“Some 6,000 hectares of Biebrza National Park in northeastern Poland were ablaze on Wednesday, as more than 120 firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames. Biebrza is home to 59,000 hectares of wetlands, wildlife such as moose, beavers, and unique species of birds, and hiking trails.
“”It is impossible to calculate the loss. This is a tragedy, it cannot be described. We may have to fight this fire for months,” park employee Janina Agnieszka Zach, told Polish broadcaster TVN.”
“The Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) has warned on Wednesday that Poland could face a severe drought this season.
“Lack of rain is already causing rivers to remain well below their water levels since March 12, and the coming drought could be the worst in a century, said the institute.”
“Germany’s agriculture minister said on Wednesday she is concerned about the impact of continued dry weather on crops and that a third drought year could hit farms “incredibly hard”.
“A large wildfire on the German-Dutch border has forced the evacuation of a village on the Dutch side which is home to around 4,000 people, local authorities said Wednesday.
“Emergency services evacuated Herkenbosch overnight, with the municipality saying that thick smog caused by a high concentration of carbon monoxide had prompted the operation.”
“Reductions in air pollution have also contributed to recent warming in Europe, particularly in summer, he said. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, which is being phased out in several European countries, emits particles that prevent some sunlight from reaching the Earth’s surface.”
“The [drought-hit] San communities in Tsholotsho and Plumtree [Zimbabwe] have raised complaints of hungerand neglect following the recent extension of the country’s lockdown against the spread of COVID-19…
“…besides the marginalised rural communities, people in urban areas that normally survive on informal trading had also become economically vulnerable due to the lockdown.”
“32,000 people have been displaced in the last 48 hours following heavy rains that caused flooding in Kisumu County [Kenya]…
“…the nation at large is facing probably the most trying time of our independence history. Never before have we had to deal with multiple disasters at the same time…”
“Scientists have been tracking the smoke [from Australian bushfires] since it formed in December, and it has since travelled around the globe several times…
“Their measurements have revealed unprecedented ozone loss in the smoke cloud… Last week, the cloud was observed over South Africa…”
“With hundreds of environmental enforcement agents sidelined by the pandemic, deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon has increased to its fastest pace in years…
“…and the season when clearing typically accelerates hasn’t even begun yet.”
“Santiago [Chile] registered seven heat waves – including one of five days – generating this summer to be the warmest in terms of maximum temperature since 1950…
“This caused this summer to be ranked as the warmest in terms of maximum temperature (since 1950), adds the DMC.”
“For ten days, the population of a good part of the country has suffered the consequences of a temperature rise due to a heat wave that in Oaxaca [Mexico] triggered the [heat] record at the Río Manso weather station, located in San Juan Lalana: 47 degrees Celsius [116.6f].”
“From South Texas to South Florida, all along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, temperatures in the spring frequently have leaped ahead to summer-like levels.
“South Florida, in particular, has turned downright hot, obliterating long-standing records… Meteorologists say the steamy weather is linked to abnormally warm temperatures in the adjacent waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean…”
“…as the world warms, there are going to be a lot more slow-moving tropical cyclones like Harvey, according to high-resolution climate models.
“A slow-moving tropical cyclone dumps far more rain in one place than a fast-moving storm of a similar size and strength. The winds can also do more damage, as they batter structures for longer.”
“The spectacular eruptions of the Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii in 2018 were triggered by extreme rainfall in the preceding months, research suggests.
“Scientists say the finding raises the possibility that climate breakdown, which is causing more extreme weather, could lead to an increase in eruptions around the world.”
“The coronavirus pandemic is putting untold pressure on the supply chains that produce and transport the world’s food. Yet there’s one vital factor even harder to control than panic buying — the weather.
“A period of extreme weather that devastates harvests could force countries to deploy more protectionist food policies, creating a ripple effect through global trade.
“Concerns over access to wheat and other staples have already led nations including Kazakhstan and Russia to introduce export restrictions, sparking fears of a global food crisis…
“There is cause for concern. Drier weather has affected key growing regions in the Black Sea, Argentina and across Europe.”
“Unlike COVID-19 cases, temperature trends aren’t flattening yet.
“In fact, temperatures have risen in 98 percent of cities in the U.S. while the contiguous U.S. has warmed 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the 50 years since the first Earth Day. The annual average temperature in the Tampa Bay area has warmed 2.9 degrees since the first Earth Day.”
“The Dutch air force sent in helicopters to help firefighters battle wildfires in two eastern nature reserves in the Netherlands.
“Local media report efforts to contain the fires in the Deurnese Peel nature reserve in Noord-Brabant province and De Meinweg in Limburg province continued throughout the night Monday and into the morning Tuesday.”
“Scattering models indicate that radionuclides released from the areas hit by forest fire in northern Ukraine could have reached Finnmark in northernmost Norway in recent days…
“Released off radiation was measured inside the forest fire hit areas already in early April.”
“Climatologists believe the current drought in Italy to be the worst such event in the last 60 years. In the northern regions, rainfall has dropped 61 percent since February.
“The latest data from the National Research Council shows a substantial reduction of water levels in rivers and lakes across the country, this is the warmest season on record since 1800…”
“The Kenya Meteorological Department (Met) has asked the public to brace for heavier rainfall over the next seven days…
“At least 12 people have died while at least 22 are missing in Chesogon, Elgeyo Marakwet, where heavy rains and flash floods have left more than 400 families displaced.”
“A recent poaching incident in Cambodia’s northern plains took the lives of three giant ibises, a critically endangered bird species.
“There’s been an upsurge in poaching, deforestation and other destructive activities in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.”
““Dead fish and dead shrimps,” Vien says, “and if we don’t have a solution soon, I think, dead farmers too.”
“The issue is water. Salty seawater has intruded into the freshwater Mekong Delta at unprecedented levels this year, to the point at which [Vietnamese] peoples’ crops and produce simply cannot survive.”
“New South Wales farmers are bracing for the drought to worsen, with the opportunity for autumn rain and significant pasture growth diminishing as winter closes in…
“While some parts of NSW have received drought-breaking rain, the state’s south-east is still classified under “intense drought”, according to NSW Department of Primary Industries.”
“Australia’s 2020 cotton crop is the lowest planted since the 1980s, with just 60,000 hectares planted across Australia, less than a quarter of last year’s plant of 292,380ha according to Cotton Australia’s January estimates.
“The drought took a hit on the Darling Downs cotton industry as growers started the season with not enough water to get through, taking a chance on in crop rain.”
“Hundreds of tornadoes have been reported across the eastern half of the US since April 1. Now, another storm system could generate even more over the next two days, from the Southern Plains to the Deep South.
“This storm threat includes parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia. It also includes Mississippi…”
“Small pieces of plastic have been detected in sea ice in Antarctica for what scientists believe is the first time.
“Microplastics have previously been discovered in Antarctica’s surface waters, sediment and in snow, but the new discovery could mean the region’s krill – which feed on algae from sea ice – may be more exposed to the plastic.”
“As the climate crisis worsens, scientists say it is now only the efficacy of protection measures which will determine for how many more years our planet will continue to have a northern ice cap year round.
“A major new piece of research involving 21 leading institutes and using 40 different climate models has found that whatever action is taken, we are on course to see ice-free summers at the North Pole in the coming decades.”
“In a normal year, predictions of an “above average” Atlantic hurricane season spurs a flurry of disaster planning. But, this year, the Coronavirus pandemic blunted the impact of these grim predictions.”
“The prediction center received more than 250 reports of possible tornadoes, high winds, hail and storm damage from east Texas to south Georgia on Sunday afternoon and evening.
“Teams from the National Weather Service will assess tracks to determine where tornadoes struck.”
“After a scorcher of a start to April, more record highs were set across south Florida on Monday, including a new all-time record high temperature for the month of April in Miami, Florida…
“Persistent southerly flow, and the orientation of the jet stream just to the north of Florida, is combining to keep central and south Florida consistently hot and muggy.”
Been amazing watching Seattle swing endlessly between record dry and wet spells these past few years:
“It’s been the driest start to April since Seattle started recording its weather, with less than one-tenth of an inch of rain so far, according to the National Weather Service. That’s about to change.”
“Deforestation in the Amazon rose by more than half in the first three months of 2020 compared to 2019…
“…and with forest debris likely to be burned starting next month the region could see an even bigger fire season than last year, Amazon researchers said.”
“Australia’s devastating bushfire season is likely to have released 830m tonnes of carbon dioxide, far more than the country’s annual greenhouse gas pollution, according to a government estimate.
“If compared with international emissions, it suggests the Australian temperate forest bushfires between September and February would rank sixth on a list of polluting nations, behind only China, the US, India, Russia and Japan.”
“The [Afghani] ministry of state in natural disaster management said that lives of over seven million people are in danger due to fatal floods flashed across the country during last month as the level of rainfalls have been in high summation…
“…more than one million people estimated to be more vulnerable that need immediate aids and assistance.”
“Heavy downpours late last week caused the beds of Lake Tanganyika and the Mulongwe River to overflow, sending floodwaters through the town of Uvira, located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“As of late Monday, local time, it has been reported that at least 54 people have been killed by the flooding.”
“The world’s seas are simmering, with record high temperatures spurring worry among forecasters that the global warming effect may generate a chaotic year of extreme weather ahead…
““The entire tropical ocean is above average,” said Michelle L’Heureux, a forecaster at the U.S. Climate Prediction Center.
““And there is a global warming component to that. It is really amazing when you look at all the tropical oceans and see how warm they are.””
“Fans and air conditioners also work at full throttle these days, since a heat wave has triggered thermometers to temperatures never seen on the island in April:
“…on the 12th, a new national record [for Cuba] of maximum temperature of 39.7 degrees Celsius.”
“The governments of Argentina and Brazil are in talks to release water from the giant Itaipu Dam…
“A drought over the southern hemisphere summer means the river is at its lowest level since 1989, costing Argentina’s crop traders money at a time when the soybean harvest is starting to roll in…”
“Auckland [NZ] is on track for a one-in-1000-year drought.
“Watercare has revealed the only reason Aucklanders aren’t under severe water restrictions is because of COVID-19. And that goes for Coromandel too. Farmers in the Coromandel too are struggling to feed stock after months without rain.”
“This time of year, Brisbane should be enjoying a respite from the summer heat, with temperatures averaging around 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
“Instead, according to Australia’s Weatherzone, Friday saw the mercury reaching 34C (93F) in the capital city of Queensland…”
“More than 10,000 people have been displaced in separate floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the authorities said Saturday.
“The flooding submerged homes in the eastern Maniema province, according to the authorities… About 25 people have been killed by flooding in eastern Congo…”
“Fires around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant and elsewhere pushed pollution levels in Ukraine’s capital Kiev to the worst in the world on Friday, giving inhabitants another reason to stay indoors on top of the coronavirus lockdown…
“Police said a huge fire was started by arsonists in the forests around Chernobyl earlier this month.
“It was put out this week, but new blazes broke out on Thursday evening, fanned by heavy winds.”
“Some 350,000 foreigners are usually employed seasonally in Italy’s agriculture sector. The coronavirus crisis means this year there is a shortage of between 250,000 and 270,000, according to the farming ministry…
“The production crisis [in Italy, also caused by the worst drought in 60 years] could impact food availability.”
“Farmers in northern France face “catastrophic” weather, with very little rain forecast for the next two weeks and the potential for yields “sharply down,” Luc Morin, who runs crop-weather analyst Visio-Crop, said in a tweet on Sunday.
“Wheat in France is suffering from drought after entering spring time with very low levels of biomass…”
“Despite the calendar reading mid-April and Americans preparing to stow away their winter jackets, winter hit rewind on 2020, dumping record-breaking snow totals on the High Plains region Thursday night.
“Through Friday morning, that snow turned treacherous in its path towards the East Coast…”
“More than 5 million people are under tornado watches across the southeast — in many of the same places that suffered deadly storms last week.
“A line of storms moved east across the South overnight putting areas including Tallahassee and Panama City, Florida; Albany, Georgia; and Dothan, Alabama under a tornado watch Monday morning.”
“As farmers deal with supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic, drought conditions have gripped California, Florida, parts of the Southwest and south Texas.
“The drought means additional expense for some farmers to find water or bring their livestock to a water source. It also increases the cost and a lack of selection at grocery stores for some crops grown in the United States.”
“Federal scientists announced Thursday that 2020 has nearly a 75% chance of being the warmest year on record for the planet Earth.
“Already, through the first three months of the year, it’s the second-warmest on record, trailing only the El Niño fueled year of 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.”
“Ozone levels above the Arctic reached a record low for March, NASA researchers report.
“An analysis of satellite observations show that ozone levels reached their lowest point on March 12 at 205 Dobson units. The March Arctic ozone depletion was caused by a combination of factors that arose due to unusually weak upper atmospheric “wave” events from December through March.”
“Melting glacial ice high in the Norwegian mountains has revealed the full extent of the Lendbreen mountain pass… A treasure trove of artifacts has been discovered…
“The warm summer of 2019 provided archaeologists with Lendbreen’s final bounty. Record temperatures saw most of the remaining ice in place since the time of the route melt.”
“New fires broke out in the area around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant on Thursday, fanned by heavy winds that have made it harder to put out the blaze, Ukrainian officials said.
“Emergency workers managed several days ago to contain an initial bout of fires that tore through forests around the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986. Ukrainian authorities have played down any radiation risk.”
“Last season’s drought left almost half of the country [Zambia] in dire need of food. This year, it is the complete opposite, with heavy rains, which have continued, beyond normal.
The floods have already left many families displaced in about 40 districts across the country.”
“A major clean-up operation is under way in Yemen’s rebel-held capital of Sanaa following days of heavy rain.
“This resulted in floodwaters sweeping through parts of the city, overturning cars and damaging shops and market stalls. The heavy rains began on Monday evening and continued through much of Tuesday and into Wednesday, causing dangerously high water levels in some areas…”
“Flooding events that now occur in America once in a lifetime could become a daily occurrence along the vast majority of the US coastline if sea level rise is not curbed, according to a new study that warns the advancing tides will “radically redefine the coastline of the 21st century”.”
“A new analysis finds the period 2000-2018 to be among the driest in 1,200 years for southwestern North America.
“The study uses soil moisture derived from tree-ring samples and more recent weather data. A megadrought may already be in progress across the region, including much of the western U.S.”
“It was the third year in a row there was a big snowstorm in the middle of April with cold temperatures following the snow.
“Soil temperatures at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca [Minnesota, US] dropped from a little over 50 degrees to 37 degrees Tuesday morning. I also believe we set an all time record low temperature Wednesday morning in Faribault of 16 degrees.”
“The death toll has risen to at least 36 from the two-day outbreak of strong storms that pounded the South, as Mississippi on Thursday reported two additional deaths.
“The National Weather Service said more than 100 tornadoes struck the South on Sunday and Monday.”
“Tornadoes hit the South hard on Easter Sunday, just as predicted by the National Weather Service. Three days later, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite captured an image of a long scar left by one of the day’s powerful twisters.
“The image shows a 68-mile-long scar in Mississippi, which is land flattened by an EF-4 tornado, the second-most damaging type of tornado.”
“…about 10,000 years ago, the Earth suddenly entered into a period of climate stability modern humans had never seen before. But thanks to ever accelerating emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, humanity is now bringing this period to an end.
“Climate campaigners, such as Greta Thunberg, have… expressed concern that climate projections typically do not fully incorporate the potential range of carbon-cycle feedbacks…
“Analysis for this article shows that feedbacks could result in up to 25% more warming than in the main IPCC projections.”
“A new study has calculated that the Greenland ice sheet lost hundreds of billions of tons of ice last year, marking the biggest drop in its ice mass since records began in 1948.
“And warm weather alone wasn’t to blame – the team found that unusual pressure patterns had the most devastating impact.”
“Comparing the pre-industrial period of 1871-1900 to the current period of 1991-2020, Swiss winters have become almost 2°C milder…
“…the increase in the standard winter temperature, the extreme winters above 0°C and the disappearance of really cold winters are clear signals of ongoing climate change.”
“A record cold temperature for this day in Hungary was broken in the northern village of Zabar, as the mercury dipped to -8.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service said… The service said temperatures are expected to return to around 20-25 degrees in the coming days.”
“Alhaurin El Grande residents [Spain] were awoken in the early of the morning to witness rows of driverless cars being washed down streets in floods caused by storms and torrential rain that shook the town all night long.
“More than 100 litres per square metre of rain drenched the town in less than an hour…”
“Seven persons, including a two-year-old girl, were killed on Wednesday in separate incidents of roof collapse triggered by heavy rains in northwest Pakistan, police said.”
“Heavy rainfalls have inflicted considerable damage to some historical sites and monuments across southeastern Kerman province [Iran].
““A significant number of historical monuments and ancient sites have been seriously damaged in the province,” ILNA quoted Mojtaba Shafiei, the provincial deputy tourism chief, as saying on Wednesday.”
“…anomalously warm water has persisted near the dateline the past several months.
“This warmer than normal water has encouraged convection near the dateline and suppressed convection farther west over much of Micronesia, especially far western Micronesia.”
“As Vanuatu tries to protect itself from the arrival of the coronavirus and the remaining effects of a volcanic eruption two years ago, it’s also dealing with the catastrophic destruction after category five cyclone Harold slammed into the island state a week and a half ago.”
“Scientists warn that the next emergent pandemic could originate in the Brazilian Amazon if Bolsonaro’s policies continue to drive Amazon deforestation rates ever higher.
“Researchers have long known that new diseases typically arise at the nexus between forest and agribusiness, mining, and other human development.”
“In the face of spreading wildfires, the state of Oaxaca [Mexico] is asking the federal government to extend its state of emergency declaration from four municipalities to nine.
“The request comes after high winds intensified a fire that spread from the rural town of Santiago Juxtlahuaca on April 9 to Santos Reyes Tepillo…”
“…three [Mexican] states will have temperatures above 113°:
“Campeche, Tabasco, and Yucatan. On April 8, a woman reportedly died from heatstroke while working on her ranch in the community of Señor in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, according to a local media in Quintana Roo.”
“Food suppliers in western Colorado said they are concerned about peach crops after a potentially devastating freeze struckGrand Valley orchards.
“National Weather Service meteorologist Kris Sanders reported a record low 19 degrees Monday in Grand Junction, 2 degrees below the previous record set in 1933 by an Arctic cold front…”
“The National Weather Service released a sobering preliminary analysis of one of the deadly tornadoes that tore across southern Mississippi on Easter Sunday. Meteorologists who surveyed the damage left behind by the EF-4 tornado found that its path was “at least” two miles wide at one point.
“This tornado was the largest ever recorded in Mississippi.”
“As far as I know, your work is unique in pulling together stories from all over the world. Very sobering but a better and more complete view. Terrific and necessary work. Thank you!” – Simon
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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.
“Some 6,000 hectares of Biebrza National Park in northeastern Poland were ablaze on Wednesday, as more than 120 firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames. Biebrza is home to 59,000 hectares of wetlands, wildlife such as moose, beavers, and unique species of birds, and hiking trails.
“The Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) has warned on Wednesday that Poland could face a severe drought this season.
“Haunting drone footage has revealed the path of destruction blazed by the forest fires in Chernobyl’s exclusion zone. 
“Germany’s agriculture minister said on Wednesday she is concerned about the impact of continued dry weather on crops and that a third drought year could hit farms “incredibly hard”. 
“A large wildfire on the German-Dutch border has forced the evacuation of a village on the Dutch side which is home to around 4,000 people, local authorities said Wednesday.
Nod to loss of global dimming: 
“The [drought-hit] San communities in Tsholotsho and Plumtree [Zimbabwe] have raised complaints of hunger and neglect following the recent extension of the country’s lockdown against the spread of COVID-19… 
“32,000 people have been displaced in the last 48 hours following heavy rains that caused flooding in Kisumu County [Kenya]… 
“Scientists have been tracking the smoke [from Australian bushfires] since it formed in December, and it has since travelled around the globe several times… 
“With hundreds of environmental enforcement agents sidelined by the pandemic, deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon has increased to its fastest pace in years…
“Santiago [Chile] registered seven heat waves – including one of five days – generating this summer to be the warmest in terms of maximum temperature since 1950… 
“For ten days, the population of a good part of the country has suffered the consequences of a temperature rise due to a heat wave that in Oaxaca [Mexico] triggered the [heat] record at the Río Manso weather station, located in San Juan Lalana: 47 degrees Celsius [116.6f].”
“From South Texas to South Florida, all along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, temperatures in the spring frequently have leaped ahead to summer-like levels. 
“…as the world warms, there are going to be a lot more slow-moving tropical cyclones like Harvey, according to high-resolution climate models. 
“An outbreak of tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas have resulted in the death of two and the destruction of hundreds of homes between the two states. 
“The spectacular eruptions of the Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii in 2018 were triggered by extreme rainfall in the preceding months, research suggests.
“The coronavirus pandemic is putting untold pressure on the supply chains that produce and transport the world’s food. Yet there’s one vital factor even harder to control than panic buying — the weather.
“Unlike COVID-19 cases, temperature trends aren’t flattening yet. 
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“Fans and air conditioners also work at full throttle these days, since a heat wave has triggered thermometers to temperatures never seen on the island in April: 
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“This time of year, Brisbane should be enjoying a respite from the summer heat, with temperatures averaging around 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit). 
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“Some 350,000 foreigners are usually employed seasonally in Italy’s agriculture sector. The coronavirus crisis means this year there is a shortage of between 250,000 and 270,000, according to the farming ministry… 
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“Comparing the pre-industrial period of 1871-1900 to the current period of 1991-2020, Swiss winters have become almost 2°C milder
From record warm winter to record cold April: 
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“…anomalously warm water has persisted near the dateline the past several months. 
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“The National Weather Service released a sobering preliminary analysis of one of the deadly tornadoes that tore across southern Mississippi on Easter Sunday. Meteorologists who surveyed the damage left behind by the EF-4 tornado found that its path was “at least” two miles wide at one point. 