The worldwide reports of heat records do not stop. The warmest and wettest winter to date has now been recorded in New Zealand. The national average temperature was 9.8 degrees.
It was 1.4 degrees higher than the country’s usual winter temperatures, the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) reported Friday. In the winters of the previous two years, new temperature records had already been recorded.
floods and evacuations
Climate change is contributing to this trend, says Niwa scientist Nava Fedaeff. Of New Zealand’s ten warmest winters, six have been since 2013. This time, the season was also the rainiest since records began in 1971. Last month, heavy rainfall caused flooding, especially on the South Island. Hundreds of homes had to be temporarily evacuated and a state of emergency was declared in some areas.
Weather extremes are increasing
Extreme and unusually early heat has recently been followed by flooding in India and Pakistan, among others. Other countries such as China, Senegal, Djibouti, the US and some European countries such as Italy, France and Portugal are experiencing drought and drought conditions. “Weather extremes have always been there. But what is clear is that climate change will make them more frequent and more intense,” said Oman Baddour, chief of climate monitoring at the World Weather Organization (WMO).
As reported, August was the sixth warmest in record history in Austria. Particularly in July, severe storms with small-scale flooding and mudslides were registered.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
