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<\/p>\n
The study also highlights positive developments amid the bleak news, such as the growing role of renewable energy in the region and the power of early warning systems to save lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2024, weather and climate impacts cascaded from the Andes to the Amazon, from crowded cities to coastal communities, causing major economic and environmental disruptions<\/strong>,\u201d said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.<\/p>\n \u201cDrought and extreme heat fuelled devastating wildfires. Exceptional rainfall triggered unprecedented flooding, and we saw the earliest Category\u202f5 hurricane on record,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The State of the Climate for Latin America and the Caribbean report<\/em> reveals that 2024 was the warmest or second warmest year on record, depending on the dataset used.<\/p>\n Rising temperatures led to the disappearance of the Humboldt Glacier, the last one standing in Venezuela<\/strong>, which became the second country in the world after Slovenia to lose all its glaciers in the modern era.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, El Ni\u00f1o conditions in the first half of the year influenced rain patterns. For example, areas across the Amazonia and Pantanal regions in Brazil<\/strong> experienced widespread drought, where rainfall was 30 to 40 per cent below normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wildfires in the Amazon and Pantanal, as well as in central Chile, Mexico and Belize<\/strong>, were driven by drought and extreme heatwaves, breaking records in many countries. Wildfires in Chile resulted in over 130 deaths – the country\u2019s worst disaster since the February 2010 earthquake.<\/p>\n Floods triggered by heavy rainfall in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul became Brazil\u2019s worst climate related disaster, causing billions in economic losses to the agricultural sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n While timely warnings and evacuations helped mitigate the impacts of the flooding, WMO said more than 180\u202ffatalities were reported, thus highlighting the need to improve understanding around disaster risks among both authorities and the general public.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there is also hope<\/strong>,\u201d Ms. Saulo insisted, pointing to bright spots in the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEarly warnings and climate services from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) are saving lives and increasing resilience throughout Latin America and the Caribbean,\u201d she said.<\/p>\nFeeling the heat<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Wildfires and floods<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Hope and resilience<\/strong><\/h2>\n