The United Nations has warned that tropical cyclones occurring close to the Equator are rare, and when they do strike, their impacts are magnified due to limited local experience in coping with severe storms.
WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis said: “Tropical cyclones are rare so close to the Equator… it means the impacts are magnified because local communities have got no experience in this.” She highlighted that record-breaking rainfall is increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding.
“One meteorological station in central Vietnam recorded a national 24-hour rainfall record of 1,739 millimetres,” Nullis said. “That is the second-highest known total anywhere in the world for 24-hour rainfall.” She added that rising temperatures increase the potential for extreme rainfall because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.
Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on the east coast of Sri Lanka, affected over 1.4 million people, including more than 275,000 children. UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires warned that with roads blocked and communications down, the true number of children impacted is likely higher. “Homes have been swept away, entire communities isolated, and essential services children rely on, such as water, healthcare, and schooling, have been severely disrupted,” he said.
Recent torrential rains and strong winds have struck Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, causing landslides, flooding, and significant disruption to relief efforts. These events underline the growing threat of extreme weather in a warming world.
Nullis emphasised that no single institution or country can address these challenges alone, calling for strengthened regional cooperation and universal early warning systems. The WMO continues to coordinate with national authorities to provide climate guidance and support to humanitarian responders, while urging communities to prepare for increasingly frequent and severe weather events.
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $...
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Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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