Ecowatch: Hottest, coldest, heaviest – extreme weather over the years

A man (left) and a boy using a satellite dish to move children across a flooded area in Jaffarabad district, Balochistan province, Pakistan, on Aug 26, 2022. That year, Pakistan was hit by one of the worst floods in its history, with the government saying over four million people were affected. Such extreme events are becoming more common as the climate heats up. — Filepic/AFP

THE earth is inexorably warming, there's no disputing that as each year becomes  warmer than the previous one: Since 2015, each year has been recorded as the warmest on Earth since reliable instrumental records began in 1850, says the World Meteorological Organisation. The venerable organisation, which has roots dating back to 1873, also has an archive full of extreme weather events that reveal much about the planet's climate.