The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UN’s World Meteorological Organization both confirmed that 2023 was the planet’s warmest year on record. This record-breaking heat, attributed by scientists to climate change, fueled extreme weather events around the globe. With temperatures expected to continue rising, emergency managers should prepare for more frequent and more intense weather events going forward.

Earth’s average land and ocean surface temperature in 2023 was 1.18 degrees Celsius. approaching the 1.5-degree limit set by the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015. The 10 warmest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade. Importantly, for the water and wastewater sector, the record heat is impacting the global water cycle and as a result, fueling more severe droughts as well as storms and flooding events. High temperatures have been accompanied by low air humidity. These conditions heighten heat stress and increase the water needs of people, threatening water security. In addition, increasing sea surface and air temperatures have been intensifying the strength and rainfall intensity of storms around the world.

Looking ahead, NOAA forecasts there is a one-in-three chance that 2024 will be warmer than 2023, and a 99% chance that 2024 will rank among the top five warmest years. As extreme weather events are more likely to occur, utilites can act now to reduce their risk to these natural hazards. For more information on responding to drought, visit the EPA guide here. For more information on dealing with flooding events, visit the EPA page here. Read more at NOAA, at Smart Water Magazine, and at the Conversation.