Summer of extremes: heat, fire and rain

GENEVA — The summer of 2023 is "a summer of extremes", resulting in major damage to people's health and the environment, the World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, said on Friday.

Clare Nullis, spokeswoman for the WMO, said dangerous weather, including intense heat and devastating rainfall, has affected large parts of the world in this "summer of extremes".

She said many new station temperature records around the world were broken in July, and there has been a winter heat wave in parts of South America this month.

In a series of updates on extreme weather, the WMO said last week that many countries, such as France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia, all reported new maximum daytime and overnight station temperature records.

Large parts of the United States were also gripped by extensive heat waves.

"We need to broaden focus beyond maximum temperatures because the minimum temperature is most important for health and critical infrastructure," said WMO extreme heat senior adviser John Nairn.

The WMO said heat waves are among the deadliest natural hazards, with thousands of people dying from heat-related causes each year, while the full impact of a heat wave is often not known until weeks or months afterward.

According to the WMO, sea surface temperatures of the Mediterranean are set to be exceptionally high in the coming days and weeks, exceeding 30 C in some parts, and more than four degrees above average in a large part of the western Mediterranean.

Invasive species

The WMO says the impacts of marine heat waves include the migration of species and extinctions, and the arrival of invasive species with consequences for fisheries and aquaculture.

On Friday, Nullis also said Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record.

In Canada, record-breaking wildfires continue to burn big forest areas. More than 650 wildfires were out of control as of July 24.

Tourists at a seaside hotel on the island of Rhodes in Greece snatched up pails of pool water and damp towels as flames approached, rushing to help staff members and locals extinguish one of the wildfires threatening the Mediterranean region during recent heat waves.

It is the same for other Mediterranean destinations, such as Italy and Spain, where the tourism sector is being hit by heat waves and wildfires.

Greece, Italy, Algeria and Tunisia combined lost more than 1,350 square kilometers to blazes that affected 120,000 people in late July, according to European Union estimates.

Heavy rains and flooding also caused severe damage and loss of life in parts of the world.

"As the planet warms, the expectation is that we will see more and more intense, more frequent, more severe rainfall events, leading also to more severe flooding," said Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of hydrology, water and cryosphere at WMO.

Agencies - Xinhua