Understanding Extreme Weather Events and Their Consequences

At a recent congress held in 2023, the WMO set a goal to enhance alert systems for extreme weather events by 2027.

• According to the WMO, early warning systems have significantly reduced fatalities related to weather and climate disasters.
• The WMO report indicates that the economic impact of extreme weather events is more pronounced in developing countries, affecting their GDP significantly.
• Alarmingly, 90% of weather-related fatalities occur in developing nations.
• The United States has suffered the highest economic damage from 1970 to 2021, amounting to a staggering $1.7 trillion.
• An overview of extreme weather-related events in India reveals:
  • From 1970 to 2021, 570 disasters claimed the lives of 138,377 individuals.
  • In 2022 alone, India recorded 2227 casualties due to extreme weather events, as per the data provided by the IMD
• It is the most vulnerable communities that suffer the most from weather, climate, and water-related hazards.
• These findings were highlighted in the WMO’s Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes, which covers a period of nearly 50 years until 2019.
• Tropical cyclones were the major disaster cause, with Africa accounting for over 1,800 disasters and 733,585 deaths.