“The oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic has started to break up, opening waters north of Greenland that are normally frozen, even in summer.
“This phenomenon – which has never been recorded before – has occurred twice this year due to warm winds and a climate-change driven heatwave in the northern hemisphere.
“One meteorologist described the loss of ice as “scary”. Others said it could force scientists to revise their theories about which part of the Arctic will withstand warming the longest.
“The sea off the north coast of Greenland is normally so frozen that it was referred to, until recently, as “the last ice area” because it was assumed that this would be the final northern holdout against the melting effects of a hotter planet.
“But abnormal temperature spikes in February and earlier this month have left it vulnerable to winds, which have pushed the ice further away from the coast than at any time since satellite records began in the 1970s.”
“Weather becomes more extreme when instead of moving on it stays in the same place for days or weeks on end. Never-ending rainfall causes flooding, and prolonged sunny weather sparks droughts and wildfires… Evidence is now mounting to show that human-induced warming in the Arctic is distorting the planet’s natural circulation patterns such as the jet stream and making these “stalling” events more likely.”
“A number of Swedish reactors had to shut down or reduce output as the summer heatwave sent temperatures to record highs in July, with the sea water that is used to cool them becoming much warmer than normal, exceeding safety levels.”
“This summer is verging on the hottest for 359 years – hotter than 1976’s sizzler and even 1666’s Great Fire of London summer… Temperatures from June 1 to August 15 averaged 16.1C, hotter than 2006’s record 15.78C from June 1 to August 31.”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-weather-summer-hottest-359-13109534
“Eastern Switzerland has experienced the driest summer on record, and farmers all over the country have been forced to bring their [cows] down early from the mountains as pastures are depleted, said Reto Burkhardt, a spokesman for the country’s milk producers’ association.”
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/energy-commodities/swiss-cows-get-too-fat-for-their-own-good
“At least 11 people were killed in southern Italy when heavy rain flooded a deep mountain gorge filled with hikers, officials said.”
“People in the Queenstown area of the Eastern Cape [South Africa] have been struggling to get water for months. The main dam is at 10%; the augmentation scheme cannot cope with demand; and a new dam project is more than a year behind schedule. Spokesperson for the Chris Hani District Municipality Thobeka Mqamelo said the water problems are due to the severe drought gripping the area for the past three years.”
https://www.groundup.org.za/article/taps-run-dry-drought-grips-queenstown/
“Afghanistan is experiencing a drought so severe that two million people may run out of food in the next six months. More than 80,000 people have left their villages in search of water in cities. The United Nations fears that number may double.”
“Flood waters have receded in the southern Indian state of Kerala, allowing authorities to retrieve the bodies of victims and enabling residents to start assessing the damage to their homes after the worst monsoon rains in a century.”
“Nearly 5 million people in central China’s Henan Province have been affected by Typhoon Rumbia, the 18th this year, local authorities said Monday… Non-stop heavy rain caused flooding in cities and counties across the province.”
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/20/c_137404933.htm
“South Korea’s producer prices rose to a four-year high in July as the worst heat in recent years hurt the farming sector, central bank data showed Tuesday… The index of agricultural products jumped 7.9 percent on-month in July as crop production was spurred by the recording-breaking hot spell… This summer, South Korea has been experiencing record-breaking high temperatures. The daytime temperature of the country’s capital reached a record 39.6 C on Aug. 1, while some regions saw the mercury surpass 40 C.”
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2018/08/20/0200000000AEN20180820009300320.html
“Governor Eddie Calvo has declared a “State of Emergency” for Guam as a result of flooding that has left roads and bridges impassible and island residents homeless.”
“The entirety of Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, is suffering from a crippling drought that is the most severe in recent memory. The tough conditions are drying up huge swathes of land, leaving farmers struggling to feed their livestock and water their crops. It’s also exacerbating bushfires in the state. One mining town in the outback, Broken Hill, is even reporting crowds of emus arriving into town searching for water and food…”
“Brazil’s northeastern state of Alagoas has declared a 180-day state of emergency after dozens of cities in the region experienced water shortages that have affected more than 200,000 people.”
“Arapiraca is among the 38 cities in an area that thrives on tobacco crop. This year, however, has experienced an extremely bad harvest. Local farmers are also experiencing a shortfall in the corn yield.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/state-emergency-declared-alagoas-drought-180820085128757.html
“B.C. is under a state of emergency and whole communities in the B.C. interior are under evacuation alerts. Most Westerners, however, are experiencing the fires second-hand; as a mysterious and choking haze that has suddenly delivered Beijing-levels of pollution to what are normally some of the world’s most pristine natural landscapes.”
“The National Weather Service reported flash floods across the Madison [Wisconsin] area on Monday evening, after nearly nine inches of rain.”
