Key messages:

·       Extremely dry months have become increasingly common in recent decades, with 38% more record-dry months in 2024 than for the baseline period.

·       Daily precipitation extremes were 52% more common in 2024 than during 1995–2005, with record-breaking daily rainfall events in West Africa, Europe and Asia.

·       Average temperature over land was the highest recorded globally and in 111 countries, and globally 1.2°C above the 1995–2005 average. The frequency of record-warm months was the highest since 1979.

·       High temperature: new records were set for annual maximum temperature in 34 countries and hot days in 40 countries.

·       Low temperatures: globally, the number of frost days over land was the lowest on record. Annual minimum temperatures are increasing, especially in the tropics.

·       Soil water showed strong regional contrasts, with extreme dryness in South America and Southern Africa and wet conditions in West Africa.

·       River flows were very low in northern South America and high in Western, Central and Eastern Africa. There has been an increasing trend in record-high flows of 21% per decade since 2001.

·       Lake and reservoir water storage worldwide declined for the fifth year in a row, with unprecedented lows in South America and record-high levels in Africa.

·       Terrestrial water storage showed ongoing low values in 2024 in most of the world's dry regions but strong increases in western, Central and Eastern Africa.

·       In 2024, water-related disasters caused more than 8,700 fatalities, displaced 40 million people, and resulted in economic losses exceeding US$550 billion globally; true figures are likely higher due to incomplete data.

·       Human Tragedy: Flash floods and landslides together caused tens of thousands of fatalities worldwide, with major events in Africa, South Asia and Papua New Guinea

·       Displacement: River floods across the Sahel region and drought in Southern Africa displaced over 30 million people and exacerbated food insecurity across vast regions.

·       Food Security: Droughts were devastating, with Southern Africa alone experiencing a halving of crop production, leaving more than 30 million people facing food shortages.

·       Economic Damage: Tropical cyclones resulted in economic damages exceeding US$520 billion globally, particularly in the USA and Southeast Asia.

·       Ecological Impact: Droughts and deforestation-related fires caused profound harm to the Amazon rainforest, with over 52 thousand km2 of forest lost to fire in September alone