Extreme weather

Extreme weather includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather—weather at the extremes of what has been seen in the past for a particular place. The main types of extreme weather are heat waves, cold waves, droughts, and heavy precipitation or storm events, such as tropical cyclones. These events can cause natural hazards like floods and landslides, and they can affect people and the environment.

Weather patterns naturally change over time, and these changes can influence extreme weather. Phenomena like the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic oscillation affect weather worldwide. Changes in the global climate system can lead to more frequent and stronger extreme weather events.

Climate change may make some extreme weather events, especially heat waves and cold waves, more common and more intense. Scientists use climate models and study rising temperatures to understand how a warming world might change the patterns of extreme weather. This helps us better predict and prepare for such events.

Extreme weather can have serious effects on people and nature. It can lead to damage to buildings and harm to ecosystems. Human activities, such as poor urban planning or building homes on floodplains, can make the impacts of extreme weather worse. Understanding extreme weather helps societies protect lives and property better.

Definition

Extreme weather describes unusual weather events that are very different from what is normally seen in a certain area. According to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, an extreme weather event is rare for a particular place and time of year. The World Meteorological Organization defines severe weather as any weather that can be dangerous to people, buildings, or needs help from authorities. Severe weather is a type of extreme weather.

Types

Extreme weather includes unexpected or unusual weather events that are very severe or unseasonal. These can include heavy rain, droughts, very hot or very cold temperatures, and powerful storms.

Heat waves are periods of unusually high temperatures. They can harm people, animals, and plants. Cold waves are sudden drops in temperature, which can also be dangerous to living things. Heavy rain and storms, including tropical cyclones, can cause flooding and other problems. When rainfall patterns change, some places may get much more rain while others become drier, leading to droughts.

Causes and attribution

Further information: Extreme event attribution

Extreme weather happens for many reasons, often more than one at a time. Scientists study how changes in our planet’s climate affect how often and how strong extreme weather becomes. They use computer models to guess what future weather might look like based on today’s information. These models help us learn how things like warmer temperatures might change the weather.

The climate naturally changes over time because of Earth’s tilt, its path around the sun, and the water cycle. Events like El Niño can also change weather in different parts of the world. But human actions, like burning fossil fuels, are making extreme weather more likely. Warmer temperatures can cause more heat waves, heavier rain, and stronger storms. For example, hurricanes are becoming stronger, and floods are happening more often. Cities can make these effects worse by covering natural spaces with concrete and building in areas that flood easily.

Effects

In recent years, we have seen more very hot days than very cold days around the world. Scientists think that as the Earth gets warmer, extreme weather like heat waves, heavy rains, and storms will happen more often and become stronger.

Extreme weather can change many parts of life, including work and health. It can also cause problems like floods and landslides. Even though fewer people die from natural disasters now, very hot or cold temperatures still affect many people each year.