The Global Climate 2001-2010: a decade of climate extremes, summary report
Author: World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
The first decade of the 21st century was the warmest decade recorded since modern measurements began around 1850. It saw above-average precipitation, including one year – 2010 – that broke all previous records. It was also marked by dramatic climate and weather extremes such as the European heatwave of 2003, the 2010 floods in Pakistan, hurricane Katrina in the United States of America (USA), cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and long-term droughts in the Amazon Basin, Australia and East Africa. To learn more about the 2001–2010 decade of extremes, including the detailed results of the WMO survey of countries, you are strongly encouraged to read the complete technical report (WMO-No. 1103), which is available online on the WMO website.