“During its rapid intensification, Kyarr’s pressure bombed out to 915 millibars. The lower the pressure, generally the more intense the storm. And in the case of Kyarr, the 915 millibar reading set a new record for Arabian Sea cyclones (a 1999 cyclone that formed on the other side of the Indian Ocean holds the all-time low pressure record for the basin)…
“Beyond individual superlatives, Kyarr also pushed the Indian Ocean to set a record for its most intense cyclone season on record.”
“Seven people have died and 11 have been injured due to the hail in Hafr Al Baten city in Saudi Arabia… Pictures on social media show the chunks of hail were the size of a hand.”
“Weather experts say Malawi will continue experiencing record-breaking heatwave conditions with temperatures running up to 39c due to a warm and dry northeasterly airflow into the country.”
“South African residents are being urged to use their water sparingly as hot, dry weather pushes the country toward another water shortage.
“The South African Minister of Human Settlements, Water, and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu made the announcement Monday at a press conference to address the issue.”
“The scientists were also able to link this [coral extinction event off Namibia] with a shift in the Benguela upwelling system, and an associated intensification of the oxygen minimum zone in this region.”
“Over 100 villages in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Adamawa have been trapped by floods, caused by persistent rainfall in that part of the country, a local official said on Monday.
“While confirming the development to reporters, Muhammad Sulaiman, head of the state emergency management agency, described the current flood situation as the worst ever experienced in the state.”
“After three straight years of crop losses due to soaring temperatures and crippling droughts, Heiner Luetke Schwienhorst has had enough and is taking Europe’s most powerful government to court.
“The dairy farmer from the edge of the Spreewald forest, just south of Berlin, blames German chancellor Angela Merkel’s government for stoking climate change and wants to know why efforts to rein in greenhouse gas emissions have fallen short and put his livelihood at risk.”
“The area of the fountain covered about five metres, with water ‘so violently boiling with methane bubbles’ that scientists skipped using plastic cones for sampling and instead collected the gas in buckets.
“‘This was the most powerful seep I have ever observed. No one has ever recorded anything similar’ said head of the expedition Igor Semiletov, who has participated in 45 Arctic expeditions.”
“With a poor start for ice forming in northern Alaska waters this season, the latest climate forecasts predict sea ice may not reach Western Alaska until December.
““Here in Western Alaska I think the most common question is: where is the sea ice at?” Thoman said. “And it’s still very far north, we’re at record low sea ice extent in the Chukchi Sea, near record low in the Beaufort Sea.””
“Anchorage broke a daily temperature record on Monday, hitting a balmy 54 degrees mid-afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record, 52 degrees, was set in 2013.
“Anchorage’s high on Monday was a full 20 degrees over the average high temperature for Oct. 28…”
“The western U.S. state of Utah was the first to get blasted by a powerful arctic air mass surging south from Canada, where a -37.1 degree centigrade record was set Monday.
“”Peter Sinks, Utah has likely broken the national cold record [lower 48] for October this morning,” weatherman Timothy Wright posted on Twitter at 9 am…”
“An estimated 1.5 million more people in California are set to lose power on Tuesday as a utility firm tries to stop damaged cables triggering wildfires.
“Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) already faces an investigation by regulators after cutting supplies to 970,000 homes and businesses. It announced that another 650,000 properties would face precautionary shut-offs on Tuesday amid high winds.”
“Widespread flooding in Japan brought by Typhoon Hagibis’ torrential rains has damaged countless items of furniture and other household goods, producing huge volumes of trash, or disaster refuse, which is in need of dumping.
“In the city of Nagano alone, where the Chikuma River burst its banks and inundated some 5,000 homes with floodwater, temporary official trash dumps have been set up.”
“A new report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions finds that, because sea level rise exacerbates flooding and storm surge, it is a critical threat to urban coastal areas.
“More than 10 percent of the world’s population now resides in urban centers or quasi-urban clusters situated at less than 10 meters above sea level. Research and analysis by Columbia University’s CIESIN contributed to the new findings.”
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency on Sunday as wind-whipped wildfires in the north and south of the state gobbled up land, destroyed homes and forced almost 200,000 people to flee.
“In Northern California’s wine country outside San Francisco, the Kincade Fire has grown to about 50,000 acres and is 10% contained, Newsom said Sunday. That’s up from 30,000 acres reported earlier in the day.”
“After a high of 76 degrees on Saturday we will spend close to 100 consecutive hours with temperatures below freezing this week across a large part of Colorado…
“By Wednesday night and early Thursday morning the temperature in Denver could approach or even fall below zero. Should that happen the all-time October record low will be in jeopardy.”
“Since 1950, average temperatures across the state have risen between 2 and 3 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment. They’re projected to increase by 4.5 to 6 degrees by the end of the century.
“The impacts of glaciers disappearing in Montana aren’t just sentimental or tourism-related. Changes to the ecosystem are expected, and they will touch everything from animals to farmers downstream.”
“Torrential rain that caused flooding and mudslides in eastern Japan left at least 10 people dead, with damaged surrounding areas still recovering from recent typhoons.
“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held an emergency meeting on Saturday and called for “the utmost effort in rescue and relief operations.””
“The amount of damage to the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry wrought by Typhoon No. 15 and No. 19, which devastated eastern Japan this autumn, topped 170 billion yen ($1.56 billion) as of Oct. 27, according to the government’s calculation.
“Given that overall damage has yet to be tallied, the amount will likely rise even further.”
“[Pakistan’s] farmers have called upon the government to declare emergency in areas hit by the current heatwave, document the tentative losses incurred by the farmers due to failure of corn, cotton and rice crops and announce an incentive package enabling them to bear the brunt and go for the next crops.
“The government should write off loans of, disburse financial or other assistance to farmers from the heatwave hit areas…”
“Oman is bracing for tropical cyclone Kyarr, which is expected to make the mainland in some three days. The category 4 storm is heading towards the country’s west-northwest coast…
“People were cautioned to look out for the early signs of the storm, with Arab Sea waves reaching 3-5 meters.”
“Seven people have so far lost their lives due to the torrential rain which lashed the region of Hafr Al Baten [Saudi Arabia].
“Eleven other people were injured and 16 evacuated by the Civil Defence units which received 1,176 calls for help. The Saudi meteorology authority issued a warning, cautioning against moderate to heavy rain, violent winds and bouts of hailstones.”
“At least 908,000 people including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and host communities have been either displaced or affected by flooding due to seasonal heavy rains in the northern parts of South Sudan, the UN said on Friday…
“…more than 60 percent of the flood-affected counties are currently classified as facing extreme levels of acute malnutrition caused by floods since July.”
“…the Katse Dam in the Lesotho Highlands – which is meant to provide additional reserves – is sitting at just 13% and the little rain that has fallen, hasn’t helped to increase the water supply.
“The Department of Water and Sanitation claims there is no need to panic, but with a drought looming – Carte Blanche asks: where will the much needed resource come from?”
“If water is life, South Africa is beginning to look dead on its feet.
“Drought is spreading round the country, leaving almost a million people in the Free State without water, forcing Kimberley to shut off water supplies at night, turning the Eastern Cape into a disaster zone, reducing farmers to penury and despair, and sending food prices soaring.”
“The death toll from this week’s freak flash floods in Spain could reach eight after it emerged two foreign tourists staying in a Majorca hotel are unaccounted for.
“A search for the pair, described as a Hungarian brother and sister by local press, restarted today as police and Civil Protection workers in Catalonia continued to try to locate four people feared dead including a mother and son whose prefab bungalow home was washed away.”
“Winds caused widespread damage, tearing down thousands of trees and leaving around 10,000 households without electricity. A few cities in Vidzeme [Latvia] experienced a total blackout on Sunday night.
“According to the State Fire and Rescue Service, by 19:00 on Sunday rescuers had received more than 150 calls related to the storm damage.”
“Hurricane Pablo became the sixth Atlantic hurricane on Sunday morning in an unusual location… Only one other storm since 1950 has first reached hurricane intensity at a farther north latitude, according to Tomer Burg, an atmospheric science PhD student at the University of Oklahoma…
“Not only that, Pablo is also the farthest east an Atlantic storm has first become a hurricane…”
“The effect that climate change could have on Arctic food webs is dramatic. As it becomes easier for some species to survive and harder for others, an entire food web could collapse or be reshaped from the bottom up.
“This kind of “regime shift” in the Arctic Ocean is an increasingly pressing concern.”
“The unusually high daytime temperatures currently experienced in several parts of Indonesia are expected to persist over the next seven days, the national weather bureau said, advising the public to avoid sun exposure as far as possible and to stay hydrated.
“A weather station in Tangerang, Banten, just outside Jakarta, registered 39.6 degrees Celsius – the highest temperature ever recorded in the archipelago – on Wednesday and Thursday. The previous record was 39.5 degrees Celsius, recorded in Semarang, Central Java, in 2015.”
“Torrential rain caused flooding and mudslides Friday in towns east of Tokyo, prompting concerns over new damage in areas still recovering from recent typhoons.
“Muddy waters spilled from a river in Chiba, southeast of Tokyo, where pedestrians waded through waist-deep floods.”
“A record high of 90 degrees was set at Honolulu on Wednesday, breaking the old record of 89 set in 2013. A high of 88 degrees in Hilo matched the previous record set in 2017. A high of 93 degrees in Kahului matched the previous record set in 1984.”
“Los Angeles area residents ran for their lives on Thursday evening as wildfires, whipped up by strong winds, reached residential neighborhoods, forcing 50,000 evacuations.
“Two blazes are threatening LA, while another has taken hold in Sonoma County in California’s wine country, where 16,000 acres are burning. Two other fires are moving across the center of the state.”
“As cold air spills into the Lower 48, a spell of warmer air will sweep through Alaska this weekend, with temperatures expected to climb by more than 20 degrees in some areas.
“The rise in temperatures will come as a strong low-pressure system digs in over the Bering Sea, driving the jet stream eastward and southward over the northern Pacific.”
“Rain has slowed the harvest across the state in recent days. National Weather Service data for Des Moines showed that Central Iowa on Wednesday matched the October rainfall record of 7.29 inches, set in 1941.
“Any more rain in the remaining eight days of the month would set a new record — a landmark in a year that already is one of the wettest in recorded Iowa history.”
“At 3:40 p.m. on Thursday, temperatures climbed to 19.5 degrees at the weather station in De Bilt, making it the warmest October 24th in the Netherlands since temperature measurements started in 1901, Weeronline reports. The previous record of 19.4 degrees was set in 1995.
“This is the 14th heat record so far this year, compared to only one cold record on October 6th. Last year, which was extremely hot, also had 14 heat records, but three cold records.”
“The town of Beziers was among the hardest hit in recent days.
“It saw more rain in 24 hours than in the whole previous year as the fierce storms lashed eight French departments along the Mediterranean Sea and inland areas…
“More than 2,000 personnel from the emergency services have been mobilised to deal with the aftermath of the storms.”
“Israel is set to be lashed by a rare hybrid tropical storm over the weekend that is expected to bring heavy rainfall, strong winds, and flooding across the country.
“Forecasters said the “medicane” brewing in the eastern Mediterranean would make landfall by Saturday. Flash flood warnings were issued in the south…”
“The Associated Press news agency, meanwhile, put the death toll at 11…
“Tuesday’s rainfall in Alexandria [Egypt] was reminiscent of the deadly flooding in 2015, which killed five people and led to the resignation of then-Governor Hani el-Mesery…
“Zimbabwe has flown up to 30 young elephants overseas despite animal welfare group’s concern they could be traumatized. The animals – believed to have been sent to China – have been separated from their families for a year.
“However Zimbabwe’s National Parks service claim that it needs the money to support other wildlife during a devastating drought which has already killed 55 elephants.”
“Over US$4 billion is needed to help Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe recover from the devastating effects of Cyclones Idai that hit the three southern African nations earlier this year…
“…representatives from the three countries said they had not been able to attract enough financial support to rebuild lives and fast track early recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction after Cyclones Idai and Kenneth.”
“A cyclonic storm, named Kyarr, over east central Arabia Sea is likely to add to the troubles of people living in southern Maharashtra, north and coastal Karnataka…
“Kyarr’s expected landfall comes even as the entire northern and coastal parts of Karnataka have been lashed with heavy downpours and inundation of entire villages and infrastructure.”
“As the warm north-westerly moves to the east coast, the wind also brings increased dust in the air and very high fire dangers for most of the state.
“More than 40 bushfires are burning in New South Wales, the Rural Fire Service has said. But despite the hot weather for yesterday and today, that sweltering weather will eventually lose out to a polar blast coming from the south.”
“…So natural climate change had cued up the massive Antarctic ice shelves to collapse before human-caused climate change turned up the heat.
“A random shift in wind patterns has been melting the ice caps for the last 300 years, the scientists wrote, “potentially predisposing them to collapse under intensified anthropogenic warming.””
“It’s officially fall, but you wouldn’t know it by the weather.
“In fact, the islands are continuing to see record high temperatures in several locales. That comes after a blistering summer with highs in the mid-90s…
“If you’re keeping count ― and the National Weather Service in Honolulu is ― Hawaii has seen 213 official record-breaking or -tying highs since April…
“Scientists say a marine heat wave in the Pacific ― the second-largest ever recorded ― is largely to blame for the avalanche of record highs.”
“A rapidly spreading wildfire driven by strong winds exploded in Sonoma County late Wednesday, prompting evacuation orders for residents east of Geyserville.
“The Kincade fire is an estimated 10,000 acres and has no containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection…”
“Global warming could contribute to the failure of one in four steel bridges in the US over the next two decades. Bridges in the US and other high-income countries are ageing and deteriorating.
“Last year, a large portion of an Italian bridge built in the 1960s collapsed, killing more than 40 people. One of the most common problems involves expansion joints.”
“An insurance industry group says the nine tornadoes that struck the Dallas area during a Sunday night caused an estimated $2billion in insured losses.
“The Insurance Council of Texas said the estimate, which it called ‘pretty conservative’, makes the tornado disaster the costliest in state history.”
“Hungary witnessed a record temperature of 28.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the meteorological office said. The daytime high was recorded in Dombegyháza, in Békés county in the south-east.”
“Torrential rain in southern France and northeast Spain left several people missing and one dead, as well as causing severe disruption and damage to infrastructure.
“In the Montpellier region of France 1000 people were brought to safety, French authorities said on Wednesday… France’s national weather authority said storms and heavy rains could continue through to Thursday.”
“Alicante [Spain] has suffered its rainiest year on record during 2019 after the latest storms that hit this week, according to data provided by AEMET….
“The Gota Fria storms and floods in the Vega Baja regions in September – that lasted three days – were the biggest on record…”
“Death toll has risen to 18 due to the floods caused by persistent rainfall in central Nigeria, said a local official on Wednesday.
“Confirming the figure to reporters, Ibrahim Inga, head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency in Nigeria’s central region, said eight more deaths were recorded recently.”
“Heavy rains that pummelled the capital of Cairo and other parts of Egypt, causing massive traffic jams and flooding many key roads, left at least eight people dead, including four children, authorities said Wednesday.
“People captured images of Tuesday’s downpours and flooding on their mobile phones, posting images on social media, including scenes of cars submerged by floodwaters.”
“Four children drowned on Tuesday in Eldas, Wajir County [Kenya] as they attempted to swim in a swollen stream. Two of the victims were in Standard Five, one in Grade One and another in Grade Three.
“Heavy rains in the area have occasioned flash floods which have cut off roads and marooned villages.”
“The Eastern Cape cabinet [South Africa] has resolved to declare the drought a disaster and processes to gazette this are underway, Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane said on Wednesday.
“”One of the issues that delayed the gazetting was that some municipalities were in the process of declaring it a disaster,” he added.”
“One-third of the cotton crop has been destroyed due to the heat wave in Pakistan, especially in lower Sindh, said Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah.
“Chairing a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Wednesday, he stressed the need for developing heat-tolerant, insect-resistant and high-yielding cotton seed varieties.”
“Water levels at more than 30 hydrological stations in east China’s Jiangxi Province have dropped to historic lows as drought persists after flood season, local authorities said Thursday.
“Most parts of Jiangxi suffered meteorological drought of various degrees due to sustained high temperature and evaporation…”
“The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings for gale-force winds and heavy rain on Thursday evening in Tokyo and the surrounding regions, while Typhoon Bualoi is already battering the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo, with strong winds, heavy rainfall and high waves.
“The death toll from Hagibis stands at 84, with nine still missing…”
“Parts of South Australia have sweltered through their hottest October day in more than a century…
“…northerly winds ahead of an approaching cold front caused temperatures to climb more than 15 degrees above average in parts of South Australia today, with Ceduna reaching 40.1C by 1pm. Further east, Port Lincoln had reached 40.8…”
“The parched earth of Australia’s longest waterway, if tributaries are included, is in the grip of the continent’s most severe drought in a century.
“At Menindee, 830 km west of Sydney, despair has turned to anger as residents blame the government for exacerbating the drought by drawing down river water in 2017 for irrigation and other uses downstream.”
“The Russian Navy has discovered five new islands in the Arctic after they were revealed by melting glaciers.
“The Navy first spotted the islands in 2016 using satellite imagery, but only confirmed and mapped them in August and September during an expedition to the site, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
“The new islands are located near the Vylki glacier off the coast of the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which lies in the Arctic Ocean northwest of the Russian mainland. They range in area from 900 to 54,500 square meters (about 9,690 to 586,630 square feet) — as big as 10 football fields.
“”Basically, this (discovery) is associated with the melting of ice,” said expedition leader Aleksandr Moiseyev on Tuesday…”
“The Yup’ik village of Newtok, Alaska, is flanked by the Ninglik and Newtok Rivers.
“The village, seen here, is rapidly sinking and seen here, is rapidly sinking and shrinking due to warming weather thawing permafrost, and erosion. Newtok is the first community in Alaska that has already begun relocation as a result of climate change.”
“Emergency workers in the Russian Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk have found two more bodies near a collapsed dam during search-and-rescue operations… It brings the death toll to at least 17 miners…
“Heavy rains had caused erosion of the dam and water had broken through early on October 19, sweeping away several cabins where workers at the mine lived.”
“November inches closer, and harvest across the Corn Belt [USA] remains behind schedule. Portions of the region continue to receive unneeded spurts of rain as October progresses…
“…some areas have seen near-record rainfall this month. The National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa, recorded 7.25 inches of rain this month as of Tuesday, trailing the record of 7.29 inches set in 1941 with over a week left in October.”
“During a year of historic flooding across the Midwest and the South, Davenport, Iowa was unprepared for the waters that hit several blocks of its downtown.
“The community is now grappling with what went wrong — and what comes next — for its future with the Mississippi River.”
“Heavy flooding by the Mississippi River earlier this year, along with other extreme weather around the U.S., is wreaking havoc on oyster beds along the Gulf of Mexico and pushing up prices for the delicacy.
“One Louisiana restaurant chain, the Acme Oyster House, temporarily stopped serving raw oysters because of the shortage…”
“Miami is known for its heat — it’s even the name of the city’s NBA team. Locals know there are only a handful of days of so-called winter here, but this year’s weather has been exceptionally hot.
“As of this past Sunday, 71 days have seen temperatures at or above 92 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes 2019 a record-setting year.”
“It’s almost November and the heatwave still hasn’t stopped in southern California. Yesterday, temperatures soared to crazy heights. Have you heard about the crazy Anaheim weather yesterday at Disneyland?
“Guests were seriously sweltering… This is a highly unusual weather pattern for Southern California in October. Normally, southern California averages temperatures in the mid-70s.”
“Just as firefighters got a grip on a blaze that tore through the swanky Pacific Palisades, other Californians are at risk of unpredictable wildfires this week.
“About 184,000 customers could have their power shut off this week to lessen the risk, Pacific Gas & Electric officials said Tuesday evening.”
“Eastern parts of Australia will experience their hottest October day in years on Thursday as forecasters warn temperatures could hit 16C above average in some areas as the risk of bushfires increases.
“The Bureau of Meteorology says southern parts of South Australia, west and central parts of New South Wales and much of Victoria and Tasmania will see temperatures peak well above average on Thursday.”
“Farming families hit by extended drought should be handed “exit packages’’ to leave the land, the National Farmers Federation says.
“The proposal is one of a suite of measures the NFF has asked the government to consider, presented along with a long-term national drought policy the group says would correct “ad hoc” and disjointed state and federal measures.”
“At least 12 people have died in Karnataka in torrential rains and subsequent floods that have hit the state in the past couple of days.
“This is the second time in the last two months that Karnataka has witnessed a large number of deaths due to such calamity. With the departure of the monsoons being delayed this year, large parts of the country have experienced heavy rains and flooding even in the month of October.”
“Activists have begun hauling bales of hay into Zimbabwe’s struggling national parks in response to a drought that has already seen dozens of elephants starve to death.
“Vets for Animal Welfare Zimbabwe, an NGO, had trucked 9,000 bales of hay to Mana Pools, a national park in the north of the country, Radio France International reported.”
“More than 100 elephants have died in two months in Botswana’s Chobe National Park due to drought, which has also affected wildlife in other countries in the region, the government said Tuesday…
“Several southern African countries are enduring one of the worst droughts in decades, caused by months of over-average temperatures and erratic rainfall.”
“Traffic was brought to a standstill and flights delayed in Cairo on Tuesday as heavy rain blocked roads. Cairo’s road, rail and air infrastructure failed to cope with the downpour.
“A schoolgirl died after being electrocuted as the rain lashed electricity lines… The government ordered all schools and universities in Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia to close on Tuesday and Wednesday as storms raged overnight.”
“Three people are feared dead following new freak flash floods in Spain. The trio include a mother and her grown-up son whose prefab home was swept away by a swollen river in the village of Vilaverd near the east coast city of Tarragona.
“The third person search teams are hunting is a 70-year-old man who was carried away by floodwater as he tried to reach his car…”
“The Met Office has issued “danger to life” warnings with Britain set to be hit by 36 hours of torrential rain.
“Downpours are expected to arrive across parts of the UK at the end of the week, bringing flooding and disruption to driving conditions and public transport.”
“…planting more trees will help us only for a little more time, and after that – especially if we don’t cut back on our carbon emissions now – we’re going to be in big trouble.”
“At least 55 elephants have starved to death in the past two months in Zimbabwe’s biggest national park as a serious drought forces animals to stray into nearby communities in search of food and water, authorities say.
“The problem is real, the situation is dire,” said National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo. Other animals such as lions at Hwange National Park have been affected.
“This is the worst drought in years in the southern African nation that also suffers from a collapsing economy. Massive food and water shortages have resulted.”
“February, June and July of 2019 were the warmest months on record globally and the Alps have been hit hard.
“Summer glaciers in Austria, France and Italy closed to skiers early, while snow and ice was melting even at 4,800m at the top of Mt Blanc – Europe’s highest mountain.”
“They found usable forecasts for Europe, in particular for parameters characterizing warming.
“According to prognoses based on current data, mean temperature in Europe may be expected to exceed the mean of the years from 1980 to 2010 by more than 1°C in the next ten years. Hence, this period will be the hottest one since the beginning of systematic measurements.”
“Peatlands are a natural carbon sink, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and burying it in the soil. In Europe alone, they lock up about five times more carbon than forests.
“But according to a new study, the continent’s peatlands are in such a dry and fragile state, they could go into reverse, releasing rather than absorbing carbon.”
“A mass extinction of sea creatures that occurred at the same time as the dinosaurs were killed off was triggered by acidic oceans, new international research has concluded….
“It confirms a long-established theory about the planet’s last great mass extinction event and how it affected the marine environment.”
“As the ice disappears, research suggests the meltwater is physically altering certain parts of the ocean. And some scientists believe these changes may be worsening the effects of climate change, causing even more sea ice to melt.
“Scientists have already observed some worrying changes. Certain parts of the Arctic Ocean are starting to resemble the vastly different Atlantic to the south — the waters are getting warmer, saltier and more mixed together, a fundamental shift for the isolated polar waters.”
“Research has found Arctic soil has warmed to the point where it releases more carbon in winter than northern plants can absorb during the summer.
“The finding means the extensive belt of tundra around the globe — a vast reserve of carbon that dwarfs what’s held in the atmosphere — is becoming a source of greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.”
“A wildfire raced up canyon walls toward multimillion-dollar ocean-view homes on a ridge in Los Angeles, spurring evacuations and a furious firefighting effort.
“The blaze broke out around 10.30am in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood and flames churned uphill through large green trees and dry brush.”
“She dodged plastic, fishing nets and oil spills to get this far. But another threat to her species lurks in the ground: sand temperatures that foster only one gender.
““One hundred percent girls,” whispered the biologist, crawling next to the pregnant reptile. “This nest will be 100 percent girls.””
“Climate change is making stronger El Ninos, which change weather worldwide and heat up an already warming planet, a new study finds.
“Scientists examined 33 El Ninos — natural warming of equatorial Pacific that triggers weather extremes across the globe — since 1901. They found since the 1970s, El Ninos have been forming farther to the west in warmer waters, leading to stronger El Ninos…”
“Australia’s worst drought in 400 years is set to drive up food prices and make barbecues and a Sunday lamb roast very expensive.
“The threat of bushfires is also likely to worsen with the weather bureau predicting very little rainfall and above-average temperatures this summer. The record dry spell has driven up food prices dramatically affecting everything from breakfast cereal to red meat.”
“Typhoon Hagibis earlier this month hit northern and central Japan. Nagano, Fukushima and Miyagi were especially hard hit. The government’s disaster management office said as of Monday 70 deaths were attributed to the typhoon and 12 people were missing.
“Farm crops were also seriously damaged, including apples, cabbage and cucumbers. The agricultural damage was estimated to be as high as 70 billion yen.”
“Thunderstorm with lightning is likely to occur at isolated places over the state [Tamil Nadu, India] between Monday and Wednesday.
“According to the Commissionarate of Revenue Administration and Disaster Management, Kanyakumari district recorded the highest rainfall at 768 mm [more than 30 inches] as on Monday, followed by Coimbatore (601.40 mm) and Nilgiris (665.60 mm).”
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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.
“During its rapid intensification, Kyarr’s pressure bombed out to 915 millibars. The lower the pressure, generally the more intense the storm. And in the case of Kyarr, the 915 millibar reading set a new record for Arabian Sea cyclones (a 1999 cyclone that formed on the other side of the Indian Ocean holds the all-time low pressure record for the basin)…
“Seven people have died and 11 have been injured due to the hail in Hafr Al Baten city in Saudi Arabia… Pictures on social media show the chunks of hail were the size of a hand.”
“South African residents are being urged to use their water sparingly as hot, dry weather pushes the country toward another water shortage. 
“Over 100 villages in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Adamawa have been trapped by floods, caused by persistent rainfall in that part of the country, a local official said on Monday. 
“After three straight years of crop losses due to soaring temperatures and crippling droughts, Heiner Luetke Schwienhorst has had enough and is taking Europe’s most powerful government to court.
“The area of the fountain covered about five metres, with water ‘so violently boiling with methane bubbles’ that scientists skipped using plastic cones for sampling and instead collected the gas in buckets. 
“With a poor start for ice forming in northern Alaska waters this season, the latest climate forecasts predict sea ice may not reach Western Alaska until December.
“Anchorage broke a daily temperature record on Monday, hitting a balmy 54 degrees mid-afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record, 52 degrees, was set in 2013.
“The western U.S. state of Utah was the first to get blasted by a powerful arctic air mass surging south from Canada, where a -37.1 degree centigrade record was set Monday. 
“An estimated 1.5 million more people in California are set to lose power on Tuesday as a utility firm tries to stop damaged cables triggering wildfires.
“A record number of 176 swimmers were stung by stingrays at a California beach on Saturday. 
“More record temperatures [Hawaii], meanwhile, were logged over the weekend. 
“Widespread flooding in Japan brought by Typhoon Hagibis’ torrential rains has damaged countless items of furniture and other household goods, producing huge volumes of trash, or disaster refuse, which is in need of dumping. 
“A new report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions finds that, because sea level rise exacerbates flooding and storm surge, it is a critical threat to urban coastal areas. 
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency on Sunday as wind-whipped wildfires in the north and south of the state gobbled up land, destroyed homes and forced almost 200,000 people to flee.
“After a high of 76 degrees on Saturday we will spend close to 100 consecutive hours with temperatures below freezing this week across a large part of Colorado… 
“Since 1950, average temperatures across the state have risen between 2 and 3 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment. They’re projected to increase by 4.5 to 6 degrees by the end of the century.
“Worldwide, an estimated 80 percent of ocean plastic comes from land as “mismanaged waste.” 
“Torrential rain that caused flooding and mudslides in eastern Japan left at least 10 people dead, with damaged surrounding areas still recovering from recent typhoons. 
“The amount of damage to the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry wrought by Typhoon No. 15 and No. 19, which devastated eastern Japan this autumn, topped 170 billion yen ($1.56 billion) as of Oct. 27, according to the government’s calculation. 
“A convoy of Good Samaritan truck drivers [Queensland, Australia] have shipped truckloads of water to farmers struggling in the crippling drought. 
“[Pakistan’s] farmers have called upon the government to declare emergency in areas hit by the current heatwave, document the tentative losses incurred by the farmers due to failure of corn, cotton and rice crops and announce an incentive package enabling them to bear the brunt and go for the next crops.
“Oman is bracing for tropical cyclone Kyarr, which is expected to make the mainland in some three days. The category 4 storm is heading towards the country’s west-northwest coast… 
“Seven people have so far lost their lives due to the torrential rain which lashed the region of Hafr Al Baten [Saudi Arabia].
“At least 908,000 people including internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and host communities have been either displaced or affected by flooding due to seasonal heavy rains in the northern parts of South Sudan, the UN said on Friday… 
“Four more people have been killed by ongoing heavy rain in Tanzania, bringing to the death toll to 44, police said on Sunday. 
“…the Katse Dam in the Lesotho Highlands – which is meant to provide additional reserves – is sitting at just 13% and the little rain that has fallen, hasn’t helped to increase the water supply. 
“If water is life, South Africa is beginning to look dead on its feet. 
“The death toll from this week’s freak flash floods in Spain could reach eight after it emerged two foreign tourists staying in a Majorca hotel are unaccounted for.
“Flooding continued to cause disruption across the midlands and Wales in the aftermath of torrential rainfall across the UK. 
“Winds caused widespread damage, tearing down thousands of trees and leaving around 10,000 households without electricity. A few cities in Vidzeme [Latvia] experienced a total blackout on Sunday night. 
“Hurricane Pablo became the sixth Atlantic hurricane on Sunday morning in an unusual location… Only one other storm since 1950 has first reached hurricane intensity at a farther north latitude, according to Tomer Burg, an atmospheric science PhD student at the University of Oklahoma… 
“The effect that climate change could have on Arctic food webs is dramatic. As it becomes easier for some species to survive and harder for others, an entire food web could collapse or be reshaped from the bottom up. 
New all-time heat record for Indonesia: 
“Torrential rain caused flooding and mudslides Friday in towns east of Tokyo, prompting concerns over new damage in areas still recovering from recent typhoons. 
“A record high of 90 degrees was set at Honolulu on Wednesday, breaking the old record of 89 set in 2013. A high of 88 degrees in Hilo matched the previous record set in 2017. A high of 93 degrees in Kahului matched the previous record set in 1984.”
“Los Angeles area residents ran for their lives on Thursday evening as wildfires, whipped up by strong winds, reached residential neighborhoods, forcing 50,000 evacuations. 
“As cold air spills into the Lower 48, a spell of warmer air will sweep through Alaska this weekend, with temperatures expected to climb by more than 20 degrees in some areas. 
“Rain has slowed the harvest across the state in recent days. National Weather Service data for Des Moines showed that Central Iowa on Wednesday matched the October rainfall record of 7.29 inches, set in 1941. 
“At 3:40 p.m. on Thursday, temperatures climbed to 19.5 degrees at the weather station in De Bilt, making it the warmest October 24th in the Netherlands since temperature measurements started in 1901, Weeronline reports. The previous record of 19.4 degrees was set in 1995.
“The town of Beziers was among the hardest hit in recent days. 
“Israel is set to be lashed by a rare hybrid tropical storm over the weekend that is expected to bring heavy rainfall, strong winds, and flooding across the country. 
“The Associated Press news agency, meanwhile, put the death toll at 11… 
“Zimbabwe has flown up to 30 young elephants overseas despite animal welfare group’s concern they could be traumatized. The animals – believed to have been sent to China – have been separated from their families for a year. 
“Over US$4 billion is needed to help Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe recover from the devastating effects of Cyclones Idai that hit the three southern African nations earlier this year… 
“A cyclonic storm, named Kyarr, over east central Arabia Sea is likely to add to the troubles of people living in southern Maharashtra, north and coastal Karnataka… 
“As the warm north-westerly moves to the east coast, the wind also brings increased dust in the air and very high fire dangers for most of the state. 
“…So natural climate change had cued up the massive Antarctic ice shelves to collapse before human-caused climate change turned up the heat. 
“It’s officially fall, but you wouldn’t know it by the weather.
“Alaskan health officials are concerned about an increase in scombroid poisoning from fish 
“A rapidly spreading wildfire driven by strong winds exploded in Sonoma County late Wednesday, prompting evacuation orders for residents east of Geyserville. 
“Global warming could contribute to the failure of one in four steel bridges in the US over the next two decades. Bridges in the US and other high-income countries are ageing and deteriorating. 
“An insurance industry group says the nine tornadoes that struck the Dallas area during a Sunday night caused an estimated $2billion in insured losses. 
“Torrential rain in southern France and northeast Spain left several people missing and one dead, as well as causing severe disruption and damage to infrastructure. 
“Alicante [Spain] has suffered its rainiest year on record during 2019 after the latest storms that hit this week, according to data provided by AEMET…. 
“Death toll has risen to 18 due to the floods caused by persistent rainfall in central Nigeria, said a local official on Wednesday. 
“Heavy rains that pummelled the capital of Cairo and other parts of Egypt, causing massive traffic jams and flooding many key roads, left at least eight people dead, including four children, authorities said Wednesday. 
“Four children drowned on Tuesday in Eldas, Wajir County [Kenya] as they attempted to swim in a swollen stream. Two of the victims were in Standard Five, one in Grade One and another in Grade Three. 
“The Eastern Cape cabinet [South Africa] has resolved to declare the drought a disaster and processes to gazette this are underway, Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane said on Wednesday. 
“One-third of the cotton crop has been destroyed due to the heat wave in Pakistan, especially in lower Sindh, said Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah. 
“Water levels at more than 30 hydrological stations in east China’s Jiangxi Province have dropped to historic lows as drought persists after flood season, local authorities said Thursday. 
“The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings for gale-force winds and heavy rain on Thursday evening in Tokyo and the surrounding regions, while Typhoon Bualoi is already battering the Ogasawara Islands, south of Tokyo, with strong winds, heavy rainfall and high waves. 
“Parts of South Australia have sweltered through their hottest October day in more than a century… 
“The parched earth of Australia’s longest waterway, if tributaries are included, is in the grip of the continent’s most severe drought in a century. 
“The Russian Navy has discovered five new islands in the Arctic after they were revealed by melting glaciers.
“The Yup’ik village of Newtok, Alaska, is flanked by the Ninglik and Newtok Rivers. 
“Emergency workers in the Russian Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk have found two more bodies near a collapsed dam during search-and-rescue operations… It brings the death toll to at least 17 miners… 
“November inches closer, and harvest across the Corn Belt [USA] remains behind schedule. Portions of the region continue to receive unneeded spurts of rain as October progresses… 
“During a year of historic flooding across the Midwest and the South, Davenport, Iowa was unprepared for the waters that hit several blocks of its downtown. 
“Heavy flooding by the Mississippi River earlier this year, along with other extreme weather around the U.S., is wreaking havoc on oyster beds along the Gulf of Mexico and pushing up prices for the delicacy. 
“Miami is known for its heat — it’s even the name of the city’s NBA team. Locals know there are only a handful of days of so-called winter here, but this year’s weather has been exceptionally hot. 
“It’s almost November and the heatwave still hasn’t stopped in southern California. Yesterday, temperatures soared to crazy heights. Have you heard about the crazy Anaheim weather yesterday at Disneyland?
“Just as firefighters got a grip on a blaze that tore through the swanky Pacific Palisades, other Californians are at risk of unpredictable wildfires this week. 
“Eastern parts of Australia will experience their hottest October day in years on Thursday as forecasters warn temperatures could hit 16C above average in some areas as the risk of bushfires increases. 
“Farming families hit by extended drought should be handed “exit packages’’ to leave the land, the National Farmers Federation says. 
“This year’s Indian monsoon withdrawal was the latest on record by more than a week, meaning a delayed start to Australia’s monsoon season is likely. 
“At least 12 people have died in Karnataka in torrential rains and subsequent floods that have hit the state in the past couple of days. 
“The Meteorological Services Department has warned of extreme temperatures above the average for October…
“Activists have begun hauling bales of hay into Zimbabwe’s struggling national parks in response to a drought that has already seen dozens of elephants starve to death. 
“More than 100 elephants have died in two months in Botswana’s Chobe National Park due to drought, which has also affected wildlife in other countries in the region, the government said Tuesday… 
“Traffic was brought to a standstill and flights delayed in Cairo on Tuesday as heavy rain blocked roads. Cairo’s road, rail and air infrastructure failed to cope with the downpour. 
“A tornado has struck a popular tourist spot in Ibiza, leaving at least three people injured, hundreds of trees uprooted and residents stranded… 
“Three people are feared dead following new freak flash floods in Spain. The trio include a mother and her grown-up son whose prefab home was swept away by a swollen river in the village of Vilaverd near the east coast city of Tarragona. 
“Storms and heavy rain lashed through southern France on Wednesday, causing flooding in some towns in the region. 
“The Met Office has issued “danger to life” warnings with Britain set to be hit by 36 hours of torrential rain. 
“…planting more trees will help us only for a little more time, and after that – especially if we don’t cut back on our carbon emissions now – we’re going to be in big trouble.”
“At least 55 elephants have starved to death in the past two months in Zimbabwe’s biggest national park as a serious drought forces animals to stray into nearby communities in search of food and water, authorities say.
“The eastern Libyan town of Umm Ar Rizam is calling for urgent assistance as deadly floods overwhelm the town…
“Two people are dead and two others are missing after a wave of violent storms caused flooding many areas of northern Italy. 
“February, June and July of 2019 were the warmest months on record globally and the Alps have been hit hard. 
“They found usable forecasts for Europe, in particular for parameters characterizing warming. 
“Peatlands are a natural carbon sink, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and burying it in the soil. In Europe alone, they lock up about five times more carbon than forests. 
“A mass extinction of sea creatures that occurred at the same time as the dinosaurs were killed off was triggered by acidic oceans, new international research has concluded…. 
“As the ice disappears, research suggests the meltwater is physically altering certain parts of the ocean. And some scientists believe these changes may be worsening the effects of climate change, causing even more sea ice to melt.
“Research has found Arctic soil has warmed to the point where it releases more carbon in winter than northern plants can absorb during the summer. 
“A wildfire raced up canyon walls toward multimillion-dollar ocean-view homes on a ridge in Los Angeles, spurring evacuations and a furious firefighting effort. 
“She dodged plastic, fishing nets and oil spills to get this far. But another threat to her species lurks in the ground: sand temperatures that foster only one gender. 
“Climate change is making stronger El Ninos, which change weather worldwide and heat up an already warming planet, a new study finds. 
“Australia’s worst drought in 400 years is set to drive up food prices and make barbecues and a Sunday lamb roast very expensive.
“Typhoon Hagibis earlier this month hit northern and central Japan. Nagano, Fukushima and Miyagi were especially hard hit. The government’s disaster management office said as of Monday 70 deaths were attributed to the typhoon and 12 people were missing.
“Thunderstorm with lightning is likely to occur at isolated places over the state [Tamil Nadu, India] between Monday and Wednesday.