Choking fires, deadly heat and devastating floods: 2026 in extreme weather
Summary
Extreme heat, wildfires, floods and landslides caused deaths and widespread damage across several regions in 2026. The year also brought record temperatures and rainfall, while measurements showed that Earth’s energy imbalance was growing and atmospheric carbon dioxide continued to rise.Key Facts
- The 2026 summer was described as the hottest since records began in 1850.
- In January, temperatures in southern Australia reached new heat records, including 50°C in Port Augusta and Andamooka; Melbourne hospitals reported a 25% rise in heat-related illnesses.
- Scientists estimated that climate change made the Australian heatwave five times more likely.
- Record rain in Brazil’s Juiz de Fora triggered landslides that killed 72 people and displaced more than 10,000.
- March floods and mudslides killed at least 131 people in Ethiopia, 80 in Kenya, 18 in Tanzania and 30 in Afghanistan.
- The World Meteorological Organization reported that more than 90% of the excess energy in Earth’s system was stored in the oceans, with ocean warming more than doubling over the past two decades compared with the previous 45-year average.
- Typhoon Sinlaku reached 295 km/h winds on 12 April, among the highest wind speeds recorded so early in the year in the western Pacific.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
