World celebrates World Meteorological Day

CAIRO - 22 March 2018: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) celebrates on Friday, March 23, World Meteorological Day amid increased hazards, including tropical cyclones, heavy rain, heat waves and drought.

The theme for 2018 is "weather- ready, climate smart".

In a report released by the organization on Thursday, a copy of which obtained by MENA, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said "The start of 2018 has continued where 2017 left off – with extreme weather claiming lives and destroying livelihoods".

"The Arctic experienced unusually high temperatures, whilst densely populated areas in the northern hemisphere were gripped by bitter cold and damaging winter storms. Australia and Argentina suffered extreme heatwaves," Taalas added.

"In the past quarter of a century, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have risen from 360 parts per million (ppm) to more than 400 ppm. They will remain above that level for generations to come, committing our planet to a warmer future, with more weather, climate and water extremes," noted Taalas.

Fueled by warm sea surface temperatures, the North Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest ever for the United States and eradicated decades of developments gains in small islands in the Caribbean such as Dominica, added the report.

It noted that 2017 was one of the three warmest years on record and the warmest not influenced by an El Niño event. It also examined other long-term indicators of climate change such as increasing carbon dioxide concentrations, sea level rise, shrinking sea ice, ocean heat and ocean acidification