WMO State of the Climate in Africa 2024

By the World Meteorological Organization

(This story is a World Meteorological Organization press release issued earlier today in Addis Ababa and Geneva. It has been edited slightly here. The IFRC is one of the global coordinators for the UN Early Warnings for All initiative, jointly led by the WMO.)

Extreme weather and the impacts of climate change are hitting every single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity and displacement, according to the World Meteorological Organization State of the Climate in Africa 2024 report.

Last year was the warmest or second-warmest, depending on the dataset, and the past decade has been the warmest on record.

Sea-surface temperatures around the continent were at record levels, with particularly rapid warming in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. Marine heatwaves impacted the biggest area since measurements started in 1993, it says.

“The State of the Climate in Africa report reflects the urgent and escalating realities of climate change across the continent,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

“It also reveals a stark pattern of extreme-weather events, with some countries grappling with exceptional flooding caused by excessive rainfall and others enduring persistent droughts and water scarcity.”

“WMO and its partners are committed to working with [member states] to build resilience and strengthen adaptation efforts in Africa through initiatives like Early Warnings for All. It is my hope that this report will inspire collective action to address increasingly complex challenges and cascading impacts.”

The report highlights the challenges for agriculture and the environment; food, water and energy security; and health and education. But it also stresses opportunities and new tools to meet the challenges.

‘Some countries grapple with exceptional flooding while others endure persistent droughts and water scarcity’

Artificial intelligence, mobile communication tools, and advanced models for weather prediction are enhancing the accuracy and reach of weather services across Africa.

However, further scaling up digital transformation requires greater investment in infrastructure, stronger data-sharing frameworks and more inclusive service delivery, it says.

A greater sense of urgency is needed to improve early warning systems, and strengthen climate resilience and adaptation, according to the report, which urges governments, development partners, and the private sector to accelerate climate-smart investment.

The WMO State of the Climate in Africa 2024 report is accompanied by a digital story map and is one of a series of WMO climate reports which seek to inform decision-making for national and regional climate strategies.           

Schoolboys at IFRC regional headquarters in Nairobi combine celebrations of World Red Cross Red Crescent Day on 8 May last week and the 60th anniversary of the Kenyan Red Cross. The WMO’s latest report on the African climate stresses the challenges for agriculture and the environment, like the exceptionally heavy long rains from March to May that led to severe flooding in Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi, but also opportunities and new tools to meet them, such as AI, mobile communications, and advanced weather prediction that is enhancing the reach of weather services across the continent. (Photo: Kenyan Red Cross via IFRC)