“…the aftermath of Florence’s deluge is so vicious, rivers and waterways are rising fast across the Carolinas, burying communities and roads, and preventing evacuees from going back home…
“One major concern is the Cape Fear River near Fayetteville, which has quadrupled in depth, and it’s only going to get worse. Four days ago, the Cape Fear River was 15 feet deep. By Tuesday, it had topped 60 feet — and it still hasn’t crested… river could crest to its highest historic level — about 62 feet — by Wednesday…
“Wilmington was the epicenter of Florence’s destruction. Rainfall totals of 26.58 inches have submerged much of the city, cutting it off from the rest of the state. It will have its wettest year in the city’s 140 years of record-keeping. More than 86 inches of rain have fallen so far. On average, Wilmington gets about 43 inches by this time of the year.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/19/us/florence-wednesday-wxc/index.html
“About 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs have been killed in flooding from Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market, according to state officials.”
“Concern was evident on Tom Geiger’s face as he looked out at a potato field on his Ontelaunee Township farm [Pennsylvania]. Several inches’ deep water was visible in furrows made by Geiger’s tractor. “Last year was one of the wettest on record, now this summer beats that,” said Geiger, 53, a third-generation family farmer. “Two years in a row. Who’d have expected it?””
http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/record-rain-worries-berks-county-farmers-at-harvest-time
“Crews in Summit [New Jersey] were cleaning up Tuesday after a microburst downed trees and knocked out power to hundreds of homes in the city. Intense straight-line winds hit late Monday afternoon in a largely residential area. Photos shared on social media showed uprooted trees and downed power lines.”
“Sunshine on Monday pushed the temperature at Charlottetown Airport [Prince Edward Island] into record territory. Environment Canada’s weather page lists the peak temperature on Monday at 25.7 C. That is just past the previous record of 25.6 C, recorded in both 1930 and 1999. It was the fifth day in a row of well-above normal temperatures.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-september-17-record-temperature-1.4827839
“A towering funnel of smoke and flames captured on video by a firefighter with the BC Wildfire Service is giving viewers a peek into the surreal world that crews have faced while battling some of the worst wildfires this summer in British Columbia. In the video posted to Instagram by firefighter Mary Schidlowsky, three crew members can be seen in a tug of war against what she calls a “fire tornado,” which is sucking a hose skyward like a kite string.”
“Breaking temperature records in Denver has become routine during the ongoing heat wave the past two weeks and another very old one is expected to go down Monday.”
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/09/18/denver-weather-september-18-heat-record/
“From the Horse fire near the New Mexico border to the Ryan fire now partly burning in Wyoming, Colorado wildfires continue to scorch new forests and grasslands late in the summer.”
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/09/18/colorado-wildfire-update-heat-stoking-wildfires/
“The Weather Service says current models show the Marianas could see up to 10 inches by Monday evening. If the circulation makes a slight shift to the east, it could bring rainfall amounts in excess of 20 inches to the islands, the forecast states. Guam normally gets about 80 inches of rain in a year.”
“A freak change in the weather is bringing dangerous conditions to eastern parts of Australia today amid a warning from authorities… Tuesday will see the return of Very High Fire Danger for parts of NSW. Increased temperatures and winds will see the risk of fire elevated and permits suspended for some areas.
“Over 2,000 villages across Laos had been affected by floods after two tropical storms lashed Laos from July to September so far. During the period, 55 people were killed, two injured and 100 reported missing. The figures were reported at a meeting involving the cabinet, Vientiane mayor and provincial governor on Monday…”
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/443591
“The overall economic impact of Typhoon Mangkhut, the most intense storm to hit Hong Kong since records began, is expected to be “significantly” higher than that caused by Typhoon Hato last year.”
“Scores of Hongkongers have been stung by bees over the past two days after Typhoon Mangkhut lashed the city on Sunday, leaving countless toppled trees and destroyed insect nests in its wake… In WhatsApp messages on Monday, one user said that a friend who worked as a nurse reported that there had been many cases of wasp stings at the hospital’s emergency department. The user urged parents not to let their children go out, adding that “now the bees are crazy after the storm”.”
“Once a water-rich country, Iraq is facing drought, a significant drop in annual rainfall, salinity and a decline in the level of water flowing into the country, following the construction of major dams in Turkey and Iran since the 1970s… Residents of Basra and other cities have been protesting since July over endemic corruption and collapsing infrastructure such as water and electricity shortages. Two weeks ago, at least 13 protesters were killed and government buildings were torched during the deadly demonstrations.”
“The four-month period from April to July 2018 was the warmest in Germany since the beginning of weather recording. Many places reached new all-time as well as monthly records. In addition, the situation was aggravated by a drought since February. In August, about 90 percent of the German territory suffered under drought. Heat and drought led to severe forest fires in several regions of Europe and to crop failures in Germany.”
https://phys.org/news/2018-09-drought-affected-german-territory.html
“Insect-driven losses of maize, rice, and wheat — the three major grain crops, which together provide more than 40 percent of calories consumed by humans worldwide — will increase 10 to 25 percent for every degree Celsius the average surface temperature of planet Earth rises, according to a study published in Science late last month.”
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/crop-losses-to-insects-will-accelerate-as-the-globe-warms-study/
“The popping sounds morphed into a low rumble. Over the next half hour, the ice broke apart and a four-mile wide chunk tumbled into the sea in a process called calving – one rarely witnessed on this scale.
“As a Reuters photographer, I have captured erupting volcanoes, the aftermath of hurricanes and tornadoes, and war, but I have never felt so small. It was a poignant end to a months-long project examining climate change in Greenland.”
https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/in-greenland-a-glaciers-collapse-shows-climate-impact
