“What does it mean that July was the hottest month ever recorded? One could explain it away as a blip — if it did not come in the context of steadily warming average global temperatures over the course of decades…
“The warming of the climate system is unequivocal.”
“Sarah Das, a glaciologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who’s used ice core records to reconstruct Greenland’s recent melt history, described the 2012 melt event that enveloped nearly the entire ice sheet’s surface as “unprecedented” in the last few centuries, perhaps within the last several thousand years.
“This summer, she said, “would be up there with [2012] if not eclipsing it.””
“With sea ice at a record low, the usual buffer that helps keep Alaska cool is gone, said Karin Gleason, a climate scientist with NOAA.
“”That exacerbates temperatures, because when you don’t have sea ice near the coastlines, then the temperature of the continent can warm sooner and earlier than it typically would.””
“The mercury in Kamloops is expected to reach highs of 35 C on Wednesday, 35 C on Thursday and 36 C on Friday…
“The heat may bring a sense of deja vu to Kamloops residents as it was exactly a year ago this week that the Tournament Capital and the South Thompson were basking in record-setting temperatures.”
“January through July 2019 was the wettest such period in the U.S. on record, keeping the country on track to see the wettest year on record. This record was set despite July experiencing near-average precipitation, the first month this year to do so.”
https://weather.com/news/climate/news/2019-08-07-record-wet-year-to-date-us-noaa
“A tornado ripped past a New Jersey office, Baltimore has been hit with flash flooding and more than 700 flights have been cancelled at the three airports in the New York metropolitan area, as thunderstorms batter the East Coast…
“Dramatic video footage from Springfield, New Jersey – about 10 miles away from Newark Airport shows office workers watch in disbelief as a twister passes.”
“Mike Karbo’s neighbor woke him up about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, asking for his help rescuing two people from a collapsed garage.
“But Karbo, information director for the town of Burke, South Dakota, said that was only the beginning of the damage from a tornado that rolled in overnight.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/07/us/burke-storm-damage-trnd/index.html
“Climate warming and the expansion of human settlements across the southern states of the US has led to a dramatic increase in the number of people bitten during encounters with venomous snakes, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/07/snakebite-rise-north-carolina-georgia-texas
“Dangerous heat gripped the western United States on Monday and Tuesday, toppling several longstanding high temperature records that were well into the triple digits…
“The main cause of the higher-than-average temperatures at the start of this week has been due to a northward bulge in the jet stream.”
“Tamaulipas [Mexico] burns; by heat wave and cannula that cause temperatures 42 degrees Celsius; So citizens are called to take precautions in the face of intense weather. It is recommended to stay hydrated mainly older adults and children, wear sunscreen and appropriate clothing. Try to avoid the sun at noon, heat stroke and heat stroke.”
https://elmercurio.com.mx/la-region/arde-tamaulipas-con-ola-de-calor-y-canicula
“Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest increased by 278% in July 2019 compared with July 2018…
“…resulting in the destruction of 870 square miles (2,253 square kilometers) of vegetation, new satellite data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show.
“That’s an area about twice the size of the city of Los Angeles.”
https://www.livescience.com/66120-amazon-rainforest-deforestation-bolsonaro.html
“Stanthorpe and Warwick [Queensland, Australia] are in the grips of a drought so severe, their water supply will dry up entirely if there is no rain by Christmas.
“The last real rainfall in the Southern Downs region was more than two years ago and it’s one of five councils currently on water restrictions across Queensland. Morale is low and businesses are struggling to stay afloat as residents tighten their purse strings.”
“Trains carrying 725,000 litres of water a day are the latest weapon to keep a drought-affected mine in inland New South Wales in production and keep jobs secure…
“The Southern Shorthaul Railroad [SSR] company has started carting water between Centennial Coal’s Charbon and Airlie mines near Lithgow on a 40-kilometre route.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-08/water-train-saves-mine-and-jobs-in-lithgow/11392468
“A strong typhoon lashed south-western Kyushu on Tuesday and another two might yet hit Japan by this weekend, bringing more weather misery as the country sweats through a relentless heatwave…
“The Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) on Tuesday said 57 people had died and another 18,290 were taken to hospital for heat-related causes in the week ending the past Sunday.”
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/japan-on-typhoon-watch-as-heatwave-death-toll-climbs
“The Central Weather Bureau [of Taiwan] on Thursday issued a warning for residents of Yilan, as well as Taipei and surrounding areas in the north and along the east coast in advance of Typhoon Lekima.
“Strong winds and heavy rain were expected during the day, with the typhoon packing maximum sustained winds of 184 kilometres per hour gusting up to 227km/h [141mph]. It was forecast to edge towards mainland China on Friday.”
“Torrential rain caused chaos in some areas of Yangon [Myanmar] on August 7 due to the record-breaking rainfall in 72-year time, according to Yangon residents.
“New rainfall records in Yangon (Mingaladon) and Yangon (Kabaraye) are 144 millimeters (5.67 inches) and 149 millimeters (5.86 inches) respectively, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).”
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/torrential-rain-causes-chaos-in-some-areas-of-ygn
“Floods have washed away crops in Bangladesh that would have yielded nearly 400,000 tonnes of rice, according to estimates from the agriculture ministry.
“This could be a major blow to the South Asian country, which has historically relied on imports to cope with shortages caused by natural disasters such as floods or drought.”
“Parts of western India, including Mahabaleshwar and Tamhini Ghats, received record rainfall over the past week, during which 16 people were killed and 140,000 people in five districts of the western state of Maharashtra were evacuated.
“According to officials in India Meteorological Department, Tamhini Ghats recorded 5,939 mm of rainfall while Mahabaleshwar recorded 5,755 mm of rainfall from June 1 to Aug. 6.”
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2019-08/08/content_75080248.htm
“Five members of one family have gone missing after their car was hit by torrential rains in a Saudi region, civil defence sources said on Wednesday.
“The region of Jizan, in south-western Saudi Arabia, was inundated for hours on Tuesday after heavy rainfall pounded parts of the region sparking a power outage and submerging roads under water.”
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/family-of-5-missing-in-torrential-saudi-rains-1.65684909
“The United Nations has warned that more than two million people may face famine by the end of the summer in Somalia, as a result of devastating drought following a disappointing spring rainy season.
“Disturbing as that is, there’s a bigger long-term concern: this is the third severe drought the country has faced in less than a decade…”
“The suffocating heat returns to Castellón [Spain]. The territorial delegation of the Valencian Community of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has activated the yellow alert inside the province for Friday day 9.
“The temperatures will reach that day maximum of up to 42 degrees [107.5f] in points such as Segorbe.”
“A major clear-up operation is under way after torrential rain caused severe disruption to commuters [in Scotland]. The main rail line from Edinburgh to Glasgow was shut after flooding at Winchburgh tunnel in West Lothian resulted in passengers on five trains being trapped for several hours…
“The heavy rain also caused problems around Edinburgh Airport on Wednesday evening, with access roads flooded and cars stuck in floodwater.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49263508
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