The map above shows a summary of significant climate anomalies and events for July 2023 compiled by scientists at NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information.

In the northern hemisphere, extreme weather events such as wildfires, drought, heat waves, floods and persistent rainfall events are exacerbated by rapid Arctic warming through its effects on:

i) Meanders in the tropospheric jet stream resulting in the transport of cold Arctic air to midlatitudes,

ii) Atmospheric rivers or plumes of warm and moist air that transport heat and moisture poleward, causing heavy precipitation and Arctic heatwaves,

iii) Significant disruptions in mid-March to the stratospheric (upper atmospheric) polar vortex that cause extreme winter weather in mid-latitudes.

Find out more about how the Arctic affects Global Risks.

View maps on these other global risks:

Food Insecurity Heat Stress

Water Insecurity Sea Level Rise