“A third day of severe weather brought more death and destruction to areas from northern India to Afghanistan.
“The slow-moving storm system, which has triggered damaging thunderstorms, blinding dust storms and flooding downpours, has claimed at least 39 lives in Pakistan, 47 in India and 15 in Afghanistan, according to Anadolu Agency.
“That death toll may continue to rise as many people remain missing and severe weather continues to impact the region through Wednesday night.”
“Farmers in the southern Philippine region of Soccsksargen have resorted to selling their farm animals to survive the impact of a drought that has reportedly ravaged about 15,000 hectares of farmland.
“Father Ariel Destora, director of the social action center of Marbel Diocese, said the scorching heat brought about by the El Nino phenomenon that has hit the region in Mindanao this year had dried up grasslands.”
“People across the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales are gauging any long-lasting effects from its unusually bone-dry summer…
“Many places had zero rainfall, making it their driest January on record, all the while heat records were tumbling. The odd 35-degree-plus spike is not unusual in January or February, but Grafton, Casino and Lismore were breaking temperature records as late as March.”
“Melbourne has sweated through two consecutive days above 30 degrees for the first time so late in April in almost a century. It’s the city’s driest ever start to the year, as Tuesday cracked 30.3 degrees and Wednesday hit 30, the first time that’s happened so late in April since 1922.
“Parts of the state woke up on Wednesday after enduring their hottest April night ever. Cape Otway on the south coast smashed 156 years of records, dropping to 24.3 degrees overnight.”
“Tornadoes and thunderstorms hit the South and Midwest for a second time this week, starting on Wednesday afternoon and they will gradually push eastwards…
“Communities in central Texas and western Louisiana, already hit by flash floods and twisters in the first round, will be hit once more by high winds, twisters and intense rain, according to AccuWeather and the NWS.”
“The same storm that is forecast to bring another severe weather and tornado outbreak to the South and part of the Midwest through Friday will also bring areas of heavy rain to the Mississippi Valley, the Tennessee Valley and the upper Great Lakes region into Thursday.”
“New Census Bureau data shows Puerto Rico lost nearly 4% of its population after Hurricane Maria, the greatest population drop in the recorded history of the island, according to one demographer.
“Data released Thursday shows the U.S. territory’s population dropped by 129,848 people between July 2017 and July 2018. The hurricane struck two months into that period, in September 2017. The population loss was the result of deaths and people moving away…”
“A Quebec town that this week suffered its worst flooding in nearly 50 years is fearing more damage as rain is forecast in the coming days. Officials in Beauceville, about 90 kilometres south of Quebec City, say they haven’t seen this type of flooding since 1971.
“And with warmer weather and rain forecast to end the week, there are concerns the Chaudiere River could burst its banks again.”
“A desperate bid is underway to save a forlorn polar bear at least 450 miles off course after being carried away on an ice floe off Russia’s Pacific coast.
“The beast headed towards the police station in Tilichiki village once the floe touched land, evidently pleading for human help. The predator is ‘lame, exhausted and confused’ but has climbed on its hind legs to peer into windows in a search for food or assistance, leaving some locals scared…”
“The anticipated heatwave has prompted concerns about a “pollen bomb” over the Easter weekend. Sonia Munde, head of services for Asthma UK, said: “A deadly pollen bomb is due to hit this week, putting people with asthma at risk of a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.”
“The dry weather [in Kenya] witnessed in the long rains season from March to May will be the worst in 38 years, worsening food shortages, water scarcity and piling pressure on electricity bills.
“Intergovernmental Authority on Development says the rains have already failed and even if it rains now, farmers will not make any meaningful return from their farms because the planting season is already over.”
“…in such scenarios where more than one region suffers harvest failures, food prices begin to soar. In the 2010 heatwave, Russia ended all its wheat exports and prices in Pakistan rose by 16 per cent, with harsh consequences for the poorest. Governments, agriculture ministries and international aid agencies need to be prepared.
““Such incidents cannot be resolved by individual countries acting on their own. Ultimately, extreme events affecting large areas of the planet could threaten food supply elsewhere, even in Switzerland,” said Sonia Seneviratne, an ETH climate scientist who has also shared in the study.”
“Floods caused by the flooding of the Paraguay River have left a total of 88,000 people homeless and caused one of the biggest crises in the country in the past 50 years, government sources reported Tuesday.
“The catastrophe caused considerable damage in places located all along the Paraguay River and the government decided to declare an environmental emergency.
“The latest statistics report 30,000 displaced people only in Asuncion, while parks, streets and other places are turning into improvised shelters, because of the lack of housing for the affected people.
“Ivan Allende, Director of the Social Department of the Municipality of Asuncion, told the newspaper La Nacion this situation could continue until June and July due to the natural rise of the river and later to the October rains.”
“The second severe weather outbreak in less than a week will bring the risk of tornadoes and is poised to strike across the southern United States, parts of the Midwest and Northeast from late Wednesday through Saturday.
“AccuWeather estimates that 118 million people are at risk during the upcoming severe weather outbreak. The storms will hit as travel, outdoor plans and religious services ramp up as the Easter holiday approaches.”
“As devastating images of the 2019 Midwest floods fade from view, an insidious and longer-term problem is emerging across its vast plains:
“The loss of topsoil that much of the nation’s food supply relies on. farmers are facing millions of bushels of damaged crops such as soybean and corn.
“This spring’s heavy rains have already caused record flooding, which could continue into May and June, and some government officials have said it could take farmers years to recover.”
“Earlier this week, snow fell in Chicago. But 48 hours later, temperatures rose to 70 degrees, effectively melting it all and giving residents quite a shock.
“According to local station WGN on April 16, the strange weather broke a meteorological record. Since records started in the 19th century, “never before … has a 3-plus inch snowfall been followed by 70-plus degree temps 48 hours later.””
“Experts say 51 children died in hot cars in the United States last year — the highest toll on record. The previous single-year high was 49 deaths in 2010, the National Safety Council (NSC) said. With another hot summer approaching, the safety council has issued free online training.”
“In the past two hurricane seasons, recordbreaking hurricane floods have engulfed our coastal zones in the Carolinas and Texas as storms have drawn more water and grown larger from rapidly warming oceans.
“As the climate system continues to warm, we’ll need better prediction systems so we can prepare vulnerable coastal areas from bigger, wetter, and faster-strengthening hurricanes. Hurricane season is just six weeks away.”
“Tons of snow the past several months have catapulted parts of the Sierra Nevada Range into the record books, busting a year-long drought at the same time.”
“As surely as they are melting elsewhere around the world, glaciers are disappearing in North America, too.
“This great melting will affect ecosystems and the creatures within them, like the salmon that spawn in meltwater streams. This is on top of the effects on the water that billions of people drink, the crops they grow and the energy they need.”
““The Arctic biophysical system is now clearly trending away from its previous state and into a period of unprecedented change, with implications not only within but also beyond the Arctic,” said the synthesis report, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters and prepared for the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program.
“All the indicators tracked in the paper show the same trend, said co-author John Walsh of the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.”
“…there is another element to the maritime “Great Game” China is playing: the Arctic Ocean.
“This may seem counterintuitive – last time I looked at a map, China did not have any Arctic waterfront. But this has not stopped Beijing from an aggressive program of building influence in what the Canadians call the High North.”
“The Likwama Farmers’ Union chairperson, Alfred Chilinda, says drought has destroyed most of the crops in the Zambezi region.
“Chilinda said most of the affected are small-scale farmers who produced 8 000 tonnes of white maize in 2017. However, this season things do not look good for them because of the extreme climate conditions.”
“Last night heavy rain, which caused flooding, has led to the death of six people in Silte zone of Ethiopia’s Southern region. The flooding has also resulted in the death of over 1,000 livestock, while over 637 houses are destroyed affecting the lives of over 5,000 people, according to the state broadcaster _ ETV.
“Attributing to climate change meteorology forecasts show that some parts of Ethiopia including the capital Addis Ababa are likely to experience heavy rain before the country’s rainy season begins in June.”
“Iran has shut down some oil fields in its southwest Khuzestan province bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf, as the Islamic Republic is looking to control the damage from recent flash floods that have cost it billions of U.S. dollars.
“Iran shut down last week oil fields in Khuzestan as it tries to control the damage and prevent an environmental disaster…”
“Sixteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces were hit in the past 24 hours by deadly floods, destroying or damaging hundreds of houses and sweeping away livestock, said Hashmat Bahaduri, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority.”
“As we step into the months of April and May, the weather changes from blissful winds to the scorching heat and there is a sense of irritability all around. With every passing year, we set a record for having the highest temperature in more than a decade or often even a century…
“Much like many other South Asian countries, the temperatures are drastically rising in Pakistan. Alongside the temperature rise, the country also faces an ever increasing number of floods, droughts, heat waves and many other natural disasters.”
“Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram, India, on Tuesday recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees Celsius…
“…which is the highest ever experienced in 20 years since 1999, breaking the Monday’s record of 34.2 degrees Celsius, according to data released by Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), IMD, Guwahati.”
“The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has issued fire weather warnings for the Mid North and Mount Lofty Ranges, where the bushfire threat level has been rated as severe.
“”We’re also seeing a strength in our northerly winds. We had unseasonally warm weather yesterday and that continued overnight,” forecaster Jenny Horvat said. “It looks like there could be some April record minimum temperatures broken.”
“Satellite measurements of the Earth’s surface temperature have confirmed that global warming is heating up the planet. The infrared system measures heat radiating from the earth and was used to record temperatures from 2003 to 2017.
“The surface skin temperature map , which is derived solely from the satellite data, showed a warming pattern consistent with other measurements taken on land. A combination of both data sets and all the existing research now offers almost irrefutable proof of global warming, researchers claim.”
“Massive thunderstorms and a dust storm lashed Pakistan’s Punjab and Sind provinces, killing at least 23 people and injuring scores of others, according to local media reports.”
“The devastating floods that have swamped many parts of Iran since March have left two million people in need of humanitarian aid, the Red Crescent said Monday…
“An estimated 10 million people across 2,000 cities and towns have been affected, with more than half a million displaced, it said. “In all, more than 457,000 people have been reached by Red Crescent services,” and emergency accommodation provided for 239,000.”
“Social media sites showed videos of PMU caravans entering Iran. Afterward, Iranian-linked social media websites showed the PMU working near the flood-hit areas, waving both the Iraqi flag and that of the PMU unit Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba…
“Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who appears to be staging a comeback from the suburbs of Washington DC, tweeted, “Iranians do not need help from terrorist forces in order to rebuild their country.””
“RTGS heat index predicts that Vijayawada Urban area [Andhara Pradesh, India] would touch 45.2c (113.,5f) by April 21st… The RTGS marks this temperature range as ‘extreme caution’. “
“Several villages in the state were crippled after a cyclone wrecked havoc damaging many houses, schools and uprooting many trees [NE India]. During the last few days, several places in Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills were severely hit by the storm.
“This morning, a storm was reported in West Khasi Hills resulting in rooftop of houses being blown away, roads blocked due to fallen trees and power cuts after electric poles were uprooted.”
“The continuous drought has compelled most men of several rural municipalities in remote outskirts of Bajura [Nepal] to leave their homes to earn a livelihood as they battle through the longest drought the region has witnessed in 42 years.
“Most of the fertile land in Bajura district has remained barren because of the four-year-long drought leading to food crisis in the area.”
“Mining giant Rio Tinto has reported a 14 per cent drop in quarterly iron ore shipments and cut its 2019 shipments estimate on disruption caused by a tropical cyclone which hit its export terminal in Western Australia last month.
“Rio, the world’s number two miner of the steelmaking material, cut its annual iron ore shipments estimate to a range of 333 million to 343 million, from a range of 338 million to 350 million tonnes announced earlier.”
“Melbourne reached a top of 30.3°C in the city on Tuesday afternoon, making it the city’s hottest day this late in the year in 52 years. “We’re in a run of unseasonably warm temperatures, with one more day to go,” 7NEWS meteorologist Jane Bunn said. And there’s good news for those preparing for a long weekend. “We’re not done…the heat should return for Easter”.”
“According to Ministry of Defence reports, 79 municipalities (of 338 in the country; Bolivia) are under a state of disaster and 25 are under a state of emergency as of April 8.
“A total of 47,125 families suffered partial loss of assets, 23,683 families have been left homeless, 34 people were reported dead and 26 people are missing. Major damages include loss of crops, housing and other assets.”
“Our rain icon on the forecast charts is working overtime this month, but is finally getting a well-deserved break. Albeit a short one. With 0.01” of rain Sunday, it made the 12th consecutive day with measurable rain in Seattle, breaking the all-time April rain-streak of 11 days set between April 7-17 in 1955.
“For those who don’t want to check the calendar or do the math, it has rained on every day this month except the first two.”
“Representatives with the National Weather Service in Shreveport conducted in depth investigations throughout the day on Sunday as they surveyed the damage from two confirmed tornadoes that struck Houston, Cherokee, Rusk and Nacogdoches Counties…
“The second tornado was rated an EF-3 with top winds estimated at 160 mph. This was a long track tornado that touched down southwest of Alto and stayed on the ground for over 40 minutes and covered nearly 30 miles. It was 880 yards wide.”
“The new study, by USDA scientist Lewis Ziska and colleagues from 15 other countries, looked at airborne pollen data from 17 locations, spanning the entire globe, and stretching back an average of 26 years. The news isn’t good for allergy sufferers:
“”Overall, the long-term data indicate significant increases in both pollen loads and pollen season duration over time.””
“Tourists heading abroad for Easter will leave behind some of the warmest weather in Europe, with Britain set to bask in sunshine. The hottest parts of the country are forecast to be warmer than Corfu, Majorca, St Tropez and Bodrum in Turkey at the weekend. London and the southeast could hit 23C.”
“Police have arrested more than 100 environmental protesters as the Extinction Rebellion demonstrations that brought chaos to central London enters their second day.
“Thousands of people blocked four well-known landmarks on Monday – Waterloo Bridge, Marble Arch, Parliament Square and Oxford Circus – to demand urgent action over the escalating climate crisis.”
“More than 40,000 tea estate workers have proceeded on forced leave as drought conditions halved production in factories, dealing a blow to their wage earnings…
“The Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA) said the harsh climatic conditions have forced factories to operate three to four days a week, significantly cutting down on operations.”
“Effects of climate change, which have led to, among others, total crop failure, have hit Botswana hard, senior government official has revealed.
“Deputy permanent secretary in the ministry responsible for agriculture, Thabang Botshoma, told the first Botswana Farmers Association Climate Change Workshop in Gaborone that the effects of climate change in Botswana are worsening.”
“Floods in Iran have killed 76 people and caused more than $2.2bn in damages in recent weeks, with flood warnings still in place for large swaths of the country.
“Six more people were confirmed dead in the country’s south, according to a new toll published on Sunday.
“”With the death of five people in the Khuzestan province and another person in Ilam province, the death toll has now reached 76,” since March 19, a statement by the coroner’s office said.
“The two southwestern provinces are the latest to be overwhelmed by floods that first hit the northeast of the usually arid country, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate from cities and villages.
“Officials have again issued flood warnings for the east of Iran, with heavy rains that began on Saturday forecast to continue.
“Since mid-March, flash floods have hit 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces, forcing mass evacuations, ravaging infrastructure, and inflicting heavy losses on the agricultural sector.”
“After a year of severe drought, flash floods have killed at least 77 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Afghanistan… 163,000 people in 16 provinces need urgent help.
“In Herat, Helmand and Badghis provinces, for example, heavy rainfall triggered flash floods in March and early April, spoiling vast swatches of agricultural land. Some affected areas remain inaccessible due to roadblocks or deteriorating security conditions, preventing humanitarian agencies from providing assistance.”
“At least 20 people died in flash floods in South Waziristan [Pakistan] and Balochistan on Saturday.
“Fourteen people, including eight children, were killed when a passenger bus was swept away by flash floods near the Toi Khullah area of South Waziristan.”
“At least three people were killed and 86 others injured as an intense dust storm hit the metropolis Sunday night and continued Monday morning, dispersing sand around the city, downing trees and blowing away roofs in some areas. Incidents of wall and roof collapses were reported…
“At least eight fishermen are missing after their boat overturned near Rehri Goth.”
“UAE rescue teams in Ras al-Khaimah emirate evacuated as many as 500 people from Jebel Jais after they were left stranded on the mountain by a heavy storm.
“Residents and motorists caught in the storm were evacuated in groups of around 20 by helicopter, local media reported on Sunday.
“Heavy rain lashed the northern part of the UAE and Oman over the weekend, stranding many motorists overnight.”
“Normal life was affected across Odisha [India] today as intense heat wave swept across many places in the State. In total, 11 places of the State recorded maximum temperature above 40 degree Celsius.
“Titlagarh recorded the highest temperature of 43.5 degree Celsius followed by Angul and Bolangir at 42.7 and 42.5 degree Celsius respectively.”
“…as the capital last month [Canberra, Australia] recorded the hottest March ever, the unseasonably warm days have also had an effect on how and when to plant. “Climate change has most definitely affected the timing of those established rules of when you plant and when you don’t plant,” Dr Steven Crimp, a climate applications scientist from the Australian National University said.”
“The Secretary of National Emergency (SEN), already declared in emergency situation to Asunción and 6 departments of the country, for the floods… [Paraguay].”
“Rescuers still hope to find survivors in the rubble of a pair of collapsed buildings in Rio de Janeiro, officials said Saturday, as the death toll from the disaster rose to eight with 16 people listed as missing.
“The condemned four-story buildings collapsed Friday in Muzema, within the hillside neighbourhood of Itanhanga. The area that was hard hit by recent heavy rains and flash floods.”
“Powerful storms swept across the southern US on Sunday, after unleashing suspected tornadoes and flooding that killed at least six people, including three children, injured dozens and flattened much of a Texas town.
“Nearly 90,000 customers were without power in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Georgia as of midday Sunday.”
“Heavy rain brought flooding to the city of Albany, Oregon, on April 10, with reports of some roads submerged in as much as four feet of water.Oregon State Police issued a warning to not drive through standing water.This footage, posted by Albany Fire Department, shows the city of Albany partially submerged.”
“Flooding has once again forced the evacuation of a northern Ontario First Nation that has long demanded the federal government move their town to a new location.
“Roughly 1,500 residents of Kashechewan will be flown to Timmins, Kapuskasing, Thunder Bay and Cornwall as part of the evacuation effort, according to NDP MP Charlie Angus. Angus warned that the First Nation could face “catastrophic flooding.””
“Key Alaska rivers that are usually frozen at this time of year are now free-flowing, with record-early thaws following record-high winter and spring temperatures. In the interior Alaska city of Nenana, ice on the Tanana River gave way just after midnight on Sunday.
“It was by far the earliest breakup in the 102-year history of the Nenana Ice Classic, an iconic Alaska betting pool in which participants predict when thaw will sink a wooden tripod placed on the ice.”
“A report by Russian forestry experts says that overharvesting and failure to reinvest in the seemingly endless forests of Siberia mean that in as little as 15 years, Russia will no longer have this most valuable resource…
“This looming deficit… is “connected with an increase in the number of forest fires, the spread of insect populations, and the irrational harvesting of forests.” There aren’t really enough forest resources now, and soon the situation will be a crisis.”
“”Anthrax spores can stay alive in the permafrost for up to 2,500 years. That’s scary given the thawing of animal burial grounds from the 19th century,” said Boris Kershengolts, a Yakutsk biologist who studies northern climates. “When they are taken out of the permafrost and put into our temperatures, they revive.”
“Two-thirds of Russia’s territory is permafrost, including almost all of the vast region of Yakutia, where it can be up to hundreds of feet deep. Now these icy bonds are beginning to break.”
“According to new research, the presence of nuclear material in glaciers have been detected from ice cores sampled from 17 different glacier sites, including Arctic, Iceland, the European Alps, Antarctica, and other locations…
“The study postulates that climate change has another unwanted and grim consequence which is the re-release of radioactive material from nuclear disaster fallouts such as those from Chernobyl and Fukushima.”
“Water levels in Iraq’s reservoirs and dams have reached historic heights, officials have told AFP, with thousands of families facing possible displacement by more flooding.
“Weeks of rain compounded by melting snowcaps in neighbouring Turkey and Iran have almost filled Iraq’s four main reservoirs and swelled the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
“In Samarra, north of Baghdad, water is being diverted into the natural reservoir at Tharthar Lake in amounts unseen in decades, said dam chief Kareem Hassan.
““Today, the Tharthar barrage is seeing the highest levels of water passing through in its history,” Hassan told AFP.
““We haven’t seen such levels pass through the structure since it was founded in 1956, so 63 years.”
“The high levels have put two bridges linking the banks of Mosul under water, leaving truck drivers stranded with goods on either side…
“Water levels in Mosul were also blamed by some for last month’s ferry drowning that killed more than 100 people. Further south, villages and surrounding fields have been flooded, sending farmers into a frenzy.
“The Mosul dam was built atop a bedrock of gypsum, a mineral that dissolves in water. That foundation requires regular cement injections to prevent cracks in the gypsum from expanding.
““If the bedrock settles as a result of cavities, that settlement will translate into damage to the core of the dam which cannot be undone and can possibly lead to catastrophic consequences,” Alwash told AFP on Thursday.
““If the dam fails when it’s full, the area will be under five metres of water,” he said.
“The oil-rich Khuzestan province [of Iran] and its large Arab minority have been hit by major floods since early April due to heavy rains and floodwater rushing down from the north.
“They are the latest in a series of unprecedented floods that have swamped the normally arid country since March 19, killing at least 70 people in 20 of Iran’s 31 provinces. In the absence of adequate resources in place to ease such disasters, people are banding together in towns like Hamidiyeh to battle the overflow.”
“A deadly storm that tore through Nepal almost two weeks ago was the country’s first ever recorded tornado, say researchers there…
“The government says 28 people died and more than 1,100 were injured in the storm on 31 March, which also damaged about 2,600 buildings and a national park that is listed as a World Heritage Site.
“The storm shifted slabs of concrete 50 metres, which requires a massive amount of power not typical of storms observed in Nepal…”
“Seven people were killed in a flash flood in Shenzhen on Thursday night, and four others were missing after a construction company failed to respond properly to weather warnings, local government officials said on Friday.
“The deluge hit four workers in Futian as they were dredging a riverside drain. One of the workers was rescued, while three bodies were recovered on Friday morning.
“More heavy rain was forecast for Guangdong province.”
“A worsening drought in parts of Thailand has prompted monks and conservationists to appeal to city dwellers to temper traditional New Year celebrations, which are marked by people throwing large quantities of water at each other in the streets.”
“The City Council [Cebu, The Philippines] passed a resolution declaring a state of calamity, as estimated farm damage from a dry spell reached P27 million.
“Residents of 17 villages are also complaining of lack of water.
“The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) started rationing water to affected barangays in the elevated and interior portions of the city.”
“A freshwater perch could be the first fish species driven to extinction in the Murray-Darling Basin, after repeated surveys have failed to find it.
“The Yarra pygmy perch has traditionally been found in the Lake Alexandrina region near the mouth of the Murray River, but hasn’t been seen there in three years.
“That’s despite extensive searching throughout the region in successive surveys…”
“Areas in the Midwest and Northern Plains that saw record flooding just weeks ago will likely see more. In March, a winter storm brought flooding to the Midwest that broke records.
“Two weeks after the flooding, 10 states — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin — had groundwater threatened by bacterial and industrial contamination carried by flood waters. And now, many of those states have been hit again by up to two feet of snow.”
“It didn’t take the City of Wausau [Wisconsin] long to set another single-day snowfall record on Thursday, with 11.3 inches of snow on the ground by 12:06 PM according to the National Weather Service. That breaks a nearly 100-year-old record of 7.9 inches set in 1922.”
“After an historically snowy February and a record-setting warm March, Mother Nature is completing the weather trifecta in April with the rainiest stretch the Seattle area has seen in 56 years.”
“As of April 9, the Arctic had around 13.6 million square kilometers (5.3 million square miles) of ice cover, putting it firmly below any other year on record for the same time of year, and nearly two weeks ahead of previous early April records set in 2017 and 2018…
“Two new Arctic studies are also troubling. Researchers have found that between 1998 and 2017, seventeen percent less ice exited shallow continental shelf seas — nurseries for sea ice — to reach the Central Arctic Ocean and Fram Strait.”
“As global warming creates shipping routes that can cut across the northern tip of the planet, a new port is being built on the fringe of the Arctic circle. Germany’s Bremenports has entered a deal to develop a deep vessel port together with Icelandic partners, according to a statement on Thursday… Ships stopping at the new Icelandic port on the island’s northern tip stand to reduce their travel time considerably.”
“Scotland’s farmers lost up to £161m last year due to extreme weather, according to an environmental charity. WWF Scotland found the losses equated to about 6% of the total agricultural output of the previous year.
“The livestock sector was hit hardest by the impact of severe snow in March and one of the hottest summers on record.”
“The flow in the River Tagus [Portugal] has been reduced to a trickle in several parts of its course, mainly because of the drought, raising concerns by local authorities, environmentalists and fishermen…
““At a time like this, with winter having just ended, and the river looks this way, I don’t see anything good in the future and there are another six or seven months without rain until the October rains…”.”
“…the data indicate there are frequent occasions when undiluted deep water up to 1.5°C—some of the warmest ever observed at an ice shelf front in Antarctica—reaches the western Getz Ice Shelf front.
“The authors’ analysis indicates that a combination of wind stress and upwelling at the edge of the continental shelf controls the presence of the warm deep water in this area…”
“Microplastics have been found in a mountain glacier for the first time, in the latest sign of how plastics are leaving no corner of the planet untouched.
“The tiny pieces, which measure less than 5 millimetres in length, have shown up in places as remote as Arctic ice before. But now Roberto Sergio Azzoni at the University of Milan and colleagues have found them on a terrestrial glacier.”
“Authorities ordered tens of thousands of residents of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz to evacuate immediately on Wednesday as floodwaters entered the capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province, state television reported…
“Governor Shariati called on young men in the areas, which have an estimated population of between 60,000 and 70,000, to “help us in building dykes and to assist in the evacuation of women, children and the elderly”.
“”The Dez and Karkheh rivers have for the first time joined each other near Ahvaz and are now flowing towards the city,” Shariati told state TV, adding this was unprecedented.”
“Another round of dangerous weather is on the way across the Middle East, with impacts ranging from flooding rainfall to damaging thunderstorms.
“Unfortunately, parts of Iran will once again be at risk for flash flooding and mudslides following weeks of deadly flooding and destruction throughout much of the country.”
“More than 137,000 people in Somalia have been forced to flee their homes during the first quarter of 2019, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said.
“The organisation says the displacement of families is rising in the Horn of Africa nation with conflict and drought being the main causes. Based on UNHCR data, NRC says the situation for vulnerable people in Somalia is getting worse every month.”
“The death toll from a storm that crashed into southeast Africa last month has risen above 1,000, with more than 4,000 cases of cholera reported among survivors in Mozambique, the hardest-hit country.
“The United Nations has described Cyclone Idai as “one of the deadliest storms on record in the southern hemisphere”.”
“Heavy rains that have been falling in Angola since August 2018 [led to] the deaths of 209 people, 100 of them by electric shocks, according to government figures released today…
“…and… also destroyed 3,829 homes, damaged another 6,038 and flooded 13,897. The force of waters also destroyed 85 churches (flooded 16), 98 schools (34), nine medical centers (one damaged).”
“Residents of a hillside Rio de Janeiro favela risk finding hungry caimans at their front door after the city was hit hard by heavy flooding caused by torrential rain [a month’s worth in four hours].
“The cold-blooded creatures belong to a resident of the Rolas favela in western Rio, and escaped on Tuesday when a wall holding them in burst when struck by a flash flood… The unusually heavy rain,which began late Monday and continued into Tuesday, has killed at least 10 people, officials said.”
“Marabinos [NW Venezuela] had to endure, almost to the edge of despair, an intense wave of heat that was generated in parallel with the fourth mega blackout, which affected the whole country again on Thursday, April 10 from midnight on Wednesday.
“”I can not find tranquility anywhere. Today the heat has been terrible and not even under the bushes can be. This is unbearable, I do not know how long we will endure it, “said Ender Castillo, education worker after arriving home after a day suspended by the power failure.”
“More than 3,400ha of agricultural lands, almost all of it in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, have been hit by drought according to the Directorate of Water Resources. If there is not much rain soon, another 76,160ha will be threatened. But the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has forecast 20-40 per cent less than average rainfall in the Central Highlands and southern areas this month. Many places will have unusually hot weather.”
“The early onset of the dry season in the Northern Marianas has resulted in several wildfires on Saipan and Tinian {SW Pacific]…
“The unusual start of the dry season is being blamed for the spate of fires, as both Saipan and Tinian received less than an inch of rain during March. Rainfall has been abnormally low in the CNMI since January and low levels are set to continue through April and May.”
“A study uses new research techniques to reveal alarming information about climate change in Canada’s north.
“A study confirms that recent climate warming in the central Yukon region has surpassed the warmest temperatures experienced in the previous 13,600 years, a finding that could have important implications in the context of current global warming trends.”
“Warm spring temperatures on Tuesday, upwards of 80 degrees Fahrenheit in Denver, gave way to frigid 20s, heavy snow, gale-force winds and life-threatening conditions, the National Weather Service said.
““It is a bomb cyclone, the second we’ve had,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Weather Prediction Center in Maryland. “This is like a slow-moving snowstorm inside a hurricane.”
“Wind gusts upwards of 100 mph were reported Wednesday in eastern Colorado, Hurley said.”
“…in Iowa, where many communities are still recovering after last month’s massive floods, there are concerns about what will happen when all the fresh snow melts…
“”We don’t have a place to eat. We don’t have a place to get coffee. We don’t have gas. We don’t have — I mean, there’s nothing. There’s nothing,” Crain says.”
“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
“With the inundation of so much depressing news, Justin Panopticon presents it in a succinct format that one can quickly go thru and see the big picture of climate and economics/politics to stay current and if a particle topic is of interest one can delve into the details… I try never to miss any of his posts…I am a Patreon of his work.”
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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.
“A third day of severe weather brought more death and destruction to areas from northern India to Afghanistan.
“Farmers in the southern Philippine region of Soccsksargen have resorted to selling their farm animals to survive the impact of a drought that has reportedly ravaged about 15,000 hectares of farmland. 
“People across the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales are gauging any long-lasting effects from its unusually bone-dry summer… 
“Melbourne has sweated through two consecutive days above 30 degrees for the first time so late in April in almost a century. It’s the city’s driest ever start to the year, as Tuesday cracked 30.3 degrees and Wednesday hit 30, the first time that’s happened so late in April since 1922.
Meanwhile, over in Western Australia:
“Five years ago, the Gulf of Alaska warmed to record temperatures, likely due to a sudden acceleration in the melting of Arctic sea ice. 
“Tornadoes and thunderstorms hit the South and Midwest for a second time this week, starting on Wednesday afternoon and they will gradually push eastwards… 
“New Census Bureau data shows Puerto Rico lost nearly 4% of its population after Hurricane Maria, the greatest population drop in the recorded history of the island, according to one demographer. 
“A Quebec town that this week suffered its worst flooding in nearly 50 years is fearing more damage as rain is forecast in the coming days. Officials in Beauceville, about 90 kilometres south of Quebec City, say they haven’t seen this type of flooding since 1971. 
“A desperate bid is underway to save a forlorn polar bear at least 450 miles off course after being carried away on an ice floe off Russia’s Pacific coast. 
“The dry weather [in Kenya] witnessed in the long rains season from March to May will be the worst in 38 years, worsening food shortages, water scarcity and piling pressure on electricity bills. 
“…in such scenarios where more than one region suffers harvest failures, food prices begin to soar. In the 2010 heatwave, Russia ended all its wheat exports and prices in Pakistan rose by 16 per cent, with harsh consequences for the poorest. Governments, agriculture ministries and international aid agencies need to be prepared.
“Flash floods threaten more people than thought, as ice dams melt…”
“Floods caused by the flooding of the Paraguay River have left a total of 88,000 people homeless and caused one of the biggest crises in the country in the past 50 years, government sources reported Tuesday.
“The second severe weather outbreak in less than a week will bring the risk of tornadoes and is poised to strike across the southern United States, parts of the Midwest and Northeast from late Wednesday through Saturday. 
“As devastating images of the 2019 Midwest floods fade from view, an insidious and longer-term problem is emerging across its vast plains: 
“Earlier this week, snow fell in Chicago. But 48 hours later, temperatures rose to 70 degrees, effectively melting it all and giving residents quite a shock.
“As surely as they are melting elsewhere around the world, glaciers are disappearing in North America, too. 
““The Arctic biophysical system is now clearly trending away from its previous state and into a period of unprecedented change, with implications not only within but also beyond the Arctic,” said the synthesis report, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters and prepared for the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program.
“…there is another element to the maritime “Great Game” China is playing: the Arctic Ocean. 
“The Likwama Farmers’ Union chairperson, Alfred Chilinda, says drought has destroyed most of the crops in the Zambezi region. 
“Last night heavy rain, which caused flooding, has led to the death of six people in Silte zone of Ethiopia’s Southern region. The flooding has also resulted in the death of over 1,000 livestock, while over 637 houses are destroyed affecting the lives of over 5,000 people, according to the state broadcaster _ ETV. 
“Iran has shut down some oil fields in its southwest Khuzestan province bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf, as the Islamic Republic is looking to control the damage from recent flash floods that have cost it billions of U.S. dollars. 
“As we step into the months of April and May, the weather changes from blissful winds to the scorching heat and there is a sense of irritability all around. With every passing year, we set a record for having the highest temperature in more than a decade or often even a century… 
“Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram, India, on Tuesday recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees Celsius… 
“Thirty-five people died and several people were injured…
“The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has issued fire weather warnings for the Mid North and Mount Lofty Ranges, where the bushfire threat level has been rated as severe. 
“Satellite measurements of the Earth’s surface temperature have confirmed that global warming is heating up the planet. The infrared system measures heat radiating from the earth and was used to record temperatures from 2003 to 2017.
“Massive thunderstorms and a dust storm lashed Pakistan’s Punjab and Sind provinces, killing at least 23 people and injuring scores of others, according to local media reports.”
“The devastating floods that have swamped many parts of Iran since March have left two million people in need of humanitarian aid, the Red Crescent said Monday… 
“Social media sites showed videos of PMU caravans entering Iran. Afterward, Iranian-linked social media websites showed the PMU working near the flood-hit areas, waving both the Iraqi flag and that of the PMU unit Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba… 
“Several villages in the state were crippled after a cyclone wrecked havoc damaging many houses, schools and uprooting many trees [NE India]. During the last few days, several places in Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills were severely hit by the storm. 
“The continuous drought has compelled most men of several rural municipalities in remote outskirts of Bajura [Nepal] to leave their homes to earn a livelihood as they battle through the longest drought the region has witnessed in 42 years. 
“Mining giant Rio Tinto has reported a 14 per cent drop in quarterly iron ore shipments and cut its 2019 shipments estimate on disruption caused by a tropical cyclone which hit its export terminal in Western Australia last month. 
“According to Ministry of Defence reports, 79 municipalities (of 338 in the country; Bolivia) are under a state of disaster and 25 are under a state of emergency as of April 8. 
“Our rain icon on the forecast charts is working overtime this month, but is finally getting a well-deserved break. Albeit a short one. With 0.01” of rain Sunday, it made the 12th consecutive day with measurable rain in Seattle, breaking the all-time April rain-streak of 11 days set between April 7-17 in 1955. 
“Representatives with the National Weather Service in Shreveport conducted in depth investigations throughout the day on Sunday as they surveyed the damage from two confirmed tornadoes that struck Houston, Cherokee, Rusk and Nacogdoches Counties… 
“A small city on the Red River has been turned into an island after rising floodwater water cut off road access over the weekend. 
“Police have arrested more than 100 environmental protesters as the Extinction Rebellion demonstrations that brought chaos to central London enters their second day. 
“More than 40,000 tea estate workers have proceeded on forced leave as drought conditions halved production in factories, dealing a blow to their wage earnings… 
“Effects of climate change, which have led to, among others, total crop failure, have hit Botswana hard, senior government official has revealed. 
“Floods in Iran have killed 76 people and caused more than $2.2bn in damages in recent weeks, with flood warnings still in place for large swaths of the country.
“After a year of severe drought, flash floods have killed at least 77 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Afghanistan… 163,000 people in 16 provinces need urgent help. 
“At least 20 people died in flash floods in South Waziristan [Pakistan] and Balochistan on Saturday. 
“At least three people were killed and 86 others injured as an intense dust storm hit the metropolis Sunday night and continued Monday morning, dispersing sand around the city, downing trees and blowing away roofs in some areas. Incidents of wall and roof collapses were reported… 
“UAE rescue teams in Ras al-Khaimah emirate evacuated as many as 500 people from Jebel Jais after they were left stranded on the mountain by a heavy storm. 
“Normal life was affected across Odisha [India] today as intense heat wave swept across many places in the State. In total, 11 places of the State recorded maximum temperature above 40 degree Celsius. 
“Rescuers still hope to find survivors in the rubble of a pair of collapsed buildings in Rio de Janeiro, officials said Saturday, as the death toll from the disaster rose to eight with 16 people listed as missing. 
“Heavy rain brought flooding to the city of Albany, Oregon, on April 10, with reports of some roads submerged in as much as four feet of water.Oregon State Police issued a warning to not drive through standing water.This footage, posted by Albany Fire Department, shows the city of Albany partially submerged.”
“Flooding has once again forced the evacuation of a northern Ontario First Nation that has long demanded the federal government move their town to a new location. 
“Key Alaska rivers that are usually frozen at this time of year are now free-flowing, with record-early thaws following record-high winter and spring temperatures. In the interior Alaska city of Nenana, ice on the Tanana River gave way just after midnight on Sunday. 
“A report by Russian forestry experts says that overharvesting and failure to reinvest in the seemingly endless forests of Siberia mean that in as little as 15 years, Russia will no longer have this most valuable resource… 
“”Anthrax spores can stay alive in the permafrost for up to 2,500 years. That’s scary given the thawing of animal burial grounds from the 19th century,” said Boris Kershengolts, a Yakutsk biologist who studies northern climates. “When they are taken out of the permafrost and put into our temperatures, they revive.”
“According to new research, the presence of nuclear material in glaciers have been detected from ice cores sampled from 17 different glacier sites, including Arctic, Iceland, the European Alps, Antarctica, and other locations… 
“Water levels in Iraq’s reservoirs and dams have reached historic heights, officials have told AFP, with thousands of families facing possible displacement by more flooding.
“The oil-rich Khuzestan province [of Iran] and its large Arab minority have been hit by major floods since early April due to heavy rains and floodwater rushing down from the north. 
“A deadly storm that tore through Nepal almost two weeks ago was the country’s first ever recorded tornado, say researchers there… 
“Seven people were killed in a flash flood in Shenzhen on Thursday night, and four others were missing after a construction company failed to respond properly to weather warnings, local government officials said on Friday. 
“The City Council [Cebu, The Philippines] passed a resolution declaring a state of calamity, as estimated farm damage from a dry spell reached P27 million. 
“A freshwater perch could be the first fish species driven to extinction in the Murray-Darling Basin, after repeated surveys have failed to find it. 
“The 107 degree high temperature in Del Rio [Texas] was the hottest April temperature observed at the climate site since records have been kept. 
“Areas in the Midwest and Northern Plains that saw record flooding just weeks ago will likely see more. In March, a winter storm brought flooding to the Midwest that broke records. 
“The Chugach people of southern Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula have picked berries for generations. 
“As of April 9, the Arctic had around 13.6 million square kilometers (5.3 million square miles) of ice cover, putting it firmly below any other year on record for the same time of year, and nearly two weeks ahead of previous early April records set in 2017 and 2018… 
“Scotland’s farmers lost up to £161m last year due to extreme weather, according to an environmental charity. WWF Scotland found the losses equated to about 6% of the total agricultural output of the previous year. 
“The flow in the River Tagus [Portugal] has been reduced to a trickle in several parts of its course, mainly because of the drought, raising concerns by local authorities, environmentalists and fishermen… 
“…the data indicate there are frequent occasions when undiluted deep water up to 1.5°C—some of the warmest ever observed at an ice shelf front in Antarctica—reaches the western Getz Ice Shelf front. 
“Microplastics have been found in a mountain glacier for the first time, in the latest sign of how plastics are leaving no corner of the planet untouched. 
“Authorities ordered tens of thousands of residents of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz to evacuate immediately on Wednesday as floodwaters entered the capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province, state television reported…
“Another round of dangerous weather is on the way across the Middle East, with impacts ranging from flooding rainfall to damaging thunderstorms. 
“More than 137,000 people in Somalia have been forced to flee their homes during the first quarter of 2019, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said. 
“The death toll from a storm that crashed into southeast Africa last month has risen above 1,000, with more than 4,000 cases of cholera reported among survivors in Mozambique, the hardest-hit country. 
“Heavy rains that have been falling in Angola since August 2018 [led to] the deaths of 209 people, 100 of them by electric shocks, according to government figures released today… 
“Residents of a hillside Rio de Janeiro favela risk finding hungry caimans at their front door after the city was hit hard by heavy flooding caused by torrential rain [a month’s worth in four hours]. 
“Marabinos [NW Venezuela] had to endure, almost to the edge of despair, an intense wave of heat that was generated in parallel with the fourth mega blackout, which affected the whole country again on Thursday, April 10 from midnight on Wednesday.
“The early onset of the dry season in the Northern Marianas has resulted in several wildfires on Saipan and Tinian {SW Pacific]… 
“It’s not springtime now in Alaska, it’s “break-up” — the end of safe travel on ice. 
“A study uses new research techniques to reveal alarming information about climate change in Canada’s north. 
“Warm spring temperatures on Tuesday, upwards of 80 degrees Fahrenheit in Denver, gave way to frigid 20s, heavy snow, gale-force winds and life-threatening conditions, the National Weather Service said.
“…in Iowa, where many communities are still recovering after last month’s massive floods, there are concerns about what will happen when all the fresh snow melts… 