GENEVA - People across the United States dealing with heat waves, tropical storms, and hurricanes are not alone in experiencing weather extremes. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the weather and climate in many parts of the world have reached record extremes this year.

The WMO reports that global land surface temperatures hit records in January and April, while extremely heavy precipitation caused severe flooding in many parts of the world. Cyclone Gonu formed in June as the first documented cyclone in the Arabian Sea, making landfall in Oman and Iran. England suffered extremely heavy rainfall in June, causing flooding in both England and Wales. In July and August, stronger-than-normal monsoons caused flooding in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Other parts of the world are suffering through heat waves, as well. Two extreme heat waves affected southeastern Europe in June and July, breaking the previous records with temperatures exceeding 104°F. On July 23, temperatures in Bulgaria hit 113°F, setting a new record. The WMO notes that the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noted an increasing trend in extreme events observed during the last 50 years and projected it to be very likely that hot extremes, heat waves, and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more frequent.

Publication date: 08/20/2007