The summer of 2023 is "a summer of extremes" due to the scorching heat, wildfires and floods that have resulted in major damage to people's health and the environment, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said.
Clare Nullis, spokesperson for the WMO, said at a press briefing here on Friday that dangerous weather, including intense heat and devastating rainfall, has impacted large parts of the world in this "summer of extremes", reports Xinhua news agency
She said many new station temperature records around the world were broken in July, and the start of August also saw a winter heat wave in parts of South America.
In a series of updates on extreme weather, WMO said earlier this week that many countries like France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia all reported new maximum daytime and overnight station temperature records.
Large parts of the US have also been 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 advisor John Nairn.
WMO pointed out that heatwaves are among the deadliest natural hazards with thousands of people dying from heat-related causes each year, while the full impact of a heatwave is often not known until weeks or months afterwards.
According to WMO, sea surface temperatures of the Mediterranean are set to be exceptionally high in the coming days and weeks, exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in some parts, and more than 4 degrees Celsius above average in a large part of the western Mediterranean.
WMO believes that the impacts of marine heatwaves include migration of species and extinctions, arrival of invasive species with consequences for fisheries and aquaculture.
Speaking at Friday's press briefing, the WMO spokesperson also said that 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.
And earlier this week WMO said wildfires had forced evacuation of hundreds of residents and tourists on the Greek islands of Rhodes, Evia and Corfu since July 17.
The emissions of these wildfires have reached record levels.
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.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas noted that "the extreme weather -- an increasingly frequent occurrence in our warming climate -- is having a major impact on human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, energy and water supplies".
"This underlines the increasing urgency of cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as deeply as possible," said Taalas.
Death toll rises to 1,644 following powerful earthquake in Myanmar
A total of 1,644 people died and 3,408 were injured, and 139 remained missing due to the powerful earthquake in Myanmar, said the Information Team of the State Administration Council on Saturday.
3.8-magnitude earthquake shakes Manipur, no casualties reported
A mild quake, measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale, shook Manipur’s Noney district and adjoining areas on Saturday, officials said.
Over 510 pigs killed due to African Swine Fever in Mizoram
An official from Mizoram's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department (AHVD) said that over 510 pigs died due to the ASF during the past two weeks in 13 villages and localities in two Mizoram districts -- Lawngtlai and Mamit.
India's per capita CO2 emissions among lowest in world as green energy capacity surges
India, which has emerged as the world’s 5th largest economy, also stands out as a country with one of the lowest per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions globally as it balances growth with sustainability and switches to renewables at a rapid pace.
Amazing news, says PM Modi as MP earns another stripe for tiger conservation
Overwhelmed by another stripe which Madhya Pradesh earned the other day for its Madhav National Park, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on social media about the new recognition of the park as the state's ninth tiger reserve - a true sanctuary for these majestic creatures for many years.
Chamoli avalanche: Death toll climbs to 7; rescue ops for one remaining worker underway
The death toll in the Chamoli avalanche in Uttarakhand's Mana region has reached seven, with the rescue officials pulling out three more bodies on Sunday. Meanwhile, the search operation for one missing worker is still ongoing.
U'khand avalanche: 4 killed, 50 rescued; CM Dhami oversees rescue ops
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami received latest updates on the rescue operations from Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman and District Magistrate of Chamoli, Sandeep Tiwari, late in the evening.
Chamoli avalanche: 14 more workers rescued, search for remaining men continues
Rescue teams intensified their efforts on Saturday as they successfully pulled out 14 more workers trapped under heavy snow after a massive avalanche struck a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) camp near Mana village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday morning.