WMO Warns Earth’s Water Cycle Is Becoming More Erratic as Freshwater Reserves Decline

The world’s water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic and unpredictable, with freshwater reserves declining, glaciers continuing to lose ice and extreme floods and droughts becoming more frequent, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The State of Global Water Resources 2025 report, released on Thursday, provides a global assessment of rivers, groundwater, soil moisture, glaciers, snow and other components of the water cycle.

The WMO said 2025 was one of the driest years for global river discharge in more than three decades, while the amount of water stored on land has continued to decline since the mid 2010s.

The findings highlight growing concerns about how a changing climate is affecting the availability and distribution of freshwater around the world.

Global Water Storage Continues to Decline

The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, land, rivers, lakes, groundwater, glaciers and oceans.

According to the WMO, the cycle is increasingly swinging between too much and too little water.

The organisation said terrestrial water storage including groundwater, lakes, rivers, soil moisture, vegetation, snow and ice has shown a declining trend since around 2014 to 2016.

In 2025, below-normal river flows affected large areas of the world. The WMO estimates that below normal flows occurred across about 36% of global river basin area.

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For the seventh consecutive year, river basins with normal conditions were in a clear minority.

The WMO said the situation creates challenges for communities, agriculture, industry, electricity generation, ecosystems and transportation because rivers are an important source of freshwater and economic activity.

Glaciers Continue to Lose Ice

The world’s glaciers are also undergoing significant changes.

The WMO said 2025 was the fourth consecutive year in which all major glaciated regions experienced widespread ice loss.

Between 2023 and 2025, glaciers lost a cumulative 1,400 gigatonnes of water, an amount roughly equivalent to the water needed to fill 560 million Olympic sized swimming pools.

Glacier loss creates both short and long term risks.

In the short term, increased melting can contribute to flooding and other hazards. Over the longer term, continued glacier retreat can threaten water supplies for communities that depend on meltwater.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo compared glaciers, groundwater and other slow moving water reserves to a global “savings account” that helps communities withstand droughts and dry periods.

She warned that those reserves are being depleted.

Floods and Droughts Becoming More Extreme

The report also highlights the continuing rise in water-related extremes.

According to the WMO, every one of the past five years has seen national meteorological and hydrological services report record-breaking floods and droughts somewhere around the world.

In some locations, communities have had little time to recover from one extreme event before another occurs.

Asia and Africa have been particularly affected. Together, the two regions accounted for at least half of recorded water-related extreme events and more than 80% of reported associated deaths over the past five years.

The WMO also warned that the strengthening El Niño could increase the risk of drought in some areas while increasing flooding risks elsewhere.

Nigeria and Other Countries Among Areas Affected

The effects of changing water patterns are being felt across different parts of the world.

Some regions experienced severe flooding, while others faced prolonged drought and declining water availability.

The WMO said Africa and Asia remain among the regions most affected by water-related extremes, while also noting that they have some of the largest gaps in hydrological observations.

Those data gaps make it more difficult for governments and scientists to accurately monitor changes and provide early warnings.

Scientists Call for Urgent Action

The WMO stressed that better water monitoring, improved data sharing, early-warning systems and stronger water management are essential to dealing with increasing extremes.

The organisation’s 2025 report draws on information from 68 countries and more than 3,000 monitoring stations, as well as satellite observations and global hydrological models. 

However, the WMO said important gaps remain, particularly in Africa and Asia.

The report argues that countries need better observations of rivers, groundwater, glaciers and other water resources so that governments can prepare for changing conditions.

The findings do not suggest that the world is simply running out of water. Rather, they show that freshwater is becoming less predictably distributed, with some regions experiencing severe shortages while others face increasingly destructive floods.

The WMO says the trends have serious implications for water security, agriculture, ecosystems and economies, making improved monitoring and adaptation increasingly important.