World Meteorological Day commemorates the coming into force on 23
March 1950 of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO). It showcases the essential contribution of National
Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of
society.
The 2016 theme: ‘Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future’ highlights the challenges of climate change and the path towards climate-resilient societies.
The
increase in hot days, warm nights and heatwaves will affect public
health. These risks can be reduced by heat-health early warning systems
that provide timely alerts to decision-makers, health services and the
general public.
Droughts must be addressed
more proactively through integrated drought management, which embraces
guidance on effective policies and land management strategies and shares
best practices for coping with drought.
In
the event of heavy precipitation and floods, impact-based forecasts
enable emergency managers to be prepared in advance. Integrated flood
management is a long-term holistic approach to minimizing the risks of
flooding.
Building climate and weather
resilient communities is a vital part of the global strategy for
achieving sustainable development. The WMO community will continue to
support countries in pursuing sustainable development and tackling
climate change through the provision of the best possible science and of
operational services for weather, climate, hydrology, oceans and the
environment.
“The future is happening now,” said WMO Secretary-General Mr. Petteri TAALAS.
“The
alarming rate of change we are now witnessing in our climate as a
result of greenhouse gas emissions is unprecedented in modern records,”
said Mr. TAALAS.
The global average
surface temperature in 2015 broke all previous records by a wide margin,
at about 0.76° Celsius above the 1961-1990 average because of a
powerful El Niño and human-caused global warming. With 93% of excess
heat stored in the oceans, ocean heat content down to 2,000 meters also
hit a new record.
January and February
2016 set yet more new monthly temperature records, with the heat
especially pronounced in the high northern latitudes. Arctic sea ice
extent was at a satellite-record low for both months, according to NASA
and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Greenhouse
gas concentrations crossed the symbolic and significant 400 parts per
million threshold.
“The startlingly high temperatures so far in 2016
have sent shockwaves around the climate science community,” said David
Carlson, Director of the World Climate Research Programme, which is
co-sponsored by WMO.
“Our planet is
sending a powerful message to world leaders to sign and implement the
Paris Agreement on climate change and cut greenhouse gases now before we
pass the point of no return,” said Mr. TAALAS.
“Today the Earth is already 1°C hotter
than at the start of the twentieth century. We are halfway to the
critical 2°C threshold. National climate change plans adopted so far may
not be enough to avoid a temperature rise of 3°C, but we can avert the
worst-case scenarios with urgent and far reaching measures to cut carbon
dioxide emissions,” said Mr. TAALAS.
In addition to
mitigation, it is essential to strengthen climate change adaptation by
investing in disaster early warning systems, as well as climate services
like drought, flood and heat-health management tools, stressed Mr.
TAALAS.
Key Findings of Statement on Status of Climate in 2015 Sea surface temperatures and ocean heat.
Large
areas of the oceans saw significant warmth. In particular, the tropical
central and eastern Pacific was much warmer than average because of El
Niño. Global ocean heat content was record high through both the upper
700 m and 2 000 m levels. Increased ocean heat content accounts for
about 40% of the observed global seal level increase over the past 60
years and is expected to make a similar contribution to future sea-level rise. Sea level, as measured by satellites and traditional tide gauges was the highest ever recorded.
Arctic Sea Ice:
The
daily maximum extent of Arctic sea ice on 25 February 2015 was the
lowest on record (this record was beaten in 2016), and the minimum
Arctic sea-ice extent on
11 September was the fourth lowest.
Heat:
Many
countries saw intense heatwaves. The most devastating ones in terms of
human impact were in India and Pakistan. Asia, as a continent, had its
hottest year on record, as did South America.
Western
and Central Europe recorded an exceptionally long heatwave, with
temperature crossing or approaching 40°C in several places. Several new
temperature records were broken (Germany 40.3°C, Spain 42.6°C, UK
36.7°C).
North West USA and Western Canada suffered from a record
wildfire season, with more than 2 million hectares were burned during
summer in Alaska alone.
Heavy rainfall:
Global
precipitation in 2015 was close to the long-term average. But within
this overall figure, there were many cases of extreme rainfall, with
24-hour totals exceeding the normal monthly mean.
For
instance, in Africa, Malawi suffered its worst flooding in memory in
January. An active West African monsoon saw exceptional seasonal
rainfall totals. The West coast of Libya received more than 90mm of rain
in 24 hours in September, compared to the monthly average of 8mm. The Moroccan city of Marrakech received 35,9 mm of rain
in one hour in August, more than 13 times the monthly normal.
The
powerful El Niño meant that 2015 was wet in many subtropical parts of
South America (including Peru, northern Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay,
southern Brazil and northern Argentina), and in parts of the southern
United States and northern Mexico.
Drought:
Severe
drought affected southern Africa, with 2014/2015 as the driest season
since 1932/1933, with major repercussions for agricultural production
and food security. El Niño induced drought exacerbated forest fires in
Indonesia, impacting air quality both in Indonesia neighbouring
countries.
The northern part of South
America suffered a severe drought including North East Brazil, Columbia
and Venezuela, hitting the agriculture, water and energy sectors. Parts
of the Caribbean and Central America were also severely affected.
Tropical Cyclones
Globally the number of tropical storms, cyclones and typhoons was not
far from the average, but some unusual events were recorded. Tropical
cyclone Pam made landfall over Vanuatu as a category 5 cyclone on 13
March 2015, causing widespread devastation. Patricia hit Mexico on
20 October
as the strongest hurricane on record in either the Atlantic or eastern
North Pacific basins, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 346 km/h.
An extremely rare tropical cyclone, Chapala, made landfall in Yemen at
the start of November, leading to substantial flooding. This was
immediately followed by Cyclone Megh, which hit the same area.
The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water