“A new rainfall record was set in Japan on Monday as Yonaguni Island reported 276.5 millimeters of rain over the three-hour period [nearly 11 inches].
“Rainfall rates of this magnitude are almost impossible to image, as many locations in the United States would only expect to see that magnitude of rainfall in 3 months, not 3 hours.
“Over a one-hour period, rainfall of 109.5 mm (4.31 inches) was reported, the highest ever recorded in the month of May.
“In total 442 mm (17.4 inches) of rain fell during the cloudburst causing significant flooding and elevating the risk for mudslides.
“The Japan Meteorological Agency has declared the event a once in 50-year event.
“Yonaguni Island is prone to impacts from tropical cyclones which makes this new record even more astounding considering there was no tropical system in the area.”
“Fears are growing for young children and other vulnerable groups as a drought in North Korea threatens to worsen food shortages in the isolated country… Four in 10 people in North Korea are estimated to be in urgent need of food assistance…
“North Korea’s state-run media reported that rainfall was at record lows for the first five months of the year, without saying when data collection began.”
“Torrential rains triggered a landslide that has buried at least 20 traditional gold miners in Bogor, West Java, on Sunday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, announced on Monday.
“The disaster occurred early on Saturday morning at a traditional gold mining site near Mount Pongkor in Bantar Karet, a village in Bogor, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said in a statement.”
https://jakartaglobe.id/context/five-gold-miners-killed-by-landslide-in-bogor-dozens-still-missing
“The rainy weather that hit Asunción, Paraguay on Friday , and the fall in temperatures have put in check the thousands of families who for several months have lived in wooden and sheet metal boxes in the center of the Paraguayan capital because their houses were left flooded by the floods caused by the flood of the Paraguay River…
“The storm caused an increase of 20 centimeters in the level of the river, which this Sunday reached 6.98 meters in height, which keeps it above the “critical” level, established at 5.50 meters.”
“The rains in the village of Tizamarte in the eastern Guatemalan department of Chiquimula no longer arrive as they did in the past. “Before it was beautiful, we used to have two harvests a year,” Transito Gutierrez told Al Jazeera.
“”Now not one [crop] survives,” she said. “Now we cannot do anything. This drought does not end.”
“Thermal sensation of 52 degrees Celsius [125.6f] was registered in the city of Merida [Yucatan, Mexico]…
“…in social networks it was unleashed a madness by the heat that was unbearable for the inhabitants.”
“Massive wildfires in southern Mexico have sent smoke streaming over Mexico City, turning the sunsets blood red and sending pollution levels skyrocketing.
“The city’s environment commission has warned residents to stay indoors, and pollution levels could spike further in the coming days. The U.S. National Weather Service has already detected smoke aloft in U.S. skies because wildfires don’t care about borders.”
https://earther.gizmodo.com/wildfires-smoke-is-enveloping-mexico-city-and-could-rea-1834731224
“A plan by California’s biggest utility to cut power on high-wind days during the onrushing wildfire season could plunge millions of residents into darkness. And most people aren’t ready…
“While the plan may end one problem, it creates another as Californians seek ways to deal with what some fear could be days and days of blackouts.”
http://fortune.com/2019/05/13/california-going-dark-wildfires/
“After sunshine and pleasant weather grace California early this week, a powerful storm system will barrel into the state during the middle to latter part of the week. The return of a March-like weather pattern, driven by a large dip in the jet stream, will be the culprit for driving this rare storm into the West Coast.”
“Anyone who’s lived in Upstate NY for a while knows that just when they think “Ok, it can’t possibly snow any more this year,” it’s almost definitely going to snow at least one more time. Sure enough, winter gave another “hurrah!” on Mother’s Day in parts of the Hudson Valley, where befuddled residents shared photos of snowfall on social media.”
“Kelp forests have been observed throughout the Arctic by Inuit, researchers and polar explorers.
“The Canadian Arctic alone represents 10 per cent of the world’s coastlines, but we know little of the hidden kelp forests there.
“Today, climate change is altering marine habitats such as kelp forests on a global scale. In western Australia, eastern Canada, southern Europe, northern California and eastern United States, kelps are disappearing due to warming temperatures.”
https://theconversation.com/underwater-arctic-forests-are-expanding-with-rapid-warming-113016
“A bizarre weather phenomenon has pushed temperatures to three times what they should be in a part of north western Russia.
“Normally around this time of year, temperatures in the city of Arkhangelsk are around 12°C, but on Saturday the mercury hit 29°C. Meteorologist Mika Rantanen explained that the rare occurrence was as result of jet streams.”
https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/13/temperatures-reach-scorching-29c-edge-arctic-circle-9512699/
“German rapeseed planted area to hit 23-year low due to drought.”
https://www.agricensus.com/Article/German-rapeseed-planted-area-to-hit-23-year-low-6523.html
“The storm has already brought significant amounts of rain to the region. In Croatia, the city of Ogulin picked up 93.7 millimetres in just 24 hours, almost its monthly May average…
“More heavy rain is likely in coming days and that means flooding and flash flooding likely along the eastern coast of Italy and the higher elevations of Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia. Another 150mm of rain is expected in the next three days.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/late-season-storm-batters-balkans-190513091812378.html
“The price of a box of teabags could be set to rise by up to 40 per cent due to a tea shortage in Kenya, experts have warned… droughts in plantations zones in Kenya have caused damage to crops which, in turn, has impacted on harvest volumes, causing them to be 12 per cent smaller than predicted this year.
“The drought has meant the price of ingredients could see a hike, with costs of Kenyan tea expected to rise by up to 20 per cent. The knock-on eff.”
“Poor farmers from Kundgol, Kalaghatagi, Dharwad and Hubballi taluks [India].flocked to Noolvi only to be dejected as their livestock were sold for much lesser than the expected price.
“”We are not getting even a potful of water for ourselves, then how can we maintain the livestock?” they asked.”
“The expedition to Thwaites is part of the race to discover how fast the massive glacier is melting and what that will mean for global sea level rise over the next century.
“Scientists’ ultimate goal is to develop more accurate global sea level rise models so coastal residents and governments have enough time to plan for future changes. In cities like Miami, possibly the American city most vulnerable to rising seas, infrastructure decisions are made as early as 50 years out.”
https://interactive.pri.org/2019/05/antarctica/doomed-glacier-race.html
“Scientists in the US have detected the highest levels of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere since records began.
“For the first time in human existence, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii – which has tracked atmospheric CO2 levels since the late 1950s – detected 415.26 parts per million (ppm) on Saturday.”
https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/14/co2-levels-record-high-first-time-human-existence-9523919/
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