“In February 2022, the Arctic was +4.09°C warmer than the average February of 1951-1980.
“Data source: Copernicus Climate Change Service.”
https://twitter.com/anttilip/status/1500405121397755908
“Shortage of hay leaves Alberta livestock owners desperate for feed this winter… After record-breaking heat stunted the Prairie harvest last fall, Alberta livestock owners have been scrambling over the limited supply of hay.
“”The hay situation is at crisis levels,” said Bev Wilson, founder of 5 Freedoms Ranch Rescue and Rehabilitation Society, an equine rescue in Strathcona County. “I don’t know how we are going to make it.””
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/hay-shortage-alberta-livestock-animal-welfare-1.6373323
“Wheat Prices Soar on Concerns of War, Drought. Prices for wheat in Montana haven’t been as high as they are now since 2008, the start of the Great Recession…
“…many farmers… were hit so hard by the 2021 drought that it took everything they could harvest just to fill contracts that were supposed to be just 30% of what they would cut in a normal year.”
“Floods, heat waves, crop failures: Report shows Michigan must prepare for climate future…
“Residents of the Great Lakes State can expect to experience more frequent torrential downpours, heavy lake effect snowstorms, flooded homes and streets, oppressive heat waves, crop failures, and more.”
“Several killed as weather system unleashes record-breaking heat, tornadoes and hail across parts of the country [US]…
“At least six [now seven] people were killed in Iowa after tornadoes touched down, according to Madison County’s emergency management office. Two of those killed were children, officials aid.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/weather-weekend-record-breaking-heat-tornadoes-hail/
“70,000 California wildfire victims lost everything. Now they’re fighting an uphill battle for money to rebuild.
“These fire victims are scheduled to receive less than half of what they were promised, according to the latest estimate by the trust responsible for paying victims. Any future increase to payouts depends on the value of the embattled company’s stock [PGEC]…”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/70-000-California-wildfire-victims-lost-16980239.php
“Florida Panhandle wildfires force evacuation from more than a thousand homes.
“Veterans at a nursing home were evacuated, joining residents from more than 1,000 homes, as firefighters and emergency workers battled two massive wildfires Sunday in an area of the Florida Panhandle that was still recovering from destruction caused by a category-5 hurricane more than three years ago.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/06/florida-panhandle-wildfires-evacuations
“Five municipalities in Antioquia [Colombia] are in emergency due to floods.
“In Murindó the high rainfall caused the overflow of the Murindó River causing flooding and palisade that obstructed the tributary in approximately three kilometers, this could cause sudden increase.”
“Feast of famine – untimely shifts in South American weather bring wetter weather at harvest.
“The wet weather will cause delays for harvest; in fact, after a rather dry season thus far, recent rain and the potential for more rain in the weeks to come could cause some quality issues, particularly for later planted crops.”
“Video emerged on Friday of the moment a large portion of the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina’s Patagonia region collapsing in late February…
“According to a study released in 2021, glaciers are melting faster, losing 31% more snow and ice per year than they did 15 years earlier.”
“Several cities across Portugal, more than 95 percent of whose territory is in “severe or extreme drought,” have begun to adopt measures to ration water use.
“The water crisis is particularly serious in the southern region, where the Algarve Intermunicipal Community on Saturday announced “joint measures” to face the drought.”
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2022-03/06/content_78090329.htm
“Moroccans prayed for rain after the Friday prayer as the country faces its worst drought since 1981.
“Late and unevenly distributed rainfall has put a strain on Moroccan farmers who are bracing for a tough year that required the government to intervene. Some Moroccan dams, such as Abedelmoumen and Massira which supply Agadir and Casablanca are almost depleted.”
https://northafricapost.com/55983-moroccans-pray-for-rain-amid-worst-drought-in-decades.html
“Somalia’s Worst Drought in Decades Escalates.
“Somalia is in the middle of its worst drought in decades, with millions of people in need of aid and thousands on the brink of starvation. The United Nations estimates 4.3 million Somalis are affected by the drought and more than half-a-million displaced.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/somalia-s-worst-drought-in-decades-escalates/6472132.html
“Dust storm from Iraq, Syria and Jordan hits western Iran.
“The concentration of fine dust was recorded as 50 times above the standard range in some cities of the province. Due to the intensity of PM concentration, the schools in all educational levels in the southern cities of the province were held online on Saturday, IRIB reported.”
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/470713/Dust-storm-from-Iraq-Syria-and-Jordan-hits-western-Iran
“South Korea: Thousands flee their homes after wildfire engulfs city and threatens nuclear power station.
“More than 14,800 acres of land has been destroyed in South Korea, after a wildfire broke out on Friday morning. Some 6,000 people have been evacuated out of the Samcheok area, 330km (205 miles) southeast of Seoul, as firefighters tackle the blaze.”
“How increased threat of forest fires and climate change in Southeast Asia is further endangering public health.
“As pulp and paper milll companies in Indonesia look to ramp up production, a coming period of hot, dry weather is set to increase the risk of forest fires that cloak the region in a toxic haze.”
“Hundreds of families have evacuated to safer grounds after continuous heavy rains flooded their communities in Iligan City [Philippines].
“The state weather bureau earlier issued an advisory about heavy rainfall over Lanao del Norte and the cities of Iligan and Marawi, lasting until the wee hours of Monday due to a low-pressure area.”
“North Queensland’s extreme heatwave see temperature, power demand records tumble…
“In Townsville, the mercury did not drop below 28.9 degrees Celsius [84F] overnight, setting a March record for the third time this month. “You can’t really define ‘unprecedented’ in any stronger way,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Livio Regano said.”
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-07/north-queensland-heatwave-sees-records-tumble/100888446
“‘Unimaginable’: Thousands displaced as true extent of NSW floods revealed.
“More than 2000 homes and businesses in the state’s inundated Northern Rivers have been declared unliveable and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet warned the recovery will take years as the true extent of the disaster becomes clear.”
“Why scientists are expecting another ‘crappy’ year for [new Zealand] glacier melt…
“Ahead of an annual aerial stocktake of around 50 index glaciers later this month, survey team member Dr Drew Lorrey is anticipating the effect of another hot summer to be visible. “I’m expecting a crappy year…. and you can quote me on that.””
“It’s been quite a summer in Whanganui.
“The temperature of 32.7C [90.9F] at Whanganui Airport on February 10 was the highest there since records began in 1937… Whanganui’s average temperatures were more than 1.2degC warmer than usual, and that average was driven up by noticeably warm nights.”
“Extremely Hot, Humid Weather Could Kill a Person Far More Easily Than We Thought.
“The human body might not cope with nearly as much heat and humidity as theory predicts… “Our results suggest that in humid parts of the world, we should start to get concerned – even about young, healthy people – when it’s above 31 degrees wet-bulb temperature,” says Kenney.”
https://www.sciencealert.com/human-survival-in-hot-and-humid-conditions-is
Interesting if perhaps not entirely relevant: “Hunga Tonga volcano spewed ash 36 miles high, a world record… It blasted into the mesosphere, the third layer of Earth’s atmosphere…
“The agency called it “likely the highest plume in the satellite record,” surpassing what many volcanologists and atmospheric scientists had known was physically feasible.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/03/05/hunga-tonga-plume-mesosphere/
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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