Guam, a tropical paradise in the western Pacific, is bracing for the impact of Typhoon Mawar as the storm gains strength and tracks towards the island. Mawar’s eye is expected to get very near Guam – and likely make landfall – at around 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday 24th May.  Local authorities have issued evacuation orders to ensure the...

Out-of-control wildfires raging across western Canada continue to pose a significant threat to both populated areas and natural landscapes.Entire communities have been forced to evacuate due to the escalating inferno. Despite the relentless efforts of firefighters and emergency services, the blazes have proved challenging to contain and...

Emilia-Romagna, an Italian region known for its rich history and culture, is being devastated by unprecedented floods which started in mid-May 2023.  Heavy rains led to the overflow of twenty-three rivers across the region, causing widespread damage and displacing more than 30,000 residents. This catastrophic event claimed the lives of 14...

This image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 10 May 2023 shows Helsinki, the capital of Finland.  Helsinki is renowned for its architectural beauty, rich culture, and close connection to the Baltic Sea. According to a recent study published by the Aalto University, Finland will face new challenges in the coming years...

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 14 May 2023, shows Ny-Ålesund, a settlement in the northwestern part of Spitsbergen, Svalbard.  Ny-Ålesund has considerable international importance as a scientific research base for the study of the polar environment and the impact of climate change on this archipelago....

Canada grapples with an unrelenting and devastating wildfire crisis, showing no signs of abating.  Alberta continues to be severely affected, with approximately 525,000 hectares of land scorched, making the 2023 fire season the fifth-busiest on record. Unfortunately, the situation is no better in other provinces. This image, captured by one of...

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 13 May 2023, shows the town of Arviat, a small settlement located at the northern end of the Hudson Bay, close to the Arctic Circle, in the territory of Nunavut, Canada.  On the same day the image was acquired, the area was hit by a record heat wave, making it the hottest...

This image, acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites on 14 May, shows Cyclone Mocha before it made landfall along the coasts of Bangladesh and Myanmar.  Mocha struck the Bay of Bengal coastlines as a category-four equivalent cyclone, bringing heavy rain, winds of up to 195 km/h, and coastal flooding. Myanmar, particularly the western...

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 22 October 2022, shows the Petermann Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in Greenland.  Scientists monitor Pettermann due to its rapid retreat and calving events. A recent study has revealed a concerning new melting source. The glacier's grounding line, where the ice sheet...

Temperatures above reference average values continue to be recorded in the northern hemisphere. According to the latest climate bulletin published by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), April 2023 has been the fourth warmest April globally. In particular, air temperatures were above average for the western Mediterranean basin, with...

The smoke clouds generated by the wildfires ongoing in Canada reaches the Atlantic Ocean.  Canada continues to be ravaged by severe wildfires. As of 10 May 2023, more than 100 fires are ongoing across the Alberta Province, and have burned 390,000 hectares in less than a week (an area larger than Luxembourg).  The fires have forced more than...

During the first weekend of May 2023, severe wildfires broke out in the western Canadian province of Alberta. The fires have caused widespread damage and prompted local authorities to declare a state of emergency. 25,000 residents have been forced to evacuate their homes, and over 122,000 hectares have already burnt. Local Authorities have...

The upper Mississippi basin in the United States is currently facing one of its worst flooding situations in decades due to the excess snowmelt being drained by the river basin.  The severity of the flooding in Prairie du Chien in Wisconsin, one of the worst affected areas, is depicted in this image acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2...

Popocatépetl is one of the most active volcanoes of Mexico. At the end of April 2023, its volcanic activity has increased, with frequent explosions and emissions of ash and toxic gases. The National Centre for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) have issued a yellow alert and advised people to...

The Quelccaya glacier in the Andes of Peru can be seen in this image, captured on 30 November 2022 by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites. The Quelccaya glacier, which was once the world's largest tropical ice cap, has been reduced its volume by nearly 50% over the past four decades and is rapidly melting at a rate of about 5% per year...

On 20 April, the Copernicus Climate Change Service released the ‘2022 European State of the Climate Report’.  As shown in this data visualisation called “climate stripes”, in 2022, Europe experienced its second-warmest year on record and hottest summer to date.  The report also notes that the spread of large fires across EU countries has...

On 16 April 2023, a wildfire broke out in the hills between Cerbère and Banyuls-sur-Mer in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of France and crossed the Spanish border. The fire spread quickly, fuelled by dry vegetation and strong winds. Despite the best efforts of over 500 firefighters from various regions of France and Spain, the flames ravaged...

The Karakoram range in the Himalayas is renowned for its glaciers, some of which are among the largest and longest outside the polar regions. As a result of climate change, these glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate, leading to the formation of new glacial lakes in the Hunza River basin and in other valleys of the range, as seen in this...

At the beginning of April, a massive dust storm originating in the Gobi desert swept across several countries in East Asia, including China, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan. The dust storms led to reduced visibility and respiratory issues among the population. On 13 April, one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites captured the extent of the...

Each year, Arctic sea ice reaches its maximum extent during the month of March. According to Copernicus Climate Change Service data, the 2023 maximum was reached in early March, with a total extent of 14.5 million km2. This is 4% below the 1991-2020 average for the month and the fourth lowest in the satellite era. The Labrador Sea in Canada,...