“May and June of 2020 saw a shocking ten times more fires in the tundra landscapes in the northernmost regions of the Arctic—the ones so cold and high up that trees can’t grow there—compared to the average of the preceding 15 years…
“…the growth in fires in the Arctic’s ice and permafrost-filled northern latitudes above the geographical treeline is jarring and extremely worrisome given that those areas simply don’t burn easily.
““Unfortunately the analysis points to extremely anomalous fire activity that is either a sign of an extreme couple of years … or perhaps more alarming a potential step-change shift in regime,” Thomas Smith, a wildfire expert at the London School of Economics, told Earther in an email.”
https://earther.gizmodo.com/there-have-never-been-this-many-fires-in-the-far-northe-1844456310
“With several days left in July, there’s a chance that Yellowknife [NW Territories] may be on track to break the monthly and summer records for precipitation, according to the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada…
“In the summer of 2018, Yellowknife broke the historical record of 78 years of record keeping with 248 mm of rain.”
https://nnsl.com/yellowknifer/july-on-pace-to-set-rainfall-record-in-yellowknife/
“As you head to Lake Michigan for a relaxing beach day this summer, you may notice higher than normal water levels and temperatures warmer than normal for July.
“Lake Michigan water levels have been at an all-time high throughout 2020. These high water levels create shoreline erosion, which can deplete beaches.”
https://abc57.com/news/july-update-on-lake-michigan-record-setting-water-levels-and-temperatures
“Phoenix tied its record for the longest stretch of time where temperatures never fell below 90 degrees last week.
“The temperature was 90 or above for seven straight days, even at night, an indicator of the impact of the urban heat island effect in combination with an increasingly warming world.”
“A river of black sludge has been captured flooding through the rural US in shocking footage…
“The dramatic scenes are the result of wildfires that have swept the area in recent weeks, according to the official Pima County Twitter account, which uploaded the clip.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/12181283/river-black-sludge-debris-flood-arizona-wildfires/
“Sizzling temperatures are endangering residents along the entire East Coast with extreme triple-digit heat indexes from Maine to Florida. In some locations, it feels as hot as 110 degrees today!
“…The heatwave that’s gripping parts of the country is sparking concern that air conditioning systems could help the virus spread.”
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2020/july/why-this-sizzling-heat-wave-is-sparking-more-virus-fears
“Air conditioning is absolutely killing our planet: As the planet continues to get hotter, and faster than expected, air conditioners and other cooling technologies will only become more important…
“The problem is that while air conditioning makes the indoors feel like a brisk fall day year-round, it also makes the outside even hotter.”
“Tropical Depression Seven formed Tuesday afternoon in the Atlantic, 1,420 miles east of the southern Windward Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“The storm currently has sustained winds of 35 mph. It is expected to strengthen and have winds greater than 39 mph in the next 24 hours, which will make it Tropical Storm Gonzalo.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/21/weather/possible-tropical-storm-caribbean/index.html
“Researchers have warned about the Amazon rainforest-to-savanna tipping point for years, but a clearer picture of how this may happen is emerging with new research.
“A recent study covering the years 2003-2014 in the Amazon basin found that the deforestation-drought feedback loop accounts for 4% of the region’s drought…”
“Australia is set to see extreme weather conditions in coming days, with warnings of severe fire danger in the Northern Territory today, frost in South Australia, Victoria and Canberra this morning, and more dangerous weather potentially in store for the eroded New South Wales coast.”
“In a rare revelation, Beijing has admitted that its 2.4-kilometer Three Gorges Dam spanning the Yangtze River in Hubei province “deformed slightly” after record flooding.”
https://asiatimes.com/2020/07/three-gorges-dam-deformed-but-safe-say-operators/
“The dam at a small reservoir in China’s Guangxi region gave way last month after days of heavy rain in a collapse that could be a harbinger of sterner tests for many of the country’s 94,000 aging dams as the weather gets more extreme…
““I’ve never seen such flooding,” said villager Luo Qiyuan, 81, who helped build the dam decades ago.”
“Broken levees left over 10,000 people stranded in eastern China on Tuesday, as flooding across the country becomes more severe.
“On Sunday, high water overcame flood defenses around Guzhen, a town in Anhui province. Flood water was up to 3 meters deep…”
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/broken-levees-trap-thousands-china-floods
“Monsoon-induced calamities continue to take lives and displace entire settlements in many districts of provinces 1, 2, Bagmati and Gandaki [Nepal].
“At least seven people died and two others have gone missing in landslides and floods across the country in the past 24 hours.”
“Deadly flooding will persist in Bangladesh for the next 10 days, officials warned on Tuesday…
“In flood-prone Bangladesh — where almost one-third of the impoverished nation is underwater — officials warned of an extended disaster in one of the worst deluges in recent years.”
“Torrential rains kill 19 in Punjab [Pakistan]
“…The heavy rain, which began on Monday night, continued till Tuesday afternoon with intervals in Vehari, Burewala and Mailsi and suburbs. The rainwater gushed into houses and shops in the low-lying areas.”
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/690370-torrential-rains-kill-19-in-punjab
“Flash floods caused by heavy rains have affected about 37,000 people in Somalia, causing a humanitarian crisis in the regions affected, the Somalia’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said on Tuesday…
“Somalia is already struggling with COVID-19 and an invasion of desert locusts in the northern parts of the country.”
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-07/22/c_139230317.htm
“Heavy floods in Niger have claimed nine lives and destroyed more than 2,000 homes , affecting at least 20,000 people, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.
“The southwestern Dosso region, central-south Maradi and Tahoua and Tillaberi in the west have been worst hit, it said in a statement.”
http://north-africa.com/2020/07/sahel-niger-hit-by-floods-nine-killed/
“The first active leak of methane from the sea floor in Antarctica has been revealed by scientists…
“Vast quantities of methane are thought to be stored under the sea floor around Antarctica. The gas could start to leak as the climate crisis warms the oceans, a prospect the researchers said was “incredibly concerning”.”
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