Climate 24 Sept 2018 another super typhoon
“Taiwan is preparing for the impact of [Super] Typhoon Trami, which could be among the strongest storms of the year by the time it hits the island later this week.
“As of Monday morning, the storm was still building in strength in the western Pacific near the Philippines and due to reach super typhoon size before the end of the day.
“It’s expected to hit Taiwan Friday or Saturday at a strength equivalent to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane with winds of up to 270 kilometers per hour (168 mph).”
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/24/asia/typhoon-trami-taiwan-wxc-intl/index.html
“The drought in NSW has dried up dams and streams and now it’s turning the rivers of liquid gold to dust as beekeepers struggle to keep their starving hives alive in the driest year in more than half a century…
“Vast swathes of farming land in the state’s west recorded their driest winter since records began in 1900, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.”
“There is a high probability of a new El Niño taking hold in the north Pacific later this year, according to US weather forecasters… record-breaking rainfall in the Marshall Islands suggests development of El Niño conditions. Rainfall for Majuro over the past 12 months set an all-time record high, while rain at Kwajalein from January to June was record-setting, according to Guam weather officials…. Majuro broke the 200-inch level for the first-time ever this past July.”
“For California, it was a superlative summer—and not in a good way. This year the state experienced its second hottest summer on record, including its hottest ever July. Even the rain was warm, peaking at a record 119°F (48.3°C)—roughly the temperature of the hottest water out of the tap.
“And the wildfires…”
https://qz.com/1398860/wildfires-this-summer-largest-in-california-history/
“A record-setting 24 hours of rain in North Texas has left much of the state dealing with deadly flooding.
“In Arlington, a young man was swept off a bridge near the University of Texas at Arlington’s campus. The young man was 23 years old and was pushed off the bridge by the rising floodwaters around 11:00 p.m., according to a call placed to campus police.”
“Overnight rain in San Antonio has made September 2018 the wettest September for the city in recorded history, according to the National Weather Service. “From midnight to about 7 a.m. we received 1.86 inches of rain,” said Bob Fogarty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “That placed us at 16.82 for September.” The previous all-time rain total record for September was 15.78 inches set in 1946.”
“At least seven people have died due to flooding caused by torrential rain in the states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, authorities reported.
“Sinaloa Civil Protection chief Juan Francisco Vega Meza said that at least four people had died in that state following heavy rains brought on by tropical depression 19-E.”
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/heavy-rain-leaves-at-least-seven-people-dead/
“Emergency management officials around southwest Virginia are responding to calls about closed roads and property damage following flash flooding Saturday…
“In Roanoke County, people took videos of water streaming over Old Mill Road in Cave Spring area, making driving dangerous against the current.”
“Rivers swelling with the floodwaters of former Hurricane Florence are threatening to swamp communities near the South Carolina coast, leaving thousands ready to evacuate.
“More than a week after Florence crashed into the Carolinas, dumping heavy rains, all that water is nearing the coast.”
“The lights are on again in Puerto Rico… But despite spending as much as $3.2 billion, the federal effort over the past year to restore power to the island didn’t build a better and more resilient system.
“In fact, the grid is more fragile. A severe new storm would put Puerto Rico’s 3.3 million residents into deep trouble.”
http://www.thedailyworld.com/news/after-3-2-billion-will-puerto-ricos-grid-survive-another-storm/
“As forecasters warn of more dangerous flooding in the Carolinas from Hurricane Florence’s torrential rainfall, they’re also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Kirk in the Atlantic.
“Kirk reached tropical storm-strength Saturday and was cruising west at about 21 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday at 11 p.m.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/23/weather/tropical-storm-kirk/index.html
“This is the shocking moment a tornado rips through a city in Canada, sending debris flying everywhere. Dozens were injured during the freak weather in Ottawa on Friday, which damaged thousands of homes, flipped cars over and left 130,000 people without power.
“Meteorologists recorded gusts reaching 120 mph, with the city of Gatineau, about five miles north of Ottawa, taking the brunt.”
“Water companies, government bodies and environmental groups have warned that the extreme weather this summer could lead to a drought in spring next year. Heatwaves across the UK saw hosepipe bans come into force and put pressure on farmers, whose harvests were affected by the dry conditions… parts of the north of England are under particular strain as reservoirs around Manchester, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent are very low.”
“After a blazing summer, Sunday was the coldest September 23 on record…
“Sunday was the coldest September 23 in the Netherlands on record, with the temperature not rising about 10.9 degrees at the De Bilt weather station near Utrecht.”
But record heat in the Pyrenees:
“European grain trade organisation Coceral last week put out its September estimates, forecasting a European Union (EU) wheat crop below 130 million tonnes of wheat, well below the averages of the past five years. In particular, northern European states such as the UK, Germany, Denmark and Sweden will have markedly lower production this year compared with 2017.”
https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/story/5664209/european-drought-bites-hard/
“Torrential rains and flooding in northeastern Tunisia have left at least four people dead, including two sisters, according to the country’s interior ministry…
“Severe thunderstorms have hit the North African country since the middle of last week, flooding roads and damaging property… Some areas on Saturday received as much as 197mm of rainfall, half the country’s annual precipitation…”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/tunisia-record-rainfall-deadly-floods-180923085352897.html
“Sindh government launched the emergency relief operation in the drought-hit Tharparker region [of Pakistan] on Monday to provide free of cost wheat to over two hundred thousand deserving families.
“According to the media reports, that each of the family would be provided with 50 bags weighing 50 kgs each.”
“Heavy rains in parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh [India] killed six people and blocked roads, said officials on Monday…
“According to data recorded at 8.30 am at the Shimla Met Centre, Dalhousie in Chamba district experienced 170 mm rain in the past 24 hours.”
“Heavy rain on Sunday flooded many roads in Bangkok, including the major arteries of Ratchadaphisek and Ramkhamhaeng.
“Pictures posted on Twitter showed flooding at Rajamangala National Stadium.”
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1545270/flash-floods-in-pattaya-bangkok-roads-hit-by-rains
“Grebmeier has been digging up animals in the waters between Alaska and Russia for more than 30 years. And she has noticed a trend: A retreat has begun here at the edge of the Arctic. With temperatures rising, creatures such as amphipods have been inching northward. Meanwhile, clams and fish and whales from balmier climes have begun to move in.
“”We’re starting to see changes that we’ve never seen in the decades we’ve been studying this area,” says Grebmeier, a biological oceanographer at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) in Solomons.”
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Warmer-Arctic-waters-attract-surprising-visitors-13249769.php
“The National Weather Service reported Thursday that the overwhelming amount of rain from Hurricane Florence over three days was a 1,000-year event. But these once-rare events are poised to become more common as the climate changes.
“Jim Fraboni is preparing for the worst as an “unheard” amount of floodwater from Hurricane Florence is slowly flowing through the Carolinas. He and his wife have seen floodwater rush in and damage his home for 22 years — but this time feels different… A week after Hurricane Florence made landfall, the trillions of gallons of water it dumped over the Carolinas are slowly moving toward the sea and leaving a path of destruction behind.”
“This month’s record temperatures says quite a bit about the heat ending the 2018 summer. If you think it’s been hotter than usual, you’re spot on since temperatures are the hottest average on record for the month of September. A simple data check on the Southeast Climate Perspectives Map shows that dozens of the cities across the southeast United States are averaging the highest day and night temperatures on record for September.”
Warmest nights on record for Washington DC and many other major US cities: 
“Climate change is causing the deeper waters of Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Scotian Shelf to become warmer and lose oxygen faster than almost anywhere else in the global oceans, according to a new study… The Gulf Stream moving north means more of the deep, deoxygenated water is moving into the Gulf of St. Lawrence… “We also observed that (waters of the Scotian Shelf) are warming very fast, especially over the last six years,” Claret said.”
“More than half a foot of rain has fallen in parts of northern Iowa over the past two days, causing floods and mudslides and forcing evacuations. Not too far away, golf-ball-sized hail shattered windows in Nebraska Wednesday. More severe weather is lurking today in the upper Midwest, potentially including damaging wind, hail and tornadoes.”
“After a seven-hour search, crews with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office recovered on Thursday afternoon the second body of a man swept away by heavy monsoon flooding in the border cities of Nogales nearly two days before… A strong storm on Tuesday caused heavy flooding in the sprawling, densely packed city on the Mexican side. The uneven terrain drained the heavy floods to the Arizona side, carrying with them the two men.”
“The biggest fire in California’s history burned for three months and torched 1,858 square kilometres (717 square miles) in Northern California before it was fully contained on Wednesday, officials said. 
“Residents can expect a rainy weekend with rainfall up to 8 inches in some parts of Guam, the National Weather Service stated in an advisory issued Friday morning…. The Astumbo Gym shelter will be open through the weekend for the 32 remaining families taking shelter after Typhoon Mangkhut damaged their homes. Their homes are likely to be soaked with the new weather system, Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares said.”
“Dozens of people have been buried alive and at least 22 have died after a landslide engulfed two villages in the Philippines, triggered by extreme weather conditions in the aftermath of Typhoon Mangkhut. 
“As Typhoon Mangkhut slammed Hong Kong last weekend (Sept. 16), it left a trail of destruction in its wake. Not only did it break windows, wash away roads, and crumple scaffolding, but it also destroyed thousands of trees that are a crucial part of the city’s history and identity. “It’s an unprecedented number of trees that’s been toppled by the typhoon,” said Alvin Tang, a certified arborist and a lecturer on tree management at the Baptist University of Hong Kong.”
“In August 2018, temperatures soared to record highs while precipitation levels fell to its lowest, bringing about drought. The unusual weather spelled trouble for Ma’s family, whose potato yields dropped by 10 percent from a year earlier. Most of those residing in Xihaigu work the land for a living. Potatoes and wheat are their crops of choice.”
“Four factors — above normal rainfall, extreme rainfall events, over 90% reservoir storage before the rains, and unprecedented extreme rainfall in catchment areas — contributed to the flooding witnessed in Kerala.” 
“Seji Saji, deputy head of Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organisation, said the situation was under control and teams were working flat out to reach those affected. 
“The raging flood, which has affected at least 12 states across Nigeria, remains worrisome not only to the victims but also the government, as Rivers Niger and Benue continue to rise in volume, according to National Emergency Management Agency… The current flood pattern, which experts say has shown indices of a similar natural disaster of 2012 in many parts of the country, has left hundreds of victims with tales of woes, with many others living in fear.”
“Yes, Donald, climate change is a thing: European potatoes are shrinking and Belgian French fries are likely to be shorter from this year onward, because of declining rainfall in recent years and mounting temperatures. Exported Belgian fries (a.k.a. chips) could be as much as an inch shorter, because potatoes are getting smaller. Potatoes are shrinking because of the heat and relative dryness.”
“In the last few years, the Vavilov Ice Cap in the Russian High Arctic has dramatically accelerated, sliding as much as 82 feet a day in 2015, according to a new multi-national, multi-institute study led by CIRES Fellow Mike Willis, an assistant professor of Geology at CU Boulder. That dwarfs the ice’s previous average speed of about 2 inches per day and has challenged scientists’ assumptions about the stability of the cold ice caps dotting Earth’s high latitudes.
“Two people have died and several others have required hospital treatment as Storm Ali swept across the north of Ireland, central Scotland and northern England on Wednesday with winds of over 100mph. Throughout the day, thousands were left without power, or facing severe travel disruption as lorries overturned, roads were blocked by falling trees and train services were cancelled while, in SW Scotland, children were banned from walking home from school because of the risk of injury from flying debris.”
“A tropical cyclone could hit Tunisia in the next few days. Indeed, according to the Italian Institute of Meteorology, this tropical storm threatens to threaten the central Mediterranean on September 20th and 21st… 
“Close on the heels of the devastating deluge, Kerala seems to be slated to face a severe drought. If the indications are to be taken as a prophetic foreboding of yet another natural calamity, Kerala is in a very precarious state. 
“South Odisha and coastal Andhra Pradesh have been put on alert after India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued warning of a cyclone 
“Lesser known but just as severe are the disastrous impact typhoon Mangkhut may have on the livelihoods of farmers and the resulting huge losses in food production. It made landfall in northern Luzon island, Philippines early Saturday morning but effects of its strong winds and heavy rain were felt over a wide swath of land which included the Philippines “ricebowl” area in Central Luzon, and major corn growing provinces… The typhoon’s path also included Guangdong province which is among the top ten rice-growing areas of China, and coastal waters off Southern China where there is much fish-farming.”
“The north and north central regions [of Vietnam] just suffered two storms in two consecutive months, Son Tinh in July and Bebinca in August… In the south, the Mekong Delta – the nation’s rice bowl, is also at risk. 
“The Japanese insurance industry seems to have recognized the risks related to weather-related natural disasters, particularly with climate change likely worsening the scale and frequency of typhoons and other events. With policyholders more likely to make disaster-related claims and companies in which the insurance firms invest their massive assets under management likely to have profits hit by weather disruptions, the industry has begun to take action.”
“The drought in Australia is having an impact on its neighbours, with 5 million people in Indonesia suffering from an extended dry season. 
“New research finds that the mass bleaching event that led to the death of 30 percent of shallow-water corals on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016 also had a substantial impact on deep reefs… The researchers ultimately determined that deep reefs’ ability to offer “ecological refuge” has some important limitations, and that both shallow and deep reefs are at risk of mass bleaching in the future.”
“Flooding on the Amazon River has increased fivefold over the last two or three decades, a new study has found. 
“The 2018 wildfire season is shaping up to be California’s most destructive and expensive on record… A report released 27 August, the fourth in a series of climate change assessments commissioned by the state, found that if global warming continues at its current rate, California residents can expect more deadly weather patterns, including longer droughts, higher temperatures and bigger wildfires.”
“It has been miserably hot over the last few days in New Orleans. In fact, it’s been so hot, the city broke record temperatures three days in a row this week… 
“Flooding across the Carolinas in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which has killed 36 people, was expected to worsen over the next couple of days, forecasters said… 
“Earth’s accelerated warming trend continued this August, as the sweltering month proved to be one of the hottest Augusts in recorded history. In fact, each of the last five Augusts are now the warmest since reliable record-keeping began nearly 140 years ago, in the early 1880s. August 2018 is officially the fifth-warmest, but nearly indistinguishable from 2014, 2015, and 2017. 
“…the aftermath of Florence’s deluge is so vicious, rivers and waterways are rising fast across the Carolinas, burying communities and roads, and preventing evacuees from going back home…
“About 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs have been killed in flooding from Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market, according to state officials.”
“Concern was evident on Tom Geiger’s face as he looked out at a potato field on his Ontelaunee Township farm [Pennsylvania]. Several inches’ deep water was visible in furrows made by Geiger’s tractor. “Last year was one of the wettest on record, now this summer beats that,” said Geiger, 53, a third-generation family farmer. “Two years in a row. Who’d have expected it?””
“Crews in Summit [New Jersey] were cleaning up Tuesday after a microburst downed trees and knocked out power to hundreds of homes in the city. Intense straight-line winds hit late Monday afternoon in a largely residential area. Photos shared on social media showed uprooted trees and downed power lines.”
“A towering funnel of smoke and flames captured on video by a firefighter with the BC Wildfire Service is giving viewers a peek into the surreal world that crews have faced while battling some of the worst wildfires this summer in British Columbia. In the video posted to Instagram by firefighter Mary Schidlowsky, three crew members can be seen in a tug of war against what she calls a “fire tornado,” which is sucking a hose skyward like a kite string.”
“Breaking temperature records in Denver has become routine during the ongoing heat wave the past two weeks and another very old one is expected to go down Monday.”
“The Weather Service says current models show the Marianas could see up to 10 inches by Monday evening. If the circulation makes a slight shift to the east, it could bring rainfall amounts in excess of 20 inches to the islands, the forecast states. Guam normally gets about 80 inches of rain in a year.”
“Over 2,000 villages across Laos had been affected by floods after two tropical storms lashed Laos from July to September so far. During the period, 55 people were killed, two injured and 100 reported missing. The figures were reported at a meeting involving the cabinet, Vientiane mayor and provincial governor on Monday…”
“The overall economic impact of Typhoon Mangkhut, the most intense storm to hit Hong Kong since records began, is expected to be “significantly” higher than that caused by Typhoon Hato last year.”
“The four-month period from April to July 2018 was the warmest in Germany since the beginning of weather recording. Many places reached new all-time as well as monthly records. In addition, the situation was aggravated by a drought since February. In August, about 90 percent of the German territory suffered under drought. Heat and drought led to severe forest fires in several regions of Europe and to crop failures in Germany.”
“Insect-driven losses of maize, rice, and wheat — the three major grain crops, which together provide more than 40 percent of calories consumed by humans worldwide — will increase 10 to 25 percent for every degree Celsius the average surface temperature of planet Earth rises, according to a study published in Science late last month.”
“The popping sounds morphed into a low rumble. Over the next half hour, the ice broke apart and a four-mile wide chunk tumbled into the sea in a process called calving – one rarely witnessed on this scale.
“Monday became the eighth day in a row of temperatures in the 90s, breaking the record for heat streaks in September.
“On Monday, New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport set a record high of 98. The previous record was 95 set in 1995… Another record could fall Tuesday… Temperatures have soared into the mid- to upper 90s, about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year. The heat has put a strain on the power grid and led to more requests for services for those most vulnerable to the heat, including the elderly and homeless populations, officials said.”
Hot up in Canada, too: 
“On July 21, 2016, a local helicopter pilot was flying a group of biologists to the mountains outside of Pemberton [British Columbia], where they planned to conduct a survey of the mountain goat population. But the pilot — who happened to have a background in geology — spotted something unusual as they whizzed past the Job Glacier on Mount Meager: three holes in the glacier below that were spewing gas.”
“Rising flood waters threatened communities across the Carolinas on Tuesday as storm Florence menaced the U.S. Northeast with heavy rains and tornadoes after killing at least 32 people. Widespread flooding has already reached roofs, turned highways into rivers and left thousands to be saved by rescue workers. Waterways continued to rise on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.”
Astonishing rainfall totals already in North Carolina with more to come: 
Trinidad seems to be getting a lot of this recently: 
“The effects of a summer drought have continued to weigh on crops in the European Union despite less severe conditions in the past month, the EU’s crop monitoring service said on Monday, as it trimmed its outlook for 2018 maize and sugar beet yields… Persistent dryness, which has hurt crops and parched grasslands across northern Europe, also poses a risk for the rapeseed that has just been sown for next year’s harvest, the MARS service said.”
“Some residents of Koroduma, Kobi and Orozo, all in Abuja Municipal Area Council [Nigeria], AMAC, of the Federal Capital Territory are still in pains and counting their losses after violent floods swept through their communities. It did not just destroy household properties, it also damaged farm lands and agro-produce.”
“Tuesday marked three days since the partial collapse of a mountainside in the wake of Super Typhoon Mangkhut saw tons of mud and rocks pour onto the mining town of Itogon, in the Cordillera region of northern Luzon Island. The rockfall destroyed hundreds of homes and buried dozens of people, mostly miners who worked in small-scale mines and their families.”
“Although they are used to weathering several typhoons every year, Hong Kongers woke up shell-shocked on Monday after Super Typhoon Mangkhut… Despite weakening after first hitting the Philippines and killing at least 65 people, the Hong Kong Observatory confirmed Mangkhut was the most powerful storm to hit the southern Chinese territory since records have been kept beginning in 1946.”
““The people of Labasa [Fiji] are facing severe water cuts as the North battles its worst drought since the disaster that struck in 1997 to 1998.” Mr Lal said he had visited areas in the North quite extensively in recent weeks, adding Bua and hilly coastal areas such as Nararo, Papalagi and Wavuwavu were severely affected by the drought. “In Bua, all the pastures are gone. Farmers used to grow three crops of rice a year under irrigation. They will lose out on an entire crop this year because of the lack of water,” Mr Lal said.”
“NASA study of certain bubbling lakes in the Arctic suggests that methane deposits are being released due to an understudied phenomenon called ‘abrupt thawing’. Methane — which is 30 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide — has been frozen for potentially thousands of years and its sudden release could significantly impact the climate by the end of the century.”
“More than 100 people have died in floods after Nigeria’s two major rivers burst their banks, authorities say.
“At least five persons were killed, including four of a family in rain-related incidents in NW Pakistan on Sunday, an official said… Many mud and brick homes were partially or completely damaged in the rain and thunderstorm in the province.”
“Flood waters inundated many parts of Medan [Sumatra, Indonesia] on Sunday after torrential rain swept across North Sumatra’s provincial capital over the weekend… According to the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the rain had caused water levels in basin areas to rise rapidly, while the drainage system was overwhelmed.”
Even though it did not hit Hong Kong directly this was their most powerful storm since 1979. You may recall that Jebi was Japan’s strongest since 1993. 
“It was the second day of record-setting heat in Daytona Beach. On Saturday, the temperature in Daytona — 94 — tied a record set in 1990. Daytona Beach broke a record high Sunday when the mercury hit 94 degrees. It breaks a record for the date — 93 — set in 2004, 1999 and 1934, the National Weather Service said. The Weather Service warned that in Volusia and Flagler counties the combination of above normal temperatures and high humidity was producing peak heat index readings between 102 and 107…”
“”Catastrophic and historic river flooding will continue for days across portions of the Carolinas,” the National Weather Service said. By the storm’s end, up to 40 inches will fall in southeastern North Carolina and the northeastern tip of South Carolina, the NWS said. Other parts of the Carolinas will be left with up to 20 inches of rain.”
“Officials are planning to airlift food and water to Wilmington after the city of nearly 120,000 people became cut off… by rising flood water… The US’s highest emergency official said other states were in the path of Florence. “Not only are you going to see more impact across North Carolina this week … but we’re also anticipating you are about to see a lot of damage going through West Virginia, all the way up to Ohio as the system exits out,” said Brock Long of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”
“Duke Energy said Saturday night that heavy rains from Florence caused a slope to collapse at a coal-ash landfill at a closed power station near the North Carolina coast… contaminated runoff likely flowed into the plant’s cooling pond. The company has not yet determined whether the weir that drains the lake was open or if contamination may have flowed into the Cape Fear River. That’s enough ash to roughly fill 180 dump trucks.”
“The intense thunderstorm that swept through Maple Ridge [Vancouver] on Friday caused major damage to a local homeless tent and a daycare centre. Julia Foy reports.” video: 
“Hundreds of extra deaths were recorded in England as a result of a heatwave during spring and early summer, official statistics show. In the last week of June, when temperatures rose above 30C, 382 more deaths occurred than the average. During an earlier period of unseasonably warm spring temperatures in April, 243 more deaths were observed than the five-year average.”
“Polar bears have increasingly become vegetarian. They feed themselves with more plants because they have difficulty hunting their usual food — seals… Arctic ice is melting at a critical speed… Not only trash from fishing vessels but also other household garbage like water bottles, lubricant oil bottles and so forth were spotted in the Arctic… 