Earth's 5-year forecast is in: Brace for extreme heat
Earth's 5-year forecast is in: Brace for extreme heat The warning comes from top weather experts at the United Nations and the United Kingdom in a May 28 report.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
How President Trump impacted climate change policy so far
Since taking office, President Trump has abandoned efforts to reduce global warming. It could 'take a generation or more to repair the damage."
Human-caused global warming will continue to bake the Earth over the next several years, experts from the United Nations and the United Kingdom said in a May 28 report, noting that "global climate predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels in the next five years."
Specifically, there is an 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will see record heat, with a high likelihood that average warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, according to the report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which is the UN's weather agency, and the U.K. Met Office.
'We have just experienced the ten warmest years on record," said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett, in a statement. "Unfortunately, this WMO report provides no sign of respite over the coming years, and this means that there will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems and our planet.'
Arctic warming is also predicted to rise at more than three times the global average.
"Every additional fraction of a degree of warming drives more harmful heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, intense droughts, melting of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers, heating of the ocean, and rising sea levels," the WMO said in a statement.
Climate report by the numbers
80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record
86% chance that at least one of next five years will be more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) above the 1850-1900 average
70% chance that 5-year average warming for 2025-2029 will be more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F).
Arctic warming predicted to continue to outstrip global average
More people at risk
Last year, the hottest year on record, saw the first breach of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which committed countries to avoid global warming of more than 1.5 degrees C.
From this year until the end of 2029, the mean near-surface temperature globally is forecast to be between 1.2 degrees C and 1.9 degrees C (2.2 degrees F and 3.4 degrees F) higher than pre-industrial levels of the years 1850-1900, the WMO said, adding that this would fuel more extreme weather.
'With the next five years forecast to be more than 1.5 degrees C warmer than preindustrial levels on average, this will put more people than ever at risk of severe heat waves, bringing more deaths and severe health impacts unless people can be better protected from the effects of heat," Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at the UK Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter, told the Associated Press. "Also we can expect more severe wildfires as the hotter atmosphere dries out the landscape."
Arctic warmth is soaring
In the Arctic, the above-average projected warming will accelerate ice melt in the Arctic and northwest Pacific Ocean.
The report said Arctic warming was predicted to be more than three-and-a-half times the global average, at 2.4 degrees C (4.3 degrees F) above the recent average temperature over the next five winters.
Contributing: Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
2025 hurricane names include Andrew, Barry, Chantal. See the full list.
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on Sunday, is likely to have an above-normal number of storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Forecasters predict a 60% chance there will be between 13 and 19 named storms, six to 10 of which are expected to be hurricanes. Three to five of those could be major hurricanes. As Americans along the Gulf and East Coasts prepare for the possible storms, here's a look at the names tropical storms or hurricanes will get this year. List of 2025 hurricane namesAndreaBarryChantalDexterErinFernandGabrielleHumbertoImeldaJerryKarenLorenzoMelissaNestorOlgaPabloRebekahSebastienTanyaVanWendy The list is one of six that are rotated every year, meaning this list was last used in 2019 and will be used again in 2031. The names are set by the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency. A name is retired and replaced if it is used for a storm that is extremely deadly or costly, making it inappropriate to reuse for future storms. If there are ever more than 21 named storms in a season, names would be used from an alternate list approved by the World Meteorological Organization. List of 2024 hurricane names During the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, there were 18 named tropical storms and hurricanes: Tropical Storm AlbertoHurricane BerylTropical Storm ChrisHurricane DebbyHurricane ErnestoHurricane FrancineTropical Storm GordonHurricane HeleneHurricane IsaacTropical Storm JoyceHurricane KirkHurricane LeslieHurricane MiltonTropical Storm NadineHurricane OscarTropical Storm PattyHurricane RafaelTropical Storm SaraWhy tropical storms and hurricanes are named Naming storms helps meteorologists, media and public officials communicate easily about forecasts and warnings to help the public prepare, the World Meteorological Organization says. "Assigning names to tropical cyclones makes tracking and discussing specific storms more straightforward, especially when multiple storms are active simultaneously," the agency says on its website. Storms have been named for a long time, but historically they were named "haphazardly and after the fact," the World Meteorological Organization said. It wasn't until 1953 that the National Hurricane Center began using the alphabetical lists. At that time, they were only female names. Male names were added starting in 1979. Which hurricane names are retired? Nearly 100 names have been retired from the Atlantic hurricane name lists since 1954, according to NOAA. Three names from the 2024 season were retired: Beryl, Helene and Milton. Some other notable retired names include Ian (2022), Ida (2021), Harvey (2017), Irma (2017), Maria (2017), Sandy (2012) and Katrina (2005). Fans turn out for estate sale at home of Tom Petty Trump says Musk is "not really leaving" as DOGE savings lag behind projections How a toddler's brave walk into the darkness to get help inspired his family
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
2025 hurricane names include Andrea, Barry and Chantal. See the full list.
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on Sunday, is likely to have an above-normal number of storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Forecasters predict a 60% chance there will be between 13 and 19 named storms, six to 10 of which are expected to be hurricanes. Three to five of those could be major hurricanes. As Americans along the Gulf and East Coasts prepare for the possible storms, here's a look at the names tropical storms or hurricanes will get this year. List of 2025 hurricane names Andrea Barry Chantal Dexter Erin Fernand Gabrielle Humberto Imelda Jerry Karen Lorenzo Melissa Nestor Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy The list is one of six that are rotated every year, meaning this list was last used in 2019 and will be used again in 2031. The names are set by the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency. A name is retired and replaced if it is used for a storm that is extremely deadly or costly, making it inappropriate to reuse for future storms. If there are ever more than 21 named storms in a season, names would be used from an alternate list approved by the World Meteorological Organization. List of 2024 hurricane names During the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, there were 18 named tropical storms and hurricanes: Tropical Storm Alberto Hurricane Beryl Tropical Storm Chris Hurricane Debby Hurricane Ernesto Hurricane Francine Tropical Storm Gordon Hurricane Helene Hurricane Isaac Tropical Storm Joyce Hurricane Kirk Hurricane Leslie Hurricane Milton Tropical Storm Nadine Hurricane Oscar Tropical Storm Patty Hurricane Rafael Tropical Storm Sara Why tropical storms and hurricanes are named Naming storms helps meteorologists, media and public officials communicate easily about forecasts and warnings to help the public prepare, the World Meteorological Organization says. "Assigning names to tropical cyclones makes tracking and discussing specific storms more straightforward, especially when multiple storms are active simultaneously," the agency says on its website. Storms have been named for a long time, but historically they were named "haphazardly and after the fact," the World Meteorological Organization said. It wasn't until 1953 that the National Hurricane Center began using the alphabetical lists. At that time, they were only female names. Male names were added starting in 1979. Which hurricane names are retired? Nearly 100 names have been retired from the Atlantic hurricane name lists since 1954, according to NOAA. Three names from the 2024 season were retired: Beryl, Helene and Milton. Some other notable retired names include Ian (2022), Ida (2021), Harvey (2017), Irma (2017), Maria (2017), Sandy (2012) and Katrina (2005).
Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
As hurricane season begins, worry swirls over cuts to key federal agencies
WASHINGTON — With predictions for a busy hurricane season beginning Sunday, experts in storms and disasters are worried about something potentially as chaotic as the swirling winds: massive cuts to the federal system that forecasts, tracks and responds to hurricanes. Experts are alarmed over the large-scale staff reductions, travel and training restrictions and grant cut-offs since President Trump took office at both the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which prepares for and responds to hurricanes, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks and forecasts them. 'My nightmare is a major catastrophic storm hitting an area that is reeling from the impact of all of this nonsense from the Trump administration and people will die. And that could happen in Florida, that could happen in Texas, that could happen in South Carolina,' said Susan Cutter, the director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina. Representatives of both NOAA and FEMA say the agencies are prepared. About 2,000 full-time staff members have left FEMA since Trump took office in January, a loss of roughly one-third of the agency's full-time workforce, amid mandated cuts. 'There's really been a brain drain within FEMA in addition to the loss of overall employees,' said Samantha Montano, who teaches emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She noted that many who left were in crucial management positions. The agency is run by an acting chief, David Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer who served overseas and worked as the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for countering weapons of mass destruction. He does not appear to have any experience in managing disasters. Emergency management requires knowing where to get things, whom to call, how things work and how to get it done quickly — which comes from experience and establishing relationships with state officials, Montano and Cutter said. What's happening reminds former FEMA Director Craig Fugate of 2005, the year Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and exposed inexperienced and poorly prepared governments at all levels, especially the then-FEMA chief, who came from a horse-rearing association. Fugate said he's especially worried about top experienced disaster people leaving FEMA. FEMA canceled various emergency management trainings this spring, moved others online and restricted travel to events such as the National Hurricane Conference. Some trainings have resumed. 'Given the reduction in staffing, being unable to do trainings, participate in conferences, there's potential that the federal government's ability is diminished,'' said former Florida emergency management chief Bryan Koon, now president of the disaster preparedness firm IEM. The federal government promises to be ready for hurricane season, which runs through November. 'FEMA is shifting from bloated DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens,' Associate FEMA Administrator Geoff Harbaugh said in an email. 'FEMA is fully activated in preparation for hurricane season.' Richardson promised to push more responsibilities to the states. He warned that the agency will do only what the law requires and shift more costs to states. But Koon noted that states haven't budgeted for FEMA's changes, adding: 'The biggest issue right now is just the uncertainty.' Some states — which coordinate disaster operations — are experienced in catastrophes, have well-trained staff and will do fine, such as Texas and Florida, Fugate said. But it's the poorer states that worry the experts. The federal government often picks up the entire bill in big disasters and most of it in smaller ones. In the Trump administration, disaster declarations have been denied or delayed. When disaster declarations were issued for nine states in late May, some had been pending for two months and others were only partially approved. NOAA, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, has undergone a series of dramatic job cuts, with some people then reinstated. A sizable chunk of the weather service's 121 local field offices as of late March had vacancy rates of more than 20%, seen by outsiders as a critical level of understaffing. Local weather offices are crucial in helping people translate national warnings into what to do locally. 'It should be all hands on deck and we're being hollowed out,' former weather service Director Louis Uccellini said. But the National Hurricane Center, which tracks and warns of hurricanes in the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean, has been spared. Acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham and National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said the agency is prepared for the season with the Miami-based storm center fully staffed and so are the planes that fly into storms. For the first time this year, the hurricane center will incorporate artificial intelligence into forecasting because it has shown to improve predictions generally, Brennan said. 'Our ability to serve this country has never been better,' Graham said. 'And it will be this year as well.' Borenstein and Angueira write for the Associated Press. Angueira reported from San Diego.
