On 14 August, the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS) published their latest State of the Climate Report which noted record concentration levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere and that 2024 was the warmest year on record.
The report also highlighted the impact of higher global temperatures on the water cycle, with atmospheric water vapour levels reaching record levels during 2024. Dr Kate Willett of the Met Office is one of the report’s editors and wrote the sections on humidity. She said: “Human health can be seriously affected by high heat and humidity. Such a dramatic increase in the occurrence of these humid-heat events is bringing more societies into challenging, potentially life-threatening, situations.”
