“It should come as no surprise that California is burning.
“On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that July was California’s hottest month since record keeping began in 1895.
“Those scorching temperatures withered the land, creating profoundly parched forests primed to catch fire with just a spark.”
https://mashable.com/2018/08/08/california-hottest-month-july-fires/?europe=true#4_Bs4Z1dimqE
“There is little relief on the fire lines, just more pain as more land is consumed by flames. Firefighters had hoped to contain the fast-growing Holy Fire. Even when massive drops of retardant slow the spread in one area, embers ignited a new stretch of hillside.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-holy-fire-mendocino-complex-wildfires-latest-forecast-weather-updates-2018-08-08/
“Blisteringly hot temperatures are on their way to the Prairies this week, with daytime highs expected to edge into all-time record territory for some places.”
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/extreme-heat-high-temperatures-prairies-records-broken-heat-warnings-alberta-saskatchewan-manitoba/107990
“It’s supposed to be hot this time of year, but the first week of August was one for the record books in Boston. WBZ-TV executive weather producer Terry Eliasen says the 1st through 7th was the hottest first week of August in Boston ever recorded.”
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/08/08/boston-hottest-first-week-of-august-on-record/
“Hospitals are having to adopt winter-style emergency measures, including turning away patients through being busy, as the NHS struggles to cope with illnesses caused by the heatwave in the UK.”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/08/record-breaking-heatwave-pushing-hospitals-into-emergency-measures
France battling drought:
https://www.thelocal.fr/20180808/france-brings-in-water-restrictions-following-heatwav
“It has been hot in Germany and Switzerland – so bloody hot in fact, parts of the Rhine river have dried up. Pictures captured along the most affected stretch of the river, which runs from Lake Constance to the Rhine Falls, show the water at extraordinarily low levels. An enormous section has dried up all together, leaving it looking like a sandy, rocky desert.”
https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/09/river-rhine-dries-heatwave-europe-continues-7817196/
“Over 1400 firefighters are still trying to bring a wildfire in southern Portugal under control. The blaze in the Monchique district of the Algarve raged over the weekend and the operation against it has been hampered by near-record high temperatures.”
http://www.euronews.com/2018/08/08/firefighters-battle-iberia-wildfires
“Torrential rain has caused massive flooding and landslides in Turkey.”
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/photo-flash-floods-cause-bridges-to-collapse-mud-rivers-to-flow-hundreds-to-call-for-help-in-northern-and-southern-turkey-135607
“…in many parts of the region, [Lebanon’s] farmlands have been disproportionately affected by global warming. The Bekaa Valley, nestled between Mount Lebanon and Syria, is stricken with droughts, and many wells are drying up. Growing potatoes, onions and other produce native to the region has been harder than ever before, experts and farmers say. But cannabis is a drought-resistant crop, requiring little water and no pesticides. And it flourishes in the high altitudes of the Bekaa plains.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/09/middleeast/lebanon-cannabis-climate-change-intl/index.html
“Twenty-two people are dead and thousands have been left homeless in Niger after torrential rains caused heavy flooding, authorities said.”
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1776640/3-niger-floods-leave-22-dead-thousands-homeless/
“Torrential rain claimed 22 lives over the last 24 hours in Kerala [India] as the government sought the help of the army, navy and the air force and authorities were forced to open the shutters of Idukki reservoir, Asia’s biggest arch dam, after 26 years to release excess water.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/idukki-dam-s-shutters-opened-after-26-years-20-dead-as-rain-plays-havoc-in-kerala/story-j0SxSVZAbhWZyBwC7PaTNK.html
“At least 42 people have died in South Korea, as the country grapples with a record heatwave with temperatures unseen in more than 100 years.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/09/south-korean-heatwave-causes-record-deaths
“Drought is turning many areas of the globe into arid wastelands. Excessive heat has cost lives, ruined crops and created water shortages. The effects are being felt from South America to the Arctic Circle.”
https://www.dw.com/en/global-desert-drought-turning-the-planet-into-a-tinderbox/g-45011391
