18 people in Tamil Nadu state. Thousands were evacuated to relief camps.
In a separate incident, in Kayalpattinam in Tamil Nadu over 94cm of rain was recorded in 24 hours, in what meteorologists called a 'unique event'.
Heatwave in Spain and western Mediterranean
Unseasonal December heat hit Spain, Portugal, Morocco and France. Malaga reached 29.9C, provisionally becoming mainland Spain's hottest December day on record.
Heat across east Asia
On 8 December, seven provinces in northern China broke the provincial record for December and in total nearly 500 weather stations across China broke December records. Shahe, Hebei broke the record for the highest temperature in northern China in December at 27.8C. Cold weather then moved into northern China, but southern China continued to break heat records.
Also on 8 December, about half the weather stations in North and South Korea broke records.
Japan also experienced a December heatwave: on 16 December temperatures in Tokyo did not drop below 20C, as on a summer night.
In Thailand, the national temperature record for December was broken.
December heat in South America and Mexico
Temperature records fell in central Brazil as El Nino delayed rainfall. A minimum night temperature of 30.5C at Cuiaba broke the December record for Brazil. Argentina, Paraguay, Uraguay and Colombia were also affected. The December record temperature was broken in Bolivia.
Fourteen were killed in Argentina from a storm with 150km/h winds. This also combined with intense heat in the country.
Temperatures in Mexico reached maximum of 40C and highest minimum temperatures of 28C
South Africa heatwave
In South Africa, the late November heatwave continuing into December.
November 2023
November 2023 breaks heat records globally
For the third month in row, the planet broke an all-time monthly heat record by a remarkable margin.
Heatwave in Brazil
Red alerts have been issued for almost 3,000 towns and cities across Brazil, which have been experiencing an unprecedented heatwave. Rio de Janeiro recorded 42.5C on Sunday - a record for November - and high humidity on Tuesday meant that it felt like 58.5C, municipal authorities said. More than a hundred million people have been affected by the heat. Bolivia and Paraguay have also been affected
Drought restricts traffic through Panama Canal
In late July, vessels passing through the waterway each day were limited to an average of 32, down from the usual 36, with restrictions on the permitted maximum depth of ships. Further restrictions were announced at the beginning of November after the driest October since records began 73 years ago these increasing so that by February 2024 it would be down to 18 vessels a day.
Asia heatwave in early November
On 1 November, 680 weather stations across China broke their November temperature record, and 25 stations tied the record, accounting for 30% of the total number of weather stations in China. The record-breaking heat then moved south to Japan and Korea.
Japan observed its hottest November day on record on 3 November, with over 300 weather stations reporting record-breaking temperatures for this time of year. The heatwave affected one-third of the country, with more high temperatures in the following days. Tokyo broke a 100-year-old temperature record on 7 November.
Bangladesh also had its hottest November day on record on 1 November.
Taiwan broke its November record temperature and the November record of highest minimum night temperature broken in Thailand, other records broken in Thailand included the hottest November day on record at Phuket and Krabi.
Flooding in Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic
The President of the Dominican Republic where 21 people were killed in floods and landslides said the tropical disturbance had brought the highest rainfall ever to occur in the country, up to 431 mm in some areas of the National District, which includes the capital Santo Domingo.
Floods in East Africa
Flooding throughout eastern Africa has killed dozens of people and displaced tens of thousands. Since late 2020, Somalia as well as parts of Ethiopia and Kenya have been suffering the region’s worst drought in 40 years. However El Niño tends to bring heavier rainfall to the region over October-December. Since October, floods have affected more than 706,000 people in Somalia, while Kenya Red Cross reported on 06 November that floods have affected a total of 15,264 households across the country and at least 15 people have lost their lives. Wide areas of crops have been damaged and hundreds of livestock have perished. Flooding has also affected Ethiopia, Burundi and Malawi.
October 2023
October 2023 confirmed as the hottest on record
October 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest October on record by an exceptional margin.
Madagascar heatwave
Scientists reported that abnormally warm temperatures in Madagascar in October were ‘virtually impossible’ without human-caused global heating. They also highlighted that heatwaves in all regions of sub-saharan Africa are dramatically underreported.
Floods in Yemen
Thousands of people have been displaced after Tropical Cyclone Tej triggered severe flooding in south-eastern Yemen. Over 40cm of rain fell at Al Ghaydah Airport in the space of a few hours.
Storm Ciarán
Storm Ciarán severely affected parts of Europe from late October to early November, killing 21 people, of whom four were in France and eleven in Italy where almost 200 millimetres of rain fell in three hours, causing flooding. Record wind gusts of 208 km/h were reported in France.
Heavy rainfall from Storm Babet in the UK and Ireland
Hundreds were evacuated and four deaths caused by flooding brought by Storm Babet.
Hurricane Otis hits Mexico
Hurricane Otis 'explosively intensified' with wind speeds increasing by 177km/h within 24 hours from a tropical storm into a category five hurricane. Rising ocean temperatures are increasing the risk of this type of rapid and dangerous transformation according to a 2022 study.
This is also the first time in recorded history that the eastern Pacific has had a hurricane remain at category 5 after making landfall. The hurricane caused at least 49 deaths and left 29 others missing. The total damage from Otis was estimated to be billions of dollars and the impact on the resort city of Acapulco was devastating, with impacts hitting the city's poorest worst. Thousands lost their homes, and the storm was reported to have destroyed as much as 80% of Acapulco’s hotel and therefore the jobs depending on them in a city which is an international tourist spot in one of Mexico’s poorest states.
Drought in the Amazon
The Brazilian Amazon is experiencing a historic drought. The inability of boats to navigate the shallow rivers threatens to leave hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people living in the most remote corners of Brazil stranded and at risk of food, water and medicine shortages. Eight Brazilian states recorded the lowest rainfall in the period from July to September in over 40 years. Rainfall is being reduced this year by El Niño, and the warming of northern tropical Atlantic Ocean waters.
The carcasses of 120 endangered river dolphins were found floating in a tributary river, their deaths most likely attributed to severe drought and heat.
October warmth in Siberia
'Summerlike' temperatures of up to 26C were recorded with many stations breaking monthly records.
Floods in Myanmar
Floods have covered 80 percent of Bago City in Myanmar, with over 27,000 evacuating to relief camps. Bago Region suffers seasonal flooding but this crisis is said to be the worst in 60 years.
Wildfires in Argentina
Almost a thousand firefighters were deployed to battle wildfires around populated areas of Argentina's Cordoba province, including the resort city of Villa Carlos Paz
September 2023
September 2023 hottest on record - by a huge margin
The hottest September on record follows the hottest August and hottest July, with the latter being the hottest month ever recorded. The high temperatures have driven heatwaves and wildfires across the world. Global average temperatures in September 2023 beat the previous record for that month by 0.5C, the largest jump in temperature ever seen.
South America's heatwave continues into early spring
Continuing from the unprecedented severe winter heatwave, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil have all experienced record September temperatures. Heat was particularly widespread in Brazil, where temperatures reached 40C in 11 states.
As Bolivia declared its hottest ever September temperature of 40.3C, six out of the country's nine departments were experiencing drought, and a fifth of the country was officially declared as in disaster from severe drought.
Recent research found the abnormal winter heat was made 100 times more likely by climate change.
Floods in Libya kill thousands, in one of worst disasters caused by climate breakdown
After hitting Greece, Storm Daniel brought torrential rain to Libya, with the city of Al Bayda receiving 414mm in 24 hours, around three-quarters of the average annual rainfall. The deluge overcame two dams, reported to be poorly maintained, upstream of the city of Derna which was devastated by the floods. The Libya's ambassador to the UN said the death toll had reached 6,000, a number which is expected to rise, since thousands are still unaccounted for. A contested figure of 11,300 has been cited more recently by the UN.
The World Weather Attribution initiative, which analyses the role of climate change in the aftermath of extreme weather events, found climate breakdown made the deadly rainfall in Libya up to 50 times more likely to occur and 50% worse. They also found the extreme rainfall that hit Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria was made up to 10 times more likely.
Catastrophic floods in Greece
Storm Daniel caused severe flooding and deaths in Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. One of the worst hit areas is the Thessaly plain, one of Greece's main agricultural regions, which was hit by a year's worth of rain in 48 hours. It is estimated that the short-term effects alone could cost the Greek economy up to 5 billion euros. Crops were widely destroyed, and over 200,000 animals and poultry killed.
Only a few days later, Storm Elias hit central Greece.
Typhoons and record-breaking rain in Hong Kong and southern China
Around 900,000 were evacuated ahead of Super Typhoon Saola's arrival in southern China. However, the storm was downgraded before landfall. One death was recorded. Saola was followed almost immediately by Typhoon Haikui. This typhoon weaked to a slow-moving tropical depression, whose clouds released heavy loads of rainfall, more than 200mm in Hong Kong. An hourly rainfall of 158mm was recorded by the Hong Kong Observator, the heaviest rain since records began 140 years ago. The rains left two people dead and more than 100 injured. The extreme weather also brought chaos to the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, a tech hub of more than 17.7 million people. In that city 465.5mm of rain fell over a 12-hour period, the most since records there began in 1952.
Record rainfall in Japan
Record rains in Japan from the remnants of tropical storm Yun-yeung have led to significant flooding and over 200 landslides, causing the loss of at least three lives and over 2,000 homes damaged.
Floods in Western Cape, South Africa
At least 11 people were killed after heavy rain and winds hit South Africa's Western Cape province, including Cape Town. The destructive weather flooded homes, tore off roofs, destroyed crops and damaged roads and other infrastructure.
Flash floods in Spain
At least three people died in Spain after heavy rains caused flash floods that forced the closure of Madrid metro lines and high-speed rail links. Helicopters were sent to rescue people who had sought refuge on the roofs of their homes in the central city of Toledo.
Floods and landslides in southern Brazil
Torrential rain and winds caused by a cyclone left at least 27 people dead in Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil. More than 300mm of rain hit the state in less than 24 hours, triggering floods and landslides, according to the governor the state's worst-ever weather disaster.
No relief from floods in South Sudan
After four years of heavy floods, malaria and malnutrition are rife in South Sudan. During the rainy seasons, floodwaters have swept away entire villages, destroyed crops, drowned cattle, and severely damaged infrastructure, while forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Typhoons and record-breaking rain in Hong Kong and southern China
Around 900,000 were evacuated ahead of Super Typhoon Saola's arrival in southern China. However, the storm was downgraded before landfall. One death was recorded. Saola was followed almost immediately by Typhoon Haikui. This typhoon weaked to a slow-moving tropical depression, whose clouds released heavy loads of rainfall, more than 200mm in Hong Kong. An hourly rainfall of 158mm was recorded by the Hong Kong Observator, the heaviest rain since records began 140 years ago. The rains left two people dead and more than 100 injured. The extreme weather also brought chaos to the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, a tech hub of more than 17.7 million people. In that city 465.5mm of rain fell over a 12-hour period, the most since records there began in 1952.
August 2023
Record-breaking wildfire in Greece
The fire in north-eastern Greece was the biggest wildfire recorded in EU since recording began in 2000, causing 20 deaths. Another wildfire was also burning near Athens and a third major wildfire on the island of Andros
Flooding and landslides in Tajikistan
At least 21 people have died as three days of torrential rains have caused flooding, landslides and mudflows in Tajikistan
Floods in Pakistan
Monsoon rains prompted Indian authorities to release excess reservoir water into the Sutlej, causing flooding downstream on the Pakistani side of the border, with almost 100,000 evacuated. Large parts of Sindh and Balochistan are still recovering from the damage from last year’s floods. India has experienced severe monsoon rains this year, with more than 150 killed in rain-related incidents since July. More than 175 people have died in Pakistan in rain-related incidents since the monsoon season began in late June.
Hurricane Idalia hits Florida
Hurricane Idalia rapidly intensified overnight, fueled by the abnormally record hot waters in the Gulf, before making landfall in Florida with high winds and a storm surge of up to 4.8m, and then moving on to Georgia
Deadly wildfires on Maui
Wildfires on Hawaii's Maui have killed at least 114 people, forced tens of thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate the island and devastated the historic resort city of Lahaina. This was the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
Canada's wildfire season 'off the charts'
Canada’s record-breaking wildfire season has continued, “completely off the charts”. In early August - about halfway through the fire season - the number of hectares burned throughout the country was roughly double what is normally burned during an entire season. As of 10th August, that area totaled 13.5 million hectares, about the size of the state of Mississippi. In early August, carbon emissions from Canadian wildfires had already passed 300 megatons, about three times what has been generated during the course of a 'normal' fire season. Even near the Arctic Circle, 20,000 residents of Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories were put under a mass evacuation order. Hundreds were airlifted to safety from Fort Smith.
Heatwave and wildfires in Spain and Portugal
The third heatwave of the summer hit the Iberia peninsula. In Portugal, a high of 46.4C was recorded, with wildfires in both Spain and Portugal. In Spain, the city of Valencia broke its heat record, reaching 46.8C.
Meanwhile a major wildfire on the Spanish island of Tenerife led to the evacuation of five villages
Flooding in Slovenia
Severe flooding killed at least six in Slovenia after a month’s worth of rain in 10 hours - likely to be the worst floods since Slovenia’s independence in 1991.
Storms across northern Europe
Storms brought heavy rainfall to southern Norway causing landslides, as well as Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Denmark, where waves of up to eight metres were reported.
Storms hit Japan and Korea
Typhoon Khanun left two dead in Japan and 166,000 homes without power, in Korea over 10,000 people were evacuated and one killed. The storm also caused the evacuation of the World Scout Jamboree.
Khanun was followed in Japan by Tropical Cyclone Lan, which brought record-breaking rainfall. Tottori city recorded 483mm in just 3 hours while Kagamino town in Okayama recorded 461.5mm, both exceeding the average rainfall for the entire month of August. In 24 hours, Odai in Mie Prefecture recorded 600mm of rainfall, and Nachikatsuura in Wakayama Prefecture 500mm. Around 237,000 people were evacuated ahead of the storm.
Winter heatwave in South America
The extraordinary winter heatwave in South America continued. Buenos Aires recorded its hottest 1 August in 117 years. In the northern regions of Argentina bordering Bolivia and Paraguay temperatures reached between 37C and 39C. In Chile, temperatures rose even higher, towards 40C. Parts of Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil have also experienced temperatures of almost 39C.
(As of 2 August) 30 consecutive days of the hottest global average temperatures ever recorded
The global average temperature on Monday 3rd July, 17.01C, surpassed the previous record of 16.924°C. This was beaten on Tuesday (17.18C) and again on Thursday (17.23C). These temperatures were the highest since global temperature has been monitored, but using proxy data collected through tree rings and ice cores we can tell that these average temperatures are the highest in at least 125,000 years. Temperatures have not fallen below the previous record temperature for the past (as of 2 August) 30 days.
Record-breaking rainfall in China
Typhoon Doksuri brought the heaviest rains to China since records began 140 years ago. Hundreds of thousands were evacuated from China's south-east Fujian province, and the storm then moved to the area of Beijing where a month's worth of rainfall was recorded in 40 hours. At least 20 have been killed and 27 missing. Nearly one million people were evacuated in Beijing and in neighbouring Hebei province, In the city of Zhuozhou, where several rivers join, one sixth of the population of 600,000 were evacuated, and residential areas more than twice the size of Paris were waterlogged.
Continuing heatwave in Japan and South Korea
High temperatures have continued in Japan, with records broken, and in South Korea, where 12 people died from heat-related deaths last weekend, while in Japan, three people died including a 13 year-old on her way back from school.
Record temperature in Niger
As part of the ongoing heatwave across North Africa and the Middle East, Niger recorded its highest temperature of 47.4C.
July 2023
July 2023 was the world's hottest ever month, with many local records broken
Ocean temperature records broken
Marine heatwaves have continued, including in the North Atlantic, where unprecedented temperatures could be catastrophic for fish stocks, and in the Mediterranean. In Florida, ocean surface temperatures reached 100F (37.8C) killing corals on which the marine ecosystem (and the local economy) depend.
On 1st August oceans hit their highest ever recorded temperature
Antarctic sea ice fails to re-form in winter
Levels of sea ice are so low, that the mathematical chance of this occurring in the absence of climate change would be once in every 7.5 million years - statistically, it is five standard deviations outside the mean.
Mediterranean heatwaves and wildfires
Severe heatwaves in southern Europe led to wildfires. Over 20,000 were evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as devastating wildfires broke out. There were also fires on Corfu and Evia.
Wildfires around the Mediterranean have hit nine countries, including Italy's southern island of Sicily where three people were killed, France near Nice airport, and in Croatia, Syria, Turkey. There were also fires in Portugal and Spain's Gran Canaria.
In Algeria, 97 wildfires broke out across 16 provinces, killing at least 34. Northern Algeria has been experiencing a record heatwave in recent days, with temperatures reaching 48C. Temperatures in several regions in North Africa are up to 7C higher than normal for the time of year.
In Tunisia, where some cities had recorded temperatures of 49, wildfires also broke out, but were contained by firefighters with no loss of life.
Weather attribution researchers found that the heatwaves in North America and Europe would be virtually impossible without climate change.
Meanwhile research was published which found that more than 61,000 people were killed by extreme heat in Europe in 2022.
Above the heatwave zone, instability led to unseasonal storms and hail. In Italy, hailstones as big as tennis balls battered the regions of Veneto and Lombardy, injuring at least 110 people, while a tornado hit Milan. Further hailstorms in Italy probably set the record for largest hailstones recorded in Europe. There were also destructive hailstorms in Croatia and Slovenia, Germany was hit by thunderstorms and giant hail, and a tornado in Switzerland killed one and injured 15
China records hottest temperature ever.
A temperature of 52.2C was recorded in the remote northwest township of Sanbao in Xinjiang's Turpan Depression, significantly higher than the previous highest temperature recorded anywhere in China (50.3C)
Following the hottest June day on record for Beijing, the heatwave across much of China continued into July, with a red heat warning meaning employers across much of China were ordered to limit outdoor work due to scorching temperatures, Residents of some cities have moved into underground air raid shelters to escape the heat. The temperature in nearly half of China exceeded 35C for only the second time in history.
Southern US heatwave continues
Around a third of the US population has been put under extreme heat advisories. Conditions in Phoenix, Arizona, have been described as 'hell on earth' with hospitals treating patients with serious burns from pavement surfaces, or even the water from a garden hose.
El Niño arrives
The Pacific naturally alternates between two global climate patterns: El Niño and La Niña. During La Niña events, trade winds blowing west along the equator are even stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia. Off the west coast of the Americas, upwelling increases, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface. During El Niño, trade winds weaken. Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas.
For the past three years, the world has been in a La Niña phase, associated with cooler global average temperatures, however climate change has meant that despite this, recent years have still been warm. Now El Niño is expected to 'take the brakes off', increasing the likelihood of triggering more extreme heat - 2023 could become the hottest on record, although most of El Niño’s heat will appear in 2024. The impacts vary in different regions:
- Lower rainfall and higher temperatures in Australia, increasing the risk of wildfires and mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef.
- Hotter and drier conditions in the Amazon meaning less growth and greater risk of fires in a forest already approaching a tipping point. Heat and drought also increase in Colombia and Central America.
- Heavy rains and flooding in Peru and Ecuador
- Wetter weather and increased flood risks in the southern US, while the northern US and Canada get warmer and drier. China also tends to be wetter in the south and hotter and drier in the north.
- Reduced rainfall in the Indian monsoon.
- Normally reduced risk of hurricanes and typhoons - however abnormal ocean heat may counteract this to some extent.
- Hopes of increased rain in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa.
Heatwave in North Africa
While not covered at all in mainstream media, temperature records have been broken in North Africa in July. This includes Adrar in Algeria recording a minimum night time temperature of 39.6C - the highest minimum temperature ever recorded in Africa. Initial records noted by @extremetemps on Twitter: 1 July, 5 July, 8 July, 9 July, 10 July.
Severe monsoon season causes deaths across Asia
Climate change increases the risk of heavy rainfall as warm air holds more moisture, and extreme rain has caused floods and landslides across several countries.
North India:
Delhi experienced the heaviest July rainfall in decades. Severe rains triggered at least 14 landslides and several flash floods across Himachal Pradesh, with bridges falling into the Beas river. Delhi, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh have received 112%, 100% and 70% more rainfall than average so far in the current monsoon season that started on 1 June. Rainfall varies considerably, but climate change is making the monsoon stronger and more erratic.
China:
While parts of China experienced record-breaking heat, in other areas, unusually heavy rains have killed several people and damaged infrastructure
Japan:
Six people died and three others were missing after the “heaviest rain ever” triggered floods and landslides in south-west Japan. The city of Kurume received precipitation of over 40cm in 24 hours. Landslides are a serious risk in Japan, where many homes are built on flat land at the foot of hills and mountains.
Meanwhile Tokyo issued a heatwave alert. Heatstroke is especially risky for Japan's large elderly population, whose bodies are less able to naturally cool than younger people.
South Korea:
At least 40 people have been killed in South Korea by floods caused by torrential rainfall, including those trapped in vehicles in a flooded tunnel.
Floods in New York and Vermont
Torrential rainfall in the Hudson Valley region of New York State flooded roads and residential areas, and caused at least one death, before moving on to Vermont where it caused the worst flooding since Hurricane Irene in 2011 damaging homes and businesses, but causing no deaths.
Canada wildfires continue, with heat records set in the north
Beginning in March 2023, and with increased intensity starting in June, Canada has been affected by an ongoing, record-setting series of wildfires. Eleven provinces and territories have been affected, with large fires in Alberta, Nova Scotia and Ontario and Quebec. As of 7 July, more than 9 million hectares had burned, shattering the previous record 7.8m hectares burned in 1989. Nearly 1,800 firefighters from 11 countries have arrived to help control the fires.
Smoke from the wildfires has affected air quality across large areas of the US: in late June more than a third of the US population, from the Midwest to the East Coast, were under air quality alerts. Hundreds of thousands of masks were distributed around New York City.
On 9 July, Fort Good Hope in the Northwest Territories, near the Arctic Circle, recorded 37.4C, the hottest temperature recorded that far north in Canada.
June 2023
Hottest June ever recorded
The Met Office has confirmed June was the hottest on record for the UK, eclipsing the last hottest by nearly a full degree. There was concern about possible impacts on marine ecosystems off the coasts of UK and Ireland if high sea temperatures continued, with possible mass mortality of fish and oysters.
Heatwave in Mexico and southern US states
Over 100 people died in Mexico in June due to scorching temperatures. The increased electricity demand put strain on the grid, causing power shortages. In the US, the heatwave extended from southern Arizona to the Florida coast. In Texas, a public health crisis was reported, particularly affecting older people and outdoor workers, while prisons are reported to be 'like ovens'.
Analysis found that human-caused climate change continues to make persistent, dangerous heat in places in Texas, the Southwest, and Mexico at least 5 times more likely.
Siberian heatwave
In early June Siberia experienced the region’s 'worst heat wave in history', with temperatures in the high 30s, breaking dozens of records.
Antarctic sea ice at record low level for June
At the end of June, the extent of sea ice should be building to a mid-point between the maximum and the minimum. However, this year the ice is expanding very slowly with the consequence that the extent is way below normal, 2.5 million square kilometres below average for the time of year, and over 1.3 million sq km below the next lowest recorded extent for the time of year.
Floods in Haiti
Thousands were displaced and at least 42 killed in Haiti after a weekend of torrential downpours that triggered mudslides and caused rivers to burst their banks.
May 2023
Cyclone Mocha
Cyclone Mocha, a Category 5 storm killed at least 145 people in Myanmar (or over 400 according to Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government). Coastal areas in Rakhine state were hit by winds of over 200 kilometers per hour. Rakhine is a largely impoverished and isolated state, with Rohingya mostly confined to camps akin to open air prisons, after being forced from their homes by military attacks. UN staff said they were denied access to the camps to help. Further north, houses, schools and hospitals were destroyed – a situation exacerbated by ongoing conflict and the presence of troops hindering access to safe shelter
In Bangladesh, the storm crushed thousands of shelters in the world's largest refugee camp, home to one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
East Asia heatwave continues
In South East Asian countries the heatwave which began in March continued into May.
Spring heatwave in Japan with temperatures up to 36.2C, school children were hospitalised with heat stroke.
Floods in Italy
After prolonged drought, Emilia-Romagna and parts of Marche northern Italy have been badly affected by heavy rain, floods and landslides, in which nine died and thousands were evacuated.
Record-breaking heatwave in western Canada and US
A heat dome centred above south-western Canada has brought record heat for the time of year to a wide region, and triggered multiple wildfires in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Further north, snowpack is melting abnormally early because of the warmth.
Floods hit multiple countries in East Africa
In Rwanda, at least 130 people died amid severe flooding and landslides in Rwanda in early May, while thousands were displaced as entire villages were engulfed. Beyond the 5,000 homes, 17 roads and 26 bridges destroyed, a whole hospital was lost amid torrential rain that followed an extended drought.
Heavy rain also caused floods and landslides in Uganda, killing six.
The Horn of Africa, where the worst drought for 40 years is devastating livelihoods and even threatening famine in some areas, also suffered from floods in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Also in Somalia where almost a quarter of a million people had to to flee their homes after the Shabelle River in central Somalia broke its banks and submerged the town of Beledweyne
Torrential floods and landslides in South Kivu province, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killed over 400 so far confirmed and left thousands homeless
UN warns El Niño could take brakes off global warming
Despite last year being the fifth warmest on record, the world has been in a 'La Niña' weather phase since 2020, which tends to cool average global temperatures. There is estimated to be a 60% chance that an El Niño will develop by end of July, and 80% chance of it by end of September. This climate pattern is typically associated with increased heat worldwide, as well as drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.
April 2023
Heatwave in Spain, Portugal and Morocco
Spain recorded its hottest ever temperature for April, hitting 38.8C at Cordoba airport on 27 April. Portugal also recorded its highest ever April temperature of 36.9C on the same day, while in Marrakech, Morocco, temperatures reached a record 41.3C. These temperatures are 10 to 15C above the seasonal average, according to the UK Met Office.
Researchers found that this heatwave would have been almost impossible without the climate crisis.
The heatwave is being amplified by dry soils. The lack of rain is causing serious problems for farmers and communities: drought affects 60% of Spain’s countryside, and has destroyed cereal crops across 3.5 million hectares (detailed review in Spanish). Questions are being asked as to the long-term future of agriculture in Catalonia and southern Spain if these trends continue. In the district of Tomelloso in central Spain, where there has been no rain for 134 days, farmers report that even fall-back crops such as drought-resistant grape vines are being kept alive only with 'unheard of' spring irrigation.
Water scarcity is not just affecting farmers, but also drinking water. Water rationing has been introduced in Catalonia's cities and towns and some villages having supplies topped up by water brought in on trucks. There have also been unusually early wildfires in late March in the eastern region of Castellon.
Heatwave across Asia
A severe heatwave gripped much of the continent in late April. Record April temperatures were recorded at monitoring stations across Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, as well as in China and South Asia.
In Thailand the hottest temperature ever was recorded - 45C - and the following week authorities advised people in Bangkok and other areas of the country to stay home with temperatures of 42C and a heat index - meaning what the temperature feels like combined with humidity - of 54C.
In Bangladesh, temperatures rose above 40C in the capital, Dhaka, earlier this month, marking the hottest day in 58 years
At least 13 people died from heatstroke in Maharashtra after attending a state award ceremony. Recent research highlighted India's vulnerability to heatwaves, finding that more than 90% of the country could fall into an extreme heat “danger” zone, according to the heat index, the study found.
An attribution study found that that such an April heatwave was 30 times as likely to occur over India and Bangladesh because of climate change. Over Thailand and Laos such an event would have been virtually impossible in a climate that had not been heated by fossil fuel burning.
Last year, India experienced its hottest March on record, followed by a searing heatwave, with temperatures of up to 49C (120°F). An earlier study found that India saw a 55% rise in deaths due to extreme heat between 2000-2004 and 2017-2021
Heat records on other continents
Southern Africa has experienced a fierce late autumn heatwave. In early April, Botswana's temperature record for April was broken, reaching 38.4C at Tubu in the north-west, a record surpassed at the same location later in the month, reaching 40.4C.
In Nunavut, northern Canada, a record of 11.1C was reached at a time of year when temperatures rarely exceed freezing.
On 25 April the temperature at Argentina's Belgrano II base in the Antarctic reached 1.5C, around 20C above normal, part of a wider Antarctic heatwave at the start of the long winter.
March 2023
Argentina heatwave continued into autumn
The country’s summer, which technically runs from December to February, was by far the hottest on record, with repeated heatwaves, and the heat in March has been unprecedented. Temperatures during the first 10 days of March were 8-10C above normal in east-central Argentina. The heat has caused an agricultural crisis and contributed to wildfires.
Cyclone Freddy
Record-breaking Cyclone Freddy made landfall in Madagascar and Mozambique in late February. It then looped back and hit the coast of Mozambique again two weeks later, before moving inland to Malawi. Freddy holds the record for most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure based on a storm's wind strength over its lifetime, as well as being the longest-lasting tropical cyclone.
Overall, Freddy killed at least 1,434 people including at least 1,216 in Malawi and 198 in Mozambique.
California storms
California faced its 12th in a series of powerful, atmospheric river storms over the winter. These have helped alleviate the years-long megadrought, but also caused severe flooding.
Floods in Peru and Ecuador
Since the end of January, a sudden and abnormal warming of Pacific waters off Peru known as a Coastal El Niño has led to heavy rainfall. The rains became especially intense after the rising ocean temperatures helped fuel Cyclone Yaku.
February 2023
Cyclone Gabrielle hits New Zealand
New Zealand has declared a state of emergency. A third of the country's population of five million live in areas affected by the cyclone, which caused devastation to coastal communities on North Island. Some people had to swim through windows to escape flooded homes.
Chile wildfires
The worst wildfire season on record in Chile displaced thousands and caused 24 deaths, with fires consuming around 400,000 hectares of land. The fires have been enabled by record summer temperatures of over 40C, on top of a 13-year drought.
Pakistan still dealing with flood aftermath
Six months on from the start of devastating floods in Pakistan, about 200,000 people are still displaced, many living under tarpaulins by the side of the road. A food security crisis feared and malaria is rife, normally minimal in winter.
January 2023
Three weeks of rainstorms in California
Three weeks of January storms caused an estimated $1 billion damage and killed at least 21 people. The storms helped restore snowpack which is badly needed in the long drought, but the impact on the year's wildfire forecast is mixed, since the rainfall will increase vegetation and makes controlled winter burning more difficult.
Unseasonal floods in Philippines
The Philippines experienced heavy rain, flooding and landslides in January, killing at least 28 people, even though the Philippines is normally in its cool, dry season from December to February. The Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, regularly hit by typhoons and storms.
2023 kicks off with temperature records falling across Europe
The warmest January day ever was recorded in at least eight European countries including Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia, according to data collated by Maximiliano Herrera. In Korbielów, Poland, the temperature reached 19C, compared to the 1C annual average for January. Meteorologists said that such extreme heat over such a large area was 'almost unheard of'.
With drought ongoing in the Horn of Africa, the UN warns that 700,000 could face starvation in Somalia next year, with famine only averted so far by food aid, while livestock have been dying at a 'shocking rate'.
Review of 2022
Overall, 2022 was the fifth warmest on record, with the average global temperature almost 1.2C above pre-industrial levels, despite the presence for the third year in a row of the La Niña phenomenon that has a cooling effect.
The oceans were the hottest ever recorded in 2022 - driving extreme weather as well as affecting marine ecosystems. Antarctic ice also marked a record low.
Twelve European countries broke monthly temperature records in 2022 as the continent recorded its hottest ever summer, and abnormally warm temperatures in October and December. Overall, Europe recorded its second warmest year on record.
Many media outlets looked back at climate disruption and extreme weather over 2022.
Looking forward to 2023, we should be aware of other crises which will continue to interact with the impacts of climate breakdown, including the global debt crisis, the impact of the Ukraine war which is driving shortages (including a global food crisis) and taking attention away from other crises, healthcare disrupted by Covid, colonial legacies and geopolitics. This article asks, for example, about the global risk of a multi-year water crisis in China that significantly reduces its grain production and electricity supplies.
December 2022
Flash floods at Petra
The ancient city received almost half its annual rainfall in a storm which caused tourists to be evacuated.
Christmas day floods in the Philippines
Heavy rains on Christmas day killed at least 51 and displaced thousands.
Winter storms in US and Canada
A winter storm, estimated to be more than 3000 kilometres wide, hit US states as far south as Texas as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Blizzards and extreme cold left at least 60 people dead and millions without power, and travel cancelled during the holiday period. The storm was caused by Arctic winds known as the polar vortex dipping south over North America. Some scientists believe climate change may be fuelling this instability in polar weather systems.
Heatwave in Argentina
In early December, 24 weather stations in Argentina recorded temperatures above 40C, Rivadavia station, located near the border with Bolivia and Paraguay, recorded a maximum temperature of 46C on 7 December – the hottest temperature recorded in the world that day. Argentina is in its third consecutive year of drought.
Researchers found this heatwave was made about 60 times more likely by climate change.
Floods in Kinshasa
More than 120 people were killed following the worst floods in years in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many of those who died were in hillside areas which suffered landslides.
October 2022
Floods in West/Central Africa
Floods in Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Benin, triggered by an early and unusually severe monsoon season, together killed at least 800 people. Analysis found the heaviest seven days of rainfall were probably about twice as likely to happen because of the influence of climate change. The entire summer’s average rainfall, on the other hand, was probably about 80 times more likely. The rains were also likely around 20 percent more intense than they would have been without the influence of global warming.
On 28 October, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warned of surging needs for more than 3.4 million displaced people due to flooding in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Cameroon.
Nigeria
Over 600 were killed and 1.3 million displaced in the worst floods in Nigeria for a decade. Most of the affected states are in the south-east and north-central regions, where hundreds of communities have been cut off and are without access to food, clean water and fuel. A surge in cholera cases has been reported.
Chad
Following the heaviest rainy season in 30 years which had caused flooding in 18 of Chad's 23 provinces, in mid-October the two rivers that surround Chad’s capital, N'Djamena, both overflowed. The waters did not recede, and as of mid-November, 110 square km in N’Djamena and its immediate surroundings were under water. Chad's government declared a state of emergency.
Cameroon
Floods in the north of the country affected more than 150,000 people and destroyed over 18,000 homes. There were concerns about outbreaks of cholera in refugee camps.
Late October heatwave
The second half of October saw abnormally high 'summer' temperatures around the eastern Mediterranean. Algeria's Oran airport recorded 40.4C on 17 October and on 18 October, 51 weather stations in France recorded above 30C. Abnormally high temperatures were also recorded in parts of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Floods in south-eastern Australia
Severe floods hit the states of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. La Nina combined with another weather pattern called a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, along with climate change. The crisis follows severe flooding in March and April on Australia's east coast. Consecutive wet years have left the land saturated, unable to easily absorb excess rainfall, and some dams full. Sydney has experienced its wettest year on record, In 30 minutes on 7 October, Melbourne received half its average monthly rainfall.
Drought in Brazil's Amazonas state
Levels of the Amazon river have fallen due to severe drought that, at least in some areas, is the worst in decades.
Drought shrinks Mississippi River and other North American waters
The drought-hit Mississippi fell to its lowest level ever at Memphis. Barges transporting grain and other goods were limiting their loads, with 1,700 barges waiting for dredging to open a channel. With the saltwater intrusion threatening drinking water supply, the US army was constructing an underwater dam to block heavier saltwater from moving upstream.
About 82% of the continental US is in conditions between abnormally dry and exceptional drought. The Great Salt Lake in Utah is shrinking and 'on the brink of ecological collapse'. The Platte River in Nebraska ran almost entirely dry. In British Columbia, Canada, the carcasses of 65,000 salmon were found in a dried up river.
Landslide in Venezuela / Hurricane Julia
After a month's rainfall fell in the region in eight hours, the El Pato river burst its banks, causing floodwaters to wash away trees, cars, houses and shops in the small Venezuelan town of Las Tejerías, and killing at least 54.
The same system developed into Hurricane Julia which made landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 1 storm, moving through Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. It caused at least 28 deaths, half of them in Guatemala. While this storm was not as strong as others in the past, it hit countries such as Honduras which have not recovered from Hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020.
Extreme heat in parts of China
Southern provinces set temperature records for October, with drought alerts still in place in some areas, while the north west faced early snowfall.
September 2022
Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 hurricane, tied with several other storms becoming the 5th-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the US. Ian knocked out power to the whole of Cuba, and caused massive damage in Florida. In total there were at least at least 140 fatalities and losses estimated to be more than over $67 billion. A preliminary study found that the amount of rain dumped by the storm was 10% higher because of global warming.
Typhoon Noru
Typhoon Noru was predicted to make landfall in the Philippines as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane. But after rapid intensification over only six hours, it strengthened into a super typhoon, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. Hundreds of thousands were evacuated and 40 deaths reported across the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
August 2022
Catastrophic floods in Pakistan
Devastating floods in Pakistan were caused by heavier than usual monsoon rains and melting glaciers that followed an unprecedented heatwave. Affecting 33 million people and causing an estimated $30 billion reconstruction costs and economic damage, the floods caused Pakistan's government to call for debt relief.
Flooding in West and Central Africa
The UN reported that over 125,000 people had been displaced by recent flooding across 17 countries in West and Central Africa, including the Republic of Congo, Chad, Liberia, Nigeria, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Mauritania, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Above average rainfall was linked to an ongoing la Niña event, exacerbated by climate change. Deforestation is also believed to contribute towards heavier rainfall, with informal settlements in urban floodplains and hillsides particularly vulnerable in cities such as Freetown where six people lost their lives in a mudslide.
Floods in Sudan
Around 226,200 people have been affected by flooding and heavy rains across 15 states. The rains and floods destroyed at least 13,200 houses and damaged another 34,200 since the beginning of the rainy season in June, with 89 people killed and more than 30 injured.
Drought continues in Europe
Analysts warn it is probably the worst drought the continent has faced in 500 years.
Drought in China
A record-breaking drought has caused some rivers in China, including parts of the Yangtze, to dry up, affecting hydropower. Sichuan, which gets more than 80% of its energy from hydropower, rationed electricity usage. Shipping was also halted on the crucial waterway, and 2.2m hectares of agricultural land were affected by the drought.
July 2022
McKinney fire spreads in California
The McKinney fire in northern California rapidly expanded to become the state's largest so far this year, burning over 56,000 acres and killing four.
Flash floods and mudslides in Iran
Two weeks of heavy rainfall brought flash floods and mudslides which killed at least 69 people.
Floods in Uganda
After prolonged drought, torrential rain in parts of Uganda caused floods and landslides which affected over 300,000 people and killed at least 24.
US: two 1-in-1,000 year rain events in two days
The same climate-charged weather pattern brought record-breaking rainfall to St Louis, with floods killing one person, and similar heavy rain and floods the following night to eastern Kentucky, killing at least 25 people.
Europe's heatwave
Wildfires spread around the Mediterranean, in what has been predicted to be Europe's worst climate disaster. So far in Portugal 238 have died from the heat and 12,000 have been evacuated from fires in southwest France. In the UK, the Met Office issued the first ever Red extreme heat warning, as temperatures are set to rise above 40C in the UK, and experts warned to expect thousands of deaths.
Heat alert in China
Continuing earlier severe floods in southern China and heat in northern and central China: 86 cities issued red alerts warning of temperatures over 40C. Roads have buckled in the heat
Floods in Sydney, Australia
Sydney received almost four months' worth of rain in just a few days, causing severe flooding. For some areas of eastern New South Wales this was their fourth flood emergency in less than 18 months.
Drought emergency declared in northern Italy
Italy has declared a state of emergency in five northern regions surrounding the Po River amid the worst drought in 70 years. Seawater is now seeping into the river, destroying crops.
June 2022
Heatwaves from Norway to North Africa break temperature records
Norway recorded a temperature of 32.5C at Banak, the highest temperature ever recorded within the Arctic Circle in Europe, and where the June average of 13C.
The heatwave extended down through eastern Europe, breaking June temperature records in Slovenia and Croatia, Czech and Slovakia, and in Rome.
At 48.2C Turkmenistan recorded the hottest June day in the history of Central Asia. Records were also set for Tajikistan (46.1C) and Uzbekistan (47C). The city of Abadan in Iran hit a staggering 52.2C.
Temperatures in Tunisia equalled its monthly record of 48.7C, and local temperature records were set in Algeria
Japan heatwave
The heatwave in Japan is the worst ever recorded. Temperatures reached over 40C for the first time ever in June.
Floods in Bangladesh and Assam
Assam and other north-eastern states of India esperienced 'double the usual amount of rain' submerging villages, and bringing waist deep flood water to cities. Authorities said more than 5.5 million people had been affected and 260,000 were in relief camps.
In Bangladesh at least 60 people were killed, with Sylhet district the worst affected, with the worst flooding there for 122 years. crops damaged and over four million stranded. Getting clean drinking water to people after the floods has to be a priority to avoid an epidemic of waterborne diseases. The last seven years alone brought five major floods. Another, pre-monsoon flood, just one month previously, reduced the capacity of wetlands to absorb water, and for communities to cope, hit with successive disasters.
Famine threatens in Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa has suffered four consecutive failed rainy seasons and is experiencing its worst drought in four decades, exacerbated by food price rises caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Somalia is the worst affected country, and aid workers have warned that conditions are worse than the 2011 famine that killed more than 250,000 people. Six million people, 40% of the population, are “acutely food insecure”. That includes 81,000 people already at a “catastrophe” level of hunger. Yet the humanitarian response plan is only 18 percent funded. More than 770,000 people have abandoned their homes.
More than four million people in north and eastern Kenya are acutely food insecure. In the eastern and southern lowlands of Ethiopia, drought is affecting 6.8 million people. An estimated 2.5 million livestock died between late 2021 and mid-May 2022. In Sudan, 40% of the population are estimated to be short of food by September, because of conflict, poor harvests and political crisis, while in South Sudan three consecutive years of flooding as well as conflict have left 70% dependent on food aid (overview of countries' needs)
Heat and floods in China
There was record electricity demand in northern China due to a heatwave. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands have had to be evacuated in the south due to floods caused by the heaviest rainfall early May to mid June that the region has seen in decades. More than 200,000 people had to be evacuated in Guangdong and 145,000 in Guangxi, where 2,700 houses collapsed. In eastern Jiangxi Province, nearly 500,000 people were affected and in neighbouring Fujian, more than 220,000 people were evacuated.
Earlier in June, at least 21 people died after flooding induced by torrential rain in the central Chinese province of Hubei.
Heatwave in western Europe
An unusually early and intense heatwave spread up from North Africa in mid-June, bringing temperatures more than 10°C higher than the average for this time of year to parts of Spain and France,. In France In France, hundreds of monthly temperature records were broken and 16 all-time records. Public outdoor events were temporarily banned in parts of France. In Spain, the heat sparked dozens of wildfires in eight of the country’s 17 regions, including a 'monster' blaze in the In the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range, an important wildlife habitat. The heatwave compounded the ongoing drought.
Meanwhile the drought in northern Italy has escalated. 170 towns in Piedmont have ordered that water only be used for essential purposes such as for drinking and food. The lack of water threatens 50% of northern Italy's agricultural production.
Heatwave in the US
More than 100 million Americans were warned to stay at home in a mid-June heatwave, which continued across the country, with forecasts that 70% of Americans will experience temperatures over 32C, and nearly 20% of the country will see the temperatures near or above 38C (100F).
Central Asia heatwave
Temperatures rose to the 40s in Uzbekistan and reached 45.9C in Saragt, Turkmenistan.
April/May 2022
Heatwave continues in India and Pakistan
In northwest India and Pakistan, after the hottest March ever recorded, April and May continued with further record-breaking temperatures in an early heatwave described as a 'year with no spring'. The heatwave caused power and water shortages, as well as school closures. Several Indian states were struggling with forest fires, while methane caused landfill sites to catch fire in New Delhi, emitting toxic black smoke. Pakistan's climate minister said the country was facing an 'existential crisis'.
Record temperatures of above 49C were reported in parts of Delhi. Coverage of what it means for India's poor to live and work in brutal heat here, here and here, and also of life in Pakistan's hottest city, Jacobabad.
The heatwave has damaged wheat harvests, and the Indian government responded by banning wheat exports, at a time when global wheat supplies are already hit by the war in Ukraine.
Floods in Bangladesh and Assam
Meanwhile in northeast India, pre-monsoon rains caused heavy floods and landslides in the state of Assam, India, affecting over 400,000 people. Heavy rain, flooding and landslides have also affected other parts of the region.
Ongoing flooding in north-eastern Bangladesh has affected over 4 million people.
Floods in Queensland
After severe thunderstorms hit Queensland, Australia, hundreds evacuated or were rescued from flood waters. This is Queensland’s sixth severe flood event since December, including catastrophic flooding in February.
Sandstorms in Iraq
Desert sandstorms are becoming more common in Iraq due to reduced rainfall and desertification, with eight sandstorms in one month, between mid-April and mid-May. In one sandstorm 5000 Iraqis sought hospital treatment with breathing difficulties and one person died.
Mass bleaching on Great Barrier Reef
Scientists recorded the fourth mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef since 2016, with more than 90% of the reefs surveyed showing some bleaching. Alarmingly, this was the first mass bleaching event during a La Niña year (relatively cooler), but even this did not allow the expected respite. In December, ocean temperatures over the reef hit a record high for that month. Bleaching, where corals expell their algae under heat stress, is not always fatal. But global temperature rise above 1.5C would cause loss of almost all coral reefs.
Siberia wildfires burn unchecked
Siberia has fallen victim to increasingly devastating wildfires in recent summers due to drought and abnormally high temperatures. The current area of forest fires burning across Russia is twice as large as that of the same time last year. Many of the military firefighting forces have been sent to Ukraine.
Drought in Italy and France threatens crops.
With three months without rainfall, and a lack of snowfall in the mountains, northern Italy's Po river is drying up, threatening threatens more than 30 per cent of Italy's agricultural production. French farmers have also been hit by drought after low rainfall in both winter and spring.
Heat, drought and wildfires in US south west
In the first four months of 2022, over a million acres burned across the United States. Around 90% of the American west is in drought, and in the southwest the fire season is effectively year-round. Fires included the Arizona Tunnel fire grew to more than 32 square miles, with those evacuating reporting flames up to 30 metres high and multiple fires in New Mexico including the Calf Canyon fire, the second largest in New Mexico's history.
Record temperatures of 44C were set in Texas, with a heatwave moving into the central United States. Continued high temperatures make it more difficult to contain ongoing wildfires.
Uzbekistan floods
At least 4 people have died as a result of floods and mudslides in Uzbekistan said to be some of the worst seen in 80 years, after a month’s worth of rain fell in less than 2 hours.
Durban floods
Devastating floods in Durban, South Africa and the surrounding area have killed at least 448 people and destroyed about 4000 homes. The heavy rainfall was linked to climate change and the death toll was exacerbated by poor infrastructure and a lack of effective early warning systems.
An attribution study revealed that the probability of an extreme rainfall event like this has approximately doubled due to human-induced climate change.
Drought in Chile leads to water rationing
As the drought in Chile enters its 13th year, water rationing is announced in the capital, Santiago.
March 2022
Heatwave in South Asia as climate shifts
India recorded the hottest March since records began, 122 years ago. March is usually a cooler month in India, coming before the hottest summer months of April and May, climate scientists believe India's spring season is shortening, The hot temperatures and low rainfall (28% of everage) have lowered wheat harvests,
At one weather station in south Pakistan, a maximum temperature of 45.5C was recorded.
War in Ukraine compounds the hunger crisis in East Africa
Up to 20 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.are facing severe food insecurity as soaring wheat prices follow the failure of three consecutive rainy seasons, Covid and desert locusts. Warming in the western Pacific strengthens La Niña and increases the probability of drought in East Africa. Exceptionally warm recent weather has also dried up water holes on which many pastoralists communities rely.
Up to eight million more people are expected to go hungry in South Sudan, which is facing a fifth consecutive year of severe flooding (see below)
Extraordinary temperatures at the poles
A heatwave in Eastern Antarctica saw a record temperature of -11.8C at one station, more than 40C warmer than seasonal norms. At the same time, some stations near the north pole reached 30C above normal, with records broken in Norway. Sea ice around Antarctica has dropped to its lowest level since measurements began in 1979.
Cyclone hits Mozambique and Malawi
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gombe killed over 50 people in Mozambique and displaced over 100,000 in Malawi.
February 2022
Eastern Australian states hit by major floods
Parts of Brisbane experienced a year's rainfall in three days, with eight reported dead and 15,000 homes flooded in the city and surrounding areas. The rain then shifted into northern New South Wales. The city of Lismore was hit by the worst floods in its history with hundreds stranded and needing to be rescued and thousands evacuated
Wildfires in Argentina
Heat and drought have led to catastrophic wildfires in the north of Argentina.
UK winter storms
Back-to-back storms swept the UK in February, with many affected by flooding. Climate scientists said that more severe storms in the UK are likely with climate change, with heavier rainfall already linked to a warmer climate, although the evidence is less clear for wind speeds.
Drought in Portugal
Over nine-tenths of Portugal is enduring “severe” or “extreme” drought conditions. The frequency of droughts has increased over the last 20 years.
Floods and mudslides in Brazil
In the Brazilian city of Petropolis, a month's rain fell in one day, with at least 117 people dying in the resulting floods and mudslides.
Drought continues in the Horn of Africa
The UN warned that 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia face severe hunger in because of prolonged drought. Families are taking desperate measures to survive, with thousands leaving their homes in search of food, water and pasture.
Cyclone Batsirai hits Madagascar
Following hard on the heels of Storm Ana, another tropical storm hit Madagascar. The death toll from Cyclone Batsirai has been estimated at 120. The cyclone left about 124,000 people with their homes damaged or destroyed, and 30,000 displaced.
This was followed by Storm Dumako and Cyclone Emnati: four major storms in a month. A later attribution study concluded that climate change had increased the likelihood and intensity of heavy rainfall from Ana and Batsirai.
January 2022
Storm Ana causes destruction across Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi
Storm Ana caused at least 48 deaths in Madagascar, with 130,000 people evacuated to makeshift shelters. Dozens more died in Mozambique, where at least 10,000 homes, along with schools and hospitals were destroyed, and Malawi, which has declared a state of natural disaster. Widespread floods have destroyed crops as well as infrastructure. Mozambique has been hit by repeated climate disasters. In 2019, after the catastrophe of Cyclones Idai and Kenneth. Mozambique was driven further into debt, having to borrow $118 million from the IMF for rebuilding.
Renewed appeals for help in Afghanistan
The country, trapped between drought and sanctions now faces a freezing winter: 98% of the population do not have enough to eat.
Flash floods in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
Thousands of people have been forced from their homes after flooding in parts of Haiti and Dominican Republic.
Floods and landslides in Ecuador
At least 11 people died in catastrophic flash flooding in Quito, Ecuador's capital. There was also severe flooding and landslides in the provinces of Guayas, Cotopáxi, El Oro and Los Ríos.
Heatwave in Argentina and surrounding areas
The historic heatwave caused power cuts in Buenos Aires, with 75,000 losing electricity. Firefighters were battling forest fires in nine out of Argentina's 23 provinces.
Floods and landslides in Brazil
Flooding and landslides in the state of Minas Gerais killed at least 15 people and displaced thousands. There were also damaging floods in the state of Sao Paolo, killing 19, and earlier in Sao Paolo and Para.
High temperatures in Western Australia, floods in Queensland
Australia's hottest ever temperature, of 50.7C, was matched at the remote town of Onslow, while a tropical cyclone brought heavy rain (up to 65cm in 24 hours) and flooding to Queensland.
Floods in Indonesia
Floods have affected Papua and East Java, following earlier floods on Sumatra which displaced around 20,000 people.
Floods in Montvideo, Uraguay
After a period of extremely high temperatures, storms with torrential rain caused flash floods in the capital.
2021 round up
More than 400 weather stations exceeded their all-time temperature records in 2021. Ten national temperature records were broken or equalled in 2021, including the highest ever reliably measured on Earth, in Furnace Creek, Death Valley.
Christian Aid produced a report on the climate events with the greatest financial and human impact in 2021: hurricanes in the US, China and India, floods in Australia, Europe and Canada which all cost over 1.5 billion dollars of damage, as well as drought in Africa and Latin America and floods in South Sudan.
Care International reported on the 'Most Underreported Humanitarian Crises of 2021'. Of these ten countries, the climate crisis is having a significant impact in seven: Zambia, Ukraine, Malawi, Guatemala, Burundi, Niger, Zimbabwe and Honduras.
Life at 50C. This one hour BBC documentary and series of short (15 minute) films tell the story of people in some of the regions most affected by severe heat: India, Mauritania, Canada, Nigeria, Kuwait, Australia, Iraq and Pakistan (overview and 3 min interviews)
December 2021
2021 ends with abnormal warmth in Europe
The UK recorded the warmest New Year's Day on record, following record-breaking temperatures in Spain in late December and ski resorts in Italy too warm even for artificial snow.
Meanwhile in Alaska, unusually warm weather brought daytime temperatures above 15C (usually -10C to -4C at this time of year) with a record-breaking high of 19.4C recorded on Kodiak island. The warm temperatures came with heavy rain and snow which caused severe problems on roads as they froze to thick ice.
Colorado wildfires
Hot dry weather caused wildfires which ripped through suburban areas of Boulder County, Colorado, destroying at least 1000 homes and businesses.
Super Typhoon Rai / Odette causes devastation in the Philippines
Super Typhoon Rai was only the third Category 5 super typhoon so far ever recorded in the South China Sea. It caused at least 375 deaths, with rescue workers struggling to reach survivors and over 16,000 families sheltering in cramped evacuation centers, causing concerns about water-borne diseases and Covid.
Floods in Malaysia
Unusually heavy rainfall, even for the monsoon season affected over 125,000 in Malaysia during the second half of December. By the beginning of January, almost all had returned home but almost 9,000 were still in refugee centres.
Tornadoes cause destruction across US
Five US states have been hit by a devastating series of tornadoes, levelling houses and factories, with an expected death toll of more than 100. One tornado alone followed an extraordinarily long and destructive path of more than 200 miles. Severe tornadoes are very rare outside spring and summer. They form when denser, drier cold air is pushed over warmer, humid air and winds vary in speed or direction at different altitudes, so the updraft starts to spin, extending down to the ground.
Because tornadoes are rare, scientists say it is difficult to gather evidence as to whether climate change is making them more dangerous. There is some evidence that they are now more likely to occur in clusters, and that the area where they occur may be shifting eastwards.
Coastal flooding in south Pacific islands and Papua New Guinea
The Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Federated States of Micronesia all reported coastal flooding, caused by a combination of bad weather, high tides and a La Nina weather pattern on top of a long-term rise in sea levels caused by global warming, which ultimately threatens the future of these islands.
The floods caused thousands to be displaced in Papua New Guinea.
Food crisis warning in Mali
Humanitarian organisations have warned that 1.2 million face a food crisis in Mali, caused by drought, conflict and Covid-19. As elsewhere in the Sahel region, climate change in Mali is exacerbating conflict over resources and radicalisation, with foreign land-grabbing and corruption adding to a deadly mix.
Cyclone causes severe floods in Southern Brazil
An extratropical cyclone forming off the coast of southern Brazil brought heavy rain to Bahia, with 45cm recorded in total at one location, and three deaths in the resulting floods.
Bushfires in Australia
Serious bushfires took hold in Margaret River, Western Australia in hot and windy conditions. While central Australia has experienced rare flooding, Western Australia and the Northern Territory experienced serious heatwaves late in the year and a late start to the wet season. Experts warn that widespread fires in remote regions are going unnoticed, and explain how traditional indigenous burning strategies could reduce vegetation 'fuel load' which increases the future risk of devastating fires.
Floods in Congo-Brazzaville
As of early December, weeks of heavy rain and flooding in Congo-Brazzaville have affected over 46,000. with over 6,500 displaced, 15 dead and 9 missing. IFRC said, “The affected population is exposed to bad weather, poor hygiene and waterborne diseases due to the lack of clean water. Heavy flooding has destroyed fields and livestock, affecting livelihoods."
South Sudan devastated by floods
South Sudan is ranked among the five countries in the world most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For years, the country has been experiencing wetter-than-normal wet seasons, while its dry seasons are becoming even drier. The 2021 White Nile floods have been the worst in 60 years. The rainy season has ended but in December the flood water has not receded, and the next rainy season is only five months away. Livelihoods have been devastated, more than 850,000 people affected and around 35,000 of them displaced - adding to many more internally displaced people already living in camps having fled the earlier civil war. Report from Fangak county
November 2021
Afghanistan facing 'near famine conditions'
Severe drought in Afghanistan have reduced harvests 80 to 90 per cent, and the drought is set to worsen in 2022. The World Food Programme reported that the number of Afghans living in near-famine conditions has risen to 8.7 million. Overall, almost 24 million people in Afghanistan, or 60% of the population, suffer from acute hunger. An estimated 3.2 million children under age 5 are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition by the end of the year. UNICEF also warned in September that t least 1 million children would suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year (at risk of dying without treatment), and the arrival of winter will increase suffering.
The country's agriculture depends on meltwater from mountain glaciers, snow and ice. In 2021, Afghanistan was hit with both reduced winter snowfall and below average spring rainfall. This is not just a one-off: climate change is causing more regular and more severe droughts. Droughts are predicted to become annual by 2030. There is an in-depth review here, which also points to 'at least two decades of neglect and mismanagement' leaving the country without water management resources.
The drought alone has not caused starvation, however. By the time of the Taliban’s takeover, foreign aid accounted for three-quarters of government spending. The US has cut off aid, halting the regular shipments of dollars to Afghanistan, and frozen $9.5bn of Afghanistan’s central bank assets, with European banks quickly following suit. These sanctions have led to soaring unemployment, with public employees not being paid, Unlike previous droughts, there is no safety net for rural families in seeking urban employment. Taliban bans that are keeping women from most paid jobs have also hit households in which women were the main earners. Human Rights Watch have called on the US and UN to ensure that financial transactions relating to humanitarian work are not blocked.
Drought in East Africa
The UN has reported at least 26 million people are struggling for food in the Horn of Africa following consecutive poor rainfall seasons. Of these almost 7.1 million face emergency conditions of malnutrition and over 500,000 are in catastrophic conditions critical acute malnutrition, hunger, destitution and death.
Drought conditions in northern Kenya, much of Somalia and southern Ethiopia are predicted to persist until at least mid-2022, putting lives at risk. The situation is already so bad that wild animals are dying in their hundreds and herders are reporting losses of up to 70% of their livestock.
The United Nations has warned that more than 80 percent of Somalia is estimated to be experiencing severe drought conditions. About 2.3 million people face serious water, food and pasture shortages as water pans and boreholes have dried up
Climate change is amplifying the drought-inducing capabilities of El Niños and La Niñas in East Africa, and the 2022 March-to-May rainy season, which ends eight months in the future, is also likely to be poor.
Severe flooding in British Columbia
Heavy rainfall caused disastrous flooding in Vancouver and surrounding areas of British Columbia. Thousands of people were evacuated, others became trapped on cut-off roads, and several towns were completely cut off (more coverage here and here). Mud and landslides destroyed parts of major highways. At least four people were killed. The rain was brought by an 'atmospheric river', a narrow corridor of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere. These are predicted to intensify with global warming.
The flooding was made worse both by clear-cut logging but also by wildfires in the summer having destroyed vegetation, exacerbated by the unprecedented heatwave in British Columbia and the Pacific North West. The region has been hit by successive climate disasters, first heatwaves and wildfires then floods.
Monsoon rains bring floods and landslides to southeastern India and Sri Lanka
In Tamil Nadu, 11,000 had to leave their homes to escape floods and 14 have been reported killed. In Andhra Pradesh, at least 24 people lost their lives and over 31,000 were displaced. At least 20 people died in floods, landslides and lightning strikes in Sri Lanka following almost 2 weeks of heavy rain
Floods and landslides in Vietnam
At least 2 people have died and over 2,500 homes damaged after flooding and landslides struck in central provinces of Vietnam following days of heavy rain. [Update: over 60,000 houses flooded and at least 18 dead or missing]
Heavy rain and floods across Australia
Most of Australia has experienced heavy rainfall, storms and flooding. destroying farmers' crops, in the wettest November since records began in 1900.
Floods in Spain
Heavy rain caused severe flooding in Asturias, Cantabria and Basque regions. Other regions of the country had flooded earlier in November.
Floods in Malta
Malta experienced a whole month's rain in 24 hours, causing dramatic floods.
October 2021
Drought worsens in Madagascar
Humanitarian organisations report that the drought in the Grand Sud region of Madagascar has worsened. Over 1.3 million people were severely food insecure at the beginning of the annual lean season (October to April), including at least 28,000 people facing famine-like conditions, and while the humanitarian response has stepped up, more support is urgently needed.
Floods in China
More than 1.76 million people were affected by severe flooding in China's northern Shanxi province. Across the province, over 120,000 people were resettled, and 17,000 homes collapsed.
Storms in the US
A 'bomb cyclone' in the Pacific, when air pressure rapidly drops as the storm explosively strengthens, hit the west coast of the US, bringing in heavy rainfall. In California, suffering from long-term drought, there were mudslides and rock slides, especially in areas where burn scars had been created by wildfires. The storm brought record rainfall to some areas, killing two in Seattle and leaving hundreds of thousands without power and then moved eastwards.
Floods in India and Nepal
More than 180 people died after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods in Nepal and the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Kerala. Situated between the mountains of the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea,whose rissing temperatures makes heavy rainfall events more likely, Kerala is witnessing more deadly floods and landslides in recent years. Almost half (43%) of Kerala is vulnerable to landslips and landslides. Uttarakhand received ten times as much rain as it usually does in the whole of November.
Floods in Indonesia
Floods and landslides in South Sulawesi and Kalimantan left four people dead.
Floods in Cote d'Ivoire
At least 4 people have died and several were injured after heavy rain caused flooding in the city of Abidjan.
September 2021
Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida was one of three hurricanes in recorded history to make landfall in Louisiana with 150 mph winds on landfall. Early in its development it caused heavy rains and landslides in Venezuela, killing 20, and destroyed homes in Cuba. Heavy infrastructure damage occurred in southeastern Louisiana, as well as extremely heavy flooding in coastal areas. More than a million people in total had no electrical power. When the remnants of the storm reached the Northeastern United States in the beginning of September, it brought several intense tornadoes and catastrophic flash flooding, killing at least 46 people.
Sudan flooding
Heavy rains and flash floods hit 13 of Sudan’s 18 states, affecting more than 288,000 residents and refugees from earlier floods in South Sudan. In neighbouring South Sudan, the deluge affected and displaced about 426,000 people, exacerbating the swelling humanitarian needs in Sudan.
Monsoon flooding in South Asia
Severe flooding in the state of Gujarat on the western coast of India affected over 1.6 million people, with over 7000 displaced, and two deaths reported. Some areas recorded more than 50 cm of rain in 24 hours. Heavy rains also caused severe flooding in West Bengal, at least 10 people lost their lives and more than 1.2 million people were affected.
Extreme monsoon rain in Nepal triggered landslides killing at least 10 people. At least 20 died in floods and mudslides in Pakistan.
Ongoing drought in East Africa
President Kenyatta officially declared drought in parts of Kenya a national disaster.
Flooding in Thailand and Malaysia
There was heavy rainfall and floods in several provinces covering about a third of Thailand, influenced by tropical storm Dianmu. Severe flooding swept through parts of Sabah State in Malaysia after heavy rain on 15 September.
Nigeria floods
Severe flash floods hit the Nigerian capital Abuja and Federal Capital Territory, claiming the lives of 4 people.
Guinea floods
At least 5 people have died and thousands left homeless after heavy rain and floods caused severe damage in areas of Guinea from late August.
Flooding of rivers in northern Colombia
Over 50,000 people were affected by floods in northern Colombia.
August 2021
Heatwave and wildfires hit the Mediterranean
Temperatures in Sicily reached a high of 48.8C - the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. Spain also hit a temperature record (47.4C), and the city of Tunis reached 49C.
Wildfires raged across Greece, with 2,600 evacuated from the island of Evia, and the EU mounting its largest firefighting operations ever. There was also wildfires in Italy, in Turkey and in Algeria where 65 died.
Analysis showed that the record-breaking temperatures would have been impossible without climate change.
Floods in Sudan and South Sudan
There were at least 43 fatalities and 3 800 homes destroyed from flooding in Sudan. Meanwhile, The United Nations reported that ongoing floods in South Sudan had affected over 380,000 people
Storms hit Japan
Southern and western Japan have been battered by storms - several people are dead and more than 1 million told to evacuate.
July 2021
During this month, extreme weather was rarely out of the news. The report below is taken from an earlier blog post.
Famine looms in Madagascar
Madagascar is on the brink of a famine it played little part in creating. In Southern Madagascar, a four-year drought and vicious sandstorms have destroyed crops and turned arable land to desert. As many as 500,000 are nearing starvation.
Unprecedented heatwave in North America
‘Nowhere is safe’: heat shatters vision of Pacific north-west as climate refuge. A 'heat dome' brought unprecedented heat to the US Pacific north-west and western Canada. Known for mild summers, cities were unprepared for record temperatures of up to 42.2C (Seattle) and 46.7C (Portland, Oregon). Some inland areas managed to get up to 118F (47.8C). Hospitals suddenly found themselves overwhelmed, with several hundred people believed to have died in the heat. The town of Lytton shattered the previous heat record for Canada (45C), reaching 49.6C before residents fled a devastating wildfire, which destroyed large parts of the town. Temperature records are usually broken by fractions of degrees.
This is only part of a long-term trend - a 22 year megadrought as reduced snowfall mean reservoirs are not being replenished, causing an existential crisis for farmers and populations in the American West. In the western US, currently 85% is in 'severe drought', with two-thirds (65%) in 'extreme' or 'exceptional' drought.
Heat and drought combined led to the West erupting in fierce wildfires. In Oregon, the Bootleg Fire has burned over 410,000 acres (over 1650 km2, more than the area of Greater London), and was powerful enough to generate dangerous columns of lightning-charged smoke and ash, reaching the stratosphere. The smoke from fires causes serious health problems, and has reached as far as the east coast, with New York issuing air quality warnings. In California, 2020 was the worst fire season on record, burning double the previous area. But 2021 is currently ahead of the trend for 2020, with 900 more fires compared to this time last year.
Heatwave in northern Europe and Siberian wildfires
‘Everything is on fire’: Siberia hit by unprecedented burning Extraordinary forest fires, which have already burned through 1.5m hectares (3.7m acres) of land in north-east Siberia have released choking smog across Russia’s Yakutia region, where officials have described this summer’s weather as the driest in the past 150 years. Fires have sparked one of the world's worst ever air pollution events.
Abnormal heat across Russia, combined with low rainfall, is expected to damage this year's harvest if conditions do not change.
Norway, Sweden and Finland have also been experiencing a heatwave. Lapland recorded its hottest temperature for more than a century.
Southern Europe
Wildfires broke out in Catalonia in Spain, multiple fires Greece and burned over 20,000ha causing around 1000 people to be evacuated in Sardinia. There was also a major fire in south-western France.
South Asia heat records
Wet-bulb temperatures (WBT) combine heat and humidity into a single measure, representing the human body's ability to regulate to a safe temperature. At 35C WBT, even fit, acclimatised people who sit in the shade die within about 6 hours. With 2C global heating. it is predicted almost all of India would see 33-35C WBT at least every 8 years. The city of Jacobabad in Pakistan reached 52C, which with high humidity represented a WBT of 35C
Iraq heatwave
As temperatures in Baghdad and southern provinces of Iraq rose up to 52C, power cuts left many without electricity for days, a reminder that climate impacts oftern come on top of existing conflict, inequality and infrastructure failure.
Devastating floods in China
Death toll rises and thousands flee homes as floods hit China Days of torrential rain and massive flooding hit China’s southeastern Henan province, bursting the banks of rivers, overwhelming dams and the public transport system and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. At least 25 people have been killed and seven are missing in the provincial capital, Zhengzhou as the subway system flooded. The rain was extraordinarily intense: the average annual rainfall in Zhengzhou is around 64cm. In 24 hours over 55cm fell, with over 20cm In just one hour.
Just two weeks previously, heavy rain in Sichuan province affected more than 120,000 people, with the city of Dazhou evacuating more than 4,600 hit by rising water and landslides and damage of an estimated US$27 million. Floods in Jiangxi also caused 60,000 to be evacuated.
Floods in northern Europe
More than 190 people have died in flooding caused by heavy rainfall. The district of Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate, south of Cologne, was the worst-hit area, with at least 117 people killed, and homes and roads torn up. At least 31 died in Belgium (further floods 10 days later in the town of Dinant caused damage but no deaths). In Austria, severe flooding also occurred but without fatalities. London was also affected by flooding.
Floods in Turkey and Iran
Mountainous north-eastern Turkey, bordering the Black Sea, is already flood-prone, with most flat land available for building in river valleys. Climate change is making rain heavier. Floods and landslides killed six in Rize, with further severe flooding a week later.
Iran has been affected by flash floods and storms across 15 provinces, killing eight. while floods hit Oman and Yemen.
Extreme rainfall brings flooding in South Asia
In Maharashtra in India, torrential monsoon rains caused landslides and flooding. The state has recorded its heaviest spell of July rain for decades.A record 1.5m rainfall over 72 hours was reported in the hill town of Mahabaleshwar, causing a deadly landslide downstream in the coastal region. The total death toll is now at least 192.
Earlier in the month, dozens died in Mumbai in a landslide caused by monsoon rains. There were also fatalities from landslides in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while a million people were affected by flooding and 7,400 evacuated in Bihar. Heavy rain and landslides also affected Nepal and Pakistan. In recent years, the monsoon has shifted towards long dry spells broken up by burst of extreme rainfall, which are more likely to flood drains and overwhelm infrastructure
In Bangladesh, floods and landslides destroyed shelters and killed eight people in Rohingya refugee camps, highlighting again how the poorest and most vulnerable are located on the frontline of climate impacts.
Floods and landslides in Japan, South Korea, South East Asia
A landslide killed at least two people in the resort city of Atami in Japan. Landslides are common in Japan, but have increased in frequency by 50% in the past decade, attributed to the rise in heavy rainfall due to climate change.
Two people were killed in floods and landslides in South Korea, Over 80,000 people evacuated their homes in the Philippines after flooding caused by a combination of the monsoon and Typhoon Fabian, while over 2000 homes were damaged by floods and landslides in Indonesia.
Africa floods
Rising waters in Lake Tanganika have displaced tens of thousands in Burundi alone. In Nigeria, up to 4000 were displaced by floods, while rising lake waters also displaced hundreds in Uganda.
New Zealand flooding
New Zealand's west coast was hit by severe flooding after heavy rain, as was the Marlborough region. Climate scientists explained that the flooding was due to a phenomenon called an 'atmospheric river', exacerbated by climate change.
Floods across the Americas
Heavy flooding affected tens of thousands in Costa Rica and Panama, also in northern Colombia in Magdalena and Antioquia Departments. In the US, there were floods in Alabama, Arizona, South Texas, and New York, where rain from Storm Elsa flooded the New York subway.
Kerala landslide
Landslides in Kerala, southern India triggered by torrential monsoon rains have killed at least 420 people. Climate change has increased rainfall as the Arabian sea warms, while deforestation and other land use changes made landslides more likely in the hilly state.
Typhoon Gaemi hits Philippines and Taiwan
Typhoon Gaemi brought more than 300mm of rainfall to Manila, with the resulting floods reaching as high as one-storey buildings in places. More than half a million people were evacuated or displaced, with at least 21 deaths. The Philippines government declared a state of calamity. An oil tanker capsized in Manila Bay as a result of rough seas, resulting in what could be the worst oil spill in Philippine history. Gaemi made landfall in Taiwan, bringing torrential rain and widespread flooding, with at least three deaths reported. At least four locations reported more than one metre of rainfall within a 14 hour period. In China and North Korea, the tail end of Typhoon Gaemi has hit with torrential rain, floods and mudslides, with more than 20 people reported to have died.
China floods break records
Just halfway through the peak flood season, at the beginning of August, China has already experienced the highest number of significant floods since record keeping began in 1998. It has also been the hottest July since 1961. China suffered $10.1 billion in economic losses from natural disasters in July, with 88% of those losses caused by heavy rains, floods or their effects. Natural disasters during the month affected almost 26.4 million people across China, with 328 either dead or missing. The government also announced a total of 1.1 million people were relocated, 12,000 houses collapsed and 157,000 more damaged. Some 2.42 million hectares of crop area were also affected.
In Henan province in June, farmers struggled to irrigate parched crops during a drought. In July, some areas were underwater, with extreme rain forcing more than 100,000 people to evacuate. Parts of Nanyang city saw more than 60cm of rain in 24 hours, three-quarters of what they would normally expect in a whole year. Rescuers navigated waist-deep floodwaters to reach those stranded in their homes.
Flash floods also caused a bridge collapse in Shaanxi province which killed 15 people, while in the southwestern Sichuan province, at least 10 people were killed after flash floods hit a village.
Deadly landslides in Ethiopia
At least 229 people were killed in two landslides in southern Ethiopia caused by heavy rains
Heatwave across the US west
As of 11 July, heat advisories had been issued for nine states, including Texas, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. In Texas, especially around Houston, over a million people were still without power during the heatwave following Hurricane Beryl. Hospitals were filling up, due to health impacts of the heat and because people could not be sent back to homes without power. The city's football stadium was converted into a 'transitional facility' for when hospitals filled up.
Las Vegas, Nevada, recorded a record-breaking seven consecutive days of temperatures 46C or higher and set an all-time record high of 48.8C, while in Death Valley national park, temperatures reached 53.3C, close to its all-time high. The dangerous temperatures caused the death of a motorcyclist in the park.
In California, temperatures of up to 49C were forecast in places like Palm Springs, and there were multiple wildfires. The death of a prisoner at a California women’s prison drew attention to the plight of prisoners without relief from high temperatures.
Further north, the heatwave has also broken records in the states of Oregon and Washington, with temperatures of up to 39.4C in the city of Portland and 40.5C in Salem and Eugene, and at least six deaths.
Afghanistan floods
Flash floods from heavy rains and storms have killed about 40 people in eastern Afghanistan, with more than 340 injured and hundreds of homes destroyed.
Heatwave in southern and southeast Europe
Italy's health ministry placed 12 cities under a red alert heat warning, the highest state of heat emergency. For Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, it is the second week that temperatures have been hovering around 40, with the Bosnian town of Mostar registering that high for the sixth consecutive day.
In North Macedonia, the government has declared a month-long state of crisis, with two heatwaves in July with temperatures rising to 42C. The country asked Serbia for firefighting helicopters as firefighters battled 17 wildfires in arid and mountainous regions.
Romania and neighbouring Moldova have also been gripped by an intense heatwave over the past week, with temperatures in both country’s capitals, Bucharest and Chisinau respectively, exceeding 40 degrees.
Serbia’s public health institute declared dangerous conditions in 10 municipalities, while the Adriatic Sea hovered at temperatures around a record-high 29.5°C in several coastal resorts of Croatia. In Dubrovnik, Croatia's main tourism resort, temperatures were 28C even at dawn.
Torrential rain in South Korea
The southern regions of South Korea were hit with an intensity of rainfall that would be expected "once every 200 years." The city of Gunsan received over 13cm of rain within one hour, representing over 10% of the city's average annual rainfall, and the highest since record-keeping began. The resulting floods killed at least four people.
Record-breaking heat in Japan
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued extreme heat warnings on 7 July, after parts of Japan broke record heat levels, including 40C in the city of Shizuoka, the city's highest recorded temperature since records began. On 8 July, multiple heat records were broken in various cities in Japan by dramatic margins, including 36.9C in Shingu (10.3C higher than the previous record) and 39.2 in Fuchu (9.8C higher than the previous record).
Japan has experienced its hottest July in recorded history, beating the previous record for July, set only last year. Temperatures rose above 40C in seven locations. At least 59 people have died of heatstroke in Japan since April.