“Russia this year has suffered the most Arctic wildfires since satellite monitoring started as climate change creates the conditions necessary for blazes to start and then take hold.
“Monitoring by two Nasa satellites recorded 10,057 hotspots in Russia’s Arctic territory by the start of August, 10 times more than were found in the same period a decade ago, according to data provided to The Telegraph.”
“It’s been a scorching weekend in Saskatchewan as the province bakes in a heatwave. Three all-time heat records were broken on Saturday, along with five monthly records, according to Environment Canada.”
“Extremely hot summers and brutally cold winters—widely understood to be effects of climate change—are likely to have a huge impact on the U.S. economy in the coming decades, according to a new analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond that overturns previous thinking on the topic.”
“This week, the ocean temperature off Torrey Pines was measured at 81.3 degrees, breaking a 17-year-record for water temperature along the California coast. Last week, researchers measured the water temperature at Scripps Pier at 78.6 degrees which set a regional temperature record.”
“As of Friday, there were 114 total wildfires across the country, consuming a combined area larger than the state of Delaware… California is on track to have one of its worst wildfire seasons on record.”
“On video, it looked like a glowing, orange tornado, that post-storm damage surveys have shown contained winds of at least 143 miles per hour — equivalent to an EF-3 tornado. The images, taken by authorized drone operators, show what happens when you combine the capriciousness of a wildfire with the fickle fate dolled out by a fire tornado [California].”
“Cedar Grove Police Lt. Frank Pumphrey said he hasn’t witnessed flooding like this since Hurricane Floyd in 1999… The highest rainfall totals were reported in Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties [NJ, according to early reports. Caldwell topped the list with a staggering 4.92 inches.”
“The [UK’s] heatwave will cause tens of thousands of homes to sink into the ground, insurers have warned, as they are braced for subsidence claims to quadruple. Over the past two months a record breaking spell of hot and dry weather has caused the soil on which homes are built to shrink, which will result in many sinking into the ground later this year, it is claimed.”
“So far this year the Netherlands had 51 summer days – days on which temperatures climbed to 25 degrees or higher in De Bilt, according to Weeronline. 2006 also had 51 summer days, but spread over the entire year. Sunday was the 51st summer day of 2018. Only one more hot day is needed to break the 2006 record.”
“With blisteringly hot summers becoming a regular occurrence, climate change could soon push an environment that is uncomfortable into one that is unsustainable — particularly for countries along the Arab Gulf and in North Africa. The past three years have been the hottest in Egypt since temperatures have been recorded, said Ashraf Zaki, representative of the Egyptian Meteorological Authority.”
“A huge shortfall in snow and rain across much of [Afghanistan] over the normally wet colder months decimated the winter harvest, threatening the already precarious livelihoods of millions of farmers and sparking warnings of severe food shortages.”
“”Our state is in the midst of an unprecedented flood havoc,” explained Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement Friday. “For the first time in history, 27 dams in the state had to be opened. Never before has the state witnessed a calamity of this scale,” the minister added.”
“Typhoon Yagi is likely to make landfall around Yuhuan or Xiangshan in Zhejiang Province during the night of August 12, weather authorities have announced. It is the third typhoon that will impact Shanghai within a month, a first in recorded history.”
“Massive clean-up efforts are under way in Manila after heavy rains deluged the Philippine capital over the weekend. At least three people are known to have died in the flooding, say officials.”
“Lee Chang-seok at Seoul Women’s University said, “Trees have withered even in the mountains, which have richer soil and hold more water underground, showing how severe the [Korean] drought is.””
“A record heatwave has put Japan’s world-famous Tsukiji fish market in a crisis in its final months at its current site at Tokyo’s Chuo ward… According to the report, the market’s ageing air conditioning system has malfunctioned and cannot keep fish and seafood fresh amid high temperatures since the heatwave blanketed Japan in mid-July.”
“The agency predicts rainfall of up to 100 millimeters over the 24-hour period through 6 a.m. on Aug. 14 in Tokyo and surrounding prefectures as well as in the central Japan region of Tokai including Nagoya.”
“A huge convoy of about 20 road trains laden with 2,000 bales of hay is en route from outback Western Australia to drought-stricken farmers in New South Wales.”
“At 50C – halfway to water’s boiling point and more than 10C above a healthy body temperature – heat becomes toxic. Human cells start to cook, blood thickens, muscles lock around the lungs and the brain is choked of oxygen…
“Not long ago, 50C was considered an anomaly, but it is increasingly widespread. Earlier this year, the 1.1 million residents of Nawabshah, Pakistan, endured the hottest April ever recorded on Earth, as temperatures hit 50.2C. In neighbouring India two years earlier, the town of Phalodi sweltered in 51C – the country’s hottest ever day…
““We must hope that we don’t see 50C. That would be uncharted territory. Infrastructure would be crippled and ecosystem services would start to break down, with long-term consequences.””
“With the current heatwave proving to be a nightmare in Shanghai, home is not the dream place to catch a good night’s rest for some folk.
“As the mega city swelters under record-high temperatures, it sometimes looks as if people are dropping dead from the torrid climate on its best-known shopping avenue.
“Normally bustling Nanjing East Road has turned into an open-air slumber party on recent nights as local residents try to escape the heat of their cramped nearby homes by sleeping outside on benches or directly on the pavement….
The city of more than 24 million people has endured an extended hot spell over recent weeks, with temperatures yesterday topping 35 deg C for the 16th day this summer…
“Eight of the 12 highest temperatures reached over the past century were hit only in the last five years, according to the city weather bureau.”
“[North Korea] has already said that it is suffering drought conditions due to prolonged unusually high temperatures, and that’s likely to hit agriculture hard in a country where it was reported last year that 70% of the population relies on food aid.”
“Farmers across eastern Australia are enduring what some have called the worst drought in living memory… “Farmers are getting out left, right and centre. It’s gotten to the point where it’s cheaper to shoot your cows than it is to feed them,” NSW dairy farmer Jason Maloney told the BBC.”
“”It’s an extreme event [the record heat off the California cost],” Clarissa Anderson, a biological oceanographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said in an interview. Like extreme heat events on land, these record-breaking temperatures at sea are largely propelled by weather but given a substantial boost by human-caused global warming.”
“Firefighters in California are continuing to battle some of the most destructive wildfires ever to hit the state. The raging Mendocino Complex fire, comprising twin blazes in the state’s north, has become California’s largest wildfire since records began a century ago.”
“We’re on pace for the second-hottest summer in Seattle’s history… Thursday marks the 10th day Seattle has recorded a temperature of 90 degrees or higher this summer, trailing only the sweltering summer of 2015, which had 12 days reach 90-plus degrees. The city has also recorded 27 days of 85-plus-degree days this year, which ties the record set last year.”
“Right now we are forecasting triple-digit temperatures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday [for Montana], with the potential to break all-time heat records on Friday and Saturday.”
“Scotland is more familiar with weather extremes of the icy or wet variety, but this summer’s exceptionally dry conditions have resulted in a traditional Highland games being cancelled.”
“Officials at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Slimbridge, a wetland wildlife reserve in Gloucestershire [UK], said in a statement Thursday that six Andean flamingos laid eggs for the first time in 15 years. It happened as the sweltering temperatures – which have recently surpassed or are threatening to surpass record highs – started to remind the creatures of the hot, humid summers in their natural habitat.”
“The Swedish election next month was supposed to be all about immigration, but with the sweltering heatwave that’s had the Nordic region’s biggest economy in its grip for months, the parties are now jostling to meet growing climate angst among voters.”
“After days of exceptional heat, the rains came in dramatic fashion across northern Germany. Several people were injured by falling trees and travel was severely disrupted.”
“At least 12 people have died in the mountains or waterways over a ten-day period as record temperatures gripped Switzerland in a heatwave. Nine died hiking or climbing while three more drowned since July 30.,, The record-breaking temperatures also saw many people take to the lakes and rivers to cool off. This resulted in drownings…”
“1,600 people, many of them children, have been evacuated from a region of southern France popular with British campers after heavy rain caused flash floods.”
“More than 1,000 firefighters are battling blazes for a seventh day in the popular tourist area in Portugal. Extremely high temperatures have been blamed for sparking the wildfires.”
“The ongoing hot and dry weather that continues to grip most parts of Europe is forcing Czech farmers to slaughter their cows early as they have no hay left to feed them. With grass turning brown and brittle, cows have very little to eat and livestock breeders are forced to break into their winter reserves much earlier than usual.”
“Farmers across Europe are witnessing an extremely tight harvest this year, with drought conditions crippling produce across the continent, according to various European sources. Germany is experiencing its lowest harvest in 24 years, with intakes down 20% on last year, according to DRV, the German umbrella group of agricultural co-operatives, in its latest crop estimate.”
“Flash floods triggered by incessant rains and landslips in the hilly forest areas submerged the eastern part of the district [of Malappuram, India] on Thursday, disrupting normal life and wreaking heavy damage to property and crops.”
“Eight people have died and two remain missing after torrential rain battered a county in northwest China’s Gansu Province, local authorities said Friday.”
“For the second time in less than 10 days, Penangites were jolted by thunderstorms and strong winds which uprooted trees, ripped open zinc roofs and caused a billboard to topple.”
“Eventually, we came back to the question of Canada. (Or in the UK, Scotland.) Assessments by climate scientists have suggested cities around the Great Lakes are viable – and, until everyone else panics, affordable! Denver, for reasons I forget; the Pacific north-west, if you’re willing to take your chances with the earthquakes.”
“It should come as no surprise that California is burning.
“On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that July was California’s hottest month since record keeping began in 1895.
“Those scorching temperatures withered the land, creating profoundly parched forests primed to catch fire with just a spark.”
“There is little relief on the fire lines, just more pain as more land is consumed by flames. Firefighters had hoped to contain the fast-growing Holy Fire. Even when massive drops of retardant slow the spread in one area, embers ignited a new stretch of hillside.”
“Blisteringly hot temperatures are on their way to the Prairies this week, with daytime highs expected to edge into all-time record territory for some places.”
“It’s supposed to be hot this time of year, but the first week of August was one for the record books in Boston. WBZ-TV executive weather producer Terry Eliasen says the 1st through 7th was the hottest first week of August in Boston ever recorded.”
“Hospitals are having to adopt winter-style emergency measures, including turning away patients through being busy, as the NHS struggles to cope with illnesses caused by the heatwave in the UK.”
“It has been hot in Germany and Switzerland – so bloody hot in fact, parts of the Rhine river have dried up. Pictures captured along the most affected stretch of the river, which runs from Lake Constance to the Rhine Falls, show the water at extraordinarily low levels. An enormous section has dried up all together, leaving it looking like a sandy, rocky desert.”
“Over 1400 firefighters are still trying to bring a wildfire in southern Portugal under control. The blaze in the Monchique district of the Algarve raged over the weekend and the operation against it has been hampered by near-record high temperatures.”
“…in many parts of the region, [Lebanon’s] farmlands have been disproportionately affected by global warming. The Bekaa Valley, nestled between Mount Lebanon and Syria, is stricken with droughts, and many wells are drying up. Growing potatoes, onions and other produce native to the region has been harder than ever before, experts and farmers say. But cannabis is a drought-resistant crop, requiring little water and no pesticides. And it flourishes in the high altitudes of the Bekaa plains.”
“Torrential rain claimed 22 lives over the last 24 hours in Kerala [India] as the government sought the help of the army, navy and the air force and authorities were forced to open the shutters of Idukki reservoir, Asia’s biggest arch dam, after 26 years to release excess water.”
“Drought is turning many areas of the globe into arid wastelands. Excessive heat has cost lives, ruined crops and created water shortages. The effects are being felt from South America to the Arctic Circle.”
“Hurricane Hector developed in the eastern Pacific and is now cruising through the central Pacific. After Hector passes south of Hawaii it will continue tracking to the west and then northwest into next week. This will put it on a path across the International Date Line into the Western Pacific Basin where it would then be called Typhoon Hector.”
“There are 17 large wildfires burning across the state and more than 14,000 firefighters working to put out the blazes, Cal Fire said on Tuesday. The two largest fires are the Mendocino Complex Fire — which itself is made up of two nearby fires that officials have combined — and the Carr Fire. The Mendocino Complex is now the largest fire in state history, and the Carr Fire is the 12th largest.”
“”A relationship between Arctic sea ice and tornadoes in the US may seem unlikely,” says co-author Jeff Trapp, an expert in atmospheric sciences. “But it is hard to ignore the mounting evidence in support of the connection.” Previous research has found that low Arctic sea ice has helped to promote extreme weather events in certain regions of the world.”
“Record-breaking extremes marked the summer weather of 2018 in the Arctic: July’s varied conditions left some northern residents scrambling for ways to escape heat and others looking for shovels to clear new snow off their steps.”
“Heat and humidity records have been broken over the past month [in Nova Scotia], but it’s not just the summer time that’s seen record-breaking temperatures.”
“The weather agency said approximately 50 to 75 millimetres of rain fell in the span of two to three hours across the area. Localized areas may have experienced higher amounts of rainfall… Hull noted the normal rainfall amount for the entire month of August in Toronto is 78.1 millimetres.”
“As reported, part of the Skaftárjökull glacier [in Iceland] was measured to have collapsed by some eleven metres, indicating geological activity had melted a great deal of ice. This resulted in subsequent flooding through the southeast Iceland region.”
“Record-breaking temperatures across Europe have forced people to sleep in a Finnish supermarket, uncovered a piece of World War II history in Ireland and are making it harder to battle the wildfires that have been raging in Spain and Portugal for days.”
“Swiss army helicopters began airlifting water on Tuesday to thousands of thirsty cows who are suffering in a drought and heatwave that has hit much of Europe.”
“Several recent deaths in the Italian city of Genoa are thought to be linked to the prolonged heatwave across southern Europe, with temperatures set to remain high across the country and ten cities on ‘red alert’ for health risks.”
“Istanbul 1st Regional Meteorology Director Ahmet Kocaman… warned that as global temperatures continue to rise, Turkey will also feel the heat. Recent bouts of heavy rainfall causing floods in the Black Sea and Marmara regions and droughts in other are also a result of climate change, Kocaman explained. Municipalities should take rigorous measures to protest against extreme weather conditions, he added.”
“Thousands of people in Laos, whose homes were swept away when a dam burst, are sheltering in areas contaminated by landmines, humanitarians said, as floods and mud hamper aid delivery.”
“Two blazes that began burning through Northern California late last month have grown at breathtaking speed to form a massive inferno that has now set a new mark for destruction. The twin wildfires, collectively known as the Mendocino Complex Fire, have together more than doubled in size in the past four days and burned through 283,800 acres of parched land — an area almost the size of Los Angeles.”
“California has been getting hotter for some time, but July was in a league of its own… the last five years have been among the hottest in 124 years of record keeping…”
“Eight people were taken from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to the hospital with injuries sustained from hail, according to the Colorado Spring Fire Department. Reports say that medical personnel set up a triage at the entrance to the zoo due to the amount of people injured from the hail.”
“A tropical storm watch was issued for Hawaii Island on Monday as Hurricane Hector continued moving westward across the Central Pacific as a powerful Category 4 storm.”
“The Arctic is already warming up at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. Now researchers have warned that a little-known natural cycle in the Pacific is entering a phase that could make it heat up even faster.”
“Northlanders [NZ] are enjoying a warmer than usual winter – with the most sunshine for 75 years – with day temperatures constantly hovering in the late teens for the past two weeks. According to MetService, Northland enjoyed the highest sunshine hours on record for July since records began in 1943 and rainfall figures thus far this year have been higher than normal – although July had less rain than normal.”
“The drought affecting southeastern Australia has doubled hay prices, severely affecting ranchers and raising the prospect of higher international prices for beef from Down Under. “
“A dead blue whale was found on Sunday (August 5) washed up on a beach in Japan’s Kamakura City, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Tokyo, in what experts say is the first ever sighting of the endangered mammal on Japanese shores.”
“A strong typhoon is approaching eastern Japan… In the 24-hour period through noon Wednesday 100 millimeters of rain may fall in eastern and central Japan, while up to 400 mm of rain in the same area is predicted in the 24 hours to noon Thursday.”
“A heat wave that continues to grip Japan has sent more than 70,000 people to hospitals across the country over the last three months, far exceeding the previous annual record in 2013, government data showed Tuesday.”
“North Korean state media told citizens to help protect crops, as high temperatures could lead to a drought. “This year’s high temperature is an unprecedented natural disaster but is not an insurmountable difficulty,” state media said. On Wednesday, temperatures reached a new record of 100 Fahrenheit in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.”
“As water levels continue to rise in many parts of the country, the Lao Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) are urging people to avoid wading through floodwaters… Continued rain in the wake of Tropical Storm Son-Tinh has resulted in flooding in 13 provinces. This is in addition to the catastrophic flash flooding which inundated villages downstream of a hydroelectric project in Attapeu province on July 23, which has left 34 people dead till Tuesday.”
“Businesses in Thailand’s southwestern Petchaburi province blocked doors with sandbags and bricks against possible flooding on Tuesday as heavy rains threatened to cause a dam to overflow. Rain storms are forecast through coming days, and the head of Thailand’s military government warned that evacuation plans might need to be set in place.”
“Switzerland will cut import tariffs on livestock feed and offer interest-free loans to help farmers deal with a drought, the federal government said on Monday, amid a heat wave that is killing off fish in the Rhine.”
“[UK] Shoppers face higher prices for fruit and veg because the heatwave has left crops ‘cooking in the fields’. Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, peas and onions have been dramatically affected by the soaring temperatures and lack of rain.”
“Rolf Campbell, a weather historian who has gathered over a hundred years’ worth of raw statistics from Environment Canada, said cities in all four Atlantic provinces had both higher average temperatures and maximum temperatures in July than in previous years…
“Most are holding long-running streaks of consecutive days with lots of humidity and soaring temperatures.
“Halifax has had over two straight weeks of days with a maximum temperature of 25 degrees – shattering the previous record set in 1876 – as well as a 41-day run with a maximum temperature of over 21 degrees, which is the longest streak ever recorded.
“On Monday, Charlottetown, P.E.I., marked its 17th consecutive day with a humidex temperature of 30 degrees or higher, the longest streak since 1967.
“Saint John, N.B., reached its hottest August day in almost eight years with a temperature of 30.4 degrees on Monday, while St. John’s, N.L., recently had two consecutive days with a maximum temperature of 28 degrees – quite balmy for a province known for a chilly climate.
“Heat warnings were issued in nearly every province in Canada on Monday, with some regions expected to hit the low 40s with the humidex.”
“Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned that the country has become a “land of drought” as he announced further measures to help stricken farmers… Although it is still winter, parts of eastern Australia are experiencing the worst drought in living memory.”
Japan again… “Torrential rain drenched much of Yamagata Prefecture over Aug. 5 and 6, triggering landslides and flooding, power outages and suspending operations of bullet trains. The heavy storms were blamed on a stagnant front above the area. At nine points, record rainfall over a 24-hour period was recorded.”
“Typhoon Shanshan is set to approach the Tokyo area later this week, bringing heavy winds and strong rains to a region suffering from a sweltering heatwave.”
“A landslide killed a woman and at least seven children in Nepal over the weekend as officials issued warnings on Monday of the risk of more landslides and flash floods due to torrential rain.”
“The LEPL Emergency Management Agency (EMA) of Georgia posted a statement on Wednesday on their Facebook page that a glacier in Mestia, Svaneti, has partially collapsed, leading to a high risk of flooding… Specialists presume that the collapse was caused by intense melting of the glacier under high summer temperatures.”
““Nobody expected five years of drought in a row, so despite our desalination capacity, it’s still a very, very grave situation,” said Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s minister of energy.”
“These are scenes from Turkey, which is sweating out another heatwave in what experts are saying is the hottest summer the country has faced in 47 years.”
“The record temperatures [in North Africa] were made worse by breakdowns in water supplies and rolling power outages, which prompted residents throughout the region to demand government action.”
“The Italian island of Sardinia was experiencing a sweltering heatwave along with the rest of Europe when the bizarre ice blast took place on Thursday this week. Witnesses described a “snow blanket” on the roads, just minutes after a sweltering 35C heatwave.”
“In Portugal, the capital Lisbon made a new mark on Saturday with a temperature in the city of 44C, beating the standing record by over a degree Celsius… The night minimum made new warm records in Portugal, as well, with Lisbon recording 29.1C and, inland from the capital, in Portalegre at 32.2C. In Spain, the capital Madrid recorded the warmest ever August night at 26C.”
“The dry and hot weather spell has reduced small rivers and creeks to rivulets [in Switzerland]. In some regions, rangers have begun to resettle the local fish population to ensure its survival. Last week the army flew emergency water supplies to cattle farmers in the Alps. Switzerland’s main farmers group has also called for government help, notably reducing taxes on hay imports as many farmers have been forced to use their winter stock of silage due to the dry pastures.”
“Wednesday’s weather is forecast to be so hot that the all-time record temperature for Denmark could be broken. Wednesday could see over 36.4 degrees Celsius, which would be the hottest ever recorded in the Scandinavian country, meteorology agency DMI said. The current record has stood since 1975.”
“Warm ocean temperatures in San Diego are consistent with rec0rd-breaking ocean temperatures observed in Australia in 2015 and 2016, and across the world’s oceans in 2017. They are also consistent with a spate of warming events that have been occurring across the greater San Diego area in 2018 (that have enabled multiple wildfires in the past few months).”
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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.
“Russia this year has suffered the most Arctic wildfires since satellite monitoring started as climate change creates the conditions necessary for blazes to start and then take hold.
per hour — equivalent to an EF-3 tornado. The images, taken by authorized drone operators, show what happens when you combine the capriciousness of a wildfire with the fickle fate dolled out by a fire tornado [California].”
“”Our state is in the midst of an unprecedented flood havoc,” explained Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement Friday. “For the first time in history, 27 dams in the state had to be opened. Never before has the state witnessed a calamity of this scale,” the minister added.”
“With the current heatwave proving to be a nightmare in Shanghai, home is not the dream place to catch a good night’s rest for some folk.
“It should come as no surprise that California is burning. 
“It has been hot in Germany and Switzerland – so bloody hot in fact, parts of the Rhine river have dried up. Pictures captured along the most affected stretch of the river, which runs from Lake Constance to the Rhine Falls, show the water at extraordinarily low levels. An enormous section has dried up all together, leaving it looking like a sandy, rocky desert.”
“Torrential rain has caused massive flooding and landslides in Turkey.”
“Drought is turning many areas of the globe into arid wastelands. Excessive heat has cost lives, ruined crops and created water shortages. The effects are being felt from South America to the Arctic Circle.”
“The entire state of New South Wales is now impacted by drought, official figures show.
“Two blazes that began burning through Northern California late last month have grown at breathtaking speed to form a massive inferno that has now set a new mark for destruction. The twin wildfires, collectively known as the Mendocino Complex Fire, have together more than doubled in size in the past four days and burned through 283,800 acres of parched land — an area almost the size of Los Angeles.”
“Sydney has experienced its hottest July on record, with the warm and dry conditions set to continue in the harbour city.”