“It’s only May, and temperatures near the Arctic Circle in northwestern Russia are approaching 90 degrees. In Moscow, temperatures have shattered records on consecutive days.
“It has also been unusually warm in central Canada, where raging wildfires in Manitoba are sending plumes of smoke across retreating ice in Lake Winnipeg.
“Summer has yet to begin in the northern hemisphere, but temperatures in high latitudes are already alarmingly warm, portending another brutally hot season while signaling more climate troubles.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/05/20/record-heat-russia-canada-climate-change/
“Russian Arctic Temps Now Hotter Than in Mediterranean… Temperatures across the Arctic region are now 20-24 degrees Celsius [36 to 43.2F] higher than normal for this time of year…
“In settlements near the Arctic Circle like Naryan-Mar, Arkhangelsk and Salekhard, the temperature has been hovering around 25-30 C [86F] for several days, the Barents Observer reported.”
“‘Zombie wildfires’ that smoldered beneath the snow in Siberia are raging again… Hundreds of fires are raging across Russia as wildfire season descends on the world’s largest country ahead of schedule, according to news reports.
“Some parts of the country have already reported a record number of spring wildfires…”
https://www.livescience.com/russia-wildfire-season-2021.html
“Nornickel pumped out diesel from Arctic fuel tank after small leak…
“Russia’s Nornickel has pumped out 12,200 tonnes of diesel from one of its fuel tanks in the Arctic following a leak of 20 litres, the company said on Wednesday, adding that there was no damage to the environment.”
“Weather: Scotland set for ‘very unusual’ temperature record…
“STV meteorologist Sean Batty said:
““From what I can see, nowhere in Scotland has exceeded 20 degrees so far this year, which is very unusual by this point in May…”
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19313486.weather-scotland-set-very-unusual-temperature-record/
“Wales records one of the wettest May months with more wet and windy weather forecast… it has been an exceptionally rainy month…
“Wales has already recorded 157% of the average May rainfall, and we’re only just over half way through the month. With more rainfall forecast over the coming days, this total will increase yet again.”
“Emergency authorities report that one person has died in flash flooding which struck in Žarnovica district, Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia.
“Severe flash flooding struck the village of Rudno and Hronom in Žarnovica district on 17 May 2021. The dam of a reservoir near the village is thought to have broken after recent heavy rainfall.”
“Greek villages evacuated as forest fire rages.
“More than a dozen Greek villages were evacuated Thursday as firefighters battled the country’s first major blaze of the year on a mountain range overlooking the Gulf of Corinth.”
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-greek-villages-evacuated-forest-rages.html
“Thousands displaced as floods hit Burundi.
“Thousands of residents in Bujumbura and Gatumba have fled their homes after their property and houses were flooded due to the rising water levels of Lake Tanganyika and the swelling rivers around the city.”
https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/floods-hit-burundi-3407082
“Desperate Eastern Cape farmers appeal for help amid devastating drought.
“With Kouga dam at 4.29% farmers will no longer be able to water their citrus crops.”
“Cyclone Tauktae: death toll rises to more than 90 after huge storm hits India.
“The number of fatalities from a major cyclone on India’s west coast has jumped to at least 91 and the navy was searching for another 49 people missing at sea after a barge carrying offshore workers sank in the storm.”
“The weather department has warned of another cyclone that is likely to advance over the Bay of Bengal around May 21.
“A cyclone is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal and expected to hit the eastern coast on May 23, a top official of the Ministry of Earth Science said on Wednesday.”
“Assam tea industry predicts crop loss of 40% due to drought.
“While the Covid-induced economic distress struck all sectors, the Assam tea industry also apprehends that the prolonged drought-like situation might cause a crop deficit from January to May this year amounting to about 40 per cent, over the same period in 2019.”
https://www.siasat.com/assam-tea-industry-predicts-crop-loss-of-40-due-to-drought-2139035/
“Sudden flash flooding hits Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, China.
May 20th 2021.”
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nijkE6WQN8
“Heavy rain expected for Tokai and Kansai regions [Japan]… Some parts of Tokai, Kansai and Kyushu had record rainfall for May in the past 24 hours.
“The rain has increased the risk of landslides. Mudslide warnings have been issued in some areas in Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Shiga, Wakayama, Aichi, Gifu and Nagano prefectures.”
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210521_04/
“Taiwan drought could threaten global supply of electronic chips.
“The worst drought in Taiwan’s history shows no signs of easing up, presenting potential problems for microchip manufacturers. The country is also facing a major outbreak of coronavirus infections.”
https://www.dw.com/en/taiwan-drought-could-threaten-global-supply-of-electronic-chips/a-57579184
“[Australian] Cotton yields smashed to 37 year lows by 2019/20 drought… The full impact of the horror east coast drought on the cotton sector has recently been borne out in Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
“The ABS has released data from the horror 2019-20 season before the drought broke which found total production dropping to its lowest levels in 37 years.”
“Sydney records coldest stretch of May days in 54 years…
“Sydney temperatures dropped to 8.7C [47.7F] at sunrise this morning marking the city’s coldest run of nights this early in the year in 66 years with temperatures dropping to 9C or lower on five consecutive nights.”
“Major 2015 wildfires in central Amazon killed a quarter of vegetation… causing a loss of around 27 per cent of vegetation in the region over the next three years…
“Wildfires during this period burned an estimated 9246 square kilometres of the Amazon rainforest in total – even affecting the central region, which is historically very wet and fire-resistant.”
“Illegal clearing for agriculture is driving tropical deforestation… Tropical forests around the world are being destroyed at an alarming rate, even in 2020 when the global economy slowed dramatically during the pandemic.
“A new report released this week offers insight into a primary driver of this deforestation – and our unwitting complicity as consumers.”
“Venezuela’s Crumbling Oil Industry Is An Environmental Nightmare…
“While the collapse of Venezuela’s oil industry and what was once the richest economy in South America are well documented, there is little coverage of the immense environmental damage being caused by the decay of its energy infrastructure.”
“Declining levels at the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. have spurred officials in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico to search for ways to prop it up.
“Lake Powell on the Colorado River is dropping rapidly amid one of the southwestern watershed’s driest years on record. It’s currently forecast to be at 29% of capacity by the end of September — the lowest level since the reservoir first started filling in 1963.”
“Syracuse breaks high temperature record… The temperature hit 92 degrees in Syracuse today, breaking the record for May 20.
“That’s the third-earliest day of the year when Syracuse hit at least 92 since records began in 1902.”
https://www.syracuse.com/weather/2021/05/syracuse-breaks-high-temperature-record.html
“Louisiana storm death toll climbs to 5; hundreds dealing with flood damage.
“The number of deaths related to a deluge of rain that hit parts of Louisiana this week has risen to five, health officials said Thursday, and more rain is forecast for a region that has already seen flash flooding.”
“Expect An Above Average Atlantic Hurricane Season This Year. We’re likely to see an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic this year…
“There were so many named storms in 2020, that the list of names was exhausted, and they started taking the names of Greek letters.”
“First tropical system of the Atlantic hurricane season is likely to form this weekend.
“The National Hurricane Center is giving an area to watch near Bermuda a high chance of developing by the end of this weekend.”
“Largest iceberg in the world breaks off Antarctica – European Space Agency…
“Alex Brisbourne, glacier geophysicist at British Antarctic Survey, said the Weddell Sea was not currently warming, but elsewhere around the Antarctic continent, “the warming ocean was melting other ice shelves and this is allowing the ice to drain more quickly off the continent…”
“High levels of contaminants in killer whales…
“A study has demonstrated that new types of brominated flame retardants accumulate in the tissues of killer whales near Norway and are also passed on to nursing offspring.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210519120706.htm
“Climate disasters ‘caused more internal displacement than war’ in 2020.
“Intense storms and flooding triggered three times more displacements than violent conflicts did last year, as the number of people internally displaced worldwide hit the highest level on record.”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back over the weekend with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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