“More than 12 inches of rain has triggered major flooding in parts of western North Carolina as the southeastern United States faces more flooding downpours into midweek.
“Since late last week, a slow-moving storm tapping into tropical moisture has unloaded more than a month’s worth of rain across parts of the Southeast.
“For Atlanta, nearly all of the rain that would typically fall each June (3.95 inches) poured down on Saturday. The 3.90 inches measured shattered the day’s previous rainfall record of 1.45 inches from 1950.
“Many communities in North Carolina and southern Virginia have also been plagued by road closures due to flooding this weekend.
“Western North Carolina has been hit the hardest by the flooding and heavy rain. A few locations have recorded more than a foot of rain in the past three days. This includes 13.64 inches near Brookford and 13.57 inches east of Boone, North Carolina.
“The deluge has prompted declarations of states of emergency and evacuations.”
“Hundreds of barges are stalled on the Mississippi River, clogging the main circulatory system for a farm-belt economy battered by a relentless, record-setting string of snow, rainstorms and flooding.
“Railways and highways have been closed as well, keeping needed supplies from farmers and others, and limiting the crops sent to market.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-08/-punched-in-the-face-by-floods-traffic-snarls-on-u-s-rivers
“The North American Great Lakes contain about one-fifth of the world’s surface fresh water. In May, new high water level records were set on Lakes Erie and Superior, and there has been widespread flooding across Lake Ontario for the second time in three years.
“These events coincide with persistent precipitation and severe flooding across much of central North America.”
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-sends-great-lakes-water-levels-seesawing/
“South Texas is searing in an oppressive heat wave that is sending temperatures into the triple digits, already topping one all-time June record and pushing heat indices above 120 degrees in some locations.
“Brownsville, Texas – in the lower Rio Grande Valley along the border with Mexico, just west of South Padre Island – soared to 104 degrees, its hottest June high temperature in records dating to 1878…”
“A heat wave that could break records is forecast for some parts of the West Coast, where dry conditions are raising fears of more wildfires in areas still reeling from last year’s deadly blazes…
“”If you think it’s hot this weekend, wait until the middle of next week,” the National Weather Service in Phoenix tweeted. “Widespread highs near 110 degrees at lower elevations.””
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/09/us/west-coast-heat-wave/index.html
“The National Weather Service expected temperatures to rise above average on Sunday in San Diego County. But forecasters didn’t anticipate the records that were set in some places — notably Ramona.
“The temperature hit 102 degrees, breaking the existing record for June 9 by six degrees. The previous record was set in 1985.”
“A severe thunderstorm rolled through southeastern Manitoba [Canada] just after 7 p.m. on Friday.
“The storm inflicted serious damage to a number of businesses in the RM of Andrews…
““It’s not just us, it’s the whole area,” says Ferguson. “It’s the worst storm I’ve ever seen.””
https://globalnews.ca/news/5370175/thunderstorm-rm-st-andrews-manitoba/
“Two more gray whales were found dead this week in Alaska amid the mysterious surge of deaths within the species this year along the US West Coast, CNN affiliate KTUU reports.
“That makes seven in Alaska and at least 75 total, in what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls an “unusual mortality event,” the station reports.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/08/us/dead-gray-whales-alaska/index.html
“The Arctic is heating up twice as fast as the global average, causing massive melting of sea ice. But while we know climate change is warming the Arctic air, there is a lot more happening under the ice that we don’t fully understand.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/08/world/arctic-beneath-ice-intl/index.html
“High temperatures were measured in Finland this week, with a record seasonal high of 32.2 degrees Celsius measured in the northwest coastal city of Oulu on Friday.
“That beat the June record by 0.5C and was more than 14 degrees above average.”
“With British temperatures recently rivalling the Mediterranean, it may have seemed that summer had firmly arrived. But June is now odds on to be the wettest on record, with yellow weather warnings issued for the coming week and the country set to be deluged by heavy rain.
“Meteorologists claimed that 20 hours of continual downpours could be seen on Monday.”
“France was clearing up Saturday after a massive storm ripped across the country, leaving three dead and thousands of homes without electricity.
“Three rescuers from the French ocean rescue service died Friday…
“…their vessel capsized in rough seas as Storm Miguel pummelled the Atlantic coast.”
https://www.france24.com/en/20190608-france-clears-after-storm-miguel-kills-three
“Kuwait registered the highest temperature in the world on Saturday…
“…52.2 degrees Celsius [126f] in the shade – in Mitribah in north of the country, according to member of the Arab Union of Space and Astronomy Dr Khalid Al-Zaaq of Saudi Arabia.”
https://news.kuwaittimes.net/website/kuwait-records-worlds-highest-temperature/
“Tehran’s department of environment deputy director for technical affairs Mehrdad Katal-Mohseni said that given that heavy rainfall saturated the country over the past few months, plant and vegetation cover has been expanded which seems to be vulnerable to temperature rise, so wildfire risk increases during this summer.”
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/436736/Tehran-sets-record-high-for-wildfires-within-2-months
Bhopal, India, records its hottest June day ever:
“A troop of monkeys died from suspected heatstroke in India as scorching temperatures that have lasted more than a week take a mounting toll on humans and animals, media reports said Saturday.
“Vast swathes of the country have been sweltering in temperatures that have risen to over 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in Rajasthan state.”
“Severe dust storms and lightning in central and northern India have left at least 34 people dead, emergency officials said Saturday.
“The storms which hit Uttar Pradesh state on Thursday night claimed 26 lives, according to figures released by the state relief commissioner. Another 57 were injured.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/india-death-toll-from-storm-lightning-climbs-to-34/1499092
“More than 88,000 people have been evacuated in southeastern China because of heavy rains and flooding that have left at least six people dead and one person missing.
“More than 100 houses have been destroyed in Jiangxi province where storms brought strong winds, hail and floods, the official Xinhua News Agency said Sunday.”
https://weather.com/news/news/2019-06-09-deadly-storms-floods-in-china
“Last year, drought-stricken Cape Town almost became the first major city to run out of water. That brought attention to the fact that many other places face a comparable threat, among them Nairobi, Bangalore, and Mexico City. It also led to the serious consideration of a seemingly crazy idea: towing an iceberg from Antarctica to Cape Town to help solve the city’s water crisis…
“With the complexity, uncertainty, and high prices involved, it’s little wonder the project has critics within the Cape Town government. But the drought-prone city, and others like it, must consider ideas that once seemed crazy. Within a few decades, towing bergs to thirsty cities could be routine.”
https://qz.com/1638699/iceberg-delivery-could-fix-the-next-drought-fueled-water-crisis/
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