Extreme Weather in 2024 Forced Most People to Flee in 16 Years

Extreme weather last year including typhoons, heatwaves and flooding led to the biggest displacement of people since 2008, and exacerbated a food crisis in more than a dozen countries, according to a report.

Tropical cyclones were responsible for many of the most severe events, such as Super Typhoon Yagi in September, the World Meteorological Organization said in its annual State of the Global Climate report on Wednesday. The deadly storm killed hundreds as it tore across the Philippines, China and Vietnam, swamping homes and flattening crops, and causing billions of dollars in damage.

The WMO, a United Nations agency, listed 151 “unprecedented” extreme weather events in 2024, which was the warmest on record. Eight countries had at least 1 million more people facing acute food insecurity than during the 2023 peak, while droughts contributed to a reduced global cereal harvest.

A study published last year in Nature projected climate damages could cost the global economy $38 trillion, in 2005 dollars, per year by mid-century. Early warning systems and climate services that raise awareness are crucial to reducing the future costs and saving lives, the WMO said in its report.

The devastating toll extreme weather events are having on the global economy are set to accelerate if carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous dioxide emissions continue to increase. Concentrations of all three of the gases in the atmosphere rose in 2024, according to the WMO.

Among the most significant extreme weather events last year listed by the agency was a June heatwave in Saudi Arabia. Temperatures near Mecca reached 50C (122F) during the Hajj pilgrimage, with many deaths reported.

Top photo: Flooded streets and buildings in Thai Nguyen in 2024. Photographer: Xuan Quang/AFP/Getty Images.