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Extreme heat could put 40% of land vertebrates in peril by end of century

Study shows ‘disastrous consequences for wildlife’ if human-caused emissions push global temperatures up 4.4C

A female desert bighorn sheep in the Joshua Tree National Park, California. Such areas would be among the worse impacted if global emissions are not cut.
A female desert bighorn sheep in the Joshua Tree National Park, California. Such areas would be among the worse impacted if global emissions are not cut. Photograph: Michael S Nolan/Alamy

More than 40% of land vertebrates will be threatened by extreme heat by the end of the century under a high emissions scenario, with freak temperatures once regarded as rare likely to become the norm, new research warns.

Reptiles, birds, amphibians and mammals are being exposed to extreme heat events of increasing frequency, duration and intensity, as a result of human-driven global heating. This poses a substantial threat to the planet’s biodiversity, a new study warns.

Under a high emissions scenario of 4.4C warming, 41% of land vertebrates will experience extreme thermal events by 2099, according to the paper, published in Nature.

In worse affected regions, such as the Mojave desert in the US, Gran Chaco in South America, the Sahel and Sahara in Africa and parts of Iran and Afghanistan, 100% of species would be exposed to extreme heat. It is not possible to say if these areas would be uninhabitable, but it is likely that more species would become extinct.

A desert tortoise in the Mojave desert, southern California, US
A desert tortoise in the Mojave desert in California, US, an area that would be one of the worse hit by extreme heat. Photograph: Scott Trageser/Alamy

Researchers mapped the effects of extreme heat on more than 33,000 land vertebrates by looking at maximum temperature data between 1950 and 2099. They considered five predictions of global climatic models based on different levels of greenhouse gas emission, as well as the distribution of terrestrial vertebrates, to work out how exposed animal populations would be.

…click on the above link to read the rest…

Heat Dome Bakes California As “A Lot Of Records Could Be Tied Or Broken”

Heat Dome Bakes California As “A Lot Of Records Could Be Tied Or Broken”

A severe heatwave across California and the Pacific Northwest will test power grids this week and early next week.

Temperatures are forecasted to soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit east of San Diego and Los Angeles, with areas near Palm Springs and Palm Desert exceeding 113 starting Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). By Thursday, Sacramento could reach 105.

The heat dome will spread into Washington, Oregon, and even Montana, Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather prediction center, said, quoted by Bloomberg. He outlined:

 “A lot of records are forecast to either be tied or broken,” Hurley said. 

The blast of hot air will peak average California temperatures of around 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit on Sept. 5 and revert to a 30-year trend line of the low 70s by mid-month.

Average high temperatures in California could be near the triple-digit territory.

Californian residents will lower their thermostats to seek relief with air conditioners, boosting electricity demand.

Bloomberg noted demand on the state grid could reach 44.8 gigawatts on Sept. 4 and then stay elevated until the heat dissipates. Peak loads are expected early next week.

On a seasonal basis, California power prices are above a 10-year trend line due to the burst of hot weather.

California’s grid operator has postponed power-plant maintenance from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 to ensure adequate power supplies.

“Nothing Left In Pipes”: French Towns Rely on Water Truck Deliveries For Survival

“Nothing Left In Pipes”: French Towns Rely on Water Truck Deliveries For Survival

Severe drought conditions affect about 60% of the EU, and in France, dozens of municipalities have run out of water and relied on a fleet of trucks hauling fresh water for survival.

At least 100 towns and villages have run out of fresh water. The French government has stepped in to support these drought-stricken areas.

French environment minister Christophe Bechu said in dozens of municipalities, “there is nothing left in the pipes,” referring to freshwater systems that have run completely dry. He said the ‘historic’ crisis has resulted in the deployment of a fleet of trucks delivering water to areas in need.

Besides France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands are all facing water shortages and falling water levels on inland waterways (the situation on the River Rhine is one to follow). Drought conditions across 60% of the EU could have severe economic consequences, affecting energy production, agriculture, and river transportation.

Record heat across Europe has fueled “increased fire danger due to the lack of rain and the resulting dry vegetation, combined with high temperatures,” the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service noted.

In southwest France, a massive wildfire has scorched 14,000 hectares in just a few weeks, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.

We’ve pointed out that French utility Electricite de France SA had to “reduce or halt nuclear output” because record-breaking heat on the Rhone and Garonne rivers made the water too hot to circulate through condensers and discharge back into waterways.

Meanwhile, French power prices are at a new record of over 600 euros per megawatt hour amid grid strains thanks to the lack of nuclear power generation amid heightened demand during heatwave.

The bad news is the persistent heat wave is forecasted to continue in parts of western and central Europe through the second half of August.

UK shatters record for its hottest day ever; London fire service declares ‘major incident’

  • Britain recorded its hottest-ever day Tuesday, with temperatures hitting a high of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in the east of England, according to provisional data from the Met Office.
  • London’s fire brigade declared a major incident after a “huge surge” in fires across the capital Tuesday.
  • Millions of Brits endured the country’s hottest-ever night Monday, with temperatures remaining above 25C in places.
People turn out to watch the sunrise at Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside. Britons are set to melt on the hottest UK day on record as temperatures are predicted to hit 40C. Picture date: Tuesday July 19, 2022.
People turn out to watch the sunrise at Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside. Britons are set to melt on the hottest UK day on record as temperatures are predicted to hit 40C. Picture date: Tuesday July 19, 2022.
Owen Humphreys | Pa Images | Getty Images

LONDON — Britain recorded its hottest-ever day Tuesday, with temperatures hitting a high of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in the east of England, as London’s fire service tackled several blazes across the capital.

The provisional figures from the U.K.’s weather service showed Coningsby, Lincolnshire, hit the new high Tuesday afternoon, surpassing two new records set earlier in the day.

The country’s previous hottest temperature was 38.7C, recorded in Cambridge in 2019.

It comes as Brits face the second day of an extreme heatwave, which is causing widespread disruption and raising the risk of wildfires.

“If confirmed this will be the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK. Temperatures are likely to rise further through today,” the Met Office said on Twitter.

Temperatures were forecast to hit as high as 42C in parts of England by Tuesday afternoon, according to the Met Office, which issued a red extreme heat warning. Health authorities urged people to take precautions, including staying indoors and drinking plenty of water.

The country is also on high alert for wildfires, with the southeast of England at “very extreme danger,” according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Texas Power Grid Warns Of Record Demand Amid Back-To-Back Triple-Digit Heatwaves

Texas Power Grid Warns Of Record Demand Amid Back-To-Back Triple-Digit Heatwaves

An early summer heatwave pattern continues to boil parts of the Central and Southern Plains. This means parts of Texas will continue to roast with temperatures forecasted to reach triple digits next week.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s power grid operator, is already warning of record energy demand next week as customers crank up the AC.

Power consultant Doug Lewin, who actively monitors the Texas grid, told FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth that triple-digit temperatures are very concerning because it’s “still not even summer.”

On Tuesday, ERCOT reported power grid demand jumped to 70,703 megawatts, smashing the May 2018 record demand of 67,271 megawatts due to an early week heatwave. Now the next round of heat has the power grid operator concerned.

ERCOT issued an operating conditions notice (OCN) for extremely hot weather. The OCN begins on Friday and lasts through next Wednesday. The grid operator ensured customers it had enough power to meet the demand spike.

The National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office warns that “more triple-digit heat is in store for early next week.”

High temperatures across the Dallas/Fort Worth areas are expected to flirt with triple digits on Sunday through next week.

Back-to-back heatwaves hitting parts of Texas when power plants usually go offline for maintenance is concerning, though the latest from ERCOT is that they have everything under control.

Australia Ties Record for Hottest Southern Hemisphere Day

Australia Ties Record for Hottest Southern Hemisphere Day

It topped 123 degrees Fahrenheit in Western Australia, tying the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in the southern hemisphere

A map showing the misery index in Australia on Thursday.
Gif: Earth Wind Map

It is really, really, really hot in Australia right now.

On Thursday, Onslow, a coastal town in Western Australia north of Perth, recorded a high temperature of 123.3 degrees Fahrenheit (50.7 degrees Celsius). That sweltering heat ties the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, which was set in 1960 in the South Australia outback.

While Onslow was the hottest spot on the continent on Thursday, it wasn’t alone in suffering through the heat. The nearby towns of Roebourne and Mardie both recorded temperatures of 122.9 degrees Fahrenheit (50.5 degrees Celsius), both of which are records as well. Before this week, Australia has only crossed the 122-degree-Fahrenheit (50-degree-Celsius) mark three times in its history. Now, it’s happened at three locations in one day—and even more intense heat is on the way.

Luke Huntington, a meteorologist at Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, told local outlet WA Today that the dry spring the area has had could be contributing to the record-setting temperatures—and that this trend could continue.

“The Pilbara region has had persistent hot temperatures over the last few months. and there has been no rainfall to really take away the hot air that has built up,” he said. “Over the next few months. there is a high chance that temperatures on a day-to-day basis will be above average, at least until the wet season rains hit properly.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Southeastern Europe Devastated By Wildfires

Southeastern Europe Devastated By Wildfires

A dangerous heat wave is ravaging parts of southeastern Europe resulting in wildfires across Turkey, Greece, and Italy, according to VOA News.

Firefighters across the European Union arrived in Turkey on Monday. The wildfires have burned for at least one week as political opposition mounts against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his sluggish fire response.

Turkey doesn’t have firefighting planes and has had to rely on other countries, including several EU members, for aerial fire support.

Erdogan tweeted a statement regarding the fires: “We will continue to take all necessary steps to heal our nation’s wounds, compensate for its losses, and improve its opportunities even better than before.” 

Nex store in Greece, thousands of residents were evacuated in Athens as wildfires tore through the northern district of the metro area. Homes were burnt, and power grids were severed.

“It is a large fire and it will take a lot of work to get this under control,” greater Athens regional governor George Patoulis told state-run ERT television. “The foliage is very dense in these areas and it is very dried out due to the heatwave, so the conditions are difficult.”

On Tuesday, high temperatures were a blistering 115F as the country faces the worst heat wave in three decades.

“The fire is still raging, its perimeter is very wide and the heat load is very strong,” a fire official said Wednesday, according to Reuters.

On Wednesday, Greek emergency services warned residents and tourists of “extreme fire danger” in Rhodes and Crete.

In Italy, firefighters used helicopters with water buckets to battle the country’s wildfires along the Adriatic coast and Sicily region. Italy’s National Fire Corps said air tankers from Canada supported efforts to reduce the spread of fires where at least 715 flare-ups have been observed in the past 24 hours.

The heat wave is expected to abate in southeastern Europe after this weekend.

Christmas Tree Farms Scorched In Oregon Amid Record Heat

Christmas Tree Farms Scorched In Oregon Amid Record Heat

Oregon’s record-breaking heat waves and raging wildfires are set to dent Christmas tree crop output, resulting in supply constraints that may send prices skyrocketing come December.

According to Reuters, who spoke with multiple Christmas tree farm operators in Oregon, one of the top Christmas tree producing states, extreme heat and wildfires are impacting crop yields.

Jacob Hemphill, the owner of Hemphill Tree Farm in Oregon City, estimates he’s already lost more than $100,000 in trees due to the latest back-to-back heatwaves. At one point, temperatures in the area were triple digits for days.

“The second day of the heat, it was 116. I came in the driveway that night and seen the trees were basically cooking. Burnt down to nothing,” Hemphill said.

He said the losses will impact his farm revenue this year but hopes the 2022 season will improve.

“I mean, you just kind of got to roll with the punches, and replant next year… and hopefully make up for the loss that we’re gonna have in the future.”

Reuters spoke to several tree farm operators across the Willamette Valley who said the heat waves have severely damaged their crops.

On top of the heat waves, the Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon, spurred by months of drought, has burned nearly 400,000 acres and is likely to increase in size as no relief is in sight.

Oregon is the top-selling state of Christmas trees which are Douglas fir, Noble fir, Grand fir, and Nordmann fir. This could present supply constraints come December.

In other words, on the back of already record-high prices, consumers could shell out even more money this year for a Christmas tree if shortages materialize in Oregon. On top of the supply crunch, the cost of everything, from fuel to labor to transportation, has soared and will positively impact prices.

California Grid Strained As Power Shortfalls Loom

California Grid Strained As Power Shortfalls Loom

Amid another heat wave across the Western half of the US, California issued a stage-2 power-grid emergency alert Friday and urged customers to conserve power as temperatures surpassed 100 degrees, according to The Sacramento Bee.

The state’s grid operator, California Independent System Operator (ISO), issued the alert on Friday, which is one step away from rolling blackouts.

Readers may recall, as early as Tuesday, we outlined how “scorching temperatures return to the West, persisting through mid-week, and reappear this weekend.” By Friday, we gave the full breakdown of the second heat wave and its impact for the next several days, affecting upwards of 28 million people from California to Washington State.

Excessive heat warnings have already been posted for California, Nevada, western Arizona, and western Utah. Watches have also been posted for interior portions of Oregon and southern Idaho.

By late Friday, ISO discontinued the emergency, but with multiple 100-degree-plus days forecasted for Saturday and Sunday for Californians, the power grid operator may have to reissue grid alerts.

Large swaths of the West could experience temperatures 20 or more degrees above average. Below is a temperature anomalies forecast showing the heat dome could last through mid-next week

For those who are curious what “stage 2” means, power consumption is exceptionally high in the state, and the grid has become “reserve deficient,” allowing grid operators to resupply the grid with generators. If supply doesn’t meet demand, the next stage would be rolling blackouts to prevent the grid from collapse. The alert was the first in 2021 and was last declared in August 2020.

Making matters worse is a wildfire raging in southern Oregon and may threaten transmission lines bringing power into California.

The wildfire prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to issue an emergency proclamation to free up additional energy supplies.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

7 Inexpensive Ways To Cool Off Without Air Conditioning!

7 Inexpensive Ways To Cool Off Without Air Conditioning!

With the hottest days of summer quickly approaching for most of us, it’s important to know how to stay cool, especially when you’re working outside and doing those homestead chores. It’s really easy to get hot but here are a few inexpensive ways to stay cool when the temperatures start to soar.

7 Inexpensive Ways To Cool Off Without Air Conditioning!

With the hottest days of summer quickly approaching for most of us, it’s important to know how to stay cool, especially when you’re working outside and doing those homestead chores. It’s really easy to get hot but here are a few inexpensive ways to stay cool when the temperatures start to soar.

  1. Wear Light Cotton Clothing – wearing cotton clothing in light colors will help you feel much cooler. Darker synthetic fabrics tend to absorb the heat from the sun, while the light will go through lighter colored clothes.  Also, don’t wear anything tight.  Loose-fitting clothes are best for the heat to allow better airflow. Cotton also helps by absorbing perspiration. Linen or silk are also great options for staying cool. Avoid synthetic fabrics such as elastane and polyester. Synthetic fibers retain heat and will increase your body’s temperature. You should also wear a hat to help keep the direct sunlight off your face and neck.
  2. Stay Hydrated – Drink a lot of water. Your body gets dehydrated much more quickly during extreme heat. Sweating, the human body’s main cooling mechanism, uses your body’s water. Our perspiration does not evaporate easily when the air itself is full of moisture, so we feel hotter on humid days. Sweat also contains sodium, so make sure you are eating whole natural foods that can help replenish your body. I don’t mean pour a bunch of salt on your lunch, just some veggies known to have a slightly higher sodium content.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

It’s the Volatility – not the Temperature!

It’s the Volatility – not the Temperature! 

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, in relating your comments on weather and how the winters will spike to record cold and then the summers will spike to record highs, is this the same as a panic cycle in markets?

HC

ANSWER: Yes. Our computer looks at the weather the same as it does with the price in a market. Patterns emerge and you can understand the causes ONLY by correlating the trends with everything else. This is indeed a Panic Cycle where we exceed the previous high and penetrate the previous low. This coming weekend will see temperatures break 100 in the Northeast. I have lived in New Jersey and there were plenty of summers where we have days at 103. This is NOT abnormal. What is abnormal is the volatility how we can go from a winter where it was colder in Chicago than it was in Antarctica and then we break the record highs in July. It is the VOLATILITY – not the empirical level of temperature we should be paying attention to.

As Midwest Freezes, Aussie Heatwave Reaches Record Highs

As Midwest Freezes, Aussie Heatwave Reaches Record Highs

While Midwest America hunkers down for the coldest temperatures in a generation, temperature records have also tumbled across South Australia, with the city of Adelaide experiencing its hottest day on record.

Life-threatening cold is sweeping across Chicago…

As Australians face animal culls, mass fish deaths across the nation,  roads melting, and bats falling from trees…

Adelaide hit 46.6C, the hottest temperature recording in any Australian state capital city since records began 80 years ago, sending homelessness shelters into a “code red”, and sparking fears of another mass fish death in the Menindee Lakes in the neighbouring state of New South Wales.

In central and western Australia, local authorities were forced to carry out an emergency animal cull, shooting 2,500 camels – and potentially a further hundred feral horses – who were dying of thirst.

 …click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Temps To Hit 110 Degrees – Officials Warn “Stay Inside” As Holiday Heat Wave Hammers East Coast

Just in time for American consumers to be “held hostage” by high energy prices as the WTI front-month contract eclipses $75 for the first time in three-and-a-half years, meteorologists are forecasting a heat wave that could drive temperatures on the East Coast into the 100s as Americans prepare for the July 4 holiday.

In anticipation of the high temperatures, the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory affecting the northeast and mid-Atlantic from Virginia to Maine. “Heat advisories and some excessive heat warnings are in effect from central Virginia to eastern Maine. High temperatures in the 90s, combined with high dewpoints, are expected result in heat indices of 95 to 110 degrees for many areas.”

Heatwave

(Courtesy of Fox News)

Furthermore, peak temperatures of 105-110 Wednesday afternoon could make even simple activities like walking outside dangerous.


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The heat is so bad in some areas that, according to Fox News, nearly 150 elderly people had to be evacuated from a long-term care facility in Mount Holly, NJ following a mechanical problem that shut down the facility’s air conditioning and power.

Anybody planning to spend time outdoors, in parks or at the beach, should take precautions like staying hydrated and making sure there’s enough water on hand to avoid heatstroke, according to ABC 7.

Heat

The New York State Office for the Aging issued a warning to senior citizens to “stay inside” during the heat wave, as hot weather can be particularly dangerous for the elderly.

The heatwave looks like it will break on Wednesday with an afternoon thunderstorm expected in a few areas. But high temperatures are expected to persist until the end of the week.

Australia’s ‘deadliest natural hazard’: what’s your heatwave plan?

Australia’s ‘deadliest natural hazard’: what’s your heatwave plan?

Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest natural hazard, but a recent survey has found that many vulnerable people do not have plans to cope with extreme heat.

Working with the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre and the Bureau of Meteorology, my colleagues and I surveyed 250 residents and 60 business managers in Western Sydney and the NSW North Coast.

We found that 45% of those at risk – including the elderly, ill and very young – did not proactively respond to heatwave warnings as they did not think it necessary or did not know what to do.

Few at-risk people reported moving to cooler locations, and more than 20% of people in Western Sydney were concerned about the impacts of energy prices on their ability to use air-conditioning. For most people, extreme heat left them feeling hot and uncomfortable or unable to sleep, though around 15% felt unwell. Few people reported checking on vulnerable family members, friends or family during heatwaves.

Businesses also suffered disruption, and most companies with employees working on machinery or outdoors reported lower than normal productivity.

Many people said that they didn’t need to take any further actions to adjust to future extreme temperatures. However, for some extreme heat is already impacting their living preferences, with around 10% of people indicating that they are considering moving to a cooler town or suburb.

A HISTORY OF DEADLY HEATWAVES

Australia has a long history of deadly heatwaves. The table below shows numbers of deaths and death rates per 100,000 population from episodes of extreme heat in Australia by decade, reaching back to 1844. The information comes from PerilAUS, a database that records the impact of natural hazards reaching back to the early days of Australia’s European settlement.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

What we learned about the climate system in 2017 that should send shivers down the spines of policy makers 

What we learned about the climate system in 2017 that should send shivers down the spines of policy makers 

Much of what happened in 2017 was predictable: news of climate extremes became, how can I put it … almost the norm. There was record-breaking heat on several continents, California’s biggest wildfire (extraordinarily in the middle of winter), an ex-tropical cyclone hitting Ireland (yes, Ireland) in October, and the unprecedented Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria that swept through the Atlantic in August. The US government agency, the NOAA, reported that there were 16 catastrophic billion-dollar weather/climate events in the USA during 2017.

And 2017 “marks the first time some of the (scientific) papers concluded that an event could not have occurred — like, at all — in a world where global warming did not exist. The studies suggested that the record-breaking global temperatures in 2016, an extreme heat wave in Asia and a patch of unusually warm water in the Alaskan Gulf were only possible because of human-caused climate change”, Reuters reported.

At both poles, the news continues to be not good. At the COP23 in Bonn, Pam Pearson, Founder and Director of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, warned that the cryoshere is becoming “an irreversible driver of climate change”. She said that most cryosphere thresholds are determined by peak temperature, and the length of time spent at that peak, warning that “later, decreasing temperatures after the peak are largely irrelevant, especially with higher temperatures and longer duration peaks”. Thus “overshoot scenarios”, which are now becoming the norm in policy-making circles (including all 1.5°C scenarios) hold much greater risks.
As well, Pearson said that  2100 is a misleading and minimising measure of cryosphere response: “When setting goals, it is important to look to new irreversible impacts and the steady state circumstances.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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