2024 in photos: the world under water

By Reuters, AFP, AP, VnExpress   December 30, 2024 | 11:00 pm PT
Reuters has labeled 2024 as "the world under water," reporting floods in over 45 countries as cities and villages worldwide faced the impacts of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
2024 in photos: the world under water

A person stands surrounded by flood water caused by heavy rains, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 17, 2024.

One of the most surprising flooding incidents this year occurred in Dubai, a city known for its hot, dry climate and minimal rainfall in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this past April. The city experienced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years due to a powerful storm sweeping across the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf of Oman.

Although Dubai is renowned for its wealth and modernity, its urban infrastructure was not designed to cope with such heavy rainfall. The storm overwhelmed drainage systems, leaving rainwater unable to absorb into the ground or flow away quickly, resulting in significant flooding across several areas.

2024 in photos: the world under water

A man with an umbrella walks along a partially destroyed street after floods in Mucum, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 11.

The floods took over 1,000 lives, displaced millions of people, and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage this year. For many it will take years to recover. And much - flattened cars, contaminated store stock, mud-drenched belongings - will never be replaced.

2024 in photos: the world under water

Saiful Islam cries after meeting his daughter Sadia Akter after four days as a severe flood hits the Lalpol area in Feni, Bangladesh, Aug. 25.

In 15 of the 16 analyses that World Weather Attribution scientists undertook in 2024 that looked at extreme rainfall events — from Valencia in Spain to Asheville in North Carolina, and from Brazil to Kenya — they found that climate change made the rainfall heavier or more likely.

2024 in photos: the world under water

A survivor harnessed to a rope is being helped to climb a wall, following devastating floods, in South Tokar, Red Sea State, Sudan, Aug. 28.

Scientists have long predicted that an increase in the global temperature would create an increase in precipitation — although not evenly distributed — because a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor.

This year will be the hottest in the last 125,000 years, and the first to cross 1.5 C (2.7 F) since humans started burning coal, oil and gas to power economies. Already the planet has warmed about 1.3 C above the pre-industrial average, corresponding to about a 10% increase in expected precipitation.

2024 in photos: the world under water

A drone view shows houses flooded by the Danube River in the village of Ersekcsanad, Hungary, Sept. 22.

With global CO2 emissions hitting a record high in 2024, the compounding effects from this excess carbon will be affecting global weather for decades to come.

Climate change is also causing sea levels to rise, which makes some coastal flooding more likely or severe.

Scientists say the extent of a flood's damage to lives and property is largely attributed to other factors, including how much cement is in the environment, the topography or saturation of the ground, and if people were adequately warned ahead.

2024 in photos: the world under water

The entire Thai Nguyen City in Vietnam's northern province of Thai Nguyen is submerged under floodwaters due to Typhoon Yagi, Sept. 10. Photo by VnExpress

Yagi made landfall on Vietnam's northern coast on Sept. 7, becoming the most powerful typhoon to strike the country in three decades.

The storm brought torrential rains, triggering floods and landslides that claimed 320 lives, left 25 people missing, and destroyed 322,000 houses. It affected 3.6 million people across northern Vietnam. The economic impact was devastating, with losses exceeding VND88.7 trillion, equivalent to 0.62% of Vietnam's 2023 GDP.

2024 in photos: the world under water

Flood-affected residents wait for a rescue boat to arrive in Taungoo, Myanmar’s Bago region on Sept. 14, following heavy rains in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi.

Typhoon Yagi brought a colossal deluge of rain that has inundated a swathe of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, triggering deadly landslides and widespread river flooding.

As irregular heavy rainfall becomes more common, experts say countries will need to invest in adapting the places people live, and how they notify their populations about risk.

2024 in photos: the world under water

A rescue worker carries a woman, following heavy rainfalls in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Sept. 16.

2024 in photos: the world under water

Security force members use an inflatable raft to bring residents to safety from a flooded area near the bank of the overflowing Bagmati River following heavy rains, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 28.

2024 in photos: the world under water

Sabra English pauses to survey a mud-strewn living room in her father's badly flooded home following Hurricane Helene, in Barnardsville, North Carolina, Oct. 2.

Helene claimed 230 lives and caused an economic loss of US$124 billion.

2024 in photos: the world under water

A woman looks out from her balcony as vehicles are trapped in the street during flooding in Valencia, Oct. 30.

The flash flood caused by heavy rainfall on Oct. 29 in Valencia was the most devastating natural disaster to strike Spain in decades, claiming over 200 lives and causing extensive destruction to infrastructure.

The heavy rainfall was triggered by the "gota fría" phenomenon, which occurs when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This rapid interaction forms cumulonimbus clouds within hours, unleashing torrential downpours on Spain's eastern regions.

2024 in photos: the world under water

Children play along a flooded street following super typhoon Man-Yi, in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, Nov. 18.

2024 in photos: the world under water

A drone view shows a damaged bridge following floods caused by Storm Bora, in Faliraki, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Dec. 2.

 
 
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