A summer of unprecedented heat and wildfires for Sweden:
“Swedish meteorologists have released the weather stats of this summer, and let’s just say it was one worthy of remembrance.
“National weather agency SMHI released its preliminary statistics for the months of June, July and August on Wednesday, revealing several things that had never before happened in Sweden.
“But let’s start with June. It was one of the hottest in 100 years in southern Sweden, but it was still fairly cool and windy in the north, said SMHI. We had to wait another month for things to really heat up…
“It was one of the hottest months of July ever recorded in several places of Sweden. Stockholm had the highest-ever average temperature in the country: 22.5C, several degrees above normal. Many of you followed The Local’s coverage of serious forest fires that followed across the entire country.
“In most of southern and central Sweden, it was the warmest summer since records began, including in Uppsala (records began 1722), Stockholm (1756), Lund (1859) and Gothenburg (1860).”
“Heat advisories were posted Wednesday along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Maine. Some of the most dangerous temperatures — near triple digits — were in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts… In Boston, where the high was a record 98 degrees, not only has this been the hottest August on record — it has a chance to be the hottest summer as well.”
“It’s official: this year’s wildfire season is the worst on record in terms of hectares burned. According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, 1,250,383 hectares have burned across the province since April 1, surpassing last year’s record total of 1,216,053 hectares.”
“In a matter of minutes Wednesday afternoon, a vicious storm ripped through the Campbell family farm near Smiths Falls [Ottawa], downing power lines, ripping posts from fences and destroying two 40-year-old barns on the rural property… Neighbour Rebecca McGovern was home with her two sons when the storm hit – “I’ve never seen wind or rain like that; we’ve lived here for a long time,” she said… “We were watching from that window, but we didn’t see anything other than blackness and the wind.”
“Snow has already started falling in this part of the [USA]… According to The Washington Post, winter advisories were announced in both Montana and Wyoming this week as 10 inches of snow plowed through the Northern Rockies. Idaho also received winter weather advisories.”
“The San Joaquin Valley in central California, like many other regions in the western United States, faces drought and ongoing groundwater extraction, happening faster than it can be replenished. And the land is sinking as a result—by up to a half-meter annually according to a new Cornell University study in Science Advances.”
“Drought may develop in northern Brazil, worsen in Venezuela. Dry conditions in the coming months will raise drought concerns across the northern reaches of South America this spring. “Rainfall opportunities will become more infrequent during the season across the northern part of South America,” AccuWeather Lead Global Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said. One factor contributing to the upcoming drier-than-normal spring is the developing El Niño.”
“Australia’s weather forecasters have offered the country’s drought-hit farmers scarce relief after predicting that warmer and drier conditions are set to continue through spring. After a drier than average year so far, the Bureau of Meteorology released its on Thursday and warned that southern and south-eastern parts of the country are facing the prospect of an early summer heatwave.”
“More than 25,000 homes and businesses in Adelaide lost power today after severe winds crossed the state, bringing down trees and power lines and blowing roofs off houses… The wild weather hit just hours after Adelaide recorded its warmest August night on record, with the mercury only dropping to 19.6 degrees Celsius just before 9:00am.”
“The mercury plummeted across Tasmania overnight, with many near-record-low temperatures, and at least one August record broken. The Warra weather station near the Hartz Mountains in the state’s south-west plummeted to -4 degrees Celsius, its coldest August night on record.”
“Japan has been afflicted by several tropical cyclones and other extreme weather this summer. GPM analyzed Typhoon Jebi as it was making its way toward Japan. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) predicts that yet another typhoon called Jebi will be approaching the main islands of Japan early next week. Warm ocean temperatures and low vertical wind shear are providing a favorable environment for Jebi’s intensification.”
“After a week of being pounded by torrential rain including a “rain bomb” that struck on Tuesday (Aug. 28), a sink hole suddenly opened up on a busy street in Kaohsiung [Taiwan] yesterday, partially swallowing a car in the process.”
“Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes Wednesday when a dam burst in central Myanmar, sending floodwater pouring into nearby villages. One person died and six people were believed to be missing as of Thursday… Heavy annual monsoon rains have already brought flooding to other parts of the country and the region. A dam in neighboring Laos collapsed last month, causing flash-flooding across six villages and displacing thousands of people.”
“Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest ranking political and religious authority in the country, has urged the government to work “day and night” to solve Iran’s economic problems. Inside the country, the worst drought in half a century is affecting most of Iran, worsening water shortages and leading to sometimes violent protests. Along with unemployment, which stands at 25 percent among its overwhelmingly younger population, and new U.S. sanctions, Iran appears to be spiraling into severe economic trouble.”
“Zimbabwe will likely experience an El Nino phase, which will result in erratic rainfall during the 2018/19 farming season, a government official said on Wednesday. This will be the second drought for the country in three years, following an El Nino-induced drought in 2016 that left a quarter of the rural population in need of food aid. That drought was Zimbabwe’s worst in 30 years.”
“Though pressure has since eased, a few months ago the drought in the Western Cape led to stringent water restrictions and fears around “day zero”. But as the El Niño climate effect threatens to return, the rest of South Africa has perhaps been too quick to forget what it was like just two years ago across the entire country. In 2015, El Niño brought on the worst drought to hit SA since 1982, with the government declaring five of the nine provinces drought disaster areas for agriculture.”
“…the middle portion of the Niger Basin (Niger Republic) experienced high flows last week with the flood advancing into the Lower Niger (Nigeria). NIHSA noted that both Kainji and Jebba dams were already spilling water downstream…”
“The sleeping giant may be about to awaken. Hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico is forecast to ramp up over the next couple of weeks. “Weather models have flipped the switch on the Atlantic hurricane season and see multiple areas of development possible, starting mainly this weekend,” weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue said.”
“A warm region of water trapped deep below the surface of the Arctic seas north of Canada has the potential to leave the entire area devoid of ice. Scientists have discovered warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep below the ice pack’s surface.”
“The last three Julys on Earth have been the three warmest ever recorded. But, they may also be the warmest months to occur on our planet in about 120,000 years.
“Following NASA’s recent announcement that July 2018 was the third warmest such month since reliable record keeping began in 1880, climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf, head of Earth System Analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, pointed out that this last July — already infamous for scorching Arctic temperatures and record-breaking heat waves — was also likely one of the warmest months since the geologic period called the Eemian.”
“California’s summer of deadly wildfires and dangerous heatwaves will soon be the new normal if nothing is done to stop climate change, a report released on Monday warns.”
“This summer’s cluster of tragedies is part of a sea change in a field that’s becoming increasingly demanding. As the climate shifts, California has been swept by “megafires” of unprecedented size and ferocity. The state’s fire season now lasts 78 days longer than it did 50 years ago, encompassing most of the year, from early spring until late December.”
“Nearly one-quarter of B.C.’s regions are now at the highest drought rating, with no significant rain in the forecast. And while those fighting the province’s more than 500 wildfires have welcomed the recent rain and cooler temperatures, a spokesperson for the B.C. wildfire service says the fires will continue to burn for weeks.”
“The soaking storms that dropped nearly 9 inches of rain and turned much of southeastern Wisconsin into a soggy sponge could return again Tuesday, the National Weather Service said Monday.”
“Tuesday’s daily record for Boston is 99°, while Wednesday’s record is 96°. One or both could be tied or broken this week. Of course, this doesn’t factor in the humidity, which will make those already scorching temperatures feel even hotter.”
“There may be a correlation between a lack of hurricanes in the Atlantic and above-average storminess elsewhere in North America and the Pacific Ocean off of the West Coast. While the Atlantic Basin has been relatively quiet so far this summer, the eastern part of the United States was struck with historic rain and Hurricane Lane was part of a flurry of tropical activity in the eastern Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii.”
“A new trade route for energy supplies is opening up north of the Arctic Circle as some of the warmest temperatures on record shrink ice caps that used to lock ships out of the area. This year is likely to rank among the top 10 for the amount of sea ice melting in the Arctic Ocean after heat waves across the northern hemisphere this summer.”
“China’s national average temperature hit 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 Fahrenheit) this summer, the highest since 1961, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday… A total of 55 weather stations posted record high daily temperatures, said Xinhua, citing Zhang Zuqiang, director of the emergency relief and public service department of China Meteorological Administration.”
Like Japan, Korea has experienced all-time record-high temperatures and extraordinary flooding this summer – “The city of Daejeon in South Korea has been experiencing some extreme weather, bringing floods to the streets.”
“Diverting water earmarked for the environment to help drought-hit farmers would “absolutely” breach the federal Water Act, says David Papps, the former head of the Commonwealth Environment Water Office.
“Mr Papps was responding to Barnaby Joyce, the former Nationals leader and special drought envoy under the Morrison government, who said such diversions were needed to address a “national emergency” as the big dry spreads.
“Taking away such water “would be signing the death certificate for some of Australia’s truly iconic landscapes”, Mr Papps said. These included the Macquarie Marshes, Narran Lakes and the Coorong – all of which were already struggling.”
“Record rainfall from Lane triggered devastating flooding and debris flows across Hawaii late this past week.
“While Lane failed to make landfall on the islands, this did not lessen the storm’s impact on the state.
“Preliminary rainfall totals of 2-4 feet were reported across the windward side of the Big Island with two locations recording even higher amounts.
“As of Sunday morning, local time, Mountain View has received the most rainfall with a preliminary total of 51.53 inches. That ranks as the third-highest rain total from a tropical cyclone in the United States since 1950.
“Nederland, Texas, holds the record with the 60.58 inches that fell during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
“The most rain from a tropical cyclone in Hawaii’s recorded history is 52.00 inches from Hurricane Hiki in August 1950.
“Rainfall totals are expected to further increase, as additional downpours are in store into Monday.
“Hilo Airport observed its wettest four-day period on record from Wednesday, Aug. 22, to Saturday, Aug. 25, as 36.76 inches fell.”
“A drought affecting several countries in Central America has caused significant losses in crops, affecting more than two million people, warned the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations World Food Programme… “Just when rural communities were recovering from the 2014 drought and the El Niño phenomenon of 2015, the strongest registered in the recent history, a new climate event hits the most vulnerable again,” said Miguel Barreto, Regional Director of WFP for America and the Caribbean.”
“We’re in August and people across the EU should be enjoying summer’s sweltering temperatures. But baffling images show Germany and Austria covered in snow as temperatures dropped up to 15 degrees from one day to another… And according to the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (CIMG) announced, higher mountain roads from Tyrol to Styria were inaccessible because of the sudden and equally bizarre weather.”
“Record low temperatures for August 27 were registered in many parts of the Czech Republic on Monday morning… The coldest place was Volary in the Šumava Mountains in South Bohemia, where minus 8.5 degrees Celsius was measured.”
“The largest glacier in the Alps has endured its warmest summer on record, shrinking twice as fast as previously thought, experts have said. The Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland, which is more than 23km (14 miles) long, has been melting at a rate of more than 10cm a day this summer.”
“Israel is entering its sixth official year of drought, the Water Authority said Sunday. Many of Israel’s lakes, riverbeds and aquifers are at unprecedented 100-year lows, with the Sea of Galilee dangerously close to its “black line,” the level below the intake pipes of the water pumps that send the lake’s water to nearby towns.”
“Flash floods have killed at least 11 people in the remote eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday. Deputy governor Gul Mohammad told Anadolu Agency over phone that the floods caused by torrential rains have caused damage in the Ghazi Abad district of the province.”
“Educational institutions in Kangra and Chamba [Dharamshala, India] were closed on on Friday as heavy rains lashed the two districts. In Kangra, Dharamshala recorded its highest rainfall in 60 years for a day in August.”
“The hilly district of Idukki has been thrown back by 40 years following Kerala’s worst flooding in a century, Power Minister M.M. Mani said on Sunday.”
“Once-a-century rains that have pounded Kerala and displaced 1.3 million people are in line with the predictions of climate scientists, who warn that worse is to come if global warming continues unabated.”
“As the rain starts to recede from coastal Karnataka, the state has turned its attention to its north-eastern districts, where highly deficient rainfall through the monsoon season has increased the likelihood of a drought being declared.”
“Thailand’s southern coastal province of Phang Nga has been declared a zone of disaster over torrential rains. Phang Nga provincial governor Sitthichai Sakda said on Saturday that the southern province on the coast of the Andaman Sea, about 760 km south of Bangkok, has been declared the zone of disaster caused by heavy downpours in the last few days. All seven districts ashore have been considerably damaged by flashfloods and mudslides.”
“Six people died in floods that submerged central and southern Taiwan after a tropical depression passed over the area on Aug. 23 and 24. The heavy rains caused the evacuation of thousands. Some areas received over three feet of rain.”
“The red rainstorm signal means heavy rain, exceeding 50mm in an hour, has fallen or is expected to fall over Hong Kong and is likely to continue. “Heavy rain will bring flash floods, and flooding is occurring or is expected to occur in watercourses. People should stay away from watercourses.”
“Heavy flooding caused by a typhoon and tropical storm in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong killed 14 people and caused 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) in direct economic losses this month, the China Daily said on Monday. China’s vegetable producing capital of Shouguang was among the worst hit, the paper said, with drones dropping antiseptic solutions to prevent a health crisis and workers draining the remaining water and burying animal carcasses in lime pits.”
“Central Asia’s glaciers make up the third-largest mass of frozen fresh water on earth, the planet’s “third pole,” The region’s “thousands of glaciers and regular snow melt form the headwaters for 10 of Asia’s biggest rivers, which bring drinking water, power and irrigation directly to 210 million people, while these river basins indirectly support more than 1.3 billion people,” according to the World Wildlife Federation.
“That resource is now doubling as a hazard, with glaciers skipping the melting process altogether to rupture and flood in a region that has warmed at twice the global rate of climate change.
“Last week, a glacier in northeastern Afghanistan burst and flooded the Panjshir River basin, killing at least ten people. The floodwater triggered landslides as it carved through the valley and damaged 56 houses, washed out two bridges, wrecked a highway, broke an irrigation canal, and swamped farmland, according to an internal report from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) , an intergovernmental agency based in Nepal.
“That same week, a glacier in western China released 35 million cubic meters—or 14,000 Olympic swimming pools—of fresh water into the Yarkant River basin, prompting evacuations, Greenpeace East Asia reported. Both disasters struck in places that are not traditionally at risk for glacial outbreak floods, but catastrophes like these seemed poised to become the new normal…”
“Coffee production in India will slump to the lowest in 21 years next season as heavy showers, flooding and landslides damaged trees in the main growing areas in the south of Asia’s third biggest producer.”
“A shipment of grain worth more than $15 million has arrived in Queensland, destined for drought-stricken cattle farmers crying out for feed… The commodity is normally exported from Queensland, but due to poor growing conditions it is having to be shipped in to supply feedlots. GrainCorp terminal manager Josh Connell said it was a desperate situation. This is a one-in-10, one-in-25, one-in-a-100-year event,” Mr Connell said.”
“In the last 20 years in Australia, only three years have seen annual temperatures dip below average. And during those years it’s dipped only slightly below the line. But many of the most recent years that have seen above average temperatures that have soared over the line.”
“Hurricane Lane unleashed torrents of rain and landslides that blocked roads on Hawaii’s mostly rural Big Island on Thursday as residents and tourists in the state’s biggest city braced for the dangerous storm to come their way… Hurricane Lane, which was still offshore, already lashed the Big Island with nearly 20 inches of rain in nearly 24 hours and was moving closer, putting it and Maui ‘in the thick’ of the storm, according to forecasters.”
“Vancouver just recorded its “smokiest” stretch of weather in history: the station at YVR has reported “smoke” consistently since 9 PM on August 19. It’s now 10 PM on August 22 – that’s 73 hours of non-stop smoke.”
“It is a shocking image of our planet. NASA has revealed this incredible image from its Worldview satellite showing actively burning fires around the globe. It reveals the incredible areas covered by both wildfires and agricultural fires used to clear land, and comes as record heatwaves have triggered wildfires around the globe.”
“The summer of 2018 has been one of southern New England’s hottest in nearly 150 years, according to the National Weather Service… Already, Boston has set a record for the greatest number of summer days with low temperatures of 70 degrees or warmer.”
“A wildfire the size of more than 500 soccer fields spread southwest of the German capital of Berlin on Friday, leading to the evacuation of three villages.”
““The Mer de Glace [in the French Alps] is now melting at the rate of around 40 metres a year and has lost 80m in depth over the last 20 years alone,” says glaciologist Luc Moreau. A stark consequence of the melting Mer de Glace is that 100m of ladders have now been bolted onto the newly exposed vertical rock walls for mountaineers to climb down onto the glacier.the permafrost that lies within cracks of rocks and cements them together is now melting… “As the permafrost melts, whole sections of rock become destabilised and more prone to collapse.””
“As Switzerland experiences the driest summer since records began, agricultural scientist Urs Niggli says farmers, who have seen significant crop failure, must adapt in order to survive.”
A lengthy drought in Europe has exposed carved boulders, known as “hunger stones,” that have been used for centuries to commemorate historic droughts — and warn of their consequences… One of the stones on the banks of the Elbe is carved with the words “Wenn du mich seihst, dann weine”: “If you see me, weep.””
“Europe is facing a growing threat of tropical disease outbreaks, as rising temperatures linked to climate change cause illnesses brought by travellers to spread more easily, health experts warned. This summer has seen a sharp spike in West Nile virus infections in Europe, following soaring temperatures… “We are all a bit taken aback about how fast these change are coming down the pipeline,” said Prof Jan Semenza, who leads on scientific assessment for the ECDC. “We are seeing more and more of these extreme weather events.””
This storm isn’t quite as frightening as Hurricane Lane but Japan has already taken a battering: The 20th typhoon of the season is expected to make landfall in western Japan on Thursday night, bringing downpours to a region already reeling from last month’s deadly flooding and landslides…
“Typhoon Cimaron appeared ready to slice through the Japanese archipelago en route to the Sea of Japan by early Friday.
“The storm is already suspected to have led to the disappearance of three Shizuoka University students…Cimaron is the second typhoon to hit Japan this week… rainfall in western Japan is expected to total a meter in some areas, the Meteorological Agency said.
“Cimaron is packing winds of up to 216 kph (134 mph) at its center with an atmospheric pressure of 955 hectopascals.
““I want the government to take coordinated measures to prevent damage as much as possible such as through early evacuations,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a meeting of the government’s disaster response headquarters.
“In the town of Saka in Hiroshima Prefecture, residents expressed concern about the looming typhoon as they continued to remove mud from homes and roads damaged by the torrential rain and landslides in July…
“Transportation has been disrupted, with airline companies deciding to cancel over 300 flights to and from airports in the Shikoku and Kinki regions, and railway companies also suspending some of their services…
“Heavy rain from the two typhoons has raised concern about landslides and swollen rivers. Since Monday, over 400 mm of rain had been recorded in Kochi and Kagoshima prefectures, while the agency also warned of landslides in northern Kyushu.
“The regional weather system around Japan is churning out typhoons at a quick pace this year, with five forming on five consecutive days for the first time, between Aug. 12 and 16.”
“Phang Nga [Thailand]… hit with hillside runoff and landslides on Thursday morning following heavy rain overnight, the authorities said… The area saw 127mm of rain in the past 12 hours, he added.”
““We’ve had more than three times the normal rainfall for the month of June… and we’re only three weeks into the month.” Those are the words of Gillian Boyle, who is tasked with coordinating logistics for Concern’s operation to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.”
“People in India’s flood-ravaged state of Kerala are facing a “great struggle to rebuild their lives”, local officials have warned, as high waters that have killed hundreds of people and displaced more than a million others start to recede.”
““The extensive construction of public infrastructure in Delhi along with the cutting of mature trees and the vanishing of open water bodies, has made the city a heat island. Delhi has historically had an extreme climate, but it’s become far worse in recent years.””
“While much of the focus on the impacts of drought is on inland areas, farmers on the north coast of NSW are starting to see the impact of the extended dry. Cracked earth, farms turned to dust bowls, and emaciated livestock have become commonplace images associated with the drought.”
“Already this year, California wildfires have burned more than 1.1 million acres. The state is deploying thousands of firefighters daily to try and control the flames. Given the hot and dry conditions, it appears that California will easily surpass last year’s record 1.3 million acres burned.”
“By May, some stretches of the upper Rio Grande that normally don’t run dry until August were already desiccated. Southern New Mexico, the part of the state fed by Rio Grande water, would have to depend entirely on water stored in reservoirs to make it through the summer… what if the drought lasts a second year—or five more? “If something like this happens again next winter, then we’ll be in big trouble.””
“Wednesday marked the 30th day in 2018 for which temperatures have hit at least 90 degrees in Portland — a new all-time record for days in a year where the mercury has risen that high, weather officials say.”
“A visit to Seattle’s iconic Space Needle normally provides breathtaking panoramic views. But the skyline now shows a city choked with smoke and ash… The city is experiencing collateral damage from a horrific start to the fire season, with wildfires burning from California to Canada. A NASA satellite image shows smoke covering nearly 2 million acres burning in the U.S.”
“Sweden’s indigenous Sami reindeer herders are demanding state aid to help them cope with the impact of this summer’s unprecedented drought and wildfires, saying their future is at risk as global warming changes the environment in the far north… The Swedish government this week announced five major investigations aimed at preparing the country for the kind of extreme heatwave it experienced in July, when temperatures exceeded 30C (86F) and.”
“A scorching summer has ended five years of plenty in many wheat producing countries and drawn down the reserves of major exporters to their lowest level since 2007/08, when low grain stocks contributed to food riots across Africa and Asia. As Pascale Davies reports, in Germany farmers have had their hottest summer since 1881.”
“Over a million people in Hawaii are already seeing the first signs of Hurricane Lane, a Category 4 cyclone that could become the first major hurricane to make landfall there in 26 years. The storm is moving closer to the Hawaiian islands with sustained winds of 145 mph and forecasters say it’s “on course to pass very close” to the islands or make landfall from Thursday through Friday. It could be so devastating that authorities are urging residents to set aside two weeks worth of food and water.”
“Hawaii is on high alert as Hurricane Lane has strengthened to a maximum Category 5 cyclone and is forecast to bear down on the islands bringing storm-force winds, heavy rain and dangerous waves.
“Residents have been stockpiling food and water, and schools and public sector jobs have been suspended.
“Official warnings have been issued for Hawaii and Maui counties, in the eastern part of the islands, where the first dangerous gusts could hit on Thursday.”
“Typhoons are forming at an extraordinarily fast pace this year apparently due to higher temperatures on the surface of the sea where they are formed as well as irregular seasonal winds, say experts.”
“Residents in western Japan are advised to be on the alert as two powerful typhoons back to back are expected to bring more heavy rain to regions devastated by torrential rain, flooding and landslides in July. The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning of imminent torrential rain, fierce winds and high tides in western Japan from Aug. 23 through Aug. 24.”
Japan alternating between oppressive, record-breaking heat and torrential rain/typhoons this summer:
“A hot spell returned to Japan on Aug. 22 with the mercury hitting at least 35 degrees Celsius at 235 observation points across the nation, and the hottest temperature of the day was 39.7 degrees recorded in Sakai Ward.”
“At least 31 people have been killed and another 14 have been reported missing after Typhoon Rumbia devastated east and central China. Typhoon Rumbia, the 18th typhoon to hit the country this year, continues to move inland in a north-west direction after wreaking havoc in eight provinces and cities. A total of nearly 15 million people have been affected so far.”
“Flooding caused by recent storms in Laos has killed at least 46 people while 97 others are missing and four people were injured, according to the latest report from the National Disaster Prevention and Control Committee.”
“Some 82,460 families of 236,188 people in 79 districts of 14 provinces, out of the country’s 18 provinces, were affected by floods after tropical storms Son-Tinh and Bebinca brought torrential rain from the middle of July to the middle of August, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Wednesday.”
“Nearly 400 people have died and thousands remained stranded by the worst flooding in the Indian state of Kerala in a century. More than one million people have been displaced, many of them taking shelter in thousands of relief camps across the state.”
“Australia’s evaporation levels are running at record rates, especially across eastern states, increasing the misery for drought-hit farmers and raising bushfire risks as the mercury starts to climb. While rainfall deficiencies have drawn much attention, stronger-than-usual winds, abnormally sunny days and low humidity have combined to push up evaporation levels, Bureau of Meteorology data shows.”
“Thousands of Muslims gathered together on Tuesday to show solidarity with drought-ravaged farmers as they celebrate Eid Al Adha. More than 30,000 people attended Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, to conduct a special ‘rain prayer’ during the annual Eid celebration.”
“San Diego’s average temperature of 76.8 degrees from July 1 to Aug. 20 is the hottest on record for that 51-day period, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday. The previous record was 76.6 degrees set in 1984.”
“Twin fires burning on both sides of Clear Lake in Mendocino, Lake and Colusa counties have devoured more than 400,000 acres, scorching an area more than half the size of Rhode Island.”
“As high pressure moves directly over the Lone Star State [Texas], this heat wave gets even more intense and high temperatures climb closer to record territory.”
“British Columbia had more fires burning on Tuesday than at any point last year, and the wildfire season still has months to go. Last year was a record year for acres burned across the province, and so far this year is already its third-worst on record.”
“The summer of 2018 has been noteworthy for the all-time heat records smashed around the world, from California to Sweden and Japan… The heat is a sign of a warming world, scientists have said, with human-caused global warming raising the odds of heat waves as well as increasing their severity and duration.”
“Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company, is about to launch the first ever container ship on an Arctic route along Russia’s north coast, as melting sea ice promises to offer a possible future alternative to the Suez Canal.”
“The last time Swiss glaciers managed to grow was in 2001, according to the federal technology institute ETH Zurich. “Since then, the country’s 1,500 glaciers – as well as others elsewhere – have been suffering a slow but inexorable death,” it said on Monday.”
“Losses for already hard-pressed Danish farmers are likely to be bigger than previously expected, an industry lobby group said on Wednesday, warning this could trigger more bankruptcies.”
“The German Agriculture Minister Yulia Klöckner will announce today if farmers will receive compensation over losses due to extreme weather. Drought-hit German farmers are waiting to hear if they will receive the one billion Euro package called for by the German Farmers Association.”
“More than 90 percent of the area of the Czech Republic has been affected by drought, according to a report carried out by a scientific team within a project called InterSucho. Over 72,000 square kilometres are currently affected by the drown-out period of dry weather and lack of rainfall.”
“A scorching hot, dry summer has ended five years of plenty in many wheat producing countries and drawn down the reserves of major exporters to their lowest level since 2007/08, when low grain stocks contributed to food riots across Africa and Asia.”
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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 summer of unprecedented heat and wildfires for Sweden:
“In a matter of minutes Wednesday afternoon, a vicious storm ripped through the Campbell family farm near Smiths Falls [Ottawa], downing power lines, ripping posts from fences and destroying two 40-year-old barns on the rural property… Neighbour Rebecca McGovern was home with her two sons when the storm hit – “I’ve never seen wind or rain like that; we’ve lived here for a long time,” she said… “We were watching from that window, but we didn’t see anything other than blackness and the wind.”
“Snow has already started falling in this part of the [USA]… According to The Washington Post, winter advisories were announced in both Montana and Wyoming this week as 10 inches of snow plowed through the Northern Rockies. Idaho also received winter weather advisories.”
“The San Joaquin Valley in central California, like many other regions in the western United States, faces drought and ongoing groundwater extraction, happening faster than it can be replenished. And the land is sinking as a result—by up to a half-meter annually according to a new Cornell University study in Science Advances.”
“Drought may develop in northern Brazil, worsen in Venezuela. Dry conditions in the coming months will raise drought concerns across the northern reaches of South America this spring. “Rainfall opportunities will become more infrequent during the season across the northern part of South America,” AccuWeather Lead Global Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said. One factor contributing to the upcoming drier-than-normal spring is the developing El Niño.”
“More than 25,000 homes and businesses in Adelaide lost power today after severe winds crossed the state, bringing down trees and power lines and blowing roofs off houses… The wild weather hit just hours after Adelaide recorded its warmest August night on record, with the mercury only dropping to 19.6 degrees Celsius just before 9:00am.”
“The mercury plummeted across Tasmania overnight, with many near-record-low temperatures, and at least one August record broken. The Warra weather station near the Hartz Mountains in the state’s south-west plummeted to -4 degrees Celsius, its coldest August night on record.”
“After a week of being pounded by torrential rain including a “rain bomb” that struck on Tuesday (Aug. 28), a sink hole suddenly opened up on a busy street in Kaohsiung [Taiwan] yesterday, partially swallowing a car in the process.”
“Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes Wednesday when a dam burst in central Myanmar, sending floodwater pouring into nearby villages. One person died and six people were believed to be missing as of Thursday… Heavy annual monsoon rains have already brought flooding to other parts of the country and the region. A dam in neighboring Laos collapsed last month, causing flash-flooding across six villages and displacing thousands of people.”
“…the middle portion of the Niger Basin (Niger Republic) experienced high flows last week with the flood advancing into the Lower Niger (Nigeria). NIHSA noted that both Kainji and Jebba dams were already spilling water downstream…”
“A warm region of water trapped deep below the surface of the Arctic seas north of Canada has the potential to leave the entire area devoid of ice. Scientists have discovered warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep below the ice pack’s surface.”
“The last three Julys on Earth have been the three warmest ever recorded. But, they may also be the warmest months to occur on our planet in about 120,000 years.
“California’s summer of deadly wildfires and dangerous heatwaves will soon be the new normal if nothing is done to stop climate change, a report released on Monday warns.”
“In the absence of rain, parched parts of McLennan County are shriveling up as Waco experiences its driest year in recorded history.”
“There may be a correlation between a lack of hurricanes in the Atlantic and above-average storminess elsewhere in North America and the Pacific Ocean off of the West Coast. While the Atlantic Basin has been relatively quiet so far this summer, the eastern part of the United States was struck with historic rain and Hurricane Lane was part of a flurry of tropical activity in the eastern Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii.”
“Acres of forestland washed away by the historic rains in Kerala: 
Like Japan, Korea has experienced all-time record-high temperatures and extraordinary flooding this summer – “The city of Daejeon in South Korea has been experiencing some extreme weather, bringing floods to the streets.”
“Terrifying footage shows a plane nosediving as it struggles to land at Tokyo’s Narita Airport during Typhoon Cimarron.”
“Diverting water earmarked for the environment to help drought-hit farmers would “absolutely” breach the federal Water Act, says David Papps, the former head of the Commonwealth Environment Water Office.
“Record rainfall from Lane triggered devastating flooding and debris flows across Hawaii late this past week.
“A drought affecting several countries in Central America has caused significant losses in crops, affecting more than two million people, warned the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations World Food Programme… “Just when rural communities were recovering from the 2014 drought and the El Niño phenomenon of 2015, the strongest registered in the recent history, a new climate event hits the most vulnerable again,” said Miguel Barreto, Regional Director of WFP for America and the Caribbean.”
“British Columbia’s 2018 wildfire season is now the second largest on record, ranking below only last year’s catastrophic summer.”
“We’re in August and people across the EU should be enjoying summer’s sweltering temperatures. But baffling images show Germany and Austria covered in snow as temperatures dropped up to 15 degrees from one day to another… And according to the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (CIMG) announced, higher mountain roads from Tyrol to Styria were inaccessible because of the sudden and equally bizarre weather.”
“Israel is entering its sixth official year of drought, the Water Authority said Sunday. Many of Israel’s lakes, riverbeds and aquifers are at unprecedented 100-year lows, with the Sea of Galilee dangerously close to its “black line,” the level below the intake pipes of the water pumps that send the lake’s water to nearby towns.”
“Flash floods have killed at least 11 people in the remote eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday. Deputy governor Gul Mohammad told Anadolu Agency over phone that the floods caused by torrential rains have caused damage in the Ghazi Abad district of the province.”
“The hilly district of Idukki has been thrown back by 40 years following Kerala’s worst flooding in a century, Power Minister M.M. Mani said on Sunday.”
“Six people died in floods that submerged central and southern Taiwan after a tropical depression passed over the area on Aug. 23 and 24. The heavy rains caused the evacuation of thousands. Some areas received over three feet of rain.”
“Heavy flooding caused by a typhoon and tropical storm in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong killed 14 people and caused 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) in direct economic losses this month, the China Daily said on Monday. China’s vegetable producing capital of Shouguang was among the worst hit, the paper said, with drones dropping antiseptic solutions to prevent a health crisis and workers draining the remaining water and burying animal carcasses in lime pits.”
“Central Asia’s glaciers make up the third-largest mass of frozen fresh water on earth, the planet’s “third pole,” The region’s “thousands of glaciers and regular snow melt form the headwaters for 10 of Asia’s biggest rivers, which bring drinking water, power and irrigation directly to 210 million people, while these river basins indirectly support more than 1.3 billion people,” according to the World Wildlife Federation. 
“Coffee production in India will slump to the lowest in 21 years next season as heavy showers, flooding and landslides damaged trees in the main growing areas in the south of Asia’s third biggest producer.”
“In the last 20 years in Australia, only three years have seen annual temperatures dip below average. And during those years it’s dipped only slightly below the line. But many of the most recent years that have seen above average temperatures that have soared over the line.”
“Hurricane Lane unleashed torrents of rain and landslides that blocked roads on Hawaii’s mostly rural Big Island on Thursday as residents and tourists in the state’s biggest city braced for the dangerous storm to come their way… Hurricane Lane, which was still offshore, already lashed the Big Island with nearly 20 inches of rain in nearly 24 hours and was moving closer, putting it and Maui ‘in the thick’ of the storm, according to forecasters.”
“It is a shocking image of our planet. NASA has revealed this incredible image from its Worldview satellite showing actively burning fires around the globe. It reveals the incredible areas covered by both wildfires and agricultural fires used to clear land, and comes as record heatwaves have triggered wildfires around the globe.”
“A wildfire the size of more than 500 soccer fields spread southwest of the German capital of Berlin on Friday, leading to the evacuation of three villages.”
““The Mer de Glace [in the French Alps] is now melting at the rate of around 40 metres a year and has lost 80m in depth over the last 20 years alone,” says glaciologist Luc Moreau. A stark consequence of the melting Mer de Glace is that 100m of ladders have now been bolted onto the newly exposed vertical rock walls for mountaineers to climb down onto the glacier.the permafrost that lies within cracks of rocks and cements them together is now melting… “As the permafrost melts, whole sections of rock become destabilised and more prone to collapse.””
A lengthy drought in Europe has exposed carved boulders, known as “hunger stones,” that have been used for centuries to commemorate historic droughts — and warn of their consequences… One of the stones on the banks of the Elbe is carved with the words “Wenn du mich seihst, dann weine”: “If you see me, weep.””
“Europe is facing a growing threat of tropical disease outbreaks, as rising temperatures linked to climate change cause illnesses brought by travellers to spread more easily, health experts warned. This summer has seen a sharp spike in West Nile virus infections in Europe, following soaring temperatures… “We are all a bit taken aback about how fast these change are coming down the pipeline,” said Prof Jan Semenza, who leads on scientific assessment for the ECDC. “We are seeing more and more of these extreme weather events.””
This storm isn’t quite as frightening as Hurricane Lane but Japan has already taken a battering: 
“Phang Nga [Thailand]… hit with hillside runoff and landslides on Thursday morning following heavy rain overnight, the authorities said… The area saw 127mm of rain in the past 12 hours, he added.”
“Kodagu district [Bengaluru, India] received the highest-ever rainfall for August this year.”
“While much of the focus on the impacts of drought is on inland areas, farmers on the north coast of NSW are starting to see the impact of the extended dry. Cracked earth, farms turned to dust bowls, and emaciated livestock have become commonplace images associated with the drought.”
“By May, some stretches of the upper Rio Grande that normally don’t run dry until August were already desiccated. Southern New Mexico, the part of the state fed by Rio Grande water, would have to depend entirely on water stored in reservoirs to make it through the summer… what if the drought lasts a second year—or five more? “If something like this happens again next winter, then we’ll be in big trouble.””
“As temperatures in the Arctic rise in response to climate change, vegetation has invaded areas once too frigid to support plant life.”
“Sweden’s indigenous Sami reindeer herders are demanding state aid to help them cope with the impact of this summer’s unprecedented drought and wildfires, saying their future is at risk as global warming changes the environment in the far north… The Swedish government this week announced five major investigations aimed at preparing the country for the kind of extreme heatwave it experienced in July, when temperatures exceeded 30C (86F) and.”
“Over a million people in Hawaii are already seeing the first signs of Hurricane Lane, a Category 4 cyclone that could become the first major hurricane to make landfall there in 26 years. The storm is moving closer to the Hawaiian islands with sustained winds of 145 mph and forecasters say it’s “on course to pass very close” to the islands or make landfall from Thursday through Friday. It could be so devastating that authorities are urging residents to set aside two weeks worth of food and water.”
“Hawaii is on high alert as Hurricane Lane has strengthened to a maximum Category 5 cyclone and is forecast to bear down on the islands bringing storm-force winds, heavy rain and dangerous waves.
“At least 31 people have been killed and another 14 have been reported missing after Typhoon Rumbia devastated east and central China. Typhoon Rumbia, the 18th typhoon to hit the country this year, continues to move inland in a north-west direction after wreaking havoc in eight provinces and cities. A total of nearly 15 million people have been affected so far.”
“Flooding caused by recent storms in Laos has killed at least 46 people while 97 others are missing and four people were injured, according to the latest report from the National Disaster Prevention and Control Committee.”
“Nearly 400 people have died and thousands remained stranded by the worst flooding in the Indian state of Kerala in a century. More than one million people have been displaced, many of them taking shelter in thousands of relief camps across the state.”
“Thousands of Muslims gathered together on Tuesday to show solidarity with drought-ravaged farmers as they celebrate Eid Al Adha. More than 30,000 people attended Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, to conduct a special ‘rain prayer’ during the annual Eid celebration.”
“Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company, is about to launch the first ever container ship on an Arctic route along Russia’s north coast, as melting sea ice promises to offer a possible future alternative to the Suez Canal.”
“The German Agriculture Minister Yulia Klöckner will announce today if farmers will receive compensation over losses due to extreme weather. Drought-hit German farmers are waiting to hear if they will receive the one billion Euro package called for by the German Farmers Association.”
“A scorching hot, dry summer has ended five years of plenty in many wheat producing countries and drawn down the reserves of major exporters to their lowest level since 2007/08, when low grain stocks contributed to food riots across Africa and Asia.”