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In the comment section, please help me wish our intrepid reporter, Justin Panopticon, a very happy 50th birthday!!
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“Extreme heat and drought: Argentina suffers its most scorching summer ever.
“Argentina is enduring this year’s hottest summer on record, with record temperatures and lack of rainfall damaging agriculture and keeping the country under a weather alert, according to official data… This week, a red alert covers a third of the country.”
“This March heat wave in Argentina has been extreme (see SMN 1-7 March anomalies of Max. temp. up to +10C vs 91-20) and it’s getting worse. Today more records for March fell:
“39.4 [102.9F] Ezeiza; 39.1 Gualeguaychu; 38.6 Rosario; 38.6 Sauce Viejo tie; 37.9 Durazno (Uruguay)… Tomorrow ? Worse!”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1634351336488673282
“Argentina’s ‘unprecedented’ drought pummels farmers and economy.
“A historic drought ravaging Argentina’s crops is deepening the grain exporting giant’s economic crisis, crushing farmers across the Pampas, heightening default fears and putting at risk targets agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).”
“South America: High temperatures forecast to continue…
“High temperatures are likely to persist across parts of eastern Argentina, far southern Brazil, and western Uruguay through at least March 13. Temperatures of up to around 39 C (102 F) are possible across parts of the affected area over the coming days.”
“Record deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest shows challenge facing Lula.
“Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose in February to the highest level on record for the month, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as it tries to undo the environmental destruction wreaked under the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.”
“Wildfires in Jamaica surged 224 percent in February
“The always-on drought conditions fueled such a situation, stressed Stewart Beckford, while setting at 1,303 the reports of wildfires reported, over 402 similar month of 2022. Climate change puts pressure on our resources, he said, and urged farmers to give up using the slash-and-burn technique.”
https://www.plenglish.com/news/2023/03/09/wildfires-in-jamaica-surged-224-percent-in-february/
“Catastrophic flash floods have hit California as the state is slammed by its third major storm of the year.
“The devastating ‘Pineapple Express’ storm hit the West Coast on Thursday evening, placing 21 counties under a state of emergency while evacuation orders were issued in several coastal counties… rapidly melting snow is leading to fears over severe property damage and travel chaos in the coming days.”
“Inflation: it was the weather wot did it [US].
“Sunny skies accounted for 126,000 of the jobs added in January, according to the bank’s analysis, which drew on research into the effects of weather on employment by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco… the weather clearly matters when it comes to price stability, even if its precise effects remain hard to quantify.”
https://www.ft.com/content/f474230f-387d-47e2-acd7-d194374dfc33
“Climate scientists tell Britons to brace for frequent wild weather.
“The sudden swing from the extreme dryness of February to March’s wetter conditions comes as new research suggests Britons will need to prepare for greater frequency of extreme rainfall events that can lead to flash flooding.”
https://www.ft.com/content/4c8ef550-8023-4ba5-a9ad-588dc716c36c
“An apparent tornado made out of snow was spotted in Scotland.
“In an exceptionally rare close-up video, an apparent tornado was captured within a snow squall in Scotland on Tuesday… while we can’t conclude definitively, we can assert it probably was a tornado rather than a run-of-the-mill snow whirl.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/03/09/snow-tornado-scotland/
“Drought fears fuel race to use sea for drinking water [UK]…
“… the country’s biggest water firm, Thames Water, is rushing to finish maintenance on the UK’s only large-scale desalination facility. The Beckton plant in east London was offline last summer during an extreme dry spell, and is still not operational.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sea-drinking-water-summer-drought-uk-2023-bz6bbt2pf
“Seven French départements on weather alert for high winds…
“In Languedoc area, gusts of wind reached up to 140 km/h [87mph], and in the Aude département gusts of 120 km/h were recorded. Corsica has experienced the highest wind, with gusts reaching up to 180km/h [112mph] in Balagne.”
https://www.thelocal.fr/20230310/seven-french-departements-on-weather-alert-for-high-winds/
“Heat wave in March? The AEMET explains what the rise in temperatures in Spain will mean…
“In cities such as Murcia, Alicante, Valencia or Castellón temperatures can exceed 30 degrees [86F]. “Among the most remarkable data is that in Valencia it has never reached 30 degrees in the first half of March, with data from 1869,” says Del Campo.”
https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2023-03-10/ola-calor-marzo-aemet-subida-temperatura_3590373/
“Po river authority warns of worsening drought [Italy]…
“Low levels of rain and snowfall this winter have exacerbated an already difficult situation after the severe drought and long series of heat waves Italy endured last summer hit its water resources badly. Mild winter temperatures have also brought forward the melting of snow on the mountains.”
“Severe water scarcity worries Istanbulites amid driest season in decades…
“Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, said insufficient rainfall for the past few months has put more strains on the already-limited water resources in Istanbul, a city that hosts more than 20 million people and consumes 1.1 billion cubic meters of water every year.”
https://english.news.cn/20230309/52d0674d5383403aa5ae81465d3c6aac/c.html
“Harsh heat wave in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia highlands. Yesterday Tubu in Botswana (967m above sea level) rose to 41.1C [106F], which ties the highest temperature ever recorded in March in Botswana.
“In South Africa; 42.6C Twee Rivieren (879m) record 42.9; 41.2C Van Zylrus (938m) record 41.3.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1634304117580652546
“Rwanda experienced a rare heat wave across the country in the past week, with a record high of 33 degrees Celsius in the capital city, Kigali.
“The highest temperatures in the capital, partly blamed on climate change, were “recorded for four consecutive days from March 5 to 8,” the Rwanda Meteorology Agency said in its weather updates on Thursday.”
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2023-03/10/content_85160040.htm
“The storms and floods that have hit Mozambique since February have taken the lives of 117 people…
“Cyclone Freddy was responsible for much of the damage. When it hit… in late February, it dropped between 300 and 900 millimetres [35.4 inches] of rain in 24 hours. Instead of dissipating, this cyclone has returned to the Mozambique Channel and is now heading northwards towards Zambezia province, where it is expected to make landfall on Friday.”
https://allafrica.com/stories/202303090218.html
“Schools in Goa [India] allowed students to return home at 12 noon on Thursday as heatwave conditions in the state worsened.
“A circular issued by state Director of Education Shailesh Sinai Zingade stated the heat wave will continue for another day as per the India Meteorological Department, due to which classes will be curtailed at noon on Friday as well.”
“Worst fires in Goa’s history burn down rare biodiversity.
“Scorched and burnt, Goa’s forests that have been ablaze for a week may have lost some of its biodiversity forever, while the evergreen Western Ghats may take years to regenerate.”
“Lack of cross-border flood alerts adds to disaster fears in Nepal.
“As climate change heats the planet, making rainfall more extreme and accelerating the melting of glaciers, Himalayan nations such as Nepal are facing growing risks from floods, often driven by glacial lake outbursts… a lack of information sharing among China, India and Nepal is hampering protection efforts.”
“Parts of northern China were hit by high temperatures on Thursday that smashed seasonal records, with the city of Shahe hitting 31.8 Celsius (89 Fahrenheit), official data showed.
“Besides Shahe, regions such as Gaoyi, Yongnian and Handan, all in Hebei province, surpassed the 30C / 86F mark earlier in the year than ever before, as well as experiencing their highest temperatures on record for the first half of March.”
“Incredible warm spell in China with a total of 585 stations breaking the records of highest temperature for early March and 21 for the whole of March.
“Some stations were nearly 6C above the previous record! like Beijing 27.9C [82.2F]. Today up to 34.3C in China.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1634177290753171456
“Beijing air quality plummets amid dust storm, pollution.
“Concentrations of the tiny PM2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring sites, with the IQAir website showing an air quality index of 1,093, a “hazardous” level, many times higher than what are considered “unhealthy” levels.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/beijing-ap-china-skyscrapers-communist-party-b2298081.html
“Temperatures were over 10℃ above average in much of Japan Wednesday, making it feel like April or May.
“New record highs for early March were set in Sendai, Hachinohe and Fukushima!”
https://twitter.com/sayakasofiamori/status/1633397012841525248
“Record-breaking floods in north-west Queensland cause partial evacuation of outback town.
“Vulnerable people will be evacuated from an outback town by air amid widespread record-breaking floods across Queensland’s vast north-west. Small helicopters and planes will be used to airlift elderly people from Burketown near the Gulf of Carpentaria to Mount Isa…”
“Longest New South Wales flood operation in SES history finally over after nearly six months.
“The largest and longest flood response operation on record from the New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) has today come to a welcome end. The SES began ramping up operations for a major flood response in western NSW 177 days ago.”
“‘It is ginormous’: bushfire in NSW’s central west puts rural communities on edge…
“Dozens of fires have been burning across NSW since Sunday as gusty winds and vegetation growth from last year’s high rainfall make it easier for flames to catch, according to Dean Narramore, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.”
“US forecaster says El Nino could arrive by summer 2023…
“”The forecaster consensus favors ENSO-neutral through summer 2023, with elevated chances of El Niño developing afterwards,” the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center said.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday 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.
Happy birthday, Justin! I know turning 50 feels intimidating, but I hope you carry your years of hard-earned wisdom with pride. Thank you for your amazing service here!!!
Thank you, Cassandra – that is very sweet of you. 😆 And thank you for subsidising the website and dealing with the all the technological headaches. It couldn’t exist without you. ❤
You’re welcome. I am honored and happy to provide my help for free (all donations go 100% to Justin!). 🙂
Happy Birthday! I think you’ll find 50 to be a nice age. Thank you for all you do!
You are welcome, Kristen, and thank you.
Happy 50th Justin! Such a special one!
Hope it went well 🥰🤩😍
It did, thank you, Rain. I am happily digesting a large quantity of dark chocolate, so all is right with the world.
Cheers Justin, have a great birthday.
Thank you, Rob, and for the “likes” on Twitter, too.
Much peace and love to JP for the big 50
Live long and prosper
Thank you so much, David.
I wondered if there were a standard response to your kind salutation, so I Googled it and found this titbit: ‘live long and prosper’ originally came from a derivation of a Jewish term ‘dif-tor heh smusma’ which translates into ‘peace be with you’.
If we are being Vulcan, I can apparently respond: “Peace and long life.”
Unbelievably valuable report. No one is doing more important research work on the web. Happy big 5-0 Birthday, from all of your grateful subscribers.
Thank you, Martin, for the kind words and validation. Even I sometimes think rigorously charting our collective decline is an odd way to be spending my time but I feel strongly compelled to do it, so it is heartening to know that some value it.
Hello Panopticon
I understand it’s your birthday…and a special one at that. In the Netherlands, they say when you turn 50…. ‘that you have seen Abraham’.
That means you see and understand more and more as the years go by. Even more! is almost impossible in your case by the way, but you never know 🙂
The weather is not very cooperative in your area that much is clear. A heat wave is certainly not on the cards…
Have a nice day with your family, friends and all those who wish you a bright future..
Zip, thank you. No sign of Abraham yet but the weather is, as you suggest, uncooperative. It rarely drops below freezing here but when it is very windy and humidity is high, as it is now, it can feel bloody freezing!
I’ll throw my hat in wishing you a nice blessed day all around…
To me, you’re just a youngster…it’s all relative….thank you for the Roundup
Remember back in the 1980s joining the Rainforest Action Network organization to stop deforestation of the Amazon….sorry to see all isn’t stopping the destruction.
RIP Chico Mendes and other killed activists
Vince, thank you. I’m doing my best to count my blessings.
Re RAN, at least you fought the good fight. I wish I could boast a background in environmentalism, as so many in the “doomer” community can.
Happy birthday!
Im sorry that the discussion board didn’t work out. I greatly enjoyed it, trouble is, pretty obviously, I was the only one who did.
Lou, yes, I’m sorry about the forum. I felt it was worth a shot but I’m afraid it was mostly crickets and I didn’t have the time to really energise it the way I would have wanted to.
Happy, Beautiful, Wonderful, Lovefull Present Birthday Moment. Smiles, hugs and laughter, Amira
Thank you, Amira – smiles, hugs and laughter to you, too.
A Blessed birthday to you! Thank you for providing all the news I need on a daily basis. Your efforts are truly appreciated!
Thank you, Merv. All in all it has been a good day.
Congratulations on making 50 trips around the sun! May you have 50 more! (That really isn’t meant as a curse.)
Thanks, John. 🤣