“It’s only February, but it feels like May in Beijing. Temperatures some 40 degrees above normal brought historically warm winter weather to China, Japan and other parts of Asia over the weekend.
“Beijing’s temperature shot up to 78 degrees Sunday, its highest temperature ever observed between December and February by 10 degrees.
““Record pulverized,” wrote Maximiliano Herrera, a climate historian known for meticulously keeping track of temperature extremes across the world. He noted that Sunday’s reading surpassed previous marks for warm weather in each of the three core winter months. The December record stands at 57.7 degrees, with 58.4 degrees the record for January.”
“Forest fires erupt in north China’s Shanxi Province:
“A forest fire broke out in Zuoquan County at the intersection of north China’s Shanxi and Hebei provinces on Saturday afternoon. Officials of Zuoquan County, in Shanxi Province, deployed over 1,600 firefighters.”
“China’s temperate glaciers are melting at accelerating rate: China’s temperate glaciers are showing signs of accelerated melting because of their strong accumulation and melting, high temperature, fast movement, and violent bottom sliding.”
“Unusually high temperatures on Monday forced Shanghai residents to put on T-shirts four months before the arrival of summer, albeit temporarily.
“The highest temperature in the eastern metropolis reached 26.2 degrees Celsius [79.16F] on Monday, making it the hottest late February day since February 27, 1921, when temperatures reached 28.5 degrees Celsius…”
“Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday local authorities should get prepared for potential forest fires later this year as hot spots had been detected on the island of Sumatra.
“The Southeast Asian country has suffered some of the biggest tropical forest fires outside the Amazon and Congo in recent years, putting at risk endangered animals like orangutans and tigers and sending choking haze across the region.”
“Five people were killed in the severe floods that submerged entire neighborhoods in Jakarta, authorities said Sunday, as residents returned to clean their homes and salvage belongings.
“The city was struck by torrential rains over the weekend, which flooded dozens of major roads and forced hundreds of people to rush to emergency shelters.”
“More than 5,000 people have fled to temporary shelters in the southern Philippines as tropical storm Dujuan brought heavy rains, submerging dozens of villages, the country’s disaster risk reduction and management agency said.
“Two regions were hit by the storm, including the country’s nickel mining hub of Caraga…”
“There are already five deaths in Santa Maria de Itabira (MG, Brazil) due to the rains.
“At dawn, the bodies of a man and two of his daughters were found. Intense rains hit the city at dawn and the lower part of the city was flooded by the Tanque River.”
“The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency for a period of 60 days in the Madre de Dios region after serious floodsthat until Monday had caused damage to infrastructure and forced 15,000 people to abandon their homes.
“The head of the ministry, Gabriel Quijandría, said that the army would bring humanitarian aid to the area…”
“Texas is still reeling from devastating winter storms and for some, recovery could take months:
“While state officials work to turn the lights back on for the remaining Texas households still in the dark and address widespread water disruptions, some residents are faced with damage that could take weeks — or months — to recover from.”
“People in parts of Wales were evacuated on Saturday after a month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours, leading to fears of flooding that threatens homes and businesses.
“There are currently 15 flood warnings and 22 flood alerts in place in Wales, as published by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), though even more had been in place on Saturday that have now been lifted.”
“A temperature of 15 degrees was measured at the official weather station in De Bilt [Netherlands] on Sunday at 12.40 pm, which is a new record, according to Weerplaza. Since the measurements began in 1901, it has never been this warm on February 21.
“”We are dealing with an exceptionally early period of spring weather,” says Weerplaza. On Saturday, a temperature of 15.9 degrees [60.6F] was already reached in De Bilt. In some places in Noord-Brabant, temperatures of almost 18 degrees [64.4F] Celsius were reached.”
“From one extreme to another, the temperatures across Europe have been on a rollercoaster journey this winter.
“Greece or Spain have experienced some of the heaviest snowfall in several decades, temperatures have been exceptionally mild for the season in western Europe and there’s been freezing cold in the east. So, why has there been such extremes in the weather?”
“Scores of residents from Beitbridge’s oldest suburb, Dulivhadzimu [South Africa] were left counting their losses yesterday when flash floods hit the area.
“Cars were submerged in the sudden flooding while roads and buildings were severely damaged.” [Video].
“Kalpa—the picturesque tourist resort with the snow-laden Himalayas as its backdrop—recorded its warmest February in 28 years. The met officials blame the high temperatures due to lack of precipitation.
“Manmohan Singh, Director of the regional meteorological department, told IANS that the highest temperature of the town was 19°C on Sunday [66.2F], which was 14°C above the average.”
“Myanmar’s military coup and a potential ramp up in trade boycotts by foreign governments and business could fuel the risk of deforestation in the Asian nation, which is likely to turn to investors lacking environmental standards, green groups warned.
“Myanmar’s army toppled the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi this month…”
“A tanker sailed through Arctic sea ice in February for the first time, the latest sign of how quickly the pace of climate change is accelerating in the Earth’s northernmost regions.
“The Christophe de Margerie was accompanied by the nuclear-powered 50 Let Pobedy icebreaker as it sailed back to Russia this month after carrying liquified natural gas to China through the Northern Sea Route in January. Both trips broke navigation records.”
“Freshwater fish are under threat, with as many as a third of global populations in danger of extinction, according to an assessment.
“Populations of migratory freshwater fish have plummeted by 76% since 1970, and large fish – those weighing more than 30kg – have been all but wiped out in most rivers. The global population of megafish down by 94%, and 16 freshwater fish species were declared extinct last year.”
“A siege of winter storms and bitter cold over the past few weeks smashed thousands of temperature records from the Canadian border to South Texas and delivered multiple rounds of snow and ice to the West, South, Midwest and Northeast…
“Over 6,000 cold records were tied or set, including some all-time records. Nine separate winter storms have hammered the nation since late January.”
[My sympathies to those of you who have been living this].
“Joe Biden said on Friday he was ready to declare a major disaster in Texas after a deadly winter storm cut power and disrupted water supplies for millions across the state.
“Biden said the declaration, which follows a request from the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, would open up broader federal aid for immediate and long-term recovery efforts.”
“Farmers and ranchers in the south continue to assess the damage following the record-setting and deadly Arctic blast. Texas state agricultural officials say the cost of this storm will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
“”Just our citrus industry, their loss of just the fruit, not including damage to trees, is over $300 million and it will put a lot of our citrus growers out of business,” said Sid Miller, commissioner of agriculture in Texas.”
“An eight-year-old Honduran boy has become the latest victim in a string of drownings on the US-Mexico border as migrants attempt to cross the Rio Grande in treacherous winter conditions.
“The child, who has not been named, drowned on Wednesday while attempting to cross the freezing river with his family amid unprecedented Arctic conditions in the borderlands…”
“Gulf of Mexico Experiencing Record Low Water Temperatures:
“Steven DiMarco, a professor of oceanography at Texas A&M who heads the Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS), said that buoys located near Galveston recorded a temperature of 52.5 degrees while another near Corpus Christi reported a temperature of 50 degrees.”
“Almost all of Jackson, Mississippi, a city of around 150,000 people, is now without water, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said.
“Lumumba said public works crews are working to pump as much water as they can to refill the city’s tanks. The city is approaching a critical shortage in chemicals used to treat the city’s water, the mayor said.”
“Officials: ‘Freak Storm’ Caused Deadly [160mph, EF3] North Carolina Tornado: …Brunswick County’s emergency services director Ed Conrow echoed the frustrations of residents who spoke of having little to no time to prepare.
““It developed so fast,”Conrow told the governor. “I mean, it just was really nothing and just exploded. Within four minutes, we had a tornado on the ground…”
“Weather warnings have been issued across large parts of the UK as heavy rain brings the risk of flooding and travel disruption over the weekend…
“Met Office senior meteorologist Marco Petagna said that areas within an amber weather warning in south Wales could see 200mm of rain [7.9 inches], twice the normal rainfall for February.”
“A new wave of the desert locust invasion currently destroying crops and pastures in northern Kenya threatens to spiral out of control, having spread to more than 15 counties in the country.
“The swarms of locusts now threaten the livelihoods of millions of people in Kenya as the conflicts in Yemen, Somalia and northern Ethiopia make it difficult for FAO to control the breeding and movement of the pests at the source.”
“Winter forest fires affecting bird and butterfly population:
“As forest fires continue to rage in Uttarakh hills [India], bird and butterfly watchers say that they are witnessing a significant drop in their populations.“
Jet-stream disruptions also bringing record heat to parts of the planet:
“After Uzbekistan yesterday [32c / 90F in Karshi], Mongolia sets a new monthly national record today, Saturday, with 15.4°C / 60F in Tsetserleg. Tomorrow it may be beaten again. Previous record: 14.7°C in Dalanzadgad in 1992.
“On Sunday, warm air will move to Korea, potentially breaking records.”
“Rescue operations are under way in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta amid severe flooding across several areas which have forced more than 1,000 people to flee their homes.
“Some 1,380 Jakarta residents were evacuated on Saturday from southern and eastern areas of the city, home to 10 million people, after floodwaters level rose to 1.8 metres in some neighbourhoods…”
“Western Australia’s vast coastline is bearing the brunt of the La Nina weather pattern, with unusually high water temperatures bringing species of marine life — including whale sharks — to areas they have rarely been seen before and prompting concerns for coral bleaching…
“temperatures in some locations have been sitting two to three degrees higher than average…”
“After plentiful January rainfall that saved Argentine corn and soybeans from potential disaster, this month is on pace to be the country’s second-driest February in more than three decades, once again raising harvest concerns… Total rainfall this month will likely be just half of what is normal. February 2018 was the driest in at least 30 years, some 75% below the five previous years.”
“At least 4,000 people had their homes flooded and were displaced in Manhuaçu, 290 km from Belo Horizonte, Brazil this Friday (19). The information was confirmed by the Municipal Civil Defense.
“The city was flooded after the Manhuaçu River overflowed due to a strong storm that hit the region between the end of last night and this Friday.”
“Warm, Wet February In The Aleutians Linked To Warming Ocean Temperatures: While much of Alaska has been bitterly cold this month, the Aleutian Islands and Alaska Peninsula have been extraordinarily mild.
“It’s part of the recent warming pattern in the Bering Sea, and communities along the Aleutian Chain can expect a similar trend moving forward, says Rick Thoman…”
“The Imminent Calving Retreat of Taku Glacier [Alaska]:
“Long an anomaly among glaciers, advancing while most others shrank, Taku Glacier is starting to succumb to climate change, offering an unprecedented look at the onset of tidewater glacier retreat.”
“Wildfires are spreading to fuel-abundant regions of the world that used to be less prone to burning, according to a new analysis of 20 years of data by the Guardian…
“In recent years, fires have devastated areas of California, Australia, Siberia and the Pantanal that used to be relatively unaffected. In Africa, by contrast, there has been a reduction of savannah fires.”
“About 42,000 years ago, a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles triggered massive climate shifts and caused environmental changes to sweep across the globe, according to new Australian-led research…
“If such an event happened today, it would wreak havoc on satellites and electrical grids, but its environmental impact is less well understood.” [The former would be enough to take out industrial civilisation, so the latter may be somewhat moot from a human standpoint].
I hope those of you in the colder parts of the northern hemisphere are managing to stay warm and I send a warm welcome to any readers from Down Under who are struggling with the Facebook embargo.
Climate system palpably destabilised now (if it wasn’t before): “Cities across the nation and the globe are facing blistering cold winters this year, with many seeing record-breaking snowfall.
“From Tennessee to Athens, Greece, already freezing temperatures have plunged further this week as the polar vortex envelopes the northern hemisphere.” [Pictures]
“The Earth’s poles are warming faster than anywhere on the planet.
“While the consequences of that aren’t completely understood, it’s becoming apparent that many of the world’s extreme weather events owe the Arctic at least some of the credit.”
“[Our crises converge.] The Arctic storm sweeping through Texas is threatening to exacerbate a global shortage in semiconductors, after several manufacturing plants near Austin were forced to shut down.
“One of the area’s largest semiconductor producers, Samsung Electronics, said it had halted operations at its multibillion-dollar fabrication plant in Austin on Tuesday, with no clear timeline for resuming production.”
“Salt Lake City on Wednesday received the most snow it has gotten in recent history on a single day in February.
“Around noon, the National Weather Service reported 11.7 inches of snow. The previous record was in 1989, when 10.9 inches fell on Feb. 1, according to the National Weather Service.”
“Aerial photos show the trail of destruction left by a tornado which killed three people in N Carolina and left 10 injured as winter storm Uri continues to hammer the United States.
“In the dramatic photos, houses are seen completely decimated to the foundation after a tornado swept through a seaside town in North Carolina. Dozens of homes have been destroyed…”
“A staggering .55″ of rain fell in just five minutes in Gainesville [Florida] on Monday. According to the National Weather Service of Jacksonville, that set the all-time five-minute rainfall record for February.
“February is typically somewhat dry, so that’s not too hard to believe. Hard-hitting months for fast, heavy rainfall for us are typically the afternoon thunderstorms of summertime.”
“Winter air temperatures set new records in Latvia: Bauska set a new record for minimal air temperature (-21.6° C / -6.9F). The last negative air temperature record there was registered in 1954, when air temperature dropped to -20° C.
“Meteorologists report in many parts of Latvia night-time air temperature dropped as far as -20° C.”
“Record low temperatures were experienced in Greeceon Wednesday during the second phase of the storm “Medea.”
“According to the National Observatory of Athens weather service, meteo.gr, the lowest temperature, recorded at Neos Kafkasos in Florina, was -24.8C (-13 F).”
“Snow blanketed parts of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel on Wednesday, covering areas it has not reached in years, disrupting traffic and postponing vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 and even exams at some universities.
“It snowed for the first time in years in Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, and in Bayda in northeast Libya.”
“Over 2.6 million people in Somalia are expected to be in extreme food insecurityaccording to the latest joint technical assessment released by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization…
“The report cites poor rainfall, flooding and desert locusts among the main contributing factors and warns that the situation could worsen…”
“Heavy rains have marooned about 27,000 people in Mozambique’s Boane district, about 30 kilometres south of the country’s capital Maputo since last week, local councilman confirmed Monday.”
“A tropical storm likely to intensify into a cyclone is approaching Mozambique, South Africa’s Weather Services (SAWS) said on Wednesday, battering an area hit by cyclone Eloise less than a month back.
“Tropical storm Guambe is strengthening in the southern half of the Mozambique Channel with a high likelihood of torrential rain, strong winds and flooding along southern Mozambique’s coast and adjacent interior regions…”
“Afriski [Lesotho] was hit by its most brutal flood ever, with 60mm [2.4 inches] of rainfall measured in 30 minutes… which is equivalent to one-tenth of Johannesburg’s annual rainfall in half-an-hour.
“This is the first time that flooding has occurred at the Lesotho resort since it opened its doors in 2000.”
“A new study predicts a 7-8 fold increase in the frequency of flash droughts in India due to concurrent occurrence of extreme dry and hot periods during the monsoon season and greenhouse emissions.
“An increased frequency of flash drought pose a major risk to crop production due to soil moisture depletion and intraseasonal monsoon variation.”
“Unseasonal rains to lash Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal [India] from today…
“Rain activities in the month of February over eastern parts of the country remain low. Between January 1 and February 16, Bihar is rain deficient by 97%, Jharkhand by 92%, West Bengal by 91% and almost all the North-Eastern states are also large rain deficient.”
“Graziers in western Queensland are facing another period of destocking as large numbers of grasshoppers eat their way through the region for the third year in a row.
“Local mayor calls for state and federal help to find a solution.” [Facebook wouldn’t allow me to post this article btw due it’s spat with Australia].
“Wildfire Smoke Could Be the Main Way Californians Experience Climate Change:
“That smokestorm in August and September polluted Bay Area air for a record 30 straight days, at the apex of a fire season that saw more than 5 million acres burned up across the state. Wildfire smoke now accounts for half of the fine-particle pollution that wafts across the West…”
“Air pollution caused tens of thousands of deaths in the world’s five most populous cities last year despite coronavirus lockdowns, researchers said on Thursday…
“In the five18th Feb 2021 most-populated cities – Delhi, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo – air pollution caused about 160,000 deaths and economic losses totalling about $85 billion.”
“Mysteries of massive holes forming in Siberian permafrost unlocked by scientists:
“…The model, which showed unusual grottoes or caverns in the lower part of the crater, largely confirmed what scientists had hypothesized: Methane gas builds in a cavity in the ice, causing a mound to appear at ground level. The mound grows in size before blowing out ice and other debris in an explosion and leaving behind the massive crater.”
Unusual to start with a national record for cold but these are also the fruits of a warming world with failing jet-streams:
“Record breaking cold weather hit Hungary on Saturday… the Bükk Plateau reached a temperature of negative 35.5 degrees Celsius [-31.9F].
“Hungary’s former record for the coldest temperature in the country was negative 35 degrees, recorded in Miskolc-Görömbölytapolca on February 16, 1940.”
“Municipality workers in Russia set out to clear the streets after a record-breaking snowstorm descended on Moscow, straining efforts of local authorities to respond to the “snow apocalypse”.”
[Quite a contrast from the extraordinarily mild and snow-free winter Moscow experienced in 2020] Video:
“The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that Afghanistan could face drought and famine this year and that 17 million people could be at risk of facing hunger.
“Nick Bishop, an emergency response officer in Afghanistan, said this was due to reduced levels of snow and rain this winter across the country.“
“Fast Receding Glaciers: A Direct Result of Climatic Change:
“Asian nations are burning ever-greater loads of fossil fuels and biomass, sending soot into the sky, much of it eventually lands on snowy glacier surfaces, where it absorbs solar energy and hastens melting – a research finding.”
“Uttarakhand glacier burst: Water supply in parts of Delhi likely to be hit:
“Water supply in parts of south, east and northeast Delhi has been affected as the silt and debris after the Uttarakhand floods increased turbidity in the Ganga.”
“At least 10 people are dead after torrential rains triggered a landslide on Indonesia’s main island of Java, with rescuers digging desperately with their bare hands and farm tools to locate nine missing people, including four children.
“Dozens of soldiers, police and volunteers took part in the search in the village of Selopuro in East Java’s Nganjuk district…”
“Bolivia: at least 8 dead and 37,000 families affected by floods and river overflow:
“The Vice Minister of Civil Defense of Bolivia, Juan Carlos Calvimontes, reported that 36,851 families were affected and at least eight people died from the floods and the overflowing of rivers in 74 municipalities of the country.”
“A picture of the Amazon taken from the International Space Station appears to show rivers of gold running through the Amazon jungle.
“In fact, Nasa says they are unlicenced gold pits being dug as part of the Peru’s booming gold industry. Usually, the pits are hidden from view due to cloud cover – but in this case, the skies were clear and the pits are illuminated by reflected sunlight.”
“The fluctuations [in UK weather now] can be incredible, 2020 was the wettest February on record, 2019 saw the warmest Feb day with London up to 21.2C by the 26th, the first time the UK has seen over 20C in the winter months.
“For this mild spell 17C is being mentioned by next weekend as another flow of warm air extends north.”
“A large wildfire which broke out near a reservoir in Cumbria, England on Saturday has been extinguished after burning for 27 hours.
“The blaze, which began near Cogra Moss, Lamplugh, has “devastated” a large area, firefighters said… winds of up to 70mph carried the blaze across about eight square miles (20sq/km).”
“Why Narwhal are the most vulnerable to a warmer, louder Arctic:
“Nowhere are the effects of climate change being felt faster and more dramatically than in the Arctic where the narwhal live. What makes narwhal especially susceptible is how closely connected their lives are to the sea ice, both for food and refuge from predators. In fact, no other whale spends more time among the sea ice as the narwhal.”
“One of the most unique creatures in ocean – the sawfish – could be on the brink of extinction according to a new study. The sawfish — instantly recognisable for its long narrow nose resembling a chain saw — was once found in the warm coastal waters of 90 different countries.
“Now, according to researchers at Canada’s Simon Frasier University, it is presumed extinct in 46 of those countries including China, Japan, and Brunei.”
“…386 marine fish species are known to have ingested plastic debris, including 210 species that are commercially important.
“But findings of fish consuming plastic are on the rise. We speculate that this could be happening both because detection methods for microplastics are improving and because ocean plastic pollution continues to increase.”
“Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Lord Nicholas Stern published a paper on Monday excoriating the U.S. government—and many of their own peers in economics—for methods used to estimate the cost of climate change.
“The warning from two influential economists that policymakers are understating the looming damage from warming temperatures comes just days before President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to release an interim report on what’s known as the “social cost of carbon.””
“Ice cold winter on far northern coast, but nearby Arctic waters are record warm… Practically the whole central part of the Arctic Ocean had temperatures far higher than normal for the season.
“The biggest deviation from the norm was found in the archipelago of Franz Josef Land where temperatures were as much as 8 C° higher than normal.”
“A record-breaking snowstorm descended on Moscow on Friday, paralysing traffic, grounding flights and straining efforts of local authorities to respond to the “snow apocalypse”…
“On Friday, traffic congestion in the city reached a maximum of 10 points according to the Yandex maps service, unusual even for Moscow notorious for its logjams.”
“Wildfire on Isle of Skye ‘almost traps’ cars as flames rip through beauty spot: It comes as a number of other wildfires ripped through parts of the Western Isles [Scotland], despite many areas across the country tackling heavy snowfall.
“Much of Scotland bore the brunt of Storm Darcy leaving many dealing with treacherous conditions. And yet Scotland’s west coast and Western Isles were issued with an ‘extreme’ wildfire warning.”
“Temperatures plummeted last night across parts of Scotland with Braemar in Aberdeenshire recording minus 22.9C (minus 9.2F), the coldest temperature since 1995 according to the Met Office.
“The UK record low is -27.2C [-17F] and was recorded in this area of Scotland in 1995.”
“A record low temperature for February was recorded in England and Wales for the second night running as parts of North Yorkshire dipped below minus 15C [5F]…
“Temperatures in Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, dropped to minus 15.3C overnight on Thursday, having previously recorded an all-time low of minus 13.1C on Wednesday night.”
“Parts of the River Thames have frozen for the first time in 60 years as the UK plunges to the coldest temperatures on record for February.
“Seagulls perched on a frozen Thames in Teddington, south west London, this afternoon as it iced over for the first time since Britain’s Big Freeze in 1963.”
“A large fire has broken out on Dartmoor near Tavy Cleave in Devon, a few miles north east of Tavistock.
“Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service has deployed five pumps and other units to the area… Rob Steemson, Dartmoor national park emergency officer, told the PA news agency the blaze was estimated to be around 5km wide.”
“The western Turkish province of Izmir was subjected to the full fury of mother nature overnight, as a tornado flung cars into the air, uprooted trees and toppled a crane, injuring at least 18 people[crazy floods in Izmir last week, of course].
“A ferocious hailstorm started pummeling the province at approximately 9 p.m. local time before a tornado touched down…”
“The World Bank Group (WBG) has highlighted Morocco’s vulnerability to climate change in its latest “Climate Risk Country Profiles.”
“WBG explains that Morocco’s position stems from a combination of political, geographic, and social factors. Climate change has “already put pressure on the country’s natural resources, affecting the resilience of… the agriculture sector, particularly due to water scarcity,” noted the study.”
“LAHORE [Pakistan]: Once again, the provincial capital has been ranked as the most atmospherically-polluted city of the worldas the US Air Quality Index (AQI) highlighted a dismal score of hovering between 387 to 470 on Friday.
“The heavy fog has blanketed major cities of Punjab affecting road and air traffic as motorways was closed and several flights cancelled due to low visibility level.”
“India has suffered a huge crop loss on 18.176 million hectares (mha) of land, roughly 8.5 per cent of the total gross cropped area due to floods from 2017-2019, according to data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha February 11, 2021…
“The intensity of extreme floods has increased in the country, affecting newer areas that were not flood-prone earlier.“
“A newly formed Himalayan lake raised fears Friday of another flash flood above a disaster-hit valley in northern India, prompting authorities to conduct helicopter surveys and send a team on a 16-hour climb to investigate.
“Thirty-six people died and 168 are still missing after a barrage of water and debris hurtled down the valley in the state of Uttarakhand…”
“In July 2016, a glacier in Tibet’s Aru mountain range suddenly and catastrophically collapsed. The resulting ice avalanche buried more than 3 square miles of land, killing nine people and hundreds of livestock.
“Just a few months later, a second glacier in the same mountain range also unexpectedly collapsed… climate change is at least partly to blame.”
“Criss-crossed by rivers and surrounded by sea, there are few places on earth more impacted by climate change than Bangladesh.
“Farmers in the South Asian country have been dealt a heavy blow in recent years as a result: rising sea levels, saltwater intrusion, flooding, drought and super-charged cyclones have hit agriculture hard.”
“More plants could begin to ‘invade the Antarctic Peninsula’ as the frozen continent warms: When you picture Antarctica you may see a cold, desolate place, where only the hardiest ecosystems can survive.
“In the future, however, it may be different. Plants and insects could flourish as climate change makes temperatures more conducive to supporting life.”
“An atmospheric river will pass over Chilean Patagonia and will cross the Drake Pass until it reaches the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula, during the early hours of Thursday the 11th. The atmospheric river is a band of humid air released from the tropics.
“The one that will arrive in Antarctica is very similar to the one that produced intense rainfall in central and southern Chile at the end of January in the central zone.”
“Shocking images of the floods in Pinamar [near Buenos Aires, Argentina]:
“This Friday, a strong storm hit the city of Pinamar and caused major flooding in some areas. As explained by the mayor Martín Yeza , “around noon approximately 180 mm of water [7.1 inches] fell ( the equivalent of a quarter of the annual average rainfall).”
“California’s rainfall is at historic lows. That spells trouble for wildfires and farms:
“Northern California remains stuck in one of the worst two-year rainfall deficits seen since the 1849 Gold Rush, increasing the risk of water restrictions and potentially setting up dangerous wildfire conditions next summer.”
“The western United States is in the grip of a once-in-a-lifetime drought…
“In fact, the summer of 2020 was the driest ever logged in Utah and Nevada since record keeping began 126 years ago, said Laura Haskell, an engineer with the Utah Division of Water Resource’s planning section.”
“The Columbia River basin will see an increase in flooding over the next 50 years as a result of climate change, new modeling from Oregon State University indicates…
““The flood you’re used to seeing out your window once every 10 years will likely be larger than it has been in the past,” said the study’s lead author, Laura Queen, a research assistant at OSU’s Oregon Climate Change Research Institute.”
“The unprecedented Arctic blast that has gripped the U.S. for much of the week has paralyzed natural gas pipelines, brought deadly ice storms to Houston and is about to get worse.
“Nearly 300 new daily temperature records could be set, mainly across the Great Plains from Canada to Texas through Tuesday…”
“The never-ending deep freeze continues to yield record lows in Saskatchewan but maybe, just maybe, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Environment Canada announced that 13 areas of the province set new low-temperature records on Thursday… In the Meadow Lake area, temperatures as low as –40.4 [-40.7F] were reported.”
“Heavy rains followed by an extended drought, an increase in local consumption and a drop in the number of marijuana farmers have caused a shortage in the island’s famed but largely illegal market that experts say is the worst they’ve seen.”
“The maximum wind speeds of hurricanes near Bermuda have more than doubled over the last six decades as a result of rising ocean temperatures, according to a new study from the University of Southampton.
“Hurricanes pull energy from the ocean’s surface, and warmer waters are now fueling more intense storms.”
“NASA’s OMG: Warming Seas Are Accelerating Greenland’s Glacier Retreat:
“…In the case of Greenland’s glaciers, the bigger they are, the faster they melt. And the culprit is the depth of the fjord they occupy: Deeper fjords allow in more warm ocean water than shallow fjords, hastening the undercutting process.”
“Climate scientists say Artic regions are a key indicator of the changes that have already occurred worldwide and those yet to come…
“There’s no reason to expect the Arctic won’t continue to undergo substantial changes over the coming years and decades. With every passing year, the Arctic Ocean is generally showing warmer temperatures, and lower sea-ice extents.”
“Arctic Permafrost Releases More Carbon Dioxide than Once Believed: Rising global temperatures are causing frozen Arctic soil— permafrost—in the northern hemisphere to thaw and release CO2 that has been stored within it for thousands of years. The amount of carbon stored in permafrost is estimated to be four times greater than the combined amount of CO2 emitted by modern humans.
“Research results from an international team, which includes a researcher from the University of Copenhagen among others, suggests that the newly discovered phenomenon will release even larger quantities of CO2 than once supposed from organic matter in permafrost—a pool of carbon previously thought to be bound tightly and safely sequestered by iron.”
“The Siberian tundra is still out here exploding. A new study from the Woodwell Climate Research Center has identified three new craters in the region’s increasingly volatile permafrost, and the climate crisis is to blame.
“Researchers have been seeing giant holes form in western Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula for years.”
“A sharp drilling slowdown in the Permian Basin last year failed to improve the shale play’s record on methane emissions, according to a report by the Environmental Defense Fund.
“One in 10 flare sites either malfunctioned or were unlit, releasing methane directly into the air, four aerial surveys of 1,200 sites carried out at different times of the year by the environmental group show.”
“Firefighters worked through the night to tackle a large wildfire in Western Isles, Scotland after warning of a “extreme risk” of similar fires.
“The blaze on Benbecula was reported at 15:30 on Wednesday and extended across about 1km at its height… It was one of several wildfires on the islands on the same day, with incidents reported on Skye, Harris and Bernera.”
“Freezing temperatures, snow and floods have caused travel chaos in France with people urged against making trips if avoidable.
“Overnight real-feel temperatures dropped to minus 18 degrees Celsius (C) in parts of northern France, with Paris only reaching a daytime high on Wednesday of minus 3 degrees Celsius or minus 7 degrees Celsius if including the windchill.”
“Severe snowfall in Spain leads to multi-billion economic loss: Reinsurance broker Aon has launched its latest edition of its monthly global catastrophe recap report…
“The report reveals that a low-pressure system ‘Filomena,’ caused severe snowfall in Spain, leading to business interruption and property losses tentatively estimated at nearly EUR1.8 billion ($2.2 billion).”
“Turkish officials have announced new high-temperature records, with some parts of Turkey experiencing the hottest months ever recorded during the ongoing winter season.
“Turkish State Meteorological Service observed some extreme rise in temperatures in 72 sites of the country last month… the average temperature over the previous years during January has been 2.7 degrees Celsius.”
“The Port Elizabeth Airport, South Africa, is facing potentially its driest combined rainfall figures for January and February on record.
“PE weather office spokesperson Garth Sampson reports that after a disastrously dry January, the start of February has been equally dry in Nelson Mandela Bay.”
“Earth’s first category 5 tropical storm of 2021 is Tropical Cyclone Faraji in the southwest Indian Ocean.
“Faraji took advantage of low wind shear of 5-10 knots and warm ocean temperatures of 28-29 degrees Celsius (82-84°F) to peak at category 5 strength with 160 mph winds… climate change is expected to make category 5 storms stronger and more numerous in the coming decades.”
“‘They were warned’: Experts on India’s Himalayan glacier disaster.
“Experts tasked by India’s Supreme Court to study impact of receding glaciers on dams had warned… that warming temperatures due to climate change was melting the Himalayan glaciers and facilitated avalanches and landslides and that constructing dams in this fragile ecosystem was dangerous.”
“An analysis of 119 years of rainfall measurements at different rain gauge stations across northeast India, has revealed a decreasing trend in rainfall since 1973.
“Areas considered wettest in the world are also showing changes in rainfall that may have implications for water management.”
“Is Singapore’s pleasant chill a hint of coming climate change?
“In a region usually plagued by sweltering heat, cooler weather prevailed in January. Temperatures fell as low as 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) in Manila, while Bangkok recorded a record low of 16 degrees (60.8 F).“
“A forest fire raging for more than two weeks in Argentina’s Patagonia region is yet to be fully controlled, the country’s environmental authorities said.
“Deputy Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Sergio Federovisky told a local media outlet on Tuesday that the fire in the tourist area of El Bolson in the southern province of Rio Negro “is contained, but not controlled”, reports Xinhua news agency.”
“The transformation of the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests into savanna-like environments will change the makeup of both the flora and the fauna of these biomes.
“A study by Brazilian researchers evaluated the impacts of climate change and deforestation on more than 300 mammal species under various scenarios of savannization.”
“Deer native to India starve to death amid drought in Hawaii:
“Axis deer, a species native to India that were presented as a gift from Hong Kong to the king of Hawaii in 1868, have fed hunters and their families on the rural island of Molokai for generations.”
“The range of white sharks is shrinking and shifting as a result of climate change, according to a new study from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
“The experts report that there have been unprecedented sightings of juvenile white sharks at the northern end of Monterey Bay, which is a major shift in their range.”
“As the pandemic drags on, some residents of the Bay Area faced a different kind of health emergency on Tuesday: an oil spill.
“Around 600 gallons of an oil-and-water mixture spilled from a Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California into the San Francisco Bay, the company told local health authorities.”
“The 2020-2021 La Nina phenomenon has passed its peak, the UN weather agency said Tuesday, but its impact on temperatures, rain and storm patterns is set to continue…
“The temporary global cooling effects of La Nina were not enough to prevent 2020 from being one of the three warmest years on record.
““Despite the general cooling influence of La Nina events, land temperatures are expected to be above-normal for most parts of the globe in February-April 2021,”the WMO said.”
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Weekday updates on both climate change and the global economy. Stay current with what’s happening around the world with a quick scan of top news.
“It’s only February, but it feels like May in Beijing. Temperatures some 40 degrees above normal brought historically warm winter weather to China, Japan and other parts of Asia over the weekend.
“Forest fires erupt in north China’s Shanxi Province: 
“Unusually high temperatures on Monday forced Shanghai residents to put on T-shirts four months before the arrival of summer, albeit temporarily.
“Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday local authorities should get prepared for potential forest fires later this year as hot spots had been detected on the island of Sumatra.
“Five people were killed in the severe floods that submerged entire neighborhoods in Jakarta, authorities said Sunday, as residents returned to clean their homes and salvage belongings. 
“More than 5,000 people have fled to temporary shelters in the southern Philippines as tropical storm Dujuan brought heavy rains, submerging dozens of villages, the country’s disaster risk reduction and management agency said.
“Temperature records have been broken in parts of the Wide Bay [Queensland, Australia] as heatwave conditions continue to affect the region.
“There are already five deaths in Santa Maria de Itabira (MG, Brazil) due to the rains.
“The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency for a period of 60 days in the Madre de Dios region after serious floods that until Monday had caused damage to infrastructure and forced 15,000 people to abandon their homes.
“Texas is still reeling from devastating winter storms and for some, recovery could take months: 
“People in parts of Wales were evacuated on Saturday after a month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours, leading to fears of flooding that threatens homes and businesses.
“A temperature of 15 degrees was measured at the official weather station in De Bilt [Netherlands] on Sunday at 12.40 pm, which is a new record, according to Weerplaza. Since the measurements began in 1901, it has never been this warm on February 21.
“From one extreme to another, the temperatures across Europe have been on a rollercoaster journey this winter.
“Israel has been forced to close all of its Mediterranean beaches after an offshore oil spill resulted in tar hitting 100 miles of coastline.
“Scores of residents from Beitbridge’s oldest suburb, Dulivhadzimu [South Africa] were left counting their losses yesterday when flash floods hit the area.
“Kalpa—the picturesque tourist resort with the snow-laden Himalayas as its backdrop—recorded its warmest February in 28 years. The met officials blame the high temperatures due to lack of precipitation.
“Uttarakhand flash floods: 136 missing after disaster to be declared dead.
“Myanmar’s military coup and a potential ramp up in trade boycotts by foreign governments and business could fuel the risk of deforestation in the Asian nation, which is likely to turn to investors lacking environmental standards, green groups warned.
“A tanker sailed through Arctic sea ice in February for the first time, the latest sign of how quickly the pace of climate change is accelerating in the Earth’s northernmost regions.
“Freshwater fish are under threat, with as many as a third of global populations in danger of extinction, according to an assessment.
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“Winter forest fires affecting bird and butterfly population:
Jet-stream disruptions also bringing record heat to parts of the planet
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Climate system palpably destabilised now (if it wasn’t before)
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Unusual to start with a national record for cold but these are also the fruits of a warming world with failing jet-streams
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“The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that A
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“Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Lord Nicholas Stern published a paper on Monday excoriating the U.S. government—and many of their own peers in economics—for methods used to estimate the cost of climate change. 
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“Criss-crossed by rivers and surrounded by sea, 
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“The western United States is in the grip of a once-in-a-lifetime drought… 
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“The never-ending deep freeze continues to yield record lows in Saskatchewan but maybe, just maybe, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. 
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“As the pandemic drags on, some residents of the Bay Area faced a different kind of health emergency on Tuesday: an oil spill. 
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