The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
From Death Valley to the Swiss mountains, extreme weather records hit new heights
As sweltering conditions continue to grip large parts of Europe, temperatures have “reached new heights” in Switzerland, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Tuesday.
Speaking in Geneva, WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis said that a new altitude record for the freezing point had been set a day earlier, climbing to 5298 metres (17,381 feet) – well above Europe’s very highest peaks including Mont Blanc, at 4,811 metres (15,784 feet).
WMO figures show that this is 115 metres above the previous record of 25 July 2022 and the highest since measurements began in 1954.
Chilling effect
Ms. Nullis explained that the freezing level had been measured by a Meteo-Suisse weather balloon above Payerne in the western canton of Vaud. “The impact of this heat on glaciers is playing out before our eyes,” she said. “The freezing level in the glaciers, [and] the disappearance of snow was dramatic last year. Unfortunately, with this latest heatwave, that trend is continuing.”
Meanwhile, large parts of Switzerland are on level three amber alert or the top-level red alert until Thursday, the WMO spokesperson said. Temperatures in much of the southern half of France are forecast to be “above 37C” on Tuesday, “reaching a peak of 40C to 42C in the Drome region.
Heat is on
The WMO spokesperson pointed out that French national weather forecaster Météo-France had issued an amber alert for 49 departments and a red alert for four. The French national meteorological service said that numerous station records had fallen - both maximum daytime temperatures and minimum overnight ones, which have a particular impact on health. Ms. Nullis warned that there were also red alerts in parts of Italy, Croatia and Portugal and widespread amber heat alerts in neighbouring countries.
On the other hand, parts of Europe and in particular Scandinavia have seen “unusually heavy precipitation. Norway once again on Tuesday issued a red alert for heavy rainfall, “a life-threatening risk in the southern part of the country”, Ms. Nullis added.
In response to questions about the how many people are at risk from the unrelenting heat, UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson, Tarik Jašarević, said that statistics from last summer showed that more than 61,000 people had died from heat-related causes in 35 European countries in summer 2022.
Glacier marker
The impact of extreme temperatures on glaciers is under investigation, but the effects of the heatwave are clear, with snow cover now present only at the highest elevations in Switzerland, according to WMO.
The UN agency defines heatwaves as “a period of statistically unusual hot weather persisting for a number of days and nights”. The current baseline used to gauge how extreme conditions are is the 30-year period from 1991 to 2020.
Although the meteorological summer is coming to an end in the northern hemisphere, it is impossible to state with any certainty whether the current heatwave will be the last this season. And although there had been expert discussions on naming heatwaves in the same way as tropical cyclones, WMO has no plans to do so, maintaining that the two weather systems are not comparable and that such a move might detract from public safety messaging.
Americas alert
Outside Europe, sweltering conditions have continued in much of the central and southern USA, with multiple excessive heat warnings issued in the central Plains States and Texas. Tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic has also been “ramping up”, said Ms. Nullis, adding that three tropical systems – Gert, Franklin, and Harold – were of “particular concern”.
Franklin has brought the risk of flooding to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, while Harold is predicted to make landfall in southern Texas bringing very heavy rainfall and the risk of flash-flooding at a time when the state was battling extreme heat and drought.
Ms. Nullis said that hurricane Hilary had now dissipated but had reached parts of southern California, which rarely witnessed such rainfall. Virtually all precipitation records in Los Angeles had been broken, the WMO official added, noting that Death Valley has just seen its all-time wettest day on record, with 2.20 inches (55.88 mm) of rainfall, breaking the previous record of 1.70 inches set in August 2022.
In a related development, WMO’s Greater Horn of Africa Weather Forum was due to meet on Tuesday, before issuing its latest update for the rest of the year.
ends
STORY: EXTREME WEATHER UPDATE
TRT: 02:36”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 22 AUGUST 2023, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
- Wide shot of panel.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson: “Switzerland has a new altitude record for the freezing point of 5298 meters. So that's the 17,381 feet, and that was measured by a Meteo-Suisse radiosonde carried by a weather balloon above Payerne.”
- Side view of attendees at briefing.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson: “This heat on glaciers is, you know, playing out before our eyes as we speak. The freezing level in the glaciers, the disappearance of snow was dramatic last year. And unfortunately, with this latest heat wave that trend is continuing.”
- Close of screen with speakers.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Tarik Jašarević, WHO spokesperson: “ There was a study published on July 10th by researchers from European health institutes. And in this study, there is an estimate that more than 61,000 people died from heat related causes across 35 European countries in summer 2022.”
- Close of lap top screens.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson: “Temperatures in much of the southern half of France for the next couple of days are forecast to be above 37 degrees Celsius and reaching a peak of 40 to 42 degrees Celsius in the Drome region. Meteo France has issued an amber alert for 49 departments and the top level red alert for four departments today.”
- Close of attendees typing.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson: “There are red alerts in parts of Italy, Croatia, Portugal and widespread amber heat alerts in neighboring countries. It's not uniform. We tend to, you know, we've been talking a lot about heat. Parts of Europe, in particular Scandinavia, have seen unusually heavy precipitation.”
- Cameras with panellists in background.
- SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson: “Norway once again today has a red alert for heavy for heavy rainfall. So a life threatening risk in the southern part of the country for heavy rainfall.”
- Close of laptop with speaker in background.
- Side view of attendees at briefing
- Close of attendees typing.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
A little over one year since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas fighters and Israel, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Six weeks after Nepal’s deadly flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild their lives, but they will need sustained help as global warming increases the risk of another Himalayan catastrophe, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In suspected Russia plague death, testing and monitoring underway – WHO
The death of a lab worker in Russia’s Siberia region has sparked concerns about plague being the cause, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that it was following the situation closely.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on the human rights situation in Haiti.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the wartorn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the OPT.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UN
Civilians in Iran are continuing to feel the consequences of months of conflict and military escalation, the UN’s top official in the country has said, as loss of life, damage to civilian infrastructure and mounting economic pressures leave many facing continued uncertainty.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Aid agencies in Yemen highlighted the growing hunger emergency sparked by renewed fighting between Houthi opposition forces and Government troops, after mobile health clinics reported that hundreds of children displaced by the violence are suffering from the most deadly form of malnutrition.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Displacement on the rise in Yemen as fighting continues - UNHCR
As hostilities worsen in Yemen, more people have been fleeing their homes, further intensifying the humanitarian crisis within the region, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.