The year 2026 has witnessed a series of devastating extreme weather events across the globe, with deadly heatwaves, raging wildfires, catastrophic floods and powerful storms claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing millions of people. As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists have warned that climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such disasters, leaving communities increasingly vulnerable to environmental catastrophes.
According to a review of extreme weather events published by media, 2026 has already emerged as one of the hottest years on record, with the global death toll from extreme weather reaching the high tens of thousands. The actual figure is likely to be considerably higher, as several deaths linked to heat exposure, air pollution and other climate-related consequences may not have been fully accounted for.
The year began with extreme heat conditions in Australia, where temperatures in several southern states rose nearly 20 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average. The mercury touched 50 degrees Celsius in Port Augusta and Andamooka, setting new temperature records. The prolonged heat triggered widespread wildfires, while hospitals in Melbourne reported a 25 per cent increase in patients suffering from heat-related illnesses. Scientists estimated that climate change had made the heatwave five times more likely.
In February, exceptionally heavy rainfall triggered devastating landslides in Brazil, killing 72 people in the city of Juiz de Fora in Minas Gerais. The region experienced its wettest month on record, with torrential rain causing hillsides to collapse and destroying hundreds of homes, particularly in vulnerable settlements built on unstable slopes. Flooding also affected major urban centres, including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, forcing more than 10,000 people to leave their homes.
March brought another wave of deadly weather events across Africa, Asia and South America. Floods and landslides killed at least 131 people in Ethiopia, 80 in Kenya and 18 in Tanzania. Afghanistan also reported at least 30 deaths following heavy rainfall and landslides. Several countries in the Arabian Peninsula experienced intense downpours, powerful winds and flash floods, while Oman witnessed hailstones as large as tennis balls. Hong Kong received twice its usual monthly rainfall, and floods in southern Russia left more than 300,000 people without electricity.
The situation remained equally alarming in April when Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck parts of Micronesia, Guam and Saipan. The storm recorded wind speeds of around 295 kmph at its peak, making it one of the most powerful storms recorded in the western Pacific so early in the year. It killed at least 12 people, forced mass evacuations, disrupted electricity supplies to 43,000 people and caused estimated damages of $1.5 billion.
May saw hundreds of millions of people across South Asia facing dangerous heat conditions. Temperatures crossed 45 degrees Celsius in several Indian and Bangladeshi cities, while Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh recorded temperatures of up to 52 degrees Celsius. At least 47 heat-related deaths were reported across the region, highlighting the growing threat posed by prolonged pre-monsoon heatwaves.
June marked another worrying development as ocean temperatures climbed to unprecedented levels. Scientists observed a sharp rise in sea surface temperatures, raising concerns that the additional heat stored in oceans could accelerate warming across the atmosphere and land. The development coincided with the emergence of a new El Niño phenomenon, confirmed on June 2. Meanwhile, Antarctica experienced an unusual heatwave, with temperatures reaching 15 degrees Celsius, while the Arctic recorded its warmest June. In Siberia, temperatures touched 28.3 degrees Celsius, an unprecedented level for that part of the Eurasian Arctic.
West Africa also faced severe flooding between May and June, with nearly 100 people losing their lives. Heavy rainfall, reaching 140 mm in a single day in some areas, caused widespread destruction. Studies indicated that human-induced climate change had made such extreme rainfall events five times more likely and 23 per cent more intense. Floods and landslides killed 59 people in Ivory Coast, 35 in Ghana and five in Togo.
July brought widespread wildfires across Canada and Europe. Nearly 1,000 fires ravaged Canadian forests, destroying around three million hectares of land and sending smoke across vast distances, including parts of the United States. Toronto experienced extremely poor air quality due to the smoke. European countries, including Greece, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Germany, Spain and France, also battled massive forest fires as prolonged droughts left vegetation dangerously dry. Around 686,000 hectares were burnt across Europe, twice the average area affected over the preceding two decades.
Extreme weather also disrupted major events in the United States. Ahead of the country’s July 4 Independence Day celebrations, nearly half of the population came under heat alerts, while several public events were affected by dangerous temperatures. The FIFA World Cup was not spared either, with multiple matches played in potentially hazardous heat and humidity, while severe storms forced delays in some fixtures.
August emerged as the hottest August on record and brought another major catastrophe in the Himalayan region. A massive collapse of rock and glacier ice in Nepal triggered devastating floods in the Lhende Khola river valley. An estimated two-square-kilometre section of rock and ice plunged nearly 1,400 metres, sweeping away settlements and infrastructure. At least 1,300 people were killed, more than 5,000 remained missing and around 8,600 required medical assistance. Scientists identified unusually high temperatures and the deterioration of permafrost linked to climate change as possible contributing factors.
Europe, meanwhile, experienced its hottest summer on record, with heatwaves claiming an estimated 50,000 lives in cities across the continent. Scientists attributed nearly two-thirds of these excess deaths to the climate crisis. The prolonged drought also affected critical infrastructure, forcing Romania to shut down its only nuclear power station because falling water levels in the Danube affected its cooling system.
September brought extreme rainfall and destructive storms across Asia. Typhoon Dujuan killed at least 10 people in Japan, while eastern China also reported fatalities following landslides triggered by another typhoon. India and Nepal together recorded at least 102 deaths amid exceptionally heavy rainfall, with precipitation in some areas reaching nine times the normal level. Bangkok in Thailand was also severely affected by flooding, which killed eight people and impacted nearly half a million residents.
October continued the trend, becoming the hottest October on record. Indonesia experienced its worst forest fire season in a decade, with nearly two million hectares of forest destroyed. The resulting toxic haze was estimated to have caused 3,560 deaths in just one month. In Chile, exceptionally heavy rainfall, the highest recorded in 76 years for October, forced authorities to declare parts of Santiago a disaster zone and evacuate more than 1,000 people.
The Amazon rainforest also faced an alarming combination of drought and fires. Major rivers, including the Rio Negro, Madeira and Tapajós, approached record-low water levels, disrupting the transportation of essential goods. Meanwhile, increasing forest fires generated thick smoke, leaving Manaus with the second-worst air quality in the world on October 12.
As November progressed, scientists warned that the year could rank among the four warmest in recorded history. Global temperatures reached around 2.04 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, matching the previous record set in 2023. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations also reached levels not seen in approximately two million years.
Another major concern is the expected strengthening of El Niño towards the end of the year. The United Nations disaster relief agency has urged governments to prepare for its potentially severe consequences, while climate scientists have projected that additional heat associated with the phenomenon could contribute to more than 450,000 deaths globally by February.
Despite the grim outlook, there are some indications of progress. Global fossil fuel emissions are expected to decline during the year, partly due to the growing competitiveness of renewable energy and a shift away from oil and gas amid high prices.
However, scientists have stressed that isolated improvements will not be sufficient to address the growing climate emergency. The mounting toll of extreme weather disasters underscores the need for governments to accelerate emission reductions, strengthen disaster preparedness and invest in climate resilience. Without urgent and sustained action, the devastating events witnessed in 2026 could increasingly become a regular feature of life across the world.
