“South-East Queensland [Australia] is having a scorcher with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) saying several records have been broken for the first month of summer.
“Brisbane had been expected to hit 39 degrees Celsius, but the CBD hit 41.2C at 1:40pm on Monday, equalling the city’s hottest December day on record originally set in 1981.
“Archerfield in Brisbane’s south-west matched the CBD with a top of 41.2C, setting a new December record for that suburb.
“West of Brisbane, Amberley hit 43.1C at 1:39pm, while it reached 43C in Laidley and 42C in Esk.”
“Australia‘s biggest city is facing a “public health emergency” over the bushfire smoke that has choked Sydney for weeks, leading doctors warned on Monday (Dec 16) after hospitals reported a dramatic spike in casualty department visits.
“Hundreds of climate change-fuelled bushfires have been raging across Australia for months…”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/sydney-bushfire-haze-public-health-emergency-12186510
“Australia has a “massive adaptive program” ahead to prepare for future protracted bushfires and subsequent air pollution, a professor of pyrogeography and fire science has warned
“… He [urged] politicians to “tone down the ideology and start solving the problem using the skills Australians have”.”
“Three of those record highs have all occurred just within the last week, with Anchorage [Alaska] also seeing the warmest temperature ever recorded in December.
“Just this year, Anchorage, along with the state, has reached several new heights that point to a troubling future.”
https://www.ktva.com/story/41453020/recordbreaking-year-spells-trouble-for-alaskas-future
“Wanda Batten a meteorologist with Environment Canada, says it’s been “absolutely crazy” with record temperatures almost across the island.
“A high of 14.4 degrees Celsius was recorded at St. John’s international airport marking the warmest December 15 since records were kept in 1874, toppling the previous record of 12.4 degrees, set in 1919.”
https://vocm.com/2019/12/16/absolutely-crazy-record-breaking-high-temperatures-hit-capital-city/
“A warm December storm doused southern Maine with record-setting rainfall Saturday, swelling rivers and flooding roads on the front end of a weather system that’s expected to generate high winds in the region Sunday.”
https://www.pressherald.com/2019/12/14/nws-issues-flash-flood-warning-for-southern-maine/
“With just over two weeks left in 2019, Grand Rapids has already set a new high water mark with regard to precipitation. “Combining annual rainfall and melted snowfall, Grand Rapids has received 48.81 inches of precipitation and counting.”
“Talk with farmers in Mexico and they will tell you they’re already feeling the brunt of climate change.
“Persistent heat and meager rainfall are drying out the land, posing a significant challenge to indigenous small farmer in southern states…”
“2019 will be Malaga’s driest year since records began [Spain].
“Only 181.2 litres of rain per square metre has fallen this year, 344 litres per square metre less than average. Unless the dry spell is broken, 2019 will smash records for the year with the least rainfall in Malaga’s history.”
“Flood alerts remain across four regions of southwest France after severe weather claimed three lives.
“Some 12,500 homes are still without electricity as the nation reels from its third tempest in a month.”
https://www.dw.com/en/flood-alerts-in-southwest-france-after-deadly-storm/a-51686583
“This time of the year is usually when forecasters are predicting whether or not there will be a White Christmas.
“Instead of the much anticipated snow, forecasters say record warm temperatures
“…up to 19 °C [66f] in parts, are set for Croatia this week.”
https://www.croatiaweek.com/croatia-set-for-near-record-temperatures-this-week/
“The average temperature [in Moscow] this December is + 0.6 C°, which is more than five degrees higher than the climatic norm, Meteovesti reports.
“The trend of warming will continue next week. “It will be cloudy again, precipitation is still mainly in the form of rains.”
https://vestnikkavkaza.net/news/133-year-weather-record-may-be-updated-in-Moscow.html
““The temperature [in Istanbul] is about 5 or 6 degrees above the long-term average levels. It is expected to be the same in the upcoming weeks.
“The much-needed rains have not arrived. If this trend continues in January, the situation will worsen. Then, we will face a water shortage in the next year,” he added.”
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/istanbulites-pour-into-streets-due-to-omega-balmy-weather-149866
“Winter in Israel means rain, but this past weekend the country’s North was dealing with much more than a slight drizzle.
“Storms in the North have caused severe flooding in the streets, with one pedestrian confirmed killed and others seriously injured due to the weather, Srugim reported.”
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Severe-storms-in-northern-Israel-cause-flooding-injuries-610960
“Thousands of people continue to be displaced in eastern and western Uganda due to heavy rains that are also wreaking havoc across the East African region.
“More than 30 people in Uganda have died in the past two weeks as result of flooding and landslides and the government says tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes.”
https://www.independent.co.ug/east-africas-abnormal-rainfall/
“24 people were killed by a landslide at the Ndiyo gold mine, located 40 kilometres from the town of Watsa in the northeastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo…
“…the incident took place on Saturday afternoon when the torrential rains that have been pouring over the area for weeks softened the terrain so much that it started to crumble.”
https://www.mining.com/two-dozen-people-dead-after-landslide-at-drc-gold-mine/
“In South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, no one can remember the last proper downpour. Some say it was five years ago, others six…
“Southern Africa is grappling with one of the worst droughts in decades—the outcome of years of absent or erratic rainfall, and temperatures that have reached record highs.”
https://phys.org/news/2019-12-years-thirst-safrica-eastern-cape.html
“”It has been an extremely busy year for CAMS regarding the monitoring of wildfires,” says CAMS senior scientist Mark Parrington. “Throughout the year we have been closely watching the intensity of the fires and the smoke they emit all around the world and have experienced at times some quite exceptional fire activity…
“More than 100 wildfires have been ignited in the Arctic circle during the course of 2019, burning carbon reserves that then contribute to further warming of the atmosphere…”
https://www.sciencealert.com/this-alarming-video-shows-everywhere-the-world-was-burning-in-2019
“An extra two days of international climate talks failed to produce agreement on carbon markets or any enhancements to countries’ promises to cut greenhouse gases next year…
“Instead, delegates from 200 nations endorsed a declaration to help poor countries that are suffering the effects of climate change, but they didn’t come up with any money to pay for that help.”
https://weather.com/news/news/2019-12-15-un-climate-talks-madrid-cop25-carbon-markets
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