“Hail, torrential rain leave at least 31 dead in Tibetan-populated areas of China. The wild weather also kills thousands of heads of livestock and damages property…
“Floods and landslides in Sangchu county began on the evening of Aug. 21, flooding homes over the past two days, the Tibetan sources said… The heavy hail broke car windows and ripped tents from their foundations…”
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/hailstorms-flooding-08232022184909.html
“Dharamshala broke [a 64-year-old] record for excessive rain… registering 333mm [13.1 inches] in 12 hours, the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Response Force informed on Monday…
“It was in August 1958 the last time when [the previous record of] 316 mm of rainfall was recorded in Dharamshala.”
“Flash floods caused by abnormally heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 777 people across Pakistan over the last two months and have displaced more than 300,000 people, according to officials.
“Rescuers, helped by troops, are racing against time to evacuate thousands of marooned people, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-23/pakistan-floods-kill-777-people-over-two-months/101359630
“Flash flooding has killed at least 95 people, injured hundreds of others and swept away thousands of homes in Afghanistan, authorities in the crisis-hit country said Tuesday.
“The deaths occurred across 10 provinces over the past 10 days, authorities said, as the country reels from an economic and humanitarian crisis exacerbated by Western sanctions imposed after the Taliban returned to power last year.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/23/asia/afghanistan-floods-august-deaths-intl-hnk/index.html
“North East India records lowest rainfall in 122 years [of record-keeping].
“North East India has registered a 44 per cent deficit in rainfall for the month of July, even as the rest of the country has received ample rains, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The North East recorded 234.6 millimetres (mm) of rain during the month of July. This is reportedly the lowest since [record-keeping began in] 1901…”
“The extreme heat and drought that has been roasting a vast swath of southern China for at least 70 straight days has no parallel in modern record-keeping in China, or elsewhere around the world for that matter…
“This heat wave has also set records for its geographic reach, with nearly 530,000 square miles within China seeing high temperatures exceed 104°F (40°C).”
https://www.axios.com/2022/08/22/china-heat-wave-drought-unprecedented
“Yesterday 23 August was day #73 of this tremendous heat wave in China: 50 all time records were broken + more tied records and many monthly records. (see list below).
“Three provinces had their hottest day ever: Sichuan: 43.8C [110.8F] at Neijiang; Guizhou: 43.5C at Chishui; Jiangxi: 42.6C at Xiushui.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1562356539343589376
“China warns of ‘severe’ threat to harvest from worst heatwave on record.
“The world’s second-largest economy has been hit by record temperatures, flash floods and droughts this summer — phenomena that scientists have warned are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.”
“With China’s biggest freshwater lake reduced to just 25% of its usual size by a severe drought, work crews are digging trenches to keep water flowing to one of the country’s key rice-growing regions.
“The dramatic decline of Poyang Lake in the landlocked southeastern province of Jiangxi had otherwise cut off irrigation channels to nearby farmlands.”
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/largest-lake-dry-china-digs-deep-water-crops-88728025
“The dugong is now functionally extinct in China after widespread degradation of their habitat and historical hunting, scientists have said.
“Fishing and ship strikes are also among the reasons dugong activity has declined, said Prof Samuel Turvey of ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, who described the findings as a “wake-up call” to prioritise conservation efforts.”
“Meandering westerlies behind Japan’s record heat spell in June-July.
“Japan’s record heat spell from late June through early July can be attributed to meandering westerly winds pushing up high pressure in the upper atmosphere and near the ground to record levels, coupled with rising temperatures triggered by global warming, a Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) panel said on Aug. 22.”
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220823/p2a/00m/0sc/005000c
“Marine biologist perplexed by snow crab disappearance [Alaska].
“It’s a mystery perplexing marine biologists that could lead to a loss of one of Alaska’s most prized seafood exports — the Bering Sea snow crab. Many theories have been hypothesized as to what is causing the declining crab populations throughout Alaska, ranging all the way from migration of the crustaceans to predators taking them out.”
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2022/08/23/marine-biologist-perplexed-by-snow-crab-disapearence/
“Flash floods wreak havoc in US south-west – but are no salve for drought.
“Flash floods hitting the American south-west in recent days have shuttered parts of national parks including in Moab and Zion, closed highways in Colorado, submerged cars in Texas and trapped tourists in a New Mexico cave… But the destructive deluges have not been enough to relieve the drought and the continued pressure on water resources…”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/22/us-south-west-storm-drought-climate-crisis
“Rare tornadoes strike desert Southwest, touching down in Arizona, Nevada.
“Tornadoes are a rarity in the southwestern United States, but multiple twisters were on the ground simultaneously for a time Sunday evening. One churned ominously close to Interstate 15 in Nevada, and another was photographed from near Lake George, Utah, as it slipped into northern Arizona.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/08/22/tornado-desert-arizona-nevada/
“Yes sir! The wettest August in Dallas-Fort Worth since record keeping began in 1899.
“This week’s rainfall total sets the record for the wettest August in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A total of 10.38 inches of rain has been recorded with a little over a week to go. The previous record was set in 1915 with 10.33 inches of rain, a gift from a powerful hurricane that hit Galveston.”
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article264814169.html
“2022 is driest year in Norfolk history [Nebraska]…
“The National Weather Service said the City of Norfolk is over 9.3 inches short of the normal amount of precipitation for this time of year. That makes 2022 the driest year on record in Norfolk to this point. Norfolk’s not alone, a number of communities in northeast Nebraska are between 25 and 50 percent of the moisture they are used to seeing by late August.”
https://plattevalley.newschannelnebraska.com/story/47146670/2022-is-driest-year-in-norfolk-history
“Unplanted Acres in US Surge in Face of Extreme Rain and Drought.
“Acres that US farmers were unable to plant have more than tripled from the same period last year as extreme weather wreaks havoc on fields. Prevented planting acres — or insured crop that can’t be planted because of disasters including flooding and drought — were at 6.4 million…”
“National Weather Service: Charleston [West Virginia] area breaks all-time record for rainfall in a summer.
“It’s been a rainy summer and according to the National Weather Service in Charleston, it’s been the wettest summer on record in the capital city area. The agency confirmed this week that 23.23 inches of rain have fallen in Charleston since June 1, the most ever in a summer period.”
“Helsinki Kaisaniemi had a minimum temperature of 20.0°C [68F] last night = tropical night.
“If that minimum remains until 21.00 Finnish time, it would be the latest tropical night on record in Helsinki Kaisaniemi (records kept since 1844).”
https://twitter.com/mikarantane/status/1562312179977801729
“A new highest daily minimum temperature record has been confirmed from during the UK’s unprecedented hot spell.
“A low of 26.8°C [80.2F] was recorded at Shirburn Model Farm in Oxfordshire on 19 July 2022 at 04:32AM, meaning that the temperature never got below 26.8°C over a 24 hour period. This replaces the record set at Kenley Airfield on the same day where 25.8°C was recorded.”
“Fish and chips could soon be off the menu: Britain’s love of seafood is killing off dozens of species that rely on it for food, WWF report warns…
“Across all species groups, more than 250 Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species have been directly impacted by fisheries supplying UK markets, according to the report.”
“Brits issued warning over cost of chips after heatwave hits potato crops.
“The cost of potatoes could soar in just weeks with shortages feared to be on the horizon after the heatwave hit crops this summer. Suppliers said their crops have wilted due to the heatwave this summer, meaning the cost of chips is likely to soar.”
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/brits-issued-warning-over-cost-24820249
“Brussels has slashed crop production forecasts as an “exceptionally” hot summer leaves almost half of Europe under drought warning conditions.
“Officials said severe heat stress had resulted in “irreversibly lost yield potential” across vast areas of the Continent… “Hot spells are expected to continue in many parts of Europe…”
“Europe’s drought the worst in 500 years – report.
“Two-thirds of Europe is under some sort of drought warning, in what is likely the worst such event in 500 years. The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory says 47% of the continent is in “warning” conditions, meaning soil has dried up.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62648912
“Drought inflicting ‘severe impacts’ on EU energy production, as Putin tightens squeeze on gas…
“In a summer of savage wildfires, harvest reductions and major rivers drying up, the substantial lack of rain has also wreaked “severe impacts” on the EU’s energy sector, hampering both hydropower generation and cooling systems of other power plants.”
“Switzerland’s glaciers melt by half in less than a century, study finds.
“For the first reconstruction of ice loss in the country in the 20th century, the researchers looked at thousands of photographs taken from mountaintops between the two world wars and combined them with field measurements.”
“Some weeks ago we talked about the unprecedented early snow melting on the Austrian glacier of Mt. Sonnblick which hosts the mountain oldest and most complete climatic series in the world.
“The result today is the glacier being in a terrible shape, like nobody has ever seen before.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1562009250037121025
“Region near Moscow declares state of emergency over forest fires.
“Authorities in the Russian region of Ryazan have declared a state of emergency to help tackle raging forest fires… The acting regional governor, Pavel Malkov, said that the state of emergency will allow officials to “mobilise more resources to protect the inhabitants and the territories”.”
https://www.euronews.com/2022/08/23/region-near-moscow-declares-state-of-emergency-over-forest-fires
“Bulgaria: Lightning Strike Killed Husband and Wife.
“Local media reports that a lightning strike took the lives of a man and a woman on the road to the Chernogorsk monastery on Saturday night. On their way home from the monastery, the couple decided to take shelter in a gazebo, mayor of the village Tsana Sandova told the media.”
https://www.novinite.com/articles/216382/Bulgaria%3A+Lightning+Strike+Killed+Husband+and+Wife
“British woman fights for life after being struck by lightning in Croatia.
“The woman was taken to a local hospital where she is now in a critical condition with serious head injuries and burns, the MailOnline reports. The 48-year-old had been sunbathing with her daughter on Kašjuni Beach before the weather turned…”
“Lightning struck Sunday during a nighttime trail race up a Greek mountain, killing one runner and seriously injuring another, Greek police and the fire service reported.
“The two men were running in the Six Peaks race, which passes through the six highest peaks of Mount Falakro in northern Greece, when lightning struck a group of runners at 4 a.m. at an altitude of 4,400 feet, a police officer told The Associated Press.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lightning-kills-runner-mountain-race-greece/
“More than 50 sheep were killed in the region of Vlacha in Metsovo, northern Greece, after they were struck by lightning during a midday thunderstorm on Tuesday.
“According to state broadcaster ERT, the frequent thunderstorms that have broken out in recent days are particularly intense with lots of lightning.”
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1191677/lightning-kills-dozens-of-sheep-in-northern-greece/
“Wildfire in northern Portugal threatening several villages, Spain to declare natural disaster.
“A wildfire is threatening several villages in northern Portugal as the country prepares for more heatwave-level temperatures… It comes as the country was put on alert due to the “aggravation of the risk of rural fire” and the increase in temperatures.”
https://www.euronews.com/2022/08/22/wildfire-in-northern-portugal-threatening-several-villages
“Spain is facing a climate emergency as it experiences the hottest summer ever recorded, prime minister Pedro Sanchez warned Monday…
““Unfortunately, science is telling us that the next summers are going to be even hotter which means that we are facing a climate emergency,” he added.”
“A total of 13 people were killed and 21 others injured in a single day in Yemen from lightning strikes, local media reported Sunday.
“The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that seven people died and eight others were injured as a result of lightning strikes in various parts of Hajjah province.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/13-killed-from-lightning-strikes-in-yemen/2666372
“South Africa’s water crisis | Nelson Mandela Bay aiming to avoid Day Zero.
“As water is fast running out in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, the council has agreed to restrict water usage per household. This came out as the Department of Water and Sanitation — led by Minister Senzo Mchunu — brought in experts to focus on pushing back Day Zero.”
https://www.enca.com/news/sas-water-crisis-nelson-mandela-bay-aiming-avoid-day-zero
“Residents in the ancient Iranian capital, Hamedan [population over half a million], are grappling with severe water shortage, sometimes going without any water for as long as 24 hours…
“With nothing in the pipes, water for drinking and other purposes is now being distributed by tanker trucks. Iran’s Red Crescent has also been distributing bottled water in the city.”
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202208231433
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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