Update:
“Laos [today] had by far its hottest day in history with 43.5C [110.3F] at Luang Prabang, [beating the record of 42.7C it set just last month]. The capital Vientiane 42.5C also pulverizes its all time record.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654831902551932930
“History was rewritten today… in Vietnam. The country just recorded its hottest May day ever with 43.1C [109.6F] at Tuong Duong.
“Records (even for any month) fell by dozens and tomorrow it can be worse. The harshest heat wave on records for SE Asia will just get worse..”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654484227923095553
“Vietnamese abroad boil as heat wave cooks Southeast Asia…
“… it’s impossible to completely avoid the heat that’s swept over Thailand and neighboring countries… According to CNN, temperatures in Thailand reached over 45 degrees Celsius [113F] for the first time in history around 10 days ago.”
“Breaking News: Laos did it again! With a temperature of 42.3C [108.1F] Luang Prabang just recorded the highest temperature ever recorded in Laos in May and the 2nd highest after the all-time record set last month.
“In the next days that record can fall. 8th week of this heat wave in SE Asia – unprecedented.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654099873027817472
“SE Asia is living an extreme heat wave. For many areas it ‘s the harshest heat wave in history. Records are being destroyed in several countries, starting with China. 4 provinces >40C [104F] and hottest day in history for any month:
“41.4 Ceheng; 41.9 Longling; 41.1 Xilin.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654453819076476932
“The heatwave phenomenon in the country [Malaysia] not only restricts the daily activities of the public but has also affected the yield of farmers and rubber smallholders…
“Jamal said that previously he could earn between RM800 and RM900 per week from his 1.2-hectare rubber plantation, but could only make RM500 now due to the “extraordinarily” hot weather.”
“Records are falling non-stop in all Continent these days; Yesterday another record in Oceania:
“The Solomon Islands had their hottest May day in history with 35.1C 95.2F] at Honiara Airport. The Solomon Islands have never had a month colder than average since September 2015!”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654380413023059968
“Record low Antarctic sea ice is another alarming sign the ocean’s role as climate regulator is changing…
“We are winding up a clockwork spring without knowing exactly when, how fast and how it will unspool. Ocean heating is not so much a canary in a coal mine but a thrashing shark we’ve inadvertently (at least initially) hauled up into our fishing boat.”
“Southern Hemisphere keeps beating records
“In Argentina crazy 22.4C [72.3C] in the far South at Rio Gallegos, 3C above the previous record. In New Zealand summer night temperatures. New records for May: 18.6 Whitianga; 18.8 Tauranga; 17.4 Hamilton; 18.3 Auckland AP; 17 Kelburn; 17.1 Nelson.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654585511946645504
“Climate shocks could push 3 million Brazilians into extreme poverty, says World Bank.
“Climate shocks could push millions of Brazilians into extreme poverty by 2030, a report by the World Bank on Thursday said… The poorest of the South American nation would be affected by natural disasters, especially floods and droughts, rising food prices and reduced labor productivity, the report says.”
“Not all parts of the Amazon will survive future droughts, study says.
“As climate change continues to choke off rainfall, many parts of the Amazon are facing a higher probability of dying off from drought than previously thought. A recent study found that the western and southern Amazon will struggle to survive…”
“Records can be broken either of highest max. temperatures or highest minimums. Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia and Venezuela are under an intense heat wave.
“Yesterday Costa Rica tied the record of its highest reliable minimum temperature on records with 28.6C [83.5F] at Cipanci.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654567286982733825
“This year is getting off to a hot start. According to the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, many areas in Georgia and NE Florida have had the hottest start of the year on record…
“Winter had an unusually warm period and spring continues to see record warm days. Cities all across central Florida and the east coast have never had such a hot start to any year on record.”
https://www.news4jax.com/weather/2023/05/05/hottest-start-to-year-on-record/
“Summer-Like Heat This Weekend for the Central U.S.
“A strong upper-level ridge will heat up the Plains and Midwest this weekend (ABOVE). With this high pressure building, we will see the potential for record warmth. Cities from Davenport to Kansas City could break record highs this weekend, with some spots creeping into the 90s!”
http://www.weathernationtv.com/news/high-pressure-brings-heat-to-the-central-us
“Dust storms 20 times deadlier than experts thought. A study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, took a closer look at mortality and dust storm data…
“The new numbers, compiled from multiple sources, show 2,322 deaths due to dust storms over ten years. Arizona ranks near the top…. Daniel Tong, one of the study’s authors… said he anticipates dust storms becoming more common across the country.”
“Exceptionally warm day in NE British Columbia! Record levels for early May.
“29.4°C [84.9F] Dawson Creek; 29.3°C Fort St. John; 29.0°C Prince George 28.7°C Quesnel; 28.5°C Chetwynd; 28.3°C Blue River [7 Tx > 25°C in a row!], Clearwater & Mackenzie; 27.6°C Fort St. James; 27.5°C Golden.”
https://twitter.com/ThierryGooseBC/status/1654659483673702401
“More than 13,000 people in Western Canada evacuated as wildfires rage across region amid hot weather and high winds.
“At least 78 wildfires are burning across the western province, 19 of which are burning out of control… “Temperatures have been 10 to 15 degrees above normal for a little while now,” Tucker said. “We still don’t have green grass and leaves all over the province, which means that the ground is very dry.””
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/05/weather/alberta-canada-wildfires-evacuations/index.html
“UK cannot take freshwater for granted…
“Scotland has been so short of rain that The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued a scarcity report for central, western and northern Scotland… parts of Devon face restrictions that could last until December, while Cornwall also remains under hosepipe bans first brought in last summer. Water companies are looking to desalination plants.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uk-cannot-take-freshwater-for-granted-t58nkv8zz
“Melting glaciers in Alps threaten biodiversity of invertebrates, says study.
“Invertebrates living in the cool meltwater rivers of the European Alps could lose most of their habitat and disappear, as the mountain range’s glaciers melt at an unprecedented rate due to climate change… Although they are often overlooked, these animals are crucial for alpine ecosystems.”
“Parts of Emilia Romagna still under floodwater [Italy].
“…despite an improvement in weather conditions as the authorities started assessing the damage caused by two days of unprecedented rainfall following months of severe drought. “Never has so much water fallen in 36 hours,” Regional Governor Stefano Bonaccini told Radio 24.”
“Spain’s Valencia registers driest spring since 1927. Not a single drop of rain fell on the city of Valencia in April, Spain’s meteorological agency says…
“Adding to the concern, Valencia has not seen any rainfall since March 5 – exactly two months ago. In the broader region of Valencia, some areas have not received any rain since Feb. 8.”
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/spain-s-valencia-registers-driest-spring-since-1927/2890106
“Residents in southern Spain face drinking water shortage amid persistent drought.
“Local residents in villages to the north of Cordoba are receiving water deliveries by truck after record temperatures and drought caused a drinking water basin to dry up… It has not rained in the villages north of the city of Cordoba for months…”
“Record Spring Heat in Mediterranean Almost Impossible Without Climate Change.
“Man-made climate change made the mass of hot air that brought scorching heat to Morocco, Algeria, Portugal and Spain at the end of April at least 100 times more likely to happen and would have been almost impossible in a cooler world, according to scientists… records were broken by large margins.”
“Tunisia: Need to Announce State of Drought As Natural Disaster in Tunisia, Adopt Urgent Plan to Manage Crisis.
“Expert in water resources and climate change Raoudha Gafrej called on Thursday to officially announce the state of drought as a natural disaster experienced by Tunisia, stressing the importance of setting up an urgent national plan to manage the current water crisis.”
https://allafrica.com/stories/202305050109.html
“…the village of Aioun Al Atrouss in Mauritania rose to 47.0C [116.6F], which ties its record of the hottest May day ever (May 1996 and May 2009) and ties its 2nd hottest day ever (> 80 years of data) only behind 15 June 2001 (47.6C).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654209008796835840
“Congo: nearly 200 people killed in flash floods in eastern DRC.
“At least 176 people have died in flash floods in an eastern territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a regional governor said on Friday, as heavy rain destroyed buildings and forced aid workers to gather mud-clad corpses into piles.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/05/congo-corpses-pile-up-after-deaths-in-floods
“Uganda. Eight killed in Kisoro landslides.
“…after their homes were buried in a mudslide triggered by torrential rains, the Red Cross said on Wednesday, as emergency workers and local residents shoveled through the mud in search of bodies… Uganda, like the rest of East Africa, has been experiencing heavy rains.”
https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/04/uganda-eight-killed-in-kisoro-landslides/
“Hottest May day on records beaten again in Mauritius: yesterday the island of Agalega rose to 34.6C [94.3F], beating its own record again after just few days.“
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1654237715288985601
“Pakistan, still recovering from last year’s floods, braces for more flooding this year.
“Last fall, Fatima Laghari’s home in Sindh, Pakistan, was swept away in catastrophic floods from “monster monsoons” that deluged the country for months. A Red Crescent humanitarian aid team came through to give her essentials and a tent for temporary shelter. Six months later, she’s still living in that tent.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistan-more-floods-expected-2023/
“Freak hailstorms batter Delhi after heatwave, raising concerns over erratic weather.
“Parts of India are experiencing freak low temperatures along with unseasonal rain and hailstorms in mid-summer just weeks after record-breaking heat. Delhi along with some areas of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh have seen hail and rainfall at 10-15 times the typical level this week.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/india-weather-delhi-rain-heatwave-b2332517.html
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back on Monday with an “Economic” thread, although it may be rather thin, as it is a bank holiday and I suspect the news will be full of the coronation.
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.
OMG! I ran across this just now, and absolutely must share it with someone.
“Westerners constantly respond to criticism of US foreign policy with “You love Putin and think he is good” because they really, truly subscribe to a children’s cartoon “Good Guys vs Bad Guys” worldview. To them, saying one side is Bad means you think the other side is Good.
To a mature adult, criticizing US foreign policy is just criticizing US foreign policy, which is something everyone should do all the time. To a propaganda-addled manchild, this is a struggle of Good versus Evil, and if you’re not one then you must necessarily be the other.”
In psychological parlance this is “splitting”, Lou, and it is certainly a hallmark of this era:
“Splitting (also called black-and-white thinking, thinking in extremes or all-or-nothing thinking) is the failure in a person’s thinking to bring together the dichotomy of both perceived positive and negative qualities of something into a cohesive, realistic whole.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology)
Hello Panopticon
It’s getting warmer, that much is clear and fast too.
In Catelan France, ‘above ground’ swimming pools are now banned because you could be tempted to fill them anyway and more and more villages are losing their drinking water. That is then brought in every day by tanker truck.
Of course, ‘ support’ is promised by the government to the affected farmers and horticulturists.
But yes if this becomes chronic that is another story.
My own horticulturist here, a Dutchman who happened to have moved north from the Nice area a few years ago, put it this way… ‘We have to wait another month in this department before announcing ‘ restrictions’ then everyone will have filled up their gardens and their year will be over ! If restrictions come into effect earlier then no one will buy ‘garden stuff’.
That’s right, I am now quickly putting my full because the next two weeks promise to be cooler and tomorrow there might even be rain 🙂
That’s different from standing under an umbrella in the rain for hours watching and cheering the ‘ balcony scene’ at Buckingham palace…. What a medieval state that Charles and Camilla is in, by the way
But speaking of the Middle Ages and the drought… we humans react as if we only half understand the ‘enlightenment’ 🙂 Yesterday an extensive report on Spain and the surely now dramatic drought !
‘….That this can still happen in the 21st century a villager longed ! And another prayed to God to beg for rain…..’
And then, of course, you have the conspiracy thinkers…..
The Spanish government defended the country’s weather agency, which is the target of a barrage of insults and threats over claims of a “climate conspiracy” as the country faces abnormally high temperatures and a record drought.
“Murderers”, “criminals”, “we are watching you”, “you will pay”: these are the kinds of messages the state agency Aemet has received in recent weeks on social networks, by e-mail or even by phone.
Teresa Ribera, Minister of Ecological Transition, defended the agency and yesterday called for an “end” to such practices. “Lying, conspiracy and feeding fear, insulting … This impoverishes our society,” she denounced on her Twitter account.
One of the agency’s spokespersons, Estrella GutiĂ©rrez, who is also a member of Spain’s Higher Council of Meteorologists, stated that in her 30-year career she had “never” experienced such aggressiveness. As a European country on the front line of global warming, Spain has been experiencing an increase in heat waves and increasingly scarce and irregular rainfall for several years.
According to the UN, 75%!!! of the country is threatened by desertification.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/vague-de-chaleur-l-agence-meteo-espagnole-victime-d-insultes-et-menaces-20230505
“The Spanish government defended the country’s weather agency, which is the target of a barrage of insults and threats over claims of a “climate conspiracy” as the country faces abnormally high temperatures and a record drought.”
It is depressing, if not altogether unsurprising, that climate change sceptics are doubling down and turning nastier even as the evidence against their case becomes incontrovertible. Such is the human ego.
I don’t engage with such people voluntarily these days and have been lucky (niche!) enough to avoid trolling, thank goodness.
https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-signals/hadley-cell-expansion#more
The titles seems a little bit weird and hard to read.
I’m afraid it is not the most polished site, cosmetically. It would be too time-consuming for me to source all the articles and make it look immaculate too. I could try another font if the current one is not very legible. Any input from readers on that is welcome!
One person here (Harry McGibbs) does the most heroic, basically selfless task of curating and collating the most important news of human history, for what must be virtually no pay or reward, and you want to bitch about the type face?
Humans are an ungrateful, perpetually stupid whining species. It’s a wonder anybody ever endeavors to do the slightest task for them.
On the other hand, maybe “you” are an annoyGPT bot. If so, well done, bot!!
Bless you for the ringing endorsement, Martin.