“July is going to likely to go down as the warmest month ever recorded in a global temperature dataset with observations back to 1850…
“Hausfather says what really strikes him is the very strong El Niño year of 1998, once the warmest year ever, is now colder than the last seven years.”
“The Western US and southwest Canada are bracing for another week of extreme heat as dozens of temperature records are expected to be broken…
“”The historic heatwave in the West may last through Wednesday, as nearly 70 cities could either set or tie records,” CNN meteorologist Gene Norman said.”
“About 3.3 million California homes may lose power during rolling blackouts on Monday and the state’s governor is demanding an investigation into the power outages…
“”We have a perfect storm going on here,” said Steve Berberich, CEO of California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages most of the state’s electrical grid.”
“A record-breaking heat wave coupled with rare summer thunderstorms are fueling wildfires across California, with nearly 30 burning more than 120,000 acres as of Tuesday morning…
“The current combination of extreme heat, thunderstorms and wildfires across parts of California is an “extraordinary unprecedented historic event,” Brian Garcia, warning coordination meteorologist…”
“Tropical Storms Josephine and Kyle dissipated over the weekend, leaving the Atlantic Ocean free of storms.
“But that may not be the case for long. A pair of tropical waves with increasing odds of development are traversing the ocean to start off the workweek, preluding a period of anticipated intense activity that may last into September.”
“The UK’s wheat harvest is likely to be down markedly this year, according to the National Farmers’ Union, capping a tumultuous year for British farming after consecutive seasons of extreme weather.
“Yields could be down by about a third, with the worst harvest since the 1980s predicted, the farmers’ organisation said.”
“The heatwave in Belgium has officially ended, as the maximum temperature dipped below 25°C for the first time in 12 days…
“…the heatwave was very “intense”, with eight consecutive tropical days (meaning, warmer than 30°C). Last week was the warmest week since the start of observations in the country…”
“Zimbabwe’s second-largest city halted running-water supplies after problems at two reservoirs as residents reel under a severe drought, ailing infrastructure and an outbreak of waterborne diseases…
“In July, the city was also hit by an outbreak of diseases linked to contaminated water from burst sewers.”
“China’s biggest river, the Yangtze, and several of its tributaries have risen to dangerous levels after days of heavy rain, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes and triggering an unprecedented emergency response alert.
“The Ministry of Water Resources said on Monday that 38 tributaries on the upper reaches of the Yangtze were now higher than their warning levels, 19 dangerously so.”
“Water is crashing on the feet of a 1,000-year-old giant Buddha sculpture in Southwest China for the first time in decades, illustrating the extent of the unprecedented floods along the nation’s longest river…
“This is the first time the 70-meter tall sculpture has had the river’s water touch its feet since 1949…”
“Philippines — Residents living near the Mananga River in Barangay Bonbon, a mountain barangay in Cebu City, lost their homes following a flash flood on Monday, August 17, 2020.
“This was confirmed by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Office (CDRRMO) Harold Alcontin in a phone interview with CDN Digital on Tuesday, August 18, 2020.”
“In western Siberia the permafrost is sinking, the temperatures are rising, and the landscape is changing fast. What does that really look like on the ground? We have a special report from the far north of Russia…”
“More than 50% of the world’s oceans could already be affected by climate change, with this figure rising as high as 80% over the coming decades, a new study has shown…
“The study, published in Nature Climate Change, estimates that 20-55% of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans now have noticeably different temperatures and salt levels… It also found the Southern Hemisphere oceans are being affected more rapidly by climate change than the Northern Hemisphere…”
NB This is a preliminary reading and not yet officially verified:
“A temperature of 54.4C – or 129.9F – has been recorded in Death Valley, California, in what some extreme weather watchers believe could be the hottest reading ever reliably recorded on the planet.”
“Idyllwild, Thermal and Indio all broke high-temperature records for the date.
“Idyllwild hit 95 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 94 set in 2001. Thermal hit 117, surpassing the record of 115 set in 2016. Indio hit 115, surpassing the record of 114 set in 2016.”
“The National Weather Service said it was planning to investigate reports of a rare occurrence of fire tornadoes arising on Saturday from a 20,000-acre wildfire in Northern California.
“Dawn Johnson, a meteorologist with the service in Reno, Nev., said on Sunday that the agency had received reports of fire tornadoes in an area of Lassen County, Calif.”
“All-time cold records have been smashed in the municipality of Bom Jardim da Serra [Brazil]. According to the Keizer station network, the area registered -8.8 °C (16.2 °F) last Thursday, August 6.
“It was the third consecutive day with temperatures below -8 °C (17.6 °F) and it was also the first time it occurred anywhere in Brazil since records began, according to Sao Joaquim Online.”
“The city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, reported a record high of 41.1 degrees on Monday, tying Japan’s national record set two years ago by Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture…
“It is the first time the temperature has hit 40 or above on consecutive days in Japan, according to the weather agency.”
“Japan is sounding the alarm against the inexorable march of the fall armyworm, as reports of damage by the pest in Asia following its spread in Africa are increasing, threatening Japan with infestation…
“…researchers speculate that such factors as globalization, climate changes and westerlies — prevailing winds from the west to east in the mid-latitudes — have played a part.”
“Concerns are mounting about China’s grain supply this year, despite government assurances that the summer harvest was at ‘an all-time high’.
“Output has been hit by drought and heavy rains and many farmers are hoarding crops in expectation that prices will continue rising because of low supply, traders say.”
“Hyderabad, India: At least three persons were killed and normal life was severely disrupted across the state on the third day of incessant rains on Saturday.
“Several thousands of acres of standing crop and paddy nurseries were lost in floodwaters.”
“In exclusive analysis for Forbes, satellite analytics company Ursa Space Systems, using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite analysis from Iceye, was able to size the extent of the spill in the formerly crystal clear lagoons of Mauritius.
“This shows significant amounts of oil continuing to ooze from the stricken Wakashio after it had split in two at 10.14am on Saturday 15 August…”
“A pine forest wildfire fanned by strong winds has broken out along the pristine northeastern coastline of Corfu, a Greek island dotted with wealthy estates.
“The fire erupted near the wooded Agios Stefanos beach town in the Erimitis region, which boasts high-profile residents such as the Rothschilds and the Agnellis.”
“Flash flooding has left buildings damaged and major highways closed in southeast England…
“The M11 northbound was forced to close between Junction 7 and the exit for Stansted Airport when heavy rainfall caused water to gush onto the road, while a sudden downpour flooded the centre of Chelmsford, Essex.”
“Climate change may cause a comeback for several diseases in Europe.
“Epidemics of smallpox, zika virus, and dengue season may soon arrive further up the Northern hemisphere as conditions become suitable for the Aedes aegypti. Melting permafrost may also mean the resurgence of ancient disease-causing bacteria.”
“MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC’s Vladimir Potanin said it’s impossible to estimate the cost of damages from May’s massive fuel spill in the Arctic until the miner completes the clean-up, which may extend into next year.
“Nornickel has set aside $2.1 billion after Russia’s ecological watchdog asked it to pay for the damage caused by the spill…”
“The Arctic summer of 2019 was supposed to be an outlier… Many scientists thought it might be a one-off…
“However, this year is proving those scientists wrong. And it raises the unsettling possibility that fire seasons that begin much earlier than average and end later — and affect delicate Arctic ecosystems — could soon be the new normal.”
“When the Earth was last four degrees warmer, during the Eocene Epoch, there was no ice at either pole. Global warming of this magnitude, observes Mark Lynas, visiting fellow with the Cornell Alliance for Science at Cornell University, “would eventually leave the whole planet without ice for the first time in nearly 40 million years.”
“”At five degrees of global warming, an entirely new planet will coming into being –“one largely unrecognizable from the Earth we know today.””
“Nearly 40 years of satellite data from Greenland shows that glaciers on the island have shrunk so much that even if global warming were to stop today, the ice sheet would continue shrinking…
“Greenland’s glaciers have passed a tipping point… where the snowfall that replenishes the ice sheet each year cannot keep up with the ice that is flowing into the ocean from glaciers.”
“With a seven-day average temperature of 33.1 degrees, a new high mark was set for the hottest week on record in the Netherlands.
“The previous record was set in 1976, when one week in July had an average maximum of 32.0 degrees, according to data from meteorological agency KNMI…”
“Farmers across a wide swath of Iowa are dealing with the heartbreaking aftermath of a rare wind storm that turned what was looking like a record corn crop into deep losses for many…
“Western Iowa has been declared an extreme drought zone and corn plants there were already weakened due to a lack of moisture.”
“Firefighters across three Western states are battling wildfires that have destroyed more than 90,000 acres.
“Evacuation orders have been issued in areas threatened by the Lake Fire and Ranch2 Fire in California’s Los Angeles County; the Mosier Creek Fire in central Oregon; and the Pine Gulch, Grizzly Creek and Cameron Peak fires in Colorado.”
“Hours after the massive Lake fire exploded in the Angeles National Forest near the 5 Freeway on Wednesday, the blaze exhibited extreme and alarming behavior, at one point forming a tornado-like flaming vortex.
“Though such a phenomenon — commonly referred to as a fire tornado or fire whirl — is not unprecedented in California, it demonstrates the intensity with which the fire burned.”
“You know it’s hot when Death Valley, California, breaks high temperature records. A long-duration, dangerous heat event is setting up for parts of the West that will begin Friday and last into next week.
“More than 34 million people are under excessive heat watches and warnings across California and the Southwest.”
“Federal weather forecasters on Thursday predicted the development of drought-producing La Niña pattern that could to last through the winter.
“There is a 60% chance that La Niña will develop during the Northern Hemisphere fall, with a 55% chance the pattern will continue through the winter of 2020-21…”
“The Cambodian government has canceled this year’s water festival, which usually attracts crowds of hundreds of thousands, to help contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic amid a drought with water levels striking record lows.
“The government-friendly online news portal Fresh News said it had seen a letter ordering the cancellation.”
“Flooding caused by weeks of unusually heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 22 people in North Korea, with four others missing, and even approached the country’s main nuclear reactor, but leader Kim Jong Un says he is too worried about coronavirus to accept outside help…
“The disaster adds to an already troubling humanitarian situation in North Korea…”
“At least five people have died and 38 went missing after torrential rain caused a landslide in Sindhupalchok district of Nepal on Friday early morning.
““We have found five bodies from the debris after the landslide swept houses this morning at around 6:30. Around 38 people are unaccounted for while eight have sustained serious injuries during the incident,” Pratap Lama, Ward chief of Lama Tole…”
“The impact of global warming in South Asia is evidentby a steady sea level rise, changes in ambient temperature and rainfall patterns and an increase in cyclonic activity, experts say.
“More landslides and flooding are projected across the region, which is home to almost one-fourth of the world’s population.”
“Jaipur, India was lashed by heavy rainfall on Friday morning, crippling Rajasthan’s capital city’s traffic, as photographs of waterlogged roads, and submerged vehicles in rainwater went viral on social media amid the downpour.
“The vehicular movement has come to a grinding halt in many parts of Jaipur, which is under up to three feet in water.”
“Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian said the country is experiencing a year with the highest amount of annual precipitation during the past half a century…
“Record spring rainfall that has battered Iran in the past weeks caused serious flooding in many areas…”
“One of the concerns about a warming planet is the feedback loop that will emerge.
“That is, as the planet warms, it will melt permafrost, which will release trapped carbon and lead to more warming and more melting. Now, a new study has shown that the feedback loop won’t only happen in the nether regions of the north and south, but in the tropics as well…”
“The Trump administration is revoking rules that require oil and gas drillers to detect and fix leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas that heats the planet far faster than carbon dioxide…
“The Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Andrew Wheeler, will announce the rollback from Pennsylvania, which has major oil and gas operations and is also a politically important swing state.”
“Satellite imagery suggests recent flooding in North Korea may have damaged pump houses connected to the country’s main nuclear facility, a U.S.-based think tank said on Thursday.
“Analysts at 38 North said commercial satellite imagery from Aug. 6 to 11 showed how vulnerable the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center’s nuclear reactor cooling systems are to extreme weather events.”
“The July weather in South Korea was cooler than June for the first time in recorded history this year, in yet another disturbing sign of climate change on the Korean Peninsula.
“According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the average temperature in June was 22.8 degrees Celsius, the highest June on record since data began to be compiled in 1973.”
“Typhoons and hurricanes are one of the drivers of intensifying natural disasters, which in 2019 caused some $150 billion in damages around the world, according to the insurer Munich Re. It was a consecutive year of record losses from typhoons in Japan…
“In a long-term study that was the basis for a poster submitted to the conference, scientists found that severe typhoons making landfall have increased abruptly in China since 2004.”
“The Three Gorges reservoir in central China’s Hubei Province is expected to see a new round of floods around Friday.
“According to a preliminary forecast by the Changjiang Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, the inbound flow of water is to reach more than 50,000 cubic meters per second after continuous heavy rain battered the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.”
“Due to global warming, the trend of extreme monsoons [in India] with long dry spells alternating with very heavy rains is here to stay…
“With more than half the season over, India is looking again at uneven rains. According to data released by IMD earlier this month, June was an unnaturally wet month, with all-India rainfall being 17.6% above normal. In July, things went the other way…”
“Flash floods in Yemen, triggered by torrential rains, have killed at least 172 people, and damaged homes and UNESCO-listed world heritage sites across the country, officials said. In the mainly-government-held province of Maarib east of the capital Sanaa, 19 children were among 30 people killed by the floods, a government official said.
“In the province’s displaced persons camps, 1,340 families saw their tents and belongings swept away.”
“Baghdad hit 125.2 degrees on July 28, blowing past the previous record of 123.8 degrees — which was set here five years ago — and topping 120 degrees for four days in a row… the city offers a troubling snapshot of the future that climate change might one day bring other parts of the world.
“Experts say temperature records like the one seen in Baghdad will continue to fall as climate change advances.”
“A horse died allegedly due to fatigue and heat while carrying tourists.
“A horse pulling a carriage with tourists died at Italy’s Royal Palace of Caserta today, 12 August, with images of the dead animal quickly going viral.”
“The UK has had its longest stretch of temperatures exceeding 34C since the 1960s, as warnings of thunderstorms and heavy rain remain in place across the country.
“The Met Office said the scorching temperatures were recorded in parts of southern England for the sixth day in a row – the first time Britain has experienced such a spell since 1961.”
“The “Biblical” thunderstorms that battered Fife and Tayside [Scotland] on Tuesday night are further evidence of climate change with freak weather “becoming the norm”, according to an amateur Fife weather enthusiast… his equipment showed an “unprecedented” 440 lightning strikes per minute…
“He also recorded a record month’s worth (129mm) of rain in 24 hours with his weather station recording a record unsustained rain rate of 160mm per hour at one point.”
“Three people have been killed after a train derailed in northeast Scotland on Wednesday, the UK’s first fatal rail crash in more than a decade.
“Police said the accident took place just after 9.40am when a train travelling south from Aberdeen to Glasgow derailed near Stonehaven following heavy rain and flooding in the area.”
“Firefighters across three states are battling wildfires that have destroyed more than 60,000 acres in the US West.
“In the rugged hills near California’s Lake Hughes in Los Angeles County, the Lake Fire has grown to 10,000 acres and is 0% contained as of Wednesday evening. The fire was first reported at 3:40 p.m. and is spreading at a very rapid rate, according to fire officials.”
“Fires currently surging in the Amazon rainforest could be even more devastating than last year’s, but Brazil’s government is denying they even exist.
“On Tuesday, President Jair Bolsonaro called the fires a “lie” — as photos and videos from the region show the forest burning… Bolsonaro angrily denied the existence of the fires, challenging officials to fly over the Amazon and try to spot a single flame.”
“Representatives of the indigenous peoples of Russia’s far northern Taimyr Peninsula have marched against operations of the world’s largest palladium and nickel producer — Nornickel.
“Dozens of members of the Nenets, Nganasans, Dolgans, and Enets communities marched in traditional dress across the industrial Arctic city of Norilsk on August 12…”
“Peatlands cover just a few percent of the global land area but they store almost one-quarter of all soil carbon and so play a crucial role in regulating the climate. My colleagues and I have just produced the most accurate map yet of the world’s peatlands – their depth, and how much greenhouse gas they have stored.
“We found that global warming will soon mean that these peatlands start emitting more carbon than they store.”
““The conditions we’ve seen in the Arctic this year have been truly remarkable, and not in a good way,” says Michael Meredith, a polar researcher at the British Antarctic Survey.
“Even for a region that has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the planet, this year’s Arctic fires and ice melt have been extraordinary.”
“Antarctic ice shelves have lost nearly 4 trillion metric tons of ice since the mid-1990s, scientists say. Ocean water is melting them from the bottom up, causing them to lose mass faster than they can refreeze.
“That’s according to a new study analyzing satellite data from 1994 to 2018. The results were published yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience.”
“A new report released Wednesday details how 2019 was another year of extremes for Earth’s climate, adding to a litany of evidence exposing the grim reality of our warming world.
“Last year saw devastating wildfires burn through Australia; large regions including Europe, Japan, Pakistan, and India experienced deadly heat waves; almost 100 tropical cyclones created havoc; glaciers and sea ice continued to melt at worrying levels; and drought and floods destroyed vital crops and infrastructure.”
“The Arctic is warming significantly faster than current climate models account for, fueling extreme heat and the abrupt disappearance of sea ice across the region, a new study by the University of Copenhagen has said.
“The latest study says that temperatures rose by 1 degree Celsius every decade over the past 40 years in the Arctic Ocean between Russia, Canada and Europe. In areas between Russia and Norway, temperatures increased by 1.5 degrees every decade over the past 40 years.”
“Abnormally warm temperatures have spawned an intense fire season in eastern Siberia this summer.
“Satellite data show that fires have been more abundant, more widespread, and produced more carbon emissions than recent seasons. Strong winds occasionally carried the plumes as far as Alaska in late July. As of August 6, approximately 19 fires were burning in the Sakha Republic…”
“Urgent steps were taken after a wide spread of the Black Death pathogen via fleas was detected in two districts – Ovyursky and Mongun-Taiginsky – of the remote mountainous republic in Siberia.
“A major disinfection campaign aimed at killing infected fleas on the territory of more than 340km2 goes on in both districts.”
“‘Biblical’ flash floods have caused chaos across Scotland closing schools, disrupting train services, causing rivers to burst their banks and blocking roads.
“Shocking pictures show the devastating impact of the heavy rainfall over mainly eastern areas of the country.”
“Sellafield nuclear power plant [Cumbria] has revealed it will take a number of days to reinstate the site’s steam supply after the plant was placed into a “safe shutdown”.
“The nuclear facility has been placed into a “safe shutdown” after adverse weather overnight resulted in power dips, which caused loss of steam supplies.”
“For many in the UK, it feels like this never-ending series of summer heatwaves is becoming more intense every year. And while thousands of people might have flocked to the beach to bathe in the scorching sun, many are also left wondering – is this the new normal? And has the climate crisis made sweltering heatwaves like this one more likely to occur?
“For many climate scientists, the answer is a resounding yes.”
“Tourtemagne Glacier ruptured after small ice avalanches announced the event in Valais, Switzerland.
“According to local news, the fall took place about 2650 meters above sea level, in an area that was covered with a thick layer of ice that has become thinner in recent years.”
“Severe flooding continues to displace thousands of people in Somalia.
“The government in recent days issued new warnings to communities living along the Jubba and Shabelle rivers. It said rains in the highlands of neighboring Ethiopia could lead to flash floods in towns such as Jowhar and Beledweyne.”
“At least 38 people were dead in the recent spell of heavy rain and flash floods in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and Karachi, according to the authorities on Tuesday.
“The National Disaster Management Authority said that 28 people died in Karachi in rain-related incidents in the last one month while another 10 fatalities were recorded in Balochistan where flash floods destroyed about 150 houses.”
“As Argentina suffers through one of its worst droughts in decades, fires in the Paraná Delta – the country’s largest wetland – are billowing smoke as far away as Buenos Aires, residents said.
“The fires, on land normally used for grazing, appear to have been sparked by ranchers burning pastures to clear them…”
“It’s official: This is now the hottest Phoenix summer to date ever on record…
“The record stands for as far back as records have been kept on Phoenix weather, which is 1895. The news comes days after Phoenix broke another weather record for having the most 110-degree days in a year, at 35 as of Monday.”
“From the Carolinas to Connecticut, Tropical Storm Isaias unleashed more than three dozen tornadoes as it swept up the Mid-Atlantic coast one week ago.
“Among them was a tornado in Delaware, which traveled the greatest distance in the state on record.”
“Monday’s Derecho storm potentially impacted some 10 million acres of Iowa farmland and millions of bushels of grain storage in the top U.S. corn growing state, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said on Tuesday.
“Early estimates show that tens of millions of bushels worth of commercial grain storage – as well as millions of bushels of on-farm storage bins owned by producers – were either impacted, destroyed or severely damaged…”
“…Salmon returns have been so poor that some Alaskan communities already are claiming fishery disasters.
“Cordova’s City Council last week unanimously passed a resolution asking the state to declare disasters for both the 2018 Copper River sockeye and chinook salmon runs and the 2020 sockeye, chum and chinook runs at the Copper River and Prince William Sound.”
“Marine heat waves like The Blob have cropped up around the globe more and more often over the past few decades.
“Scientists expect climate change to make them even more common and long lasting, harming vulnerable aquatic species as well as human enterprises such as fishing that revolve around on ocean ecosystems.”
“North Korea continues to see historic levels of rainfall, further threatening an economy already battered by a coronavirus-related lockdown.
“Torrential rains have flooded hundreds of North Korean homes and wiped out vast swaths of rice fields in the country’s agricultural heartland, according to state media, intensifying worries about a poor harvest and food supply shortage.
“The Korean Peninsula has seen a much longer than usual monsoon seasons this year. The rains are expected to continue for much of the week.
“South Korea has seen 49 consecutive days of rain — the longest streak on record.”
“Six people were unaccounted for as of 9:00 a.m. today after heavy rain hit Ya’an city, southwestern Sichuan province, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters, Xinhua reports…
“The maximum rainfall reached 447.5 millimeters [17.6 inches], which was monitored in Lushan.”
“Provincial spokesman says authorities striving to provide relief to all those affected by the heavy rainfalls.
“At least 10 people have died to rain-related incidents across Balochistan province [Pakistan], provincial spokesman Liaquat Shahwani said on Monday, adding that rescue operations were ongoing with helicopters, road vehicles and camels being utilized to help save lives…”
“More than 130 people have been killed during heavy rains in Yemen since mid-July, authorities in the rebel-held capital Sanaa say.
“Dozens of others have also been injured. The flooding has caused extensive damage to historic sites in Sanaa’s Old City, a Unesco World Heritage Site.” Photos:
“Six people died and more than 500 houses collapsed in about ten villages as a result of heavy rains in El Gezira state, Sudan yesterday.
“Najmeldin El Amin, head of the Rainy Season Emergency Committee in the state, called on people to take precautions. He said that people must avoid floods to preserve their lives and property.”
“The body of a man missing after a storm sparked flash floods on the Greek island of Evia over the weekend has been recovered, Greece’s coastguard has said, bringing the death toll from the storm to eight…
“Rainfall in parts of Evia reached 80% of the annual total for the area in the space of a few hoursovernight from Saturday to Sunday, Greece’s meteorological service said.”
“The measurements made by scientists from the Mediterranean Group on Climate Change of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) have shown 26.6 degrees on the beach of Fuengirola, which is a milestone since these daily measurements began in 1984…
“…[and] represents an increase of 5.3 degrees above the average for this month.”
“Cod could disappear from British menus as global warming puts cold-water fish species at risk…
“The Celtic Sea, English Channel and southern North Sea have undergone significant warming over the past 45 yearsand further rises in sea temperatures are expected as climate change continues.”
“Tropical nights, when the mercury does not drop below 20 degrees, were once so uncommon in Britain that just eight were recorded in the 30 years between 1961 and 1995.
“Now, thanks to the heatwave, we have seen 16 such uncomfortably hot evenings this summer, with more forecast for this week.”
“Britain’s heatwave could see temperatures rise up to 100F todayas the Met Office warns of flood warnings after thunderstorms battered parts of the nation with 50,000 lightning strikes and hail the size of golf balls landed in Wales.
“While some parts of the country awoke to the sound of thunder during the night, others suffered with more intense heat.”
“The state of emergency in the South Bulgarian region of Svilengrad was extended until 11th of August because of the large-scale forest fire, which has engulfed nearly 50 000 decares of dry grass and forests in the area.
“More than 200 fire fighters, volunteers, military and forest personnel have been battling the blaze.”
“…the Chernobyl area’s climate has warmed and dried, and its wildfires—most sparked by arson and other human activity—have grown larger and more frequent.
“Each fire releases radionuclides, just as Yoschenko and his colleagues documented in 2003; each one raises anxieties in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and in Europe’s major cities.”
“The “Godzilla-sized” Sahara Dust Cloud from Africa that traveled 5,000 miles over the Atlantic Ocean into the southern states this summer not only caused incredible sunsets and breathing problems—it also prevented hurricanes from forming.
“…the dust cloud is starting to dissipate, and signs suggest that serious hurricanes are on the way.”
“Thought July was hotter than usual? You were onto something. Last month was the hottest month on record in New Jersey in 125 years of record keeping, according to a monthly recap by Rutgers University.
“Statewide temperatures in July averaged 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit — about 4 degrees warmer than normal…”
“A rare wind storm with power similar to an inland hurricane swept across the midwest on Monday, blowing over trees, flipping vehicles, causing widespread property damageand leaving tens of thousands without power.
“The storm known as a derecho lasted several hours as it tore across eastern Nebraska, Iowa and parts of Wisconsin…”
“The monsoon in the Southwest has been generally inactive so far this year, which has led to an expansion of drought and record heat in the region.
“The upper-level setup has not been ideal for ample rainfall to drench the Southwest or for heat relief to arrive this season, which lasts from June 15 through Sept. 30.”
“Tropical corals are increasing and seaweed beds nurturing sea creatures have disappeared in the sea south of Tokyo Bay, indicating that Japanese waters are not exempt from the effect of global warming…
“…seaweed beds have disappeared over the past 12 years, while young table coral that usually grows in warmer waters in southwestern Japan have taken their place.”
“A first of its kind study from the University of British Columbia has found that melting glaciers will bring water shortages to one in four people living in Alberta.
“The study, which was published in the journal of Nature Climate Change on Aug. 3, found that global glacier retreat will have big impacts on the availability of water for communities that rely on glacier runoff…”
“The world’s peatlands will become a large source of greenhouse gases as temperatures rise this century, say scientists.
“Right now, huge amounts of carbon are stored in boggy, often frozen regions stretching across northern parts of the world. But much of the permanently frozen land will thaw…”
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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.
“July is going to likely to go down as the warmest month ever recorded in a global temperature dataset with observations back to 1850…
“The Western US and southwest Canada are bracing for another week of extreme heat as dozens of temperature records are expected to be broken…
“About 3.3 million California homes may lose power during rolling blackouts on Monday and the state’s governor is demanding an investigation into the power outages…
“A record-breaking heat wave coupled with rare summer thunderstorms are fueling wildfires across California, with nearly 30 burning more than 120,000 acres as of Tuesday morning…
“Tropical Storms Josephine and Kyle dissipated over the weekend, leaving the Atlantic Ocean free of storms. 
“The UK’s wheat harvest is likely to be down markedly this year, according to the National Farmers’ Union, capping a tumultuous year for British farming after consecutive seasons of extreme weather.
“The heatwave in Belgium has officially ended, as the maximum temperature dipped below 25°C for the first time in 12 days… 
“Zimbabwe’s second-largest city halted running-water supplies after problems at two reservoirs as residents reel under a severe drought, ailing infrastructure and an outbreak of waterborne diseases… 
“China’s biggest river, the Yangtze, and several of its tributaries have risen to dangerous levels after days of heavy rain, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes and triggering an unprecedented emergency response alert.
“Water is crashing on the feet of a 1,000-year-old giant Buddha sculpture in Southwest China for the first time in decades, illustrating the extent of the unprecedented floods along the nation’s longest river…
“Philippines — Residents living near the Mananga River in Barangay Bonbon, a mountain barangay in Cebu City, lost their homes following a flash flood on Monday, August 17, 2020.
“In western Siberia the permafrost is sinking, the temperatures are rising, and the landscape is changing fast. What does that really look like on the ground? We have a special report from the far north of Russia…”
“More than 50% of the world’s oceans could already be affected by climate change, with this figure rising as high as 80% over the coming decades, a new study has shown…
NB This is a preliminary reading and not yet officially verified
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“In exclusive analysis for Forbes, satellite analytics company Ursa Space Systems, using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite analysis from Iceye, was able to size the extent of the 
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“When the Earth was last four degrees warmer, during the Eocene Epoch, there was no ice at either pole. Global warming of this magnitude, observes Mark Lynas, visiting fellow with the Cornell Alliance for Science at Cornell University, “would eventually leave the whole planet without ice for the first time in nearly 40 million years.” 
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“One of the concerns about a warming planet is the feedback loop that will emerge. 
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“Baghdad hit 125.2 degrees on July 28, blowing past the previous record of 123.8 degrees — which was set here five years ago — and topping 120 degrees for four days in a row… the city offers a troubling snapshot of the future that climate change might one day bring other parts of the world. 
“A horse died allegedly due to fatigue and heat while carrying tourists. 
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“Peatlands cover just a few percent of the global land area but they store almost one-quarter of all soil carbon and so play a crucial role in regulating the climate. 
““The conditions we’ve seen in the Arctic this year have been truly remarkable, and not in a good way,” says Michael Meredith, a polar researcher at the British Antarctic Survey.
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“Provincial spokesman says authorities striving to provide relief to all those affected by the heavy rainfalls.
“More than 130 people have been killed during heavy rains in Yemen since mid-July, authorities in the rebel-held capital Sanaa say. 
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“The body of a man missing after a storm sparked flash floods on the Greek island of Evia over the weekend has been recovered, Greece’s coastguard has said, bringing the death toll from the storm to eight… 
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“Cod could disappear from British menus as global warming puts cold-water fish species at risk… 
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“The “Godzilla-sized” Sahara Dust Cloud from Africa that traveled 5,000 miles over the Atlantic Ocean into the southern states this summer not only caused incredible sunsets and breathing problems—it also prevented hurricanes from forming.
“Thought July was hotter than usual? You were onto something. 
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