UNOG-NEWS Update on Weather - February WMO 09MAR2021
/
1:57
/
MP4
/
144.8 MB

Edited News | WMO

UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Update on Weather - February WMO 09 February 2021

UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Update on Weather - February WMO 09 February 2021

“Relatively cold February does not negate the long-term warming trend from climate change, says World Meteorological Organization (WMO

Data for February shows a very mixed patterns for the end of the northern hemisphere winter and southern hemisphere summer.

“The month of February was much colder than the 1991 to 2020 average over much of Russia and Northern America, much warmer than average over the parts of the Arctic and in other parts of the world,” said Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

The contiguous USA had its coldest February since 1989, according to a report issued by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“It saw 62 all-time daily cold minimum temperature records in a space of February 11-16,” Nullis told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.

Following this, 69 all-time daily cold maximum temperature records were broken on February 15-16.

February’s weather was influenced by a large scale and interconnected atmospheric circulation patterns and a recent meteorological event called a Sudden Stratospheric Warming Event about 30 km over the North Pole.

This led to a weakening of the polar vortex; an area of low pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth’s North and South poles, with swirling westerly jet stream winds circulating around them.

Those winds are normally strong enough to keep the coldest air in the Arctic during the winter. But the weakening allowed the cold air to spill out into the mid-latitudes, including the USA, and for the warmer air to enter the Arctic.

However, according to Nullis, “Cold records, cold waves are becoming rarer, we can see this from statistics, heat waves, heat records are becoming much more frequent,” a trend which the WMO expect to continue.

“The fact that we’ve got COVID which temporarily put a break on emissions last year does not mean that the need for climate action is diminishing.”

Mauna Loa station in Hawaii, which is used as a benchmark reference station, reported that average carbon dioxide concentrations in February were up from 413.4 parts per million in February 2020, to 416.75 parts per million this year.

“The temperature increased, climate change, greenhouse gas concentrations continued to rise,” warned Nullis.

With the start of the 2020s, Copernicus C3S, and other national meteorological and hydrological services in Europe switched to a new 1991-2020 baseline to calculate climatological averages.

Before this, the most current and widely used standard reference period for calculating climate normals was the 30-year period 1981-2010.

The WMO have recommended that the new 30-year baseline, 1991-2020, should be adopted globally, to update the climate normals and support decision-makers in climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, health, energy, infrastructure and transportation.

But for the purposes of historical comparison and climate change monitoring, WMO still recommends the continuation of the 1961-1990 period.

For the purpose of Paris Agreement on climate change and its temperature targets, its annual state of the climate reports, WMO also uses the pre-industrial era as the baseline for tracking global temperature increase, because this is what is used in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Thus, the average global temperature in 2020 is set to be about 1.2 °C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) level.

UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing: Update on Weather - February WMO 09 February 2021

  1. Exterior wide shot, United Nations flag flying.
  2. Wide shot, press briefing room, UN Palais
  3. SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “February was much colder, so the month of February was much colder than the 1991 to 2020 average over much of Russia and Northern America, much warmer than average over the parts of the Arctic and in other parts of the world”.
  4. Medium shot, screen in press briefing room with spokespeople
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “The contiguous US had its coldest February since 1989, this is according to a report issued by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last night. It saw 62 all time daily cold minimum temperature records in a space of just 11 February to the 16”.
  6. Medium shot, journalist in press briefing room
  7. SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “The fact that we had a relatively cold month does not negate climate change, it does not reverse a long-term trend in rising temperatures due to global warming, climate change”.
  8. Medium shot, journalist in press briefing room
  9. SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “Cold records, cold waves are becoming rarer, we can see this from statistics. Heat waves, heat records are becoming much more frequent”.
  10. Medium shot, journalists in press briefing room
  11. SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “The fact that we have got COVID which temporarily put a brake on emissions last year does not mean that the need for climate action is diminishing”.
  12. Medium shot, spokesperson arriving in press briefing room
  13. SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “The temperature increase, climate change, greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise”.
  14. Wide shot, press briefing room, podium with spokesperson
  15. Medium shot, journalists in press briefing room
  16. Medium shot, screen in press briefing room with spokespeople

Similar Stories

DRC  UN report raises spectre of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu   Ravina Shamdasani UN Human Rights Spokesperson

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

DRC UN report raises spectre of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu Ravina Shamdasani UN Human Rights Spokesperson ENG FRA

A UN report on the Democratic Republic of Congo raises specter of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu, according to UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.

Global air pollution update - WMO 04 September 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | WMO

Global air pollution update - WMO 04 September 2025 ENG FRA

As billions of people continue to breathe polluted air that causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths every year, UN climate experts on Friday highlighted how damaging microscopic smoke particles from wildfires play their part, travelling half-way across the world.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Cameroon

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Cameroon ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence made the following comment on the on-going presidential election process in Cameroon at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva. 

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Myanmar

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Myanmar ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office released a new report on Myanmar, describing death, destruction and desperation which reflect atrocities committed in 2017. 

Afghanistan earthquake update OCHA - IFRC - UNHCR

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UNHCR

Afghanistan earthquake update OCHA - IFRC - UNHCR ENG FRA

Afghanistan: Humanitarians scramble to reach survivors of deadly quake; response at ‘breaking point’

In remote eastern Afghanistan, aid workers are racing to assist survivors of Sunday’s devastating earthquake as the death toll continues to climb, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

Gaza - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA

1

1

1

Edited News | UNRWA

Gaza - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA ENG FRA

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, repeated his urgent call for a ceasefire in Gaza on Friday, amid increased military Israeli activity in the enclave’s largest city.

Gaza update - OCHA WHO 29 August 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , WHO

Gaza update - OCHA WHO 29 August 2025 ENG FRA

Amid reports of increased Israeli military operations across Gaza City on Friday, UN aid agencies repeated urgent warnings of ongoing famine and a likely rise in preventable disease, linked to the dire living conditions in the war-shattered enclave.

OHCHR-Ravina Shamdasani: increasing executions in Iran

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

OHCHR-Ravina Shamdasani: increasing executions in Iran ENG FRA

UN calls for Iran to halt executions and move towards ending the death penalty.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Killing of Journalists in Gaza

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al Kheetan on Killing of Journalists in Gaza ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following comment on the killing of journalists in Gaza at the bi-weekly press briefing.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on “rotation” practice by Egyptian Government

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on “rotation” practice by Egyptian Government ENG FRA

The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday called on Egyptian authorities to end the practice known as “rotation”, which allows Government critics to be held arbitrarily and for prolonged periods.

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Sudan attacks

1

1

1

Edited News | OHCHR

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Sudan attacks ENG FRA

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on deadly attacks by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan 

Gaza City famine – UN OCHA, WFP, WHO, OHCHR 22 August 2025

1

1

1

Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNITED NATIONS , WFP , WHO

Gaza City famine – UN OCHA, WFP, WHO, OHCHR 22 August 2025 ENG FRA

Gaza: Famine “irrefutably” confirmed, UN humanitarians unite in plea for aid access

Famine has been confirmed in Gaza Governorate by the world’s top authority on food security and will spread further within the Strip unless fighting stops and much more aid is allowed in, UN humanitarians said on Friday.