In our country, Goa and Maharashtra recorded their first heatwaves in February, the first heatwaves in winter (January-February) according to the India Meteorological Department. The highest temperature in India was recorded in Baudh, Odisha, on March 15, 2025. On March 16, 43.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Boudh, 42 degrees Celsius in Jharsuguda, and 41.7 degrees Celsius in Bolangir. In 2025, several weather events, such as blizzards, cold winds, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical storms, had a significant impact on Earth’s climate. Climate directly affects people’s lives, economies and ecosystems around the world. Changes in our climate are leading to more extreme weather events. Rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, devastating rainfall, hurricanes, floods, severe droughts and wildfires are on the rise. Sea levels are rising. Densely populated coastal areas are becoming more vulnerable to coastal erosion and the effects of ocean waves.
WMO plays a key role:
World Meteorological Day is celebrated every year on March 23. The World Meteorological Organization was founded on March 23, 1950, with a membership of 180 countries to study the climate in relation to changes in the atmosphere. For more than 75 years, WMO has played a key role in the world’s climate system science. The day of the organization’s formation has been designated as World Meteorological Day. This day is celebrated every year under the auspices of the United Nations. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on natural habitats. The day emphasizes the crucial role of meteorology in predicting weather patterns, monitoring climate change, and preparing for natural disasters. Meteorology is also useful in solving global challenges such as climate change, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels.
Early Warning System:
WMO recently confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record. Effective early warning systems are needed to understand and predict complex interactions. Accurate weather forecasts from weather warning centers and early warning systems alert people. This protects them from disruption to their livelihoods. As human-induced climate change leads to more extreme weather events, the need for effective multi-hazard early warning systems is more important than ever. Systems that warn people about upcoming storms, floods or droughts and provide relief are not a luxury. But they are cost-effective tools that can save lives, reduce economic losses and provide up to a tenfold return on investment. Early warnings, while not completely solving these problems, can prevent much damage. Early warning systems have already helped reduce the number of deaths. They have reduced the losses caused by hazardous weather, water or weather events.
Closing the gaps:
As climate hazards increase, the need for them continues to grow. However, only a few countries in the world can afford to set up early warning systems with state-of-the-art technology. Low-income countries cannot build these systems. This creates gaps between countries in the world. But saving lives, protecting livelihoods, and strengthening the resilience of societies is a shared responsibility of all countries. For this, there is a great need to reduce or close these gaps. Therefore, the theme of the year has been chosen as
“Closing the Early Warning Gap Together”. This theme emphasizes the importance of global cooperation in developing early warning systems. By reducing the early warning gap together, we can build a safer, more resilient world.
MHEWS 2024 Report:
The Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) 2024 report shows that the world has reported the highest level of early warning coverage since 2015. Countries with less comprehensive MHEWS reported a disaster-related mortality ratio that was nearly six times higher than countries with ‘substantial’ to ‘comprehensive’ coverage, and nearly four times more people affected by disasters. By 2024, 108 countries reported having some capacity for multi – hazard early warning systems. This is more than double the number of countries in 2015, when 52 countries. Early Warnings for All is a global goal that aims to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027.
Four key elements:
There are four key elements to making early warning systems accessible to all. First one is to have knowledge of disaster risk. second one is to be able to identify, monitor, analyze, and assess risks. Third one is to be able to disseminate warning information and Fourth one is to be prepared to respond. However, while forecasting capabilities have improved significantly, gaps remain in observing networks, forecast accuracy, and access to high-quality weather and hydrological data. Strengthening national weather and hydrological services in developing countries is not only essential for climate adaptation, but also for global resilience, security, and economic stability.
Awareness should be created.
The thirteenth of the UN Sustainable Development Goals states that ‘ All countries should strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters; integrate climate change actions into national policies, strategies and plans; and promote education, awareness and human institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.’
writer
Kinjarapu Amaravati
