In ancient times, extreme weather was a fairly rare occurrence. But now, along with climate change and global warming, extreme weather has become a normal thing.
That's what the 2021 edition of the State of the Climate report says. Average temperatures from 2002 are on track to rise 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial times, for the first time. Then sea levels set a record rise in 2021.
Temperatures in the last 7 years are among the warmest in history regarding the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. "Extreme weather events have now become the new normal. There is a lot of scientific evidence that it is the result of climate change caused by humans," said Professor Petter Taalas of WMO who carried out the research.
Here are some signs:
For the first time recorded rain, not snow, on the top of the Greenland iceberg.
Heat waves in Canada and parts of the United States have brought temperatures to nearly 50 degrees Celsius in British Columbia.
The Death Valley area of California has reached a temperature of 54.4 degrees Celsius in several heatwave events.
Rain, which is usually for a month's volume, fell in a few hours at once in several areas in China and there were flash floods.
Several areas of Europe experienced severe flooding with dozens of deaths and massive economic losses.
For the second year in a row, there has been a drought in sub-tropical South America, reducing water flows and disrupting agriculture, transportation and energy production.
Then sea level will double from 2013 to 2021 due to melting glaciers.
"Sea water is rising faster now than at any other time in the past two thousand years. If this continues, the rise could reach 2 meters by 2100, impacting 630 million people worldwide," said Jonathan Bomber, a scientist from the Bristol Glaciology Centre.
So there is no other solution, climate change that causes extreme weather must be seriously anticipated. If not, then the consequences could be dire in the future.