Earth’s ‘Water Savings Account’ Running Dry, WMO Warns

Global Freshwater Storage Plummets in 2025

According to the WMO’s State of Global Water Resources report, total terrestrial water storage—which includes groundwater, lakes, rivers, soil moisture, vegetation, snow, and ice—dropped below normal levels across 42% of global river basins in 2025. The annual assessment, which has been published since 2022, evaluates river flows, groundwater, and extreme weather events like droughts and floods worldwide.

River flows remained constrained globally, with 36% of global river basins recording below-normal flows in 2025. While another 36% of basins showed normal flows, that figure sits 10 percentage points lower than the 1991–2020 long-term average of 46%. WMO data shows this restricted flow pattern has persisted for seven consecutive years, with dry conditions holding steady in the 34% to 38% range since 2019.

Melting Glaciers and the Accelerated Loss of Slow Water Reservoirs

The WMO report links the widespread freshwater deficit directly to extreme weather and rising global temperatures. An estimated 400 gigatons of glacial ice melted away during 2025 alone, raising global sea levels by approximately 1.1 millimeters.

Celeste Saulo, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, stated that while precipitation, river levels, and soil moisture react quickly to immediate weather patterns, essential reservoirs like groundwater, glaciers, and snow cover accumulate or deplete over decades. Saulo warned that humanity is actively depleting these slow storage systems that traditionally act as Earth’s water savings account. She emphasized that water crosses national borders, meaning a retreating glacier in one country directly impacts populations hundreds of kilometers away.

Compound Pressures from Weather Whipsaw and Overextraction

Climate change intensifies the water cycle through what researchers term a “weather whipsaw” effect, where global warming rapidly alternates between severe droughts, heavy downpours, and flash floods. This erratic climate behavior disrupts predictable water supplies across major geographic regions.

In addition to climate-driven disruptions, human extraction practices continue to drain available freshwater. The WMO report highlights extensive, heavy groundwater pumping in regions such as the central United States, Chile, Brazil, and North Africa as a primary driver accelerating the depletion of global freshwater reserves.