“It has now been 192 consecutive days where Downtown L.A. recorded a high temperature of at least 70 degrees – the longest streak in recorded history. [You may recall that LA County recorded its highest ever temperature with the San Fernando Valley neighbourhood of Woodland Hills recording a temperature of 121F in September.]
“According to the National Weather Service, the streak that began on April 21 shattered the 190-day record that had stood for 135 years…
“”This record will go well beyond 191 straight days, as the forecast highs for the next seven days for downtown Los Angeles are over 70 degrees,” the Weather Service said in a statement on Wednesday.”
https://abc7.com/weather/las-streak-of-high-temps-is-longest-in-recorded-history/7458382/
“Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for approximately 70,000 residents in Orange County, California, as firefighters continue to battle two new wildfires — the Silverado Fire and Blue Ridge Fire — which grew to nearly 30,000 acres combined in less than 48 hours.
“The fast-moving fires, fueled by high winds and low humidity, increased quickly since Monday…”
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/28/us/california-wildfires-silverado-blue-ridge-wednesday/index.html
“The entire state of Nevada is in some form of drought, and forecasters say the Reno/Tahoe area could set records for the driest September and October on record.
““We have no part of the state that isn’t at least in a moderate drought. It’s progressed very rapidly from the beginning of the water year when we had virtually no drought,” Tim Bardsley, hydrologist for the National Weather Service, said…”
“A high wind warning has been issued for the Rocky Mountain Front, north-central and central Montana for Friday.
“What goes down, must go up? That’s the way the temperatures will go. After record cold and snow a few days ago, record warmth is not that far away for Montana.”
https://www.ktvh.com/weather/after-record-cold-record-warmth-is-coming
“Rescue and emergency teams are sorting through the damage wrought by Hurricane Zeta, which made landfall in Louisiana as a very strong Category 2 storm Wednesday afternoon.
“Zeta brought powerful winds to much of the southeast, where more than 2 million power customers are now without electricity.”
“Deluged by floods, America’s ‘oldest city’ struggles to save landmarks from climate crisis.
“St Augustine, Florida, was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers. Flooding has been a threat for centuries and is worsening with rising tides.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/28/st-augustine-florida-floods-climate-crisis
“Bolivia’s forest people burned by ‘perfect recipe’ for wildfire disasters:
“At least 2.7 million acres of land have been razed by fires this year, fuelled by climate change and demand for farmland. The fires, devastating dry savannah grasslands, forests and agricultural areas mainly in eastern Bolivia, pushed the government to declare a state of disaster earlier this month.”
https://news.trust.org/item/20201029172118-bglhi/
“Torrential downpours could result in “dangerous” flooding across the UK this week… in the mountainous regions of Wales and Cumbria up to 150mm of rain could fall within two days…
“It comes as forecasters said Londoners could be experiencing the wettest month for more than 150 years…
“On Wednesday, waves brought on by Hurricane Epsilon are believed to have reached near historic highs of between 10 and 15 metres in Mullaghmore in County Sligo in Ireland…”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/28/uk-weather-torrential-rain-dangerous-flooding
“Climate change is leaving its mark on the bog complexes of the German Black Forest.
“Due to rising temperatures and longer dry periods, two plant species have already gone extinct over the last 40 years. The populations of many others have decreased by one third.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201028110620.htm
“A few weeks after a forest fire wreaked havoc in several of its districts, Turkey’s southern province of Hatay… was hit by another fire…
“a report… said the size of the areas affected by the forest fires had already exceeded the 2019 figures by October… Heightened global warming accompanied by drought and negligence are among the factors contributing to the rise in forest fires, which now last longer.”
“The number of dead seals found washed ashore on the coast of Namibia has risen to more than 7,000, non-profit group Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN) said on Friday.
“OCN said last week thousands of dead seal pups had washed ashore at Pelican Point peninsula, a tourist destination known for its colony of seals and school of dolphins…”
“South Africa is drying up and its only going to get worse: “South Africa is among the 30th-most water-stressed countries in the world. Since the beginning of the 2010s, the country has been trapped in a series of multi-year droughts, exacerbated by a rapidly heating planet…
“Average temperatures for the period 2010-2020 were the highest on record…”
“No end in sight to seven years of drought: “Thousands of residents of a small Karoo town in the Eastern Cape draw their water from boreholes while emerging farmers have no water supply.”
https://www.newframe.com/no-end-in-sight-to-seven-years-of-drought/
“Heavy rain caused waterlogging and traffic disruption in Tamil Nadu’s capital city of Chennai [India] on Thursday… in some areas 20cm [8 inches] of rainfall was recorded – a near repeat of the downpour that led to the devastating 2015 floods in the coastal city.”
[You may recall that last year Chennai effectively ran out of water after nearly 200 days without rain.]
“South Koreans are facing a shortage of a beloved dietary staple after a summer of extreme weather destroyed crops of cabbages – the main ingredient of kimchi.
“In what is being described a full-blown crisis, fields of Napa, or Chinese cabbages were wiped out in August and September, when the Korean peninsula was struck by typhoons, floods and landslides…”
“A major typhoon has struck central Viet Nam, affecting millions of people – including about 2.5 million children – in a region already reeling from the effects of severe floods… There are also reports that 174 people have died or are missing.
“Storm Molave, which made landfall at around 11 am local time on Wednesday, is one of the strongest storms to hit the southeast Asian nation in 20 years.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/10/1076412
“The death toll in the aftermath of Typhoon Quinta [Phillipines] is now at 16 people, disaster agency officials reported Thursday…
“Cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure has also risen to ₱737.1 million, with Calabarzon bearing the highest cost worth ₱593.1 million. Typhoon Quinta partially destroyed 27,213 houses.”
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/regional/2020/10/29/Death-toll-Quinta-missing-injured.html
“297mm [nearly 12 inches] fell in the Bureau’s gauge at Pacific Palms [NSW, Australia] in the 24-hours to 9am Tuesday [but] it’s not being considered an official record yet because the gauge hasn’t been in place long enough…
“The Bureau of Meteorology said the event is considered ‘rare’ and the probability of it happening in any given year is 1 in 2,000.”
“Australia must prepare for future shaped by extreme climate, bushfire royal commission report warns:
“Report into the apocalyptic 2019-20 bushfires says Australia must radically change its approach to fighting fires under new climate conditions.”
“New Zealand’s coastal waters are running hotter now than they were at this point three years ago – when the country was enveloped by a freak marine heatwave that fuelled our warmest summer…
“Already 15 spots around New Zealand are on track to register record or near-record dryness for October.”
“The Trump administration has announced it will lift protections in Alaska’s Tongass national forest, permitting logging in the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest.
“Experts call the Tongass the “lungs of the country” and one of nation’s last remaining bulwarks against climate change.”
“When ‘Perma’ Is No Longer ‘Perma’: Investigating Permafrost Degradation in Churchill, Manitoba:
“…as climate warming affects Churchill’s permafrost, the thaw threatens the tourism industry, the expansion of the port, and Churchill’s connection to the rest of Canada.”
https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/investigating-permafrost-degradation-churchill-manitoba/
“Scientists are warning that climate change and melting permafrost in Siberia are triggering dangerous [exploding pingo] craters across the icy tundra on the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas.
“According to a special database, the areas considered the most dangerous are north and south Tambey near the town of Sabetta and the Seyakha area.”
“Sea ice in the Arctic was at record lows for October as unusually warm waters slowed the recovery of the ice, Danish researchers said on Wednesday…
“For the month of October, measurements show an 8.2 percent downward trend in ice over the last 10 years.”
“Think of it as a suicide pact on ice – global warming and Arctic sea ice in a mutually destructive relationship.
“Earth’s rising temperatures melt Arctic snow and ice, which, as the reflective surface cover disappears, reveals the dark land and ocean surface beneath.
“That darkening surface causes the Arctic to absorb more sunlight and therefore to warm faster … which in turn leads to more melting of snow and ice, ergo resulting in more warming.”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here and visit my Patreon page here. I’ll be back over the weekend with an ‘Economic’ thread.
