GENEVA

Extreme heat, severe cold, and intense rainfall hit countries across all regions in January, highlighting the growing risks posed by climate-driven weather extremes and the need for stronger early warning systems, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Friday.

National meteorological services were on the frontline as record-breaking heat fueled wildfires, powerful winter storms brought snow and ice, and prolonged rainfall triggered devastating floods, according to the UN agency.

The WMO said its coordination mechanisms supported humanitarian agencies by providing real-time forecasts and warnings for high-impact weather events.

“It is no wonder that extreme weather consistently features as one of the top risks in the World Economic Forum’s flagship annual Global Risks Report,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a statement. “The number of people affected by weather and climate-related disasters continues to rise, year by year, and the terrible human impacts of this have been apparent on a day-by-day basis this January.”

Australia experienced back-to-back heatwaves, with temperatures approaching 50C (122F) in parts of South Australia, while wildfires burned across Chile and southern Argentina, the statement said.

At the same time, a weakened polar vortex contributed to severe cold spells and winter storms across North America, Europe, and parts of Asia, disrupting travel and power supplies.

Heavy rainfall also caused widespread flooding in southern Africa, particularly in Mozambique, where hundreds of thousands of people were displaced and critical infrastructure damaged.

The WMO said climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and stressed that early warnings remain critical to saving lives.

“This is what drives us to expand and accelerate the Early Warnings For All initiative because disaster-related deaths are six times lower in countries with good early warning coverage,” Saulo said.