“Freezing Austin [Texas] records biggest 24-hour temperature swing ever: 56-degree drop from 88 to 32F. Austin’s main weather station at Camp Mabry recorded its largest 24-hour temperature swing ever: From 88 degrees at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday to 32 degrees as of 3:15 p.m. Wednesday — a stunning plummet of 56 degrees.
“The previous 24-hour temperature-swing record was 51 degrees, and the National Weather Service said it had happened on three occasions.”
“A dangerous ice storm is developing as cold and warm temperatures clash.
“It might seem like déjà vu in regard to a storm dropping a wintry mix and heavy rain across the US earlier this week. And in many ways, it is. However, the new storm is bringing more substantial amounts of ice. Ice accumulation totals associated with the storm pose a major threat to travel and infrastructure.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/23/weather/winter-storm-forecast-ice-cold/index.html
“Kodiak [Alaska] sets a series of record temperatures… Last Thursday was the first day in a four-day run for record high temperatures in Kodiak…
“These are the latest events in a record winter that featured the coldest February on record in Kodiak, and the state record highest December temperature.”
https://kmxt.org/2022/02/kodiak-sets-a-series-of-record-temperatures/
“23d February was a record day in Maine.
“Bangor with 65F [18.3F] destroyed its previous record of highest temperature in February of 60F which was set on 21 Feb 1937, while Augusta with 64F did the same with the record of 60F set on 18 Feb 1981.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1496625090213158921
“‘We can’t make it rain’: California farmers left out to dry as US government allots no water.
“The federal government said Wednesday that it won’t deliver water to farmers in California’s agricultural belt, which produces roughly a quarter of the nation’s food, due to the extreme water shortages that are expected to deepen if the direly dry conditions continue through March.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/rain-california-farmers-us-government-drought-water
“Drought, pesticides take a toll on Chile’s crucial honeybees…
“Andrés González, a regional expert on biodiversity for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, said a reduced population of pollinating insects “has to do … with the use of pesticides and fertilizers, monocultures, droughts caused in great part by climate change and by bad management of (water) resources.””
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/drought-pesticides-toll-chiles-crucial-honeybees-83078351
“Capybaras, marsh deer, anteaters flee Argentina wildfires; many don’t escape.
“Wildfires in Argentina’s north are forcing local species of wildlife including capybaras, marsh deer and anteaters to attempt to flee ahead of the flames, with many animals killed or injured while trying to escape as the fires spread.”
“Fires in Corrientes: the touching reaction of a melero bear to receive water from a rescuer…
“The first movement of the bear melero is of some distrust but seeing how the rescuer caresses his head, he throws himself in the grassland belly up and receives the liquid in some parts of the body to relieve somewhat the heat and injuries caused by the fires.”
“Windows smashed and roofs destroyed as monster hail storm hits Mendoza, Argentina…
“Heavy rainfall caused roofs of buildings to collapse under the weight of the water. Damage was caused to possessions and produce as buildings flooded. Warnings are in place across the region due to the potential for floods as well as danger from high winds.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVX1rJp9ZxI
“Brazil storm death toll passes 200: police.
“The death toll from flash floods and landslides caused by torrential rain in the Brazilian city of Petropolis has surpassed 200, authorities said Wednesday, as they continue to recover bodies more than a week after the storm.”
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220224-brazil-storm-death-toll-passes-200-police
“UK weather: Jet stream behind Storm Eunice ‘growing faster and moving north’ scientists warn.
“New research from the University of Southampton found the average speed of the northern hemisphere jet stream in winter had risen by 8 per cent to 132mph. It had also moved around 200 miles northwards. Scientists said the changes were likely related to warmer winters in the Arctic.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/jet-stream-forecast-storm-eunice-uk-b2021630.html
“‘Pervasive’ river pollution affecting eco-systems, warns top UK environment researcher…
“Sir Andy Haines, unveiled as the winner of the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement on Wednesday, warned in an interview that recent studies documenting the extent of chemical pollution in rivers across the globe are a “wake up call”.”
“Green groups say Romania failing to stop illegal logging.
“Environmental groups say Romania has failed to tackle illegal logging and nature destruction in areas protected by European Union law, two years after Brussels warned the country to put an end to illicit deforestation.”
“New warm spell in Morocco: On 22nd February temperature spike to 32.4C [90.3F] at Agadir. The port of Essaouira rose to 31.1C – its warmest February day on record.
“Last night was also very warm. Sidi Ifni had a minimum temperature of 23.4C. Today it ‘s expected to be similar hot.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1496461304785166337
“Crossroads of despair in drought-ravaged Somalia…
“Desperate, hungry and thirsty, more and more people are flocking to Baidoa from rural areas of southern Somalia, one of the regions hardest hit by the drought that is engulfing the Horn of Africa… nearly 13 million people, mostly farmers and herders, are going hungry.”
https://horseedmedia.net/2022/02/23/crossroads-of-despair-in-drought-ravaged-somalia/
“Cyclone Emnati hits Madagascar; island’s 4th major storm in a month.
“Winds of up to 135 kilometres per hour (84 mph) battered Madagascar early on Wednesday as Cyclone Emnati made landfall, becoming the fourth major storm to hit the Indian Ocean island in a month.”
“The Dying Forests of India’s Northeast…
“… on 7 February, when the people of Guwahati found all the trees in the area had been mercilessly chopped down by the public works department (PWD), they were gutted. The trees had been killed to pave the way for construction of a 580-metre two-way flyover.”
https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/missing-the-forest-for-the-trees-11645719751798.html
“Farmers and authorities in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have started storing water, building dams and planting seeds early to avoid drought and salinity.
“Living near Kenh Lap, Mekong Delta’s largest manmade reservoir in Ben Tre Province, Le Van Hao said he had witnessed how the reservoir, which has a capacity of nearly one million cubic meters, ran dry in April 2020.”
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/mekong-delta-prepares-for-possible-drought-salinity-4430990.html
“Another Perth weather record tumbled on Thursday, with the city sweating through the most summer days over 35C / 95F.
“The mercury reached 35.4C in Perth at 3.10pm — which makes Thursday the 32nd time Perth has topped 35C this summer, breaking a 44-year record.”
“An emergency alert has been issued for a Queensland region as heavy rain continues to create dangerous conditions in the state’s south east.
“Queensland Fire and Emergency issued an alert for the Cedar Pocket Dam catchment area in Gympie on Friday afternoon.”
“Lots of rain. Sticky, hot nights. And record-breaking humidity [Victoria, Australia].
“As the summer of 2021-22 draws to a close, it ends a season in which a “classic” La Nina atmospheric pattern meant more rain and cloud, particularly in December, and temporarily masked the warming trend of climate change.”
“Antarctic ice cores suggest Australia’s drought risk is worse than we thought.
“Associate Professor Anthony Kiem is a hydroclimatologist at the University of Newcastle and co-authored the paper with Dr Vance. He said the research represented a profound shift in how we understand climate risk in eastern Australia. “It basically resets our understanding of what ‘normal’ is,” he said.”
“Earth’s coldest forests are shifting northward with climate change.
“New research from Northern Arizona University shows rising temperatures are causing Earth’s coldest forests to shift northward, raising concerns about biodiversity, an increased risk of wildfires and mounting impacts of climate change on northern communities.”
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220224091126.htm
“World must brace for more extreme wildfires: UN.
“The number of major wildfires worldwide will rise sharply in coming decades due to global warming, and governments are ill-prepared for the death and destruction such mega-blazes trail in their wake, the UN warned Wednesday.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-02-world-brace-extreme-wildfires.html
“Climate change drives rise in extreme lake water temperatures.
“The world’s largest lakes are hit by severe lake heat waves—when water temperatures soar far above normal—six times as frequently as they were about two decades ago, according to a new study.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-02-climate-extreme-lake-temperatures.html
“Methane Emissions from Energy Production Are Massively Undercounted.
“Governments across the world are massively undercounting the amount of methane that energy production is releasing into the environment, according to a report this morning from the International Energy Agency.”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back over the weekend with an ‘Economic’ thread, possibly on Sunday rather than Saturday, family-duties depending.
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