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☆ Asia was most impacted by extreme weather and climate in 2023, UN report shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sarote Pruksachat | Moment | Getty ImagesAsia was the most disaster-hit region in the world last year as extreme weather and climate threats intensified amid global warming, according to the World Meteorological Organization, the UN's weather agency. According to a NASA report, increased temperatures are associated with variations in precipitation and increased frequency of both drought and extreme water events. watch nowWhile WMO found that much of Asia suffered from a substantial lack of precipitation in 2023, there were also many extreme weather events associated with heavy rainfall and flooding. The WMO report noted that a lack of rainfall could also have detrimental effects on drinking water sources, agriculture, industry, and hydropower. Authors of the report argued the data confirms the need for early warning systems for extreme weather and more disaster risk reduction to mitigate losses and damage caused by climate change in the future.

Persons: Sarote, Celeste Saulo, Saulo, heatstroke Organizations: Asia, World Meteorological Organization, NASA, WMO Locations: Asia, Siberia, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, India, —, Beijing

☆ Health-harming heat stress rising in Europe, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A homeless man begs for money in a street of Bordeaux, southwestern France on August 24, 2023, as a heatwave sweeps across France. In a report on Europe's climate, Copernicus and the WMO noted last year's extreme conditions, including a July heatwave which pushed 41% of southern Europe into strong, very strong or extreme heat stress - the biggest area of Europe under such conditions in any day on record. Extreme heat poses particular health risks to outdoor workers, the elderly, and people with existing conditions like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Heat stress measures the impact that the environment has on the human body, combining factors like temperature, humidity and the body's response, to establish a "feels like" temperature. Parts of Spain, France, Italy and Greece experienced up to ten days of extreme heat stress in 2023, defined as a "feels like" temperature of more than 46 degrees Celsius, at which point immediate action must be taken to avoid heat stroke and other health issues.

Persons: Copernicus Organizations: World Meteorological Organization, WMO Locations: Bordeaux, France, Europe, Italy, Lodi, Spain, Greece

☆ Earth on the brink of key warming threshold after year of ‘chart-busting’ extremes, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A wind change increased flames during a planned ignition on the Ross Moore Lake wildfire in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, on July 28, 2023. A series of climate records last year gave new meaning to the phrase "off the charts," the U.N.'s weather agency said on Tuesday, warning that the planet is now on the brink of surpassing a key warming threshold. It confirmed 2023 as the hottest year on record and said the period from 2014 to 2023 also reflected the hottest 10-year period on record. The global average temperature in 2023 stood at 1.45 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, researchers said, marginally below the key warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The 1.5 degrees Celsius level is widely recognized as an indicator of when climate impacts become increasingly harmful to people and the planet, as outlined in the landmark Paris Agreement.

Persons: Ross Organizations: State, World Meteorological Organization, WMO Locations: Kamloops , British Columbia, Canada, Paris

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. weather agency is sounding a “red alert” about global warming, citing record-smashing increases last year in greenhouse gases, land and water temperatures and melting of glaciers and sea ice, and warning that the world's efforts to reverse the trend have been inadequate. “The latest State of the Global Climate report shows a planet on the brink. Fossil fuel pollution is sending climate chaos off the charts.”The latest WMO findings are especially stark when compiled in a single report. WMO said the impact of heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and tropical cyclones, exacerbated by climate change, was felt in lives and livelihoods on every continent in 2023. And so, nothing gets done.”___Borenstein reported from Washington, D.C.___The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations.

Persons: ”, Celeste Saulo, “, ” U.N, Antonio Guterres, Topping, Jonathan Overpeck, wasn’t, Saulo, Kathy Jacobs, Andrew Weaver, ’, ___ Borenstein Organizations: GENEVA, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Service, University of Michigan School for Environment, Sustainability, University of Arizona, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Washington , D.C, Associated Press Locations: “ State, Paris, Copenhagen, British, Washington ,, AP.org

The latest calculations from several science agencies showing Earth obliterated global heat records last year may seem scary. Former NASA climate scientist James Hansen, often considered the godfather of global warming science, theorized last year that warming was accelerating. That’s 0.27 degrees (0.15 degrees Celsius) warmer than the previous record set in 2016 and 2.43 degrees (1.35 degrees Celsius) warmer than pre-industrial temperatures. NASA and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office had the warming since the mid-19th century a bit higher at 2.5 degrees (1.39 degrees Celsius) and 2.63 degrees (1.46 degrees Celsius) respectively. It’s the third time in the last eight years that a global heat record was set.

Persons: Nature, ”, Katharine Jacobs, Gavin Schmidt, El, NASA's Schmidt, Schmidt, Samantha Burgess, Europe's, Burgess, James Hansen, Daniel Swain, Russ Vose, Jennifer Francis, Katharine Hayhoe, Randall Cerveny, “, ” Cerveny, Natalie Mahowald, “ I've, Kim Cobb, ” ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: Associated Press, University of Arizona, El Nino, Service, NASA, AP, UCLA, U.S . National Oceanic, Administration, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental, United Kingdom Meteorological Office, . Records, World Meteorological Organization, Climate Research, Conservancy, NOAA, Arizona State University, WMO, Cornell University, The Associated Press Locations: British, El, Paris, Brown, AP.org

☆ ‘It’s game on’: The world’s largest iceberg is on the move. Scientists explain why it matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"It's just astonishingly big and it's a reminder of how much risk we're at from sea level rise." "Antarctica has historically been quite a small contributor to sea level rise, but it is growing, and it is taking up a bigger and bigger share of the sea level rise that we see every year," he added. "So, it's a symbol of the growing dominance of Antarctica in the sea level rise equation." This temperature threshold is widely recognized as crucial because so-called tipping points become more likely beyond this level. Tipping points are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in Earth's entire life support system.

Persons: Robbie Mallett, A23a, Mallett, Mallet, That's, Gail Whiteman, Taalas, Hollie Adams, NASA Modis Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Continent, University of College London, CNBC, United, NASA, World Meteorological Organization, University of Exeter, WMO, Expo, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Antarctica, New York City, United Arab Emirates, South Georgia, Dubai, COP28, Green

“Each decade since the 1990s has been warmer than the previous one and we see no immediate sign of this trend reversing,” its secretary-general, Petteri Taalas, said. Experts are divided about one of the most important metrics: The rate of warming. University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann has argued warming has been steadily increasing since 1990, but isn't speeding up. He warned that such warming is fueling increasingly dangerous extreme weather events, coastal flooding and many other “disastrous” impacts. Glaciers in Papua, Indonesia are likely to disappear altogether within the next decade,” WMO said.

Persons: Petteri Taalas, James Hansen, Michael Mann, ” Mann, ” Organizations: United Arab Emirates, United Nations, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, NASA, Warming, University of Pennsylvania, ” WMO, AP Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Papua, Indonesia, “, Africa, Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Greenland, Antarctica

☆ Past decade was the hottest on record as climate change ‘surged alarmingly,’ WMO reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | Brandon Miller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The decade between 2011 and 2020 was the hottest on record for the planet’s land and oceans as the rate of climate change “surged alarmingly,” according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. This year is also expected to be the hottest year, after six straight months of record global temperatures. Scientists have said this year’s exceptional warmth is the result of the combined effects of El Niño and human-caused climate change, which is driven by planet-warming fossil fuel pollution. A separate analysis released Monday by the Global Carbon Project found that carbon pollution from fossil fuels is on track to set a new record in 2023 – 1.1% higher than 2022 levels. The WMO report comes partway through the UN-backed COP28 climate summit, on the day focused on energy and industry.

Persons: El, Petteri Taalas, ” Elena Manaenkova, Anupam Nath, –, ” Taalas, ”, Pierre Friedlingstein, Amy Cassidy Organizations: CNN, World Meteorological Organization, Global, Project, WMO, UN, EU, Copernicus, DG DEFIS, Reuters, El Niño, University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute Locations: Dubai, India, China, US, EU, Mayong, Gauhati, Assam, Greater London, Antarctica, Paris, El, COP28

☆ El Nino to last until April 2024, pushing record temperatures
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Gabriel Flores and Isabel Apaza walk on the dry cracked bed near the shore of Lake Titicaca in drought season in Huarina, Bolivia August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia Morales/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies World Meteorological Organization FollowGENEVA, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The ongoing El Nino weather pattern is set to last until at least April 2024, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday, pushing up temperatures in a year already on track to be the warmest on record. El Nino is a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific, and it can provoke extreme weather phenomena from wildfires to tropical cyclones and prolonged droughts. The WMO said in the same statement that the 2023 is on track to be the warmest year on record. The previous record year was in 2016 due to the one-two punch of an exceptionally strong, naturally-occurring El Nino and the impact of warming induced by the burning fossil fuels.

Persons: Gabriel Flores, Isabel Apaza, Claudia Morales, Nino, Emma Farge, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, World, GENEVA, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Nino, Thomson Locations: Lake Titicaca, Huarina, Bolivia, El, U.S, Pacific

☆ The climate crisis has a price — and it's $391 million a day
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Al Zulkifli | AFP | Getty ImagesDamage from the global climate crisis has amounted to $391 million per day over the past two decades, a report showed. "We find that US$143 billion per year of the costs of extreme events is attributable to climatic change. The research, however, notes that there is an underestimation of the true costs of climate change due to the difficulty of measuring indirect losses. They called for an increase in adaptation policies to minimize these climate-change attributed costs, such as the building of flood protection or improving early warning signal systems heralding extreme weather events. "The planet is far off track from meeting its climate goals," the WMO said in a September report, adding that rising global temperatures have been accompanied by more extreme weather.

Persons: Al Zulkifli, —, Nargis, Fedja Grulovic, Spyros Bakalis, Yuki Iwamura Organizations: AFP, Getty, Nature Communications, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Reuters, U.S . Federal Emergency Management Agency, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Afp Locations: Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Myanmar, Europe, Russia, Somalia, Prevalje, Slovenia, Pournari, Magoula, Athens, Maui, Lahaina , Hawaii

☆ 20,000 people feared dead in Libyan city destroyed by floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Patrick Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"The situation is very large and surprising for the city of Derna. A view shows a damaged car, following a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hitting the country, in Derna, Libya September 13, 2023. A government official estimated Wednesday that 25% of the city was completely destroyed or washed away. People look at the dead bodies outside the hospital, after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 12, 2023. A view of devastation in disaster zones after the floods caused by the Storm Daniel ravaged the region, on September 11, 2023, in Derna, Libya.

Persons: Hassan El Salheen, Aly, Storm Daniel, Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Daniel, Abdel Moneim Al, Ghaithi, Esam Omran, Hunter Biden, Elie Abouaoun, Reuters Othman Abduljaleel Organizations: Reuters, Sky News Arabia, fetori, United Nations, World Meteorological Organization, AFP, WMO, NBC, FBI, Social Security, International Rescue, International Organization for Migration, United Arab, Fetori, Tripoli Public Services Company, Libyan News Agency, Storm, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: Libya, Al Sharief, Bani Swief, Egypt, Derna, Geneva, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Tripoli, Derna's

☆ Libya floods: what caused them and why are they so bad?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Aerial view of Derna city, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 14, 2023. After pummelling other Mediterranean countries, the powerful Storm Daniel swept into Libya at the weekend, unleashing record amounts of rain as it made landfall. The rain dumped by the storm filled a normally dry riverbed, or wadi, in the hills south of Derna. The pressure was too much for two dams built to protect the city from floods. He cited five floods since 1942, and called for immediate steps to ensure regular maintenance of the dams.

Persons: Ayman Al, Storm Daniel, hydrologist, Omar Al, Mukhtar, Abdulmenam Ghaithi, Hichem Abu Chkiouat, OCHA, Ghaithi, Muammar Gaddafi, Derna, Tom Perry, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, Mukhtar University, Infrastructure, Humanitarian Affairs, Reuters, International Federation of, Red Crescent Societies, United Arab, Rescuers, Derna, Thomson Locations: Derna, Libya, Libyan, Egypt, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Qatar, Tripoli

CNN —The United Nations has said most of the deaths in flash floods that tore through Libya could have been “avoided,” as relief workers struggle to deliver crucial aid in a humanitarian effort stifled by political divisions and debris from the disaster. More than 5,000 people have died and thousands more are feared missing after unprecedented rainfall flushed out entire cities in the North African nation last week. “Of course, we cannot fully avoid economic losses but we could’ve also minimized those losses by having proper services in place,” Talaas added. While the Eastern parliament-backed government reported at least 5,300 people dead, the internationally recognized government in Tripoli reports more than 6,000 people have died. CNN has not been able to independently verify the number of deaths or those missing.

Persons: Petteri, ” Talaas, Talaas, ”, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Khalifa Haftar Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Meteorological Organization, WMO, Libyan National Army Locations: Libya, North, Derna, Geneva, Tripoli, Benghazi

The eastern Libyan city of Derna, the epicenter of the disaster, had a population of around 100,000 before the tragedy. A ferocious stormThe extreme rainfall that hit Libya on Sunday was brought by a system called Storm Daniel. The medicane strengthened as it crossed the unusually warm waters of the Mediterranean before dumping torrential rain on Libya on Sunday. The Derna dam is 75 meters (246 feet) high with a storage capacity of 18 million cubic meters (4.76 billion gallons). The Sebha University paper warned that the dams in Derna had a “high potential for flood risk” and that periodic maintenance is needed to avoid “catastrophic” flooding.

Persons: Cross, Storm Daniel, it’s, ”, Hannah Cloke, Ahmed Madroud, Al Jazeera, Liz Stephens, “, ” Stephens, ” Derna, Khalifa Haftar, Petteri Taalas, ” Taalas, Talaas, ” Cloke, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, International Committee, Storm, University of Reading, Libya’s Sebha University, University, Science Media Center, ISIS, Libyan National Army, United Nations, Meteorological Organization Locations: Derna, Libyan, Libya, Africa, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslav, Mansour, Wadi, ”, United Kingdom

August was about 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial averages, which is the warming threshold that the world is trying not to pass. “Climate breakdown has begun.”Political Cartoons View All 1145 ImagesSo far, 2023 is the second hottest year on record, behind 2016, according to Copernicus. Usually an El Nino, which started earlier this year, adds extra heat to global temperatures but more so in its second year. The world has been warmer before, but that was prior to human civilization, seas were much higher and the poles were not icy. While the world's air and oceans were setting records for heat, Antarctica continued to set records for low amounts of sea ice, the WMO said.

Persons: Copernicus, ”, Antonio Guterres, Carlo Buontempo, ___ Borenstein, Seth Borenstein Organizations: GENEVA, Northern, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, ” United Nations, El Nino, University of Maine's, Twitter, AP Locations: El, United Kingdom, United States, Antarctica, Washington

☆ Pacific island sea levels rising faster than global average, WMO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The morning's first rays of sunlight hit the island community of Serua Village, Fiji, July 15, 2022. As the community runs out of ways to adapt to the rising Pacific Ocean, the 80 villagers face the painful decision whether to move. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies World Meteorological Organization FollowGENEVA, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Sea levels in the South-West Pacific are rising faster than the global average, threatening low-lying islands while heat damages marine ecosystems, the U.N. meteorological agency said on Friday. In its State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2022 report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said water levels were rising about 4 mm per year in some areas, slightly above the global mean rate. "This will have a big impact on the South-West Pacific region as it is frequently associated with higher temperatures, disruptive weather patterns and more marine heatwaves and coral bleaching," Taalas said in a statement.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Petteri Taalas, El, Taalas, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, World, GENEVA, South -, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, -, Thomson Locations: Serua Village, Fiji, South, South - West, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Australia, Papua New Guinea, - West Pacific, Philippines

REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File PhotoSummaryCompanies Breaks previous record set in July 2019, by 0.2CHeatwaves searing Europe, North America and ChinaEarth may not have been this hot in 120,000 years - studyJuly 27 (Reuters) - July 2023 is set to upend previous heat benchmarks, U.N. Secretary-general António Guterres said on Thursday after scientists said it was on track to be the world's hottest month on record. Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board," Guterres said in New York. It is statistically robust," said Piers Forster, a climate scientist at Leeds University in Britain. July is traditionally the hottest month of the year, and the EU said it did not project August would surpass the record set this month. However, scientists expect 2023 or 2024 will end up as the hottest year in the record books, surpassing 2016.

Persons: Guglielmo Mangiapane, 0.2C, António Guterres, Guterres, Karsten Haustein, Michael Mann, Haustein, Piers Forster, Friederike Otto, El Nino, “, Gloria Dickie, Ali Withers, David Stanway, Mark Heinrich, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Meteorological Organization, WMO, Germany's Leipzig University, University of Pennsylvania, Southern, Leeds University, Grantham Institute, El Nino, El, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, North America, China, New York, Rhodes, U.S, Leipzig, Britain, U.S ., California, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Sicily, Florida, Australia, South Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, London, Pacific, EU, London , Ontario, Copenhagen, Singapore

☆ July 2023 is planet's hottest month on record, Copernicus reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

We have just lived through the hottest three-week-period on record – and almost certainly in more than a hundred thousand years. “These are the hottest temperatures in human history,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director at Copernicus. Remo Casilli/ReutersThe news that July will be the hottest month comes amid a slew of alarming records that have already been broken – and then broken again – this summer. Last month was the hottest June on record by a “substantial margin,” according to Copernicus. On July 6, the global average temperature rose to 17.08 degrees Celsius (62.74 Fahrenheit), according to Copernicus data, beating the previous temperature record of 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.24 Fahrenheit) set in August 2016.

Persons: Copernicus, ”, Samantha Burgess, Ronda Churchill, Carlo Buontempo, it’s, Burgess, El, Remo Casilli, we’ve, Fethi Belaid, Kim Cobb, ” Petteri Taalas Organizations: CNN, World Meteorological Organization, Visitor, Popolo, Getty, Brown University, WMO Locations: , California, AFP, Asia, US, China, Europe, Rome, Melloula, Tunisia

☆ July is set to be the hottest month on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Photo: Christoph Reichwein/dpaJuly is set to be the hottest month on record. The first three weeks of July have been the hottest three-week period on record, according to a joint statement published by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization. This month's record-breaking heat surpasses July 2019, the previous hottest month, and comes on the heels of June setting the record for the hottest June ever. Anthropogenic emissions are ultimately the main driver of these rising temperatures," Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said in a statement published alongside the announcement. This month has included heat waves that have baked much of North America, Asia and Europe, and wildfires that are ravaging Canada and Greece, Copernicus and the WMO said.

Persons: Christoph Reichwein, Copernicus, It's, Carlo Buontempo, El, Taalas Organizations: World Meteorological Organization, United, El, WMO, El Nino Locations: Greece, Gennadi, Rhodes, Corfu, North America, Asia, Europe, Canada

☆ Effects of climate change increasing in Asia, WMO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows submerged building amid flood water, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Talti town in Sehwan, Pakistan September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoGENEVA, July 27 (Reuters) - Extreme weather events ranging from droughts to large-scale floods and other effects of climate change are on the rise in Asia and bound to affect food security and the continent's ecosystems, the World Meteorological Organization said. In a report published on Thursday, WMO said Asia was the world's most disaster-impacted region, with 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters recorded last year, the majority of which were floods and storms. The WMO report also highlighted that most glaciers the High-Mountain Asia region had loss significant mass as a result of warm and dry conditions in 2022. "This will have major implications for future food and water security and ecosystems," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Petteri Taalas, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Thomson Locations: Talti, Sehwan, Pakistan, GENEVA, Asia, China

☆ Ocean temperatures around South Florida hit hot-tub levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Maria Cardona | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Citizen scientist from Mote Laboratories replants corals on Florida's Keys vulnerable reefs, in Key West, Florida, U.S., July 13, 2023. REUTERS/Maria Alejandra Cardona/File PhotoKEY LARGO, Florida, July 25 (Reuters) - The surface ocean temperature in and around the Florida Keys soared to typical hot tub levels this week, amid recent warnings from global weather monitors about the dangerous impact of warming waters on ecosystems and extreme weather events. The WMO and NOAA say temperatures like those in South Florida can be deadly for marine life and threaten ocean ecosystems. He's also been seeing more dead fish in waters around Key Largo. Reporting by Maria Alejandro Cardona in Key Largo and Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; editing by Donna BrysonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maria Alejandra Cardona, Dustin Hansel, He's, Hansel, Maria Alejandro Cardona, Brad Brooks, Donna Bryson Organizations: Citizen, Mote Laboratories, REUTERS, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, National Data, United Nations, World Meteorological Organization, El Nino, WMO, Key Largo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Key West , Florida, U.S, LARGO , Florida, Florida, Manatee, United States, South Florida, Key, Lubbock , Texas

ATHENS, July 23 (Reuters) - A wildfire raging on the Greek island of Rhodes forced thousands of tourists and island residents to shelter in schools and indoor stadiums on Sunday after they were evacuated from coastal villages and resorts. One government official told Reuters 19,000 people had been moved away from their homes and hotels, 3,000 of them by boat. Large groups gathered in the streets under a red sky waiting to be taken to safety. "We have between 4,000 and 5,000 people now accommodated at different structures," Thanasis Virinis, a vice mayor of Rhodes told Mega television on Sunday, calling for donations of essentials such as mattresses and bedclothes. "Customers currently in Rhodes will return on their intended flight home", it sad in a statement.

Persons: Amy Leyden, Leyden, Rhodes, Ioannis Artopoios, Jet2, TUI, Renee Maltezou, Elizabeth Piper, Frank Jack Daniel, Frances Kerry Organizations: Correndon, Reuters, Sky News, Volunteers, Mega, Firefighters, World Meteorological Organization, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Rhodes, TUI, Greece, Kiotari, Lindos, Southern Europe

☆ Tourists flee Greek island Rhodes wildfire, thousands evacuated
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A wildfire which has raged on the Greek island of Rhodes for six days forced thousands of tourists and island residents to shelter in schools and indoor stadiums on Sunday after they were evacuated from coastal villages and resorts. Many fled their hotels when huge flames reached the seaside villages of Kiotari, Gennadi, Pefki, Lindos, Lardos and Kalathos. "We have between 4,000 and 5,000 people now accommodated at different structures," Thanasis Virinis, a vice mayor of Rhodes told Mega television on Sunday, calling for donations of essentials such as mattresses and bedclothes. Climate change means heatwaves will become more frequent, an advisor to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Saturday. The fire has scorched swathes of forest and several buildings since breaking out in a mountainous area on Tuesday.

Persons: Rhodes, Ioannis Artopoios Organizations: Coastguard, Mega, Reuters, World Meteorological Organization, Firefighters Locations: Rhodes, Kiotari, Lindos, Greece, Southern Europe

☆ Extreme heatwaves to continue through August, WMO adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Remo Casilli/file photoGENEVA, July 21 (Reuters) - Heatwaves are expected to persist in a large part of the world throughout August, an adviser on extreme heat said on Friday, following on from record temperatures in recent weeks. "We should expect or at least plan for these extreme heatwaves to continue through August," Senior Extreme Heat Advisor for the WMO John Nairn told Reuters. Extreme weather has also disrupted the lives of millions of Americans, with dangerous heat stretching from Southern California to the Deep South. Nairn said climate change meant heatwaves would become more frequent and be spread across the seasons. "We're on trend in seeing a rise in global temperatures that will contribute to heatwaves increasing in intensity and frequency," Nairn said.

Persons: Trevi, Remo Casilli, WMO John Nairn, Nairn, We've, Cécile Mantovani, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Reuters, European, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, GENEVA, North America, Asia, North Africa, Southern Europe, Southern California, East, Nairn

[1/3] People cool off near the Spanish Steps, during a heatwave across Italy, as temperatures are expected to rise further in the coming days, in Rome, Italy July 18, 2023. They have added fresh urgency to talks this week between the United States and China, the world's top greenhouse gas polluters. "Whilst most of the attention focuses on daytime maximum temperatures, it is the overnight temperatures which have the biggest health risks, especially for vulnerable populations," it said. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service says 2022 and 2021 were the continent's hottest summers on record. In a large part of the territory, night-time temperatures were in the top 5% of the highest recorded at this time of year.

Persons: Remo Casilli, John Kerry, Xi Jinping, Carlo Spanu, Anita Elshoy, Elshoy, AEMET, Talim, Angelo Amante, Emma Farge, Giselda, Crispian Balmer, Angeliki Koutantou, Emma Pinedo Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Matthias Williams, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Europe, U.S, Asia Italy, ROME, Asia, United States, Sardinia, Lazio, heatwaves, Death, China's, Greece, Swiss, India, South Korea, China, Beijing, North America, North Africa, Sicily, Sulcis, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Aragon, Mallorca, Andujar, 44.9C, Toledo, Dervenochoria, Athens

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