“Swiss glaciers under threat again as heat wave drives zero-temperature level to record altitude.
“The Swiss weather service says a heat wave has driven the zero-degree Celsius level to its highest altitude since recordings on it in Switzerland began nearly 70 years ago, a new ominous sign for the country’s vaunted glaciers.”
“Intense heat wave in Europe with 44.5C [112.1F] in Spain and 42.7C in France where 46 more records fell:
“Main all time highs: 42.7 [108.9F] Lapalud; 42.5 Puy St Martin; 36.1 Glandage… Monthly: 41.9 St Laurent,Lagrasse & Argeliers; 40.4 Tiranges; 38.2 St Alban; 37.6 Le Pont de M.; 35 St Sauveur.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1693701221767360869
“Tenerife wildfire ‘started deliberately’ as blazes in Greece force evacuations.
“An out-of-control wildfire on Tenerife that has forced thousands to flee was started deliberately, authorities have said, as four more villages in Greece were evacuated in the face of another advancing blaze and more than half of mainland France was on extreme heat alert.”
“Italy is in the grip of its third major heatwave of this summer, as the hottest two-year period on record continues in the country.
“The Ministry of Health said Monday that by mid-week, 17 of Italy’s 27 largest cities will be on “red alert” for heat. A new record of 20 out of 27 cities was set in July.”
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202308/22/WS64e40ca7a31035260b81d7ff.html
“Fierce heat in Southern African highlands.
“Temperatures reached 37.7C [99.9F] in Botswana (0.1C from reliable August national record, which can fall next days), 37C in Namibia and 36C in South Africa. Next days the heat will further increase and records will be almost unavoidable.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1693676815338930254
“MENA Energy Crisis Deepens As Record Breaking Heatwave Sweeps The Region…
“While the region is historically known for its intense summer heat, current heat waves are extreme even for those used to the desert climate, with the heat index topping 150 degrees fahrenheit – nearing the limit for human survival – in many locations.”
“Turkish heatwave makes things difficult for growers…
“”Generally, the whole country is affected by the high temperatures, but especially Southern regions of Turkey are highly affected. The least affected region is the Black Sea region, in the Northern part of the country.””
“Several killed by floods on Moscow sewer tour.
“City Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed the deaths without saying how many had died, and said authorities were still searching for several missing people. Sunday’s floods, caused by heavy rain, were so rapid people could not escape.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66571848
“Artificial glacier helps mountain village in Kyrgyzstan meet water needs…
“Constructing the artificial glacier began with installing an underground pipeline. In just one week, 55 people manually dug a trench and laid pipes from the mountain spring to the pasture, where their livestock graze. The end of the pipe was then raised 20 meters above the ground.”
https://yubanet.com/world/artificial-glacier-helps-mountain-village-in-kyrgyzstan-meet-water-needs/
“From July 11 to August 19 this year, the national average temperature in China was 23.05C [73.5F], the second highest in history, second only to last year’s 23.1C!
“This is mainly because northern China is very hot this year, making up for the gap in the south.”
https://twitter.com/yangyubin1998/status/1693226921591795842
“China’s Northern Farmers Brace for More Heavy Rains and Floods.
“”China’s northeastern grain basket is bracing for another deluge of heavy rain, heaping more pain on farmers in the region who have already seen fields flooded and crops damaged by wild weather this month.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-northern-farmers-brace-more-053652680.html
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has lashed out at top officials for their “irresponsible” response to flood damage, saying they had “spoiled” the national economy, state media reported on Tuesday.
“Kim inspected a tideland on the west coast on Monday after seawater recently destroyed an embankment with inadequate drainage system, flooding more than 560 hectares of land…”
“Numerous heat records have been broken in Japan, with Tokyo experiencing daytime highs exceeding 35℃(95F) 21 times so far this summer (as of Aug. 20).
“This is nearly four times the summer average and significantly surpasses the previous record of 16 times set last year.”
https://twitter.com/sayakasofiamori/status/1693442037297860896
“Record heat in Thailand. Yesterday 39.5C [103.1F] at Uttaradit is the highest temperature ever recorded in Thailand in August (previous 39.4C Kanchanaburi 13 August 1987).
“Many more monthly records fell in the past 2 days (see list below); Central Thailand rainy season has been very weak.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1693548500061937792
“Winter 2022 was the first winter when not a single long POR [period of records] station in the whole Southern Hemisphere beat an all time record of lowest temperature.
“Meteorological Winter 2023 is near ending and so far no long series stations have beaten an all time low and time is running out…”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1692892036368613625
“I’ve spent 40 years in Antarctic research. Right now it’s facing a climate emergency so we must not put vital science on ice.
“Antarctica’s climate is changing. Record-breaking stored heat is melting ice shelves from underneath, setting off a chain reaction. Without the buttressing of the ice shelves, glaciers flow faster to the sea. In West Antarctica, the Thwaites “doomsday glacier” is melting faster than predicted.”
“A bridge in Chile’s central Maule Region collapsed amid river flooding spurred by heavy rains, video released on August 21 shows.
“Aerial video of the Maule Region released by the Carabineros, Chile’s national police, on Monday shows the Three Arches Bridge (Puente Tres Arcos) partially collapsed into the Ancoa River in Llepo, as well as flooding in nearby areas.”
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/bridge-section-collapses-amid-heavy-180053537.html
“Exceptional heat in South America today with 41C in Brazil and 39C in Argentina. Several more monthly records were broken in Brazil:
“41.0 [105.8F] Oeiras; 40.8 Bom Jesus Piaui; 40.4 Alvorada do gurgueia; 40.4 Balsas; 40.4 Floriano etc. Next days it will be even worse with more records coming.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1693728632005329356
“A major fire advances in Potrero de los Funes [Argentina].
“The fires do not give truce in San Luis and there are active foci in various parts of the province. One of them is located in Potrero de los Funes, in front of the International Hotel.”
“New day, new record in Peru.
“Yesterday the city of Tarapoto, in the Amazon Region, rose to 38.2C [100.8F], its hottest August day on records, finally beating the August 1963 which was tied earlier this month.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1693189847765172572
“More than 200 ships are stuck on both sides of the Panama Canal after authorities capped the number of crossings because of a serious drought.
“The large vessels, thought to be carrying millions of dollars worth of goods, are locked in a traffic jam with some waiting for weeks to cross.”
“Hawaii wildfires: 850 people still missing after blaze ripped through Maui.
“Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said more than 1,200 people have recently been found safe following the wildfires that have killed at least 114 people. US President Joe Biden is set to visit the island following criticism.”
“Canada wildfires: At least 30,000 households in British Columbia told to evacuate.
“About 30,000 households have been ordered to evacuate in Canada’s British Columbia province, where nearly 400 wildfires are raging. Two huge fires in the Shuswap region merged overnight, destroying blocks of houses and other buildings.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66562610
“Dramatic new photos show the devastation in the Coachella Valley of California, as Cathedral City reels from record-breaking rain caused by Tropical Storm Hilary.
“Residents of an assisted living facility were pictured on Monday being rescued by JCB machinery, with many roads left impassable.”
“Hilary continues to deliver flooding rains to parts of southern California. Palmdale has set an all-time daily rainfall record. Mount San Jacinto has received 8.52 inches…
“Death Valley saw its wettest day on record yesterday (2.20”). That’s more than its previous wettest 2 days (1.70”) and wettest 3 days (1.88”).”
https://twitter.com/DonSuth89069583/status/1693608901818658842
“Waco [Texas] poised for ‘driest summer on record’…
“In Waco, there has been no rainfall for a record 50 straight days, since only a trace amount on July 1… “There’s no sign that’s going to change anytime soon … Waco is on track to be [the] driest summer on record,” Bradshaw said.”
“Sweltering temperatures lingered Sunday in a large swath of the central U.S., causing misery from the Gulf of Mexico almost to the Great Lakes.
“Record high temperatures were recorded in Texas and other states. People were told to chug extra water while mowing lawns or exercising outdoors, and to check on neighbors to ensure air-conditioning is available.”
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2023/08/21/737141.htm
“Unreal heat indices in Kansas this afternoon. Actual temp at Lawrence is 102F. But with a dew point of 83F, the heat index is …. 131F [55C].
“It’s about as high as I’ve seen in the U.S., anywhere, anytime.”
https://twitter.com/GregPostel/status/1693359035800502320
“Max. temperature today at Barahona, Dominica Republic reached 38.4C [101.2F]. This is the highest temperature ever recorded in its climatic history.“
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1693418586306441638
“For only the third time on record (since 1851), 3 Atlantic tropical cyclones formed over 24 short hours (TD6, Emily, Franklin).
“The historic tropical cyclone outbreak this weekend was matched only by August 22, 1995, and August 15, 1893.”
https://twitter.com/MichaelRLowry/status/1693452445471387959
“The North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly is rapidly increasing again..
“It’s been breaking daily record highs for 165 days now.
“This is still not normal!”
https://twitter.com/LeonSimons8/status/1693605175603192049
“We are living through crazy times.
“Global sea surface temperatures continue to reach new records almost daily, today up again to 21.09°C (69.96°F). And this is happening at a time of year when sea surface temperatures are typically lower than their March/April peak.”
https://twitter.com/EliotJacobson/status/1693657766458798503
“The year of ‘global boiling’ is creating an opportunity for winemakers in Sweden…
“The extended growing season for vineyards in Sweden is now longer by 20 days due to rising temperatures, the AP reported, based on data from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Average temperatures in Sweden rose by 1°C, or 1.8 °F, from 1961-1990 to 1991-2016 — and are likely to rise a further 2 to 7°C by the end of the century.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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Hello Pan,
‘Code red’ has been declared for today and tomorrow in my Haute Loire department for extreme heat. This is the second time since its introduction in 2008 that this warning code has been issued in France. Consequently, it is extremely hot and aslle forests in the valley I overlook are now in ‘autumn foliage’ The heat is going to last until the end of this week. The French government gives daily updates on the ‘drought’ and the ‘beet of rivers in the various departments in the country. An extremely informative site, where you can see quite clearly how quickly an area can end up a ‘water stress’ area.
Consequently, my first news update after my holiday immediately yielded a record 10k readers and a large number of comments. As I mentioned earlier, the number of ‘climate sceptic’ comments is also increasing at the same time. Actually quite an interesting psychological phenomenon that jue seen in numerous similar situations.
A way out is sought in ‘conspiracies’ and simple ‘one-liners’ that apparently act as a reassuring mantra in the face of ‘complexity’. A kind of curious ‘polarisation’ that you see reflected on numerous issues facing France at the moment. The parliamentary year starts tomorrow and the pre-summer hot topics are still there 🙂 Immigration flows and the budget deficit which, like in the UK, is nevertheless running very high.
Let’s see what ‘they’ will do about it.
Macron has already announced that he will again bypass parliament during budget discussions and try to ‘legitimise’ his centrist party’s cuts through the ‘back door’ Diesel and fuel prices have now risen again to levels reminiscent of last year’s ‘energy crisis’. Alelen this time there will be no supporting measures to reduce enrgic costs for the people. The cost of this has cost over 48 billion in the past ajren and is thus stupidly out of reach. Let’s see what all that will create turmoil.
Oh yes and soon ‘they’ will also come up with a climate and ecological new policy…. the outlines are already clear including raising taxes on electric and hybrid SUVs 🙂 and some grumbling about the fly tax because yes we have to do ‘something’ in this pre-Olympic year when everyone will be looking at Paris… 🙂 Oh yes….watch ‘melting’ Greenland these days
https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/secheresse-decouvrez-la-carte-de-france-des-restrictions-d-eau-en-temps-reel-20230707
Zip, I was wondering how you were surviving the heat. It’s been surreal seeing all of these heat records falling from my relentlessly cool and soggy corner of the world.
“As I mentioned earlier, the number of ‘climate sceptic’ comments is also increasing at the same time. Actually quite an interesting psychological phenomenon that jue seen in numerous similar situations.”
Well, I suppose there’s some Freudian reaction formation going on there, or perhaps just some good old-fashioned pigheadedness.
My clever webmaster, Anne, also drew my attention to some completely bonkers conspiracy theories emerging around the Maui fires, which suggests that some deniers are seeking refuge in outright delusion under the increasing onslaught of evidence.
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/maui-laser-strike-hawaii-conspiracy-theory-b2394530.html
interesting link….The whole problem with influencers and all kinds of chaos theories is increasing hand over fist. I don’t know if your kids are on ‘tik tok’ yet. My grandchildren do and I watched them this summer and had a chat with them about it. These are new “uncontrollable” communication strategies. With them, they are girls of 14 and 16, it is mainly about appearance, but in the meantime there are many hidden seducers lurking.
The newest tedens of course are the chatbots AI. influencers who become your conversation partner completely ‘customized’. That’s just the beginning I’m afraid for a kind of AI ‘fictional communication universe’ of infinite sequences ala Freeman Dyson 😉
In France they are trying to keep the ‘genie in the bottle’ This spring a senate commission has been set up to ‘tik tok’ and somewhat more broadly to ‘ curb or regulate the role of influencers with the aim of treating the medium the same as commercial TV and other media. In addition, the excesses of influencer role models should be better identified and possibly legislated. An additional study they want to conduct is on fake news and China’s role in Tik tok….
In short, they haven’t figured that out yet 🙂 I will let you know the findings in due course. It is interesting though.
interesting link….The whole problem with influencers and all kinds of chaos theories is increasing hand over fist. I don’t know if your kids are on ‘tik tok’ yet. My grandchildren do and I watched them this summer and had a chat with them about it. These are new “uncontrollable” communication strategies. With them, they are girls of 14 and 16, it is mainly about appearance, but in the meantime there are many hidden seducers lurking.
The newest tedens of course are the chatbots AI. influencers who become your conversation partner completely ‘customized’. That’s just the beginning I’m afraid for a kind of AI ‘fictional communication universe’ of infinite sequences ala Freeman Dyson 😉
In France they are trying to keep the ‘genie in the bottle’ This spring a senate commission has been set up to ‘tik tok’ and somewhat more broadly to ‘ curb or regulate the role of influencers with the aim of treating the medium the same as commercial TV and other media. In addition, the excesses of influencer role models should be better identified and possibly legislated. An additional study they want to conduct is on fake news and China’s role in Tik tok….important for the next elections 🙂
In short, they haven’t figured that out yet 🙂 I will let you know the findings in due course. It is interesting though.
“The newest tedens of course are the chatbots AI. influencers who become your conversation partner completely ‘customized’.”
Speaking of which, this alarming tale caught my eye earlier this summer: “A man who planned to assassinate the late queen with a crossbow drew encouragement from an AI chatbot in the days before breaking into the grounds of Windsor Castle, the Old Bailey has heard.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/06/ai-chatbot-encouraged-man-who-planned-to-kill-queen-court-told
Thankfully neither of my boys have fallen down the Tik Tok or AI rabbit holes.
My neighbor just got back from an Alaska cruise and talk about zeros. They couldn’t see the glacial bay glacier it has receded too much. People that booked whale watching didn’t see any whales and those who booked fishing trips didn’t catch any fish if this not a good sign at all. We just had a couple days of smoke from all of the fires for the last couple of days.
Thanks, Heather – more evidence, if anecdotal, that marine habitats are struggling. The recent spike in methane levels at Utqiagvik aka Barrow is concerning to me in the context of the warm temps there this summer.
https://alaskapublic.org/2023/08/07/northern-alaska-follows-global-trend-with-warmest-july-on-record/
Think how bad it would be if monkey minds’ global warming causing climate change, weather weirding & irreversible feedback loops were real.
Still waiting to see weeping & gnashing of teeth on all broadcast media & blogger video sites when denial no longer works as they watch their friends & family fall to NTHE.
I’m glad overpopulation ignorance is the fail safe for NTHE.