World marks second warmest July on record

As multiple regions contend with unbearable heat, drought, wildfires and other extreme weather, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday underlined the crucial need for stronger forecasts and early warning systems to protect lives and livelihoods. The UN agency said the past month was the second warmest July on record worldwide, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), a European Union initiative. Average surface air temperatures were 1.47°C above the estimated pre-industrial baseline, and sea-surface temperatures were the highest ever recorded for the month of July. No ‘holiday mode’The heat is still on in August. Although this month marks the height of the vacation season across Europe and other parts of the northern hemisphere, some workers are not getting a break, according to WMO Spokesperson Clare Nullis. Many national meteorological and hydrological services, emergency management and response teams as well as health professionals “are really working tirelessly because of all the extreme weather that we are seeing,” she told journalists in Geneva. “And it’s not just extreme heat,” she said. “We’re also seeing extreme rainfall, tropical cyclones....