“Sydney on track for record annual rainfall of 2.2 metres as eastern states brace for flooding. Sydney is on track to set a new record for its wettest ever year, with more than two months still to go, as the city braces for another 100mm of rain over the next few days.
“The soggy city has recorded 2,129mm of rain between 1 January and 4 October – just 65mm shy of the record set in 1950, when the annual total reached 2,194mm…
“The 2022 rain total for Sydney’s Observatory Hill weather station has already overtaken the second wettest year on record in 1860, which recorded 2,110mm.”
“Farmers across eastern Australia brace for ‘wet drought’ as rain threatens major crop loss.
““A wet drought is the same as a drought, you don’t get any crop because of weather reasons. But unfortunately, it’s because everything’s got too wet. So basically, the crops get washed out,” the Grain Growers Limited chairman, Brett Hosking, said.”
“California suffering through driest three years ever recorded, with no relief in sight.
“California’s drought has become the state’s driest three-year period on record, surpassing that of 2013-15 — and a fourth dry year is looking increasingly likely, officials said Monday. The news came just days after the state began its new water year…”
“California wells run dry as drought depletes groundwater.
“Amid a megadrought plaguing the American West, more rural communities are losing access to groundwater as heavy pumping depletes underground aquifers that aren’t being replenished by rain and snow. More than 1,200 wells have run dry this year statewide, a nearly 50% increase over the same period last year…”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/california-ap-two-central-valley-gavin-newsom-b2194015.html
“Separate 2-alarm fires in Phoenix breakout as a massive dust storm rolls through; other cities on alert.
“Kenny Overton with Phoenix Fire says there are several incidents all around the Valley, not just in Phoenix, and to be mindful of first responders on the roads. He says the Phoenix Fire Department is doing a “storm deployment” to take care of incidents around the Valley.”
“Seattle to stay smoky amid record heat, low rainfall.
“The air quality in Seattle was among the worst in the world Monday, ranking 10th, according to one online air quality database… thanks mostly to… smoke from the Bolt Creek wildfire… Seattle has had a record warm start to October, with three consecutive days over 75 degrees. Seattle has seen only 0.48 inches of rain from July to September… making it the driest on record…”
“September in Chilliwack [British Columbia] was hottest, and driest ever on record.
““Following the hottest August, and hottest month ever on record…September 2022 was also the hottest on record!” Roger Pannett wrote in his September 2022 report… “an amazing 4.75 degrees above normal.” …7th consecutive September with above normal temperatures, a trend never seen before in Chilliwack.”
https://www.theprogress.com/news/september-in-chilliwack-was-hottest-and-driest-ever-on-record/
“Mississippi River Communities Are Threatened by the River’s Alarmingly Low Water Level…
“The level of the river was so low, according to Corps authorities in Louisiana, that salt water from the Gulf of Mexico was advancing more slowly than typical into New Orleans and endangering the city’s drinking water on Wednesday.”
“Ian’s Record Rainfall Causing Polluted Runoff and Sewage to Spill into the Indian River Lagoon…
“Smart says that all the runoff is degrading the water quality and that’s bad news for the Lagoon and the plant and animal life that live in it. You’re talking an unknown amount of nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorous, in the water.”
https://www.wqcs.org/2022-10-03/sewage-overflows-spills
“Hurricane Ian death toll passes 100 as searches continue.
“CNN reported that 102 people have been declared dead due to the tragedy as of Tuesday, while CBS News has confirmed that the number is at least 106. The bulk of the confirmed deaths have been reported in Lee County, Fla., which had experienced 55 related deaths as of Tuesday.”
“Canada sets up C$300 mln recovery fund for storm-hit eastern provinces.
“Fiona, one of the worst storms to ever hit Canada, battered the country’s east coast, tossing homes into the sea, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands and killing at least three people… Officials have said it could take months before infrastructure can be fully restored.”
“These melting mountain peaks [Alps] could kill thousands. Can science help?
“In the Alps, scientists are scrambling to put systems in place that warn people when to flee the climate change-driven landslides and floods caused by glaciers falling apart… the unstable Monte de la Saxe slope could unleash so much rock and soil, it would be recorded by seismographs across the globe.”
“Romania to suffer a loss of 1.5% of GDP due to extreme heatwave, experts predict.
“Romania and Hungary are expected to lose 1.5% and 1% of their GDP, respectively, from the effects of heatwaves…. “”Extreme heat is becoming unbearable for workers, impacting construction and transport in a growing extent,” Dóra Fazekas, managing director of Cambridge Econometrics Hungary, said.
https://www.romania-insider.com/romania-loss-gdp-heatwave-experts-oct-2022
“Brits heading to Turkey, Greece and Cyprus this term will want to be vigilant about blistering temperatures on arrival, as the European heatwave from the summer rumbles on.
“Over the last weekend alone, the holiday haven of Antalya, Turkey, hit 41C according to some weather stations, smashing their previous record for October’s hottest day by two degrees.”
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/holiday-greece-turkey-heat-warning-25178404
“Heat waves and dust clouds return to Portugal.
“Throughout the first week of October temperatures will be above average for the month across the mainland. Regions like Évora may reach 35 degrees Celsius Wednesday… October also begins with the return of dust from North Africa.”
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-10-03/heat-waves-and-dust-clouds-return-to-portugal/70848
“In the blistering desert of Morocco, the country’s last Berber nomads, the Amazigh, say their ancient lifestyle is under threat as climate change brings ever-more intense droughts.
““Everything has changed,” said Moha Ouchaali, his wrinkled features framed by a black turban. “I don’t recognise myself anymore in the world of today. Even nature is turning against us.””
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/nomads-way-of-life-threatened-by-climate-change-177411
“Update on the South African Heat Wave: Not just the intensity but also the length of this spring heat wave in South African highlands is exceptional.
“Today Pretoria Unisa rose to 38.2C, Irene 34.9C, Johannesburg Botanic Gardens 34.2C, Ellisras (841m asl) 40.6C [105.1F]. And more heat is coming.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1577358788658700289
“Parts of Johannesburg are facing water shortages after power outages last week curbed supplies by the main distributor and because of increased demand thanks to an ongoing heat wave.
“Reservoirs across South Africa’s economic hub are either too shallow for water to be pumped to towers, or at critically low levels, Johannesburg Water said in a statement on its Twitter account on Tuesday.”
“Pakistan Currency-Crisis Odds Exceed 50% as Floods Undo Progress…
“The probability of a currency-crisis episode involving a very large depreciation of the nominal exchange rate and extensive depletion of foreign-exchange reserves could climb to about 59% by June 2023 from 29% in August, economist Ankur Shukla wrote in a note.”
“As Himalayan Glaciers Melt, a Water Crisis Looms in South Asia.
“Warmer air is thinning most of the vast mountain range’s glaciers, known as the Third Pole because they contain so much ice. The melting could have far-reaching consequences for flood risk and for water security for a billion people who rely on meltwater for their survival.”
https://e360.yale.edu/features/himalayas-glaciers-climate-change
“Today 4th October SE China lived another blistering hot day with up to 40.5C in Shangrao [so, after never having reached 40C in October, China has now achieved this on four consecutive days].
“Three provinces: Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian set a new record heat for October. Dozens of records fell. Yesterday Chibi had a min. temperature of 30.3C [86.5F], the highest ever in China in October.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1577282388324917252
“Shanghai records its hottest day in October in history [36C / 96.8F, beating 1984’s record of 34C].
“In Shanghai, it was also the 50th day with where the highest temperature reached or exceeded 35 degrees Celsius this year…” [You may recall that Shanghai experienced its hottest day since records began in July with the mercury topping 40.9 Celsius / 105.6F].
https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2210031156/
“Mercury climbs to 33.5 degrees Celsius, setting record for hottest Chung Yeung Festival in Hong Kong.
“Families sweeping graves in the hills of Hong Kong on Tuesday endured the hottest Chung Yeung Festival on record, as the mercury climbed to 33.5 degrees Celsius (92.3 Fahrenheit) at the height of the day [Hong Kong also broke its September heat record twice and July was its hottest month ever].”
“Non-stop record heat in Japan. Besides over 100 records of max. temperatures, the past days had many records of highest minimums (first 2 tables).
“Today 4 October 16 more records of monthly highest temperatures were broken with up to 33.4C. (3rd table). Tables by JMA.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1577267298812932098
“Arctic rainfall could soon double, with dramatic consequences…
“The projected increase in rainfall across the Arctic will trigger widespread permafrost melt. This will release huge amounts of greenhouse gases and accelerate the rate of sea ice loss. Under a high-emissions scenario, Antarctica may transition to the same rainier conditions. The consequences will widespread…”
https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-rainfall-could-soon-double-with-dramatic-consequences/
“Insects will struggle to keep pace with global temperature rise – which could be bad news for humans…
“In a new study, my colleagues and I assessed how well 102 species of insect can adjust their critical thermal limits to survive temperature extremes. We found that insects have a weak capacity to do so, making them particularly vulnerable to climate change.”
“If humans are wired to only fear short-term threats, forget about fighting climate change…
“Global warming is at least as big a threat as a few first-generation nuclear weapons in Nazi hands – far bigger, I’d say – so why is the response so muted? Can’t people see that climate change is an existential threat that would justify dozens of Manhattan-scale crash projects to curb the warming? No, they can’t, and I suspect our ancestors are to blame.”
“Coal Revival Threatens to Push Power Sector Emissions to Record. Global carbon emissions from power plants may be headed for a record high this year after summer droughts and heatwaves boosted coal- and natural gas-fired generation…
“Heatwaves disrupted electricity demand and grids across the world this summer. A historic drought in China hurt hydropower output as demand soared, while in Europe, reservoir levels fell and nuclear generation plunged as France grappled with repairs for its aging plants.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
If you found value in this content, please help me continue this work by becoming a patron of my work via Patreon. And if you are already a subscriber or have donated – thank you! It is an enormous help as the cost-of-living crisis ratchets up here in the UK.
