For the first time in the history of measurements, summer days (20+ °C) were registered in Valjevo, Kragujevac and Kraljevo - in December
It's behind us. the warmest year in the history of measurements and the first during which the planet was more than 1,5 °C warmer than in the pre-industrial era. But climate change is not only marked by warming, but it is also accompanied by an increase in the frequency and intensity of the series weather extremes.
The record-warming 2024 left behind a trail of destruction around the world: from destroyed homes and bridges to devastated crops and lost lives, writes Air conditioning 101.
As a result of heat waves, floods, droughts, floods and other extreme events, almost 830 thousand people were displaced, over a million were injured, and about 1.700 died, according to data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WMO recorded a total of 152 "unprecedented" climate extremes. This means that none of the previously recorded disasters, in the given climate, were as strong as last year. In addition, out of a total of 607 recorded events, almost 300 were defined as "unusual".
Half of the worst climate disasters, or 75 of them, hit Europe. And one of such listed weather extremes is the heat wave that swept through Serbia.
Although this is a phenomenon we associate with summer, and many remember the record summer heat, the unprecedented heat wave took place in the period from December 24, 2023 to January 6, 2024.
This heat wave lasted 13 days throughout the country, and in Belgrade temperatures were measured that were up to 11 °C above normal. How unprecedented this surge of high temperatures, in the middle of winter, was, is also shown by the following data:
For the first time in the history of measurements, summer days (20+ °C) were registered in Valjevo, Kragujevac and Kraljevo - in December.
Heat waves were actually the most prevalent weather extremes globally on the WMO list last year – 57 of them were unprecedented, with 53 being unusual. The strongest ones were recorded, during 2024, from Estonia and Slovenia through India to Thailand and Japan, where thousands of residents experienced heat stroke.
In February 2024, temperatures in Carnarvon, Western Australia, reached as high as 49,9 °C, which is very dangerous to health, even for a completely healthy population.
Heavy rainfall and flooding
After the heat waves, in terms of number among the climatic extremes without precedent, they are followed by heavy rainfall and floods.
Among the 23 mentioned floods is one from our region, more precisely from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In just eight hours on the night between October 3 and 4, 440 mm of rain fell in the central and southern parts of the country, and the ensuing flash floods claimed 27 lives. Economic losses are estimated at over 138 million euros.
On the other hand, the drought in Poland led to a drop in yields of at least 20% among the observed agricultural crops.
Global warming also increased tropical storms last year: the Philippines, for example, faced an unprecedented six typhoons in less than a month. Hurricane Helen, which hit Florida at the end of September, will also be remembered, as will supertyphoon Yagi in Vietnam.
However, it is possible that many extreme events went unrecorded.
The world is already deep into the climate crisis: all ten of the warmest years to date have occurred in the past decade. Despite decades of warnings from scientists about climate change, harmful emissions continue to rise and are currently at their highest levels in the past 800 years. Their further increase will only lead to additional complication of the problem.
"Leaders must step up - taking advantage of cheap, clean renewables for their peoples and economies," said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
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