“Europe had its warmest August on record — the third month this year that has seen unprecedented temperatures…
“The continent’s sizzling summer has sparked droughts, seen wildfires as far north as the Arctic Circle and hit crops hard.
“Data shows 12-month average temperatures in Europe have been consistently higher since the turn of the century.”
http://www.euronews.com/2018/09/05/august-in-europe-was-the-warmest-on-record
“It was the hottest summer on record for England and the joint hottest for the UK… Summer seemed to arrive early — for many places the hot and sunny weather began in May. Looking at this extended “summer” reveals that May-August 2018 had the warmest daytime maximum temperatures on record, at least for central England, in records since 1659.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a-summer-of-record-breaking-extremes-ssdqqv3qr
“The summer of 2018 saw record-breaking temperatures across the European Union — and while many lavished in the warm weather by heading to the beach, farmers in the fields were confronted with a crisis. Dairy farmers were worst-hit by the drought in the UK, sending herds of cows to slaughter because there wasn’t enough fodder, which is feed for livestock. Backlogs at the abattoir reached four weeks, one farmer in the UK’s Northwest told Euronews.”
http://www.euronews.com/2018/09/06/how-drought-plunged-europe-s-farmers-into-despair
“Sweden is heading for a general election on September 9, with two pressing political issues driving the agenda. But a third, simmering problem could yet define the next parliament. More than 50 wildfires raged across Sweden during the summer of 2018 – the warmest summer since 1756… The gravity of the situation brought environmental questions to the fore, as the effects of climate change became more tangible than ever.”
https://www.thelocal.se/20180905/wildfires-and-migrants-the-issues-defining-the-swedish-election
“Public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news service reported that the PLN 3.6 billion figure was the amount of losses estimated at the end of August, IAR added that over 130,000 farms were hit by drought but assessment of the damage is ongoing. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at the end of July that the Polish government was ready to amend the budget if needed in order to pay compensation to farmers.”
http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/381040,Drought-in-Poland-caused-damage-worth-billions-report
“A farmer from Baarlo in Limburg province has dumped a million bell peppers on a field to rot because they have been damaged by the summer’s drought. Most of his harvest has been lost because the peppers have marks on their skin, caused by the lack of water, grower Erik Gubbels says. The lost harvest will cost him some €70,000 he told local broadcaster Limburg1.”
“Florence has been upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane and is likely to cause “life-threatening” surf and rip current conditions in Bermuda later this week. The National Hurricane Center said the storm’s maximum sustained winds Wednesday afternoon are estimated to be 130 mph (215 kph).”
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/05/florence-upgraded-to-category-4-hurricane-in-atlantic.html
“Tropical Depression Gordon was expected on Thursday to dump more rain on central U.S. states… Some areas in northwest Mississippi, much of Arkansas and into the Midwest could get up to 7 inches (18 cm) of rain, with isolated amounts reaching 10 inches through Saturday, and is likely to cause flash flooding, the center said.”
“When you combine the daily high and low temperatures for the month, the average monthly temperature came in more than 2.5 degrees warmer than average. This makes Aug. 2018 the second warmest on record [Florida]. The first warmest August on record was just 2017. Records for the Melbourne area go back to 1937.”
“As if this summer’s heat on land isn’t enough, sea-surface temperatures in the Gulf of Maine soared to near-record highs in August in what scientists referred to as a month-long “marine heat wave” in the typically colder waters off the New England coast.”
https://weather.com/news/news/2018-09-05-gulf-of-maine-near-record-highs-ocean-heat-wave
“Summer wants you to know it’s not over just yet, as Toronto is experiencing record-breaking temperatures Wednesday and could be hit by severe thunderstorms. The temperature rose to 34 C Wednesday afternoon, breaking the previous record for Sept. 5 of 31.7 C, which was set in 1945. But with the humidity that’s been blanketing the city in recent days, the temperature feels more like 43.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/record-high-temperatures-hit-greater-toronto-area-1.4810828
“Temperatures plunged back to levels never before recorded on Sept. 5 across central Saskatchewan on Wednesday morning, with the mercury sliding down as cool as -4 C in Prince Albert. A 115-year-old low temperature record from 1903 of -1.1 C was broken in Saskatoon as we fell to -1.3 C to start the day.”
https://globalnews.ca/news/4428709/saskatoon-weather-outlook-forecast-115-year-record-cold-morning/
“With the use of satellite imagery, NASA scientists have also discovered that the San Joaquin Central Valley is sinking faster than originally thought… sinking 2 inches per month… The extreme drought in such a vivid agricultural area has fueled prolonged voracious groundwater pumping.”
“Nigeria’s hydrological body Wednesday issued an alert over possible flooding due to the high intensity of rainfall across the country… Earlier this year, heavy rains and thunderstorms caused havoc in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic nerve center and one of Africa’s most populous cities.”
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-09/06/c_137447690.htm
Not helpful for a nation that just entered a recession – “The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has warned Southern African officials meeting in Zimbabwe to better prepare for expected drought or risk food security… The last El Nino-induced drought from 2014-2016 led to 40 million people requiring food assistance across southern Africa. Madagascar and Zimbabwe were among some of the worst hit countries.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/fao-warns-southern-africa-to-prepare-for-drought/4559235.html
“Jebi, Japan’s largest typhoon in a quarter century, has left behind it a trail of wreckage. Some of the most pronounced damage was seen near the country’s shoreline, where massive gusts toppled shipping containers, blew tankers into seawalls and took down other infrastructure… Aerial photos from the storms aftermath show its terrifying power, which is reported to have killed 11 people and brought some of the strongest winds portions of the country had ever seen.”
https://qz.com/1379715/typhoon-jebi-pictures-the-wreckage-from-japans-strongest-storm-in-25-years/
“A 36,000-tonne Chinese cargo ship built for polar expeditions has completed its maiden voyage through the Arctic Circle in the latest sign of Beijing’s ambitions to create a “polar Silk Road”. The route has opened up because of global warming; Beijing has sent freight ships through the Northeast Passage before but this is its first with built-in ice-breaking capabilities.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-opens-arctic-route-to-europe-vzf7xmchx
“Dr Brian Haley, co-author on the study, said: “Up near the surface, plankton grow, but when they die they sink and decompose. That is a biological pump that is always sending carbon to the bottom. The slower the circulation, the more time the water spends down there, and carbon can build up.” What concerns the researchers is that it could happen again as the climate continues to warm.”
https://www.labnews.co.uk/news/co2-rise-last-ice-age-due-ocean-current-changes-06-09-2018/
“UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres cited the devastating floods in Kerala and the wildfires in California as he expressed concern that climate change is “running faster than we are and called for urgency and action to prevent ever greater climate-related crises.”
