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Large swathes of the US domed by oppressive and dangerous heat
Dangerous heat expected to continue across the midsection of the U.S. in addition to the Desert Southwest.
Oppressive and dangerous heat persists across parts of Plains…Mississippi Valley and the Desert Southwest. Numerous excessive heat warnings in effect across the Desert Southwest and parts of the Plains. Widespread heat advisories are in effect from the Gulf Coast to central Plains. Severe thunderstorms will be possible across parts of the northern Plains on Saturday. —NWS
“The persistent ridge anchored over the central U.S. will keep the oppressive and dangerous heat across the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley. The Desert Southwest is also facing extreme heat, with the scale tipping well over the century mark. Places around Phoenix can even see temperatures over 110 degrees this weekend. Numerous excessive heat warnings in effect across the Desert Southwest, Kansas and Oklahoma. Widespread heat advisories are in effect from the Gulf Coast to central Plains.” —NWS/WPC
Wildfire burning in Santa Barbara County explodes to 4,000 acres
The so-called Sherpa fire, burning in Santa Barbara County, is threatening homes and forcing closure of major highways.
“The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said mandatory evacuations for El Capitan, Refugio, Venadito and Las Flores canyons north of Santa Barbara remained in effect, while residents of neighboring communities such as Las Llagas, Gato, Las Varas, Dos Pueblos and Eagle canyons received evacuation warnings,” LA Times reported.
Wildfires Plaguing Western and Southern United States
States of Emergency have been declared in Idaho and Montana due to the destructive wildfires.
At least 80 active large fires are currently burning more than 1.1 million acres across ten States: California (14), Colorado (1), Idaho (14), Louisiana (1), Montana (11), North Carolina (2), Nevada (1), Oregon (11), Texas (5) and Washington (20), reported NIFC.
“Residents in many western states have been evacuated from their homes as hot, dry, and windy conditions have caused several large fires to burn actively. Currently, more than 25,000 people are supporting wildfires, including 41 Incident Management Teams and 2 Area Command Teams.”
[Caution: The stats provided by NIFC have previously proved to be incomplete, erroneous and unreliable. See related blog entries since 2007.]
The Federal government has proclaimed 8 additional Fire Management Assistance Declarations, as follows:
Idaho Municipal Fire (FM-5105)
Washington Okanogan County Fire Complex (FM-5104)
Washington Stevens County Fire Complex (FM-5103)
Oregon Canyon Creek Fire Complex (FM-5102)
Washington Stickpin Fire (FM-5101)
Washington Reach Fire Complex (FM-5100)
Idaho Clearwater Lawyer Branch Fire Complex (FM-5099)
Washington Nine Mile Fire (FM-5098)
Excessive Heat Warning
An excessive heat warning remains in effect throughout Wednesday for Southern Nevada, Southeastern California and Northwestern Arizona. Expected Temperatures: 109-112 in the Las Vegas Valley, 112-117 in the Colorado River Valley, and 120-125 in Death Valley, reported NWS.
Heatwave in Pakistan’s Sindh province kills about 200 people
Massive heatwave has killed about 200 people in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province [pop: 45m; density=320/km².]
Most of the deaths occurred in Karachi [pop: ~ 25million,] where temperatures of up to 45ºC (113ºF) have been recorded in recent days, according to local reports.
The temperature difference between the city and its outskirts was as much as 7ºC on Saturday, according to a researcher.
Karachi is the second most populous city in the world after Shanghai.
Thousands died in a heatwave in neighboring India in May [official toll put at 2,000.]
National High and Low Temperature
Meanwhile, the National High and Low Temperatures for the contiguous United States were as follows:
High Temperature for Sunday, June 21, 2015
50ºC (122ºF) at Death Valley, CA
Low Temperature for Sunday, June 21, 2015
-1ºC (30ºF) at Charleston [a ghost town in Elko County, NV]
[Source: NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD Issued 2 am EDT Monday, June 22, 2015]
Excessive Heat Warnings or Heat Advisories are currently in effect in parts of at least 12 states, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Another Major Fire Threatens Hundreds of Homes in Drought-Stricken Calif.
The Silverado Fire has consumed about 650 hectares in the Cleveland National Forest burning through brush and chaparral and threatening 217 homes amid California’s record drought and 3-digit, record-high temperatures.
The fire started Friday morning near the 30500 block of Silverado Canyon Road and is expected to continue through the weekend. At this time the fire is headed northeast, said Inciweb.
Approximately 738 fire personnel are now on site with 10 rotary and 5 fixed-wing aircraft currently in use.
An evacuation order affecting approximately 217 homes remains in place from 30331 Silverado Canyon Road east to the end of the road.”
Excessive Heat Warning: DANGEROUSLY HOT WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as well as Santa Monica Mountains warning of heat indices rising to 110 degrees (44.3°C).
Red Flag Warnings
Red Flag Warnings remain in effect for southern California, as well as NW Oregon, W Washington state, and SW Wyoming, as of posting.
Excessive Heat Forecast for Sunday through Tuesday
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued Excessive Heat Warnings for Mojave Desert areas.
Those areas include Lake Havasu, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Death Valley National Park, Desert Hills, Topock, Kingman, Golden Valley, Dolan Springs, Valentine, Wikieup, Yucca, Bullhead City, Mohave Valley, Furnace Creek, Shoshone, Barstow, Daggett, Fort Irwin, Baker, Mountain Pass, Mitchell Caverns, Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms, Vidal Junction, Needles, Mesquite, Overton, Moapa, Pahrump, Indian Springs, Desert Rock, Amargosa Valley, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Summerlin, Nellis, Mountains Edge, Seven Hills, Blue Diamond, Hoover Dam, Laughlin, Primm, Searchlight, and Cal-Nev-Ari.
Other areas covered by the NWS Warning include Lake Havasu and Fort Mohave, Northwest Deserts, Western Mojave Desert, Eastern Mojave Desert, Morongo Basin-Cadiz Basin, San Bernardino County, Upper Colorado River Valley, Northeast Clark County, Western Clark And Southern Nye County, Las Vegas Valley and Southern Clark County.
Forecast Temperatures
Death Valley: 118 to 122 (~ 48°C to 50°C)
Colorado River Valley: 108 to 114 (~ 42°C to 46°C)
Mojave Desert Areas including Las Vegas: 105 to 111 (~ 41°C to 44°C)
Kingman: 99 to 102 (~ 37°C to 39°C)
Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect from 11 am PDT to 9 pm PDT Monday.
Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect for elevations below 4000 feet in the Mojave Desert from 11 am to 9 pm Monday.
Monday is expected to be the hottest day, with Unseasonably Hot Temperatures also forecast for Sunday and Tuesday.
An Excessive Heat Warning is issued when temperatures are forecast
to reach dangerous levels…
National High and Low Temperatures (for the contiguous United States)
High and Low Temperatures for Saturday, June 7, 2014, issued 2 am EDT Sunday, June 8, 2014
High Temperature: 118 degrees (48°C) at Death Valley, CA
Low Temperature: 25 degrees (-4°C) at Stanley, ID
[Source: NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD]
Phoenix daily high temperature hit 119 shattering old record by 2 degrees
Power consumption across western United States surge as life-threatening, record-breaking heat spikes demand load for cooling.
The high temperature at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport hit 119 degrees, shattering the old record set in 1994 by 2 degrees, and making Saturday the fourth hottest day on record. [The hottest day on record at 122 degrees was June 26, 1990.]
At Mccarran International Airport, the official climate station for Las Vegas, the high temperature reached 115 degrees on Saturday, which tied the record for June 29th last set in 1994, NWS reported.
At the National Weather Service office in SW Las Vegas the high temperature reached 118 degrees Saturdy afternoon, shattering the previous all-time record of 117 degrees set on July 5, 2007 and tied on June 28, 2013.
NV Energy in Las Vegas has predicted a surge in power demand for Clark County, said a report.
At Needles, California the high temperature reached 123 degrees on Saturday, setting a new daily record as well as a new all-time record high for June, shattering the previous all-time monthly record of 122 degrees set on June 11, 1918.
Forecast Highs For Selected Locations (NWS/NOAA)
Western U.S. Mega Heat Hazards Map
U.S. Daily Highest Max Temperature Records set on June 28, 2013
Out of a possible 4,676 records: 40 (Broken) + 25 (Tied) = 65 Total – Source: NOAA
Meantime, NWS issued the following forecast:
For much of the Western U.S., excessive heat warnings and heat advisories remain in effect for a major heat wave that is ongoing from the Mexican border northward into the Inter-Mountain West. A big upper level high, combined with subsiding air and abundant sunshine, will allow temperatures to reach dangerously high levels. Some of the lower deserts near the Colorado River may reach 120 degrees! Triple digit heat is also expected for much of the Great Basin going through the weekend and into early next week.
Many of the same locations that broke records on Saturday could break records again on Sunday. One of the hottest places will be Death Valley, California as temperatures will approach 130 degrees
Life-threatening heat in western U.S. to continue into next week
Numerous daily record high maximum temperatures being set or tied on June 28 as a massive area of high pressure is forecast to persist: NWS
California
Bishop California: High temperature at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport reached 107 degrees, breaking daily record high of 105 degrees set in 1956 [Highest temp of 108 degrees set July 5, 2007.]
Death Valley California: High temperature at the Furnace Creek Visitor`s Center reached 125 degrees, tying daily record set in 1994.
Needles California: High temperature of 121 degrees today broke the old daily record of 119 degrees set in 1994.
Nevada
Las Vegas: High temperature at Mccarran International Airport hit 115 degrees, tying the daily record for June 28th set in 1994.
Mt Charleston Nevada: Hhigh temperature in kyle canyon at 7,450 feet reached 92 degrees, breaking the old daily record of 89 degrees set in 1994.
Arizona
Kingman Arizona: High of 110 degrees today broke the old daily record of 107 set in 1914.
NOTES:
Records date back to 1888 for Needles, 1901 for Kingman, 1911 for Death Valley, 1937 for Las Vegas, 1943 for Bishop and 1980 for Mt Charleston, said NWS.
The above information is preliminary and is subject to a final
review and certification by the national climatic data center.
Record-setting, life-threatening heatwave to impact Southwest, parts of U.S. midsection
Excessive Heat Warning: Prolonged period of intense heat targeting the West!
Massive area of high pressure causing dangerously hot temperatures are forecast across Arizona, Nevada and southeast California Friday through Monday: NWS
U.S. Weather Hazards Map – June 28, 2013. Source: NWS. Record-setting and life-threatening heatwave are forecast across much of the region resulting from a strong area of high pressure across the western United States Friday through Monday.
Excessive Heat Warnings
Excessive Heat Warnings, Excessive Heat Watches, Heat Advisories, Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches and heat-related Special Weather Statements are currently in effect, or should be expected, across at least 15 states in western, southern and midsection United States this weekend and into next week. —FIRE-EARTH
West Fork Fire Complex not likely to be contained anytime soon
The entire tourist town of South Fork has been evacuated, as a massive complex of three wildfires threatens to torch the southwestern Colorado resort.
The fire exploded to more than doubled the size over the weekend, consuming an estimated 77,000 acres (120 sq miles) by Sunday night, authorities said.
Multiple evacuations and pre-evacuations are in effect for the fire area and vicinity, including 400 permanent residents in South Fork and an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 tourists.
The massive fire has forced the authorities to close multiple roads and trails. The primary closures are Highway 160 from the chain-up area to South Fork, and Highway 149 between South Fork and Creede from mile post 1 through milepost 22, Inciweb said.
The West Fork Complex consists of three wildfires, West Fork, Windy Pass, and Papoose, that are burning on the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests in southwest Colorado. The fires were combined into a complex on Sunday, June 16.
Fire Summary
Incident Type: Wildfire Cause: Lightning
Complex Size: 76,262 acres [>77,000 acres as of posting.]
Percent Contained: 0%
Date of Origin: Wednesday June 05th, 2013 approx. 12:30 PM
Location 14.5 mi NE of Pagosa Springs
Growth Potential: High
Terrain Difficulty: Extreme [the fires are burning in steep, rugged terrain with large amounts of beetle-killed spruce]
Wind Conditions: 15-25mph; G55 mph SW
Temperature: 75 degrees
Humidity: 11%
Total Personnel: 895 – More arriving
The Fires
Windy Pass Fire: ~1,000 acres
Papoose Fire : ~21,000 acres
West Fork Fire: ~54,000 acres
A Map of West Fork Fire Complex Consisting of Windy Pass, Papoose and West Fork Fires
Other Info
Fuels Involved: Timber with heavy dead standing bug kill
Fire Behavior: Extreme fire behavior observed at the time of submission of this report due to wind and slope aligned crown fire and long range spotting up to 3/4 mile in stands of dead timber. The same is expected in tomorrow’s behavior. Red Flag Warning in effect.
Significant Events
Very active fire behavior. Values at risk are being assessed, evacuations and closures are being evaluated. The long range spotting from yesterday’s plume dominated fire behavior resulted in significant growth north and east of the fire.
The evacuation of South Fork could last up to seven days, said the Incident Commande.
This is the sixth consecutive day that the complex has remained under a Red Flag Warning.
Colorado Wildfires
At least a dozen significant wildfires are currently active in Colorado. The fires have consumed an estimated 200 square miles.
US Weather Hazards Map for June 24, 2013 Showing Red Flag Warnings, Excessive Heat Warnings and Fire Weather Watches across Western United States.Source: NWS
West Fork Complex Fire threatens Colorado town
West Fork Complex wildfire update
Black Forest Fire – Update
Black Forest Fire in the El Paso County: The fire near Colorado Springs burned 14,280 acres, destroying at least 511 homes and damaging 28 others. The fire started on June 11 and was declared 100 percent contained on June 20.
National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States) – NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD – Issued 8 am EDT Monday, June 24, 2013
High Temperature for Sunday, June 23, 2013: 110 degrees (43.3ºC) at Death Valley, CA
Low Temperature for Monday, June 24, 2013: 32 degrees (0ºC) at Lake Yellowstone, WY 32 degrees at West Yellowstone, MT
Major wildfires fueled by record temperatures, strong winds and low humidity threaten thousands of homes in Colorado
Four major wildfires burning across Colorado have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands to flee, including 900 inmates from a state prison.
Black Forest Fire, a wildfire which has consumed about 10,000 acres in a heavily wooded residential area northeast of Colorado Springs, forced the authorities to issue evacuations orders for more than 2,300 homes, forcing about 6,400 people to flee the area, according to El Paso County Sheriff. The blaze is currently at “zero percent containment.”
As of Tuesday night, “between 40 and 60 homes” had been destroyed,” said Sheriff Maketa. “You can easily assume that [the number] is higher than that.”
“Right now, the firefighters are more focused on fighting fires, drawing lines. And law enforcement, to be very honest, is scrambling to get people out of there as well as do searches,” said Maketa, adding that firefighters had shifted from evacuation phase to search-and-rescue mode.
“Weather is not working with us right now, but our guys are giving it a heck of a shot,” he said.
The fire is burning in an area close to last summer’s devastating Waldo Canyon Fire that destroyed 346 homes and killed several people.
“It’s very, very reminiscent of what we experienced in Waldo Canyon,” Maketa said.
Royal Gorge Fire
In southern Colorado, a 4,000-acre fire dubbed Royal Gorge Fire has destroyed at least three structures near the Royal Gorge Bridge and forced evacuation of “Old Max,” the Territorial Prison in Cañon City. Authorities have since evacuated Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. [Cause under investigation.]
Klikus Fire Burning also in southern Colorado, the Klikus Fire has consumed about 200 acres west of La Veta in Huerfano County, prompting mandatory evacuation of more than 200 residences. [Cause unknown.]
Rocky Mountain National Park Fire
A fourth wildfire has been burning in Rocky Mountain National Park since Monday. The fast moving blaze had grown to about 500 acres by Tuesday night, but it wasn’t threatening any structures, authorities said. [Sparked by lightning.]
Red Flag Warnings
Red Flag Warning are in effects for parts of Colorado, Utah, California and Arizona, as well as most of Nevada, NWS said.
Excessive Heat Warning
Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect for portions of south-central Arizona that include NW and north-central Pinal County, and Maricopa County including the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
The afternoon temperatures in the region are forecast to climb to 112 degrees, warned NWS.
Excessive Heat Warning issued for parts of 3 states
National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for Southern Nevada, Southeastern California and Northwestern Arizona.
NWS has warned that high temperatures will remain at potentially dangerous levels
through Sunday.
Very hot weather is expected across the region through the weekend. An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect through Sunday evening for elevations below 4000 feet in the Mojave Desert.
Very hot weather is expected across the region through the weekend. An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect through Sunday evening for elevations below 4000 feet in the Mojave Desert. Forecast high is represented by the orange bars while record values are denoted in red. Source: NWS
-oOo-
Severe Sandstorm Hits NW China (Again)
A severe sandstorm enveloped Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 8, 2013. (Xinhua/Wang Peng). More images …
-oOo-
Three major wildfires burning in N.M.
The largest of the three fires is the Thompson Ridge Fire which broke out in the Jemez Mountains just over a week ago.
Thompson Ridge Fire
Location: Valles Caldera National Preserve
Started: May 31, 2013
Personnel: 1,015
Cause: Downed power line
Size: 14,430 acres
Containment: 10 percent, as of Friday 8:30 a.m.
Fuels: Mixed conifer and Ponderosa pine
Evacuations: An evacuation order remains in effect for Thompson Ridge, Rancho de la Cueva and Elk Valley.
Tres Lagunas Fire
Location: 10 miles north of Pecos
Started: May 30
Personnel: 1,011
Cause: Downed power line
Size: 10,048 acres
Containment: 34 percent, as of Friday 8:00 a.m.
Fuels: Timber
Evacuations: Some evacuation orders remain in effect; residents north of Windy Bridge are still evacuated.
Red Flag Warnings are in effect for parts of N. Calif., W. Colorado, N. Central and Western New Mexico.
-oOo-
Lubbock, Texas Declares a State of Emergency
City and County of Lubbock have declared a state of emergency due the damage caused by severe thunderstorms Wednesday.
“The storm’s 80-plus mph winds caused severe damage to infrastructure throughout the entire service territory, which led to more than 19,000 reported outages at its peak,” said a report citing LP&L.
Continued…
DISASTER CALENDAR – June 8, 2013— SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,008 Days Left
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,008 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human History
[August 14, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,310 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…
UPDATE:Gov. Gregoire has declared a state of emergency for Kittitas and Yakima counties in response to Taylor Bridge Fire burning near Cle Elum, about 75 miles east of Seattle.
Wildfires burn scores of homes, hundreds of sq miles across Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon …
A fast-moving wildfire has consumed up to 100 homes and left about 50 square miles of land charred in central Washington.
Taylor Bridge Fire has forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes and is currently threatening 300 additional homes. The blaze is one of many major fires raging across the West.
Holloway Fire, a Mega Wildfire burning along the Nevada-Oregon state line, has grown to about 700 square miles, forcing many evacuations.
In Idaho, where a fire crew was killed by a falling tree, at least a dozen blazes are raging.
In Utah, a lightning-sparked fire has charred about 40 square miles.
In California, at least a dozen blazes have been sparked by lightnings.
Lake County fire has grown to 10 square miles, destroyed several homes, forcing authorities to issue evacuation orders for the residents of about 500 homes.
A wildfire in Plumas National Forest has consumed about 60 square miles, threatening at least 600 homes, and prompting evacuation orders.
Major wildfires are also raging in Lassen Volcanic National Park and Joshua Tree National Park.
Smaller fires have been reported across New Mexico and Wyoming.
Heat and Drought Increasing Wildfire Activity in the West: NWS
“The Heat Wave and drought in the West have dried vegetation to the point where fires can rapidly spread out of control. A number of wildfires have been started this week in several states from the Desert Southwest to the Pacific Northwest. The main culprit is lightning strikes associated with thunderstorms that produce little rainfall.”
Red Flag Warnings
NWS has issued Red Flag Warnings for parts of about a dozen states in the West, Midwest, South and Southwest.
Excessive Heat Warnings
Excessive Heat Warnings have been issued for south-central Arizona, southwest Arizona and southeast California, where afternoon temperatures are forecast to reach 110 – 116 degrees, NWS said.
Millions swelter following ‘catastrophic damage’ to power grids caused by derecho
At least 18 people are dead since Friday as a result of severe weather and millions are still without power, while more than 160 locations across 12 states tied or set all-time record high temperatures.
Electric utilities in Maryland, Ohio and Virginia said the weekend derecho caused ‘catastrophic damage’ to their power grids.
It may take a week or more before power is restored to millions of people in the Mid-Atlantic region amid blistering heat.
A surface boundary separating excessive heat (temperatures above 100 degrees) in the southern United States with a milder airmass to its north will continue to be the focus for severe thunderstorms today. There are three main areas of concern, including the northern Rockies, the Mid-Mississippi River to Ohio Valleys and portions of the Mid-Atlantic into the Southeast, particularly the eastern Carolinas. The primary threats will be large hail and damaging winds, however an isolated tornado can not be ruled out across southern Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as northern Iowa and Illinois. -NWS
Excessive heat warnings and advisories are forecast to continue into the beginning of the week over much of the mid-Mississippi valley and southern state, NWS said.
Hundreds of daily high temperature records were broken this weekend; dozens of all-time high temperature records were set.
Valencia, Spain. Two mega forest fires about 30 kilometers west of Valencia on Spain’s eastern coast have consumed at least 50,000 hectares (~124,000 acres), forcing more than 2,500 people to evacuate the area.
The Spanish authorities raised the forest fire warning to the highest level in Valencia region as temperatures topped 104 degrees (40ºC).
China. Torrential rain continues to batter large swaths of SW China causing major widespread damage and mass evacuations, Xinhuanet reported.
Ludian County in Yunnan Province is among the worst hit areas, the report said.
Since late June, extreme rain events and flooding throughout China have left hundreds of people dead or injured, displaced or affected at least a million others, destroyed thousands of homes, inundated hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland and caused hundreds of million of dollars in crop damage.
The worst-hit areas are east China’s Zhejiang province, its neighboring Jiangxi province, central China’s Hunan province, China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and the entire southwest.
“More rain and storms are expected to hit Zhejiang, Fujian and Anhui provinces in south China, as well as Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces in the southwest, over the next three days. Precipitation in some areas may total as much as 160 mm, according to the National Meteorological Center,” the report said.
Assam, India. Mega Floods caused by unusually intense monsoon rains across eastern India’s Assam state have left about 100 people dead, and displaced at least two million people.
Bangladesh. Intense monsoon rains in Bangladesh have claimed at least 120 lives, with many more injured, an unknown number missing and at least 1.5 million people displaced.
The majority of victims were children, who were drowned in flash floods, buried by landslides or house collapses, or struck by lightning, reports said.
Flooding and landslides have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses , submerged entire villages and left at least 100,000 without work.
Many of the displaced are without food and water.
Chittagong port, the largest seaport in Bangladesh, received nearly 16 inches of rain in a single 12-hour period last week.
Deadly storms pummel mid-Atlantic, knock out power to 3 million customers
A day of record-setting heat spawned deadly storms across Washington metropolitan area, leaving at least 7 people dead, and millions without power.
The storms cut power to about 3 million customers, or an estimated 10 million people, across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and the two Virginias.
West Virginia Gov. Tomblin has declared a state of emergency after storm damage which left more than half a million customers in 27 counties without power.
“The damage from today’s storms is widespread and in many places severe,” Tomblin said.
Record Breaking Heat
More than 20 million people were in areas under excessive heat warnings and almost a third of the population in areas under heat advisories.
At least 1,000 high temperature records have been broken across the country in recent days.
The Washington area on Friday broke a record high temperature set 8 decades ago. The early afternoon temperature at Washington Reagan National Airport rose to 104 degrees (40ºC) smashing the record 101 degrees set in 1934, NWS reported.
Norton, Kansas, was the hottest location in the U.S. with 118 degrees (47.8ºC), NCDC reported. Some 22 other locations across the state topped 110 degrees on Thursday.
Columbia, South Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee reached all-time records of 109 degrees (42.8ºC) on Friday
Atlanta, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky also saw temperature soaring to 104ºF (40ºC)
In addition to the fatalities caused by wildfires, which were intensified by the heat, at least a dozen people have died directly as a result of the intense heat including 3 children, two in Tennessee and a third in Missouri.
High Temperature Map of the U.S.
More than 1,000 high temperature records have been broken across the country in the last 7 days.
Daily Maximum Heat Index – Forecast
Indiana. Oppressive heat is churning up storms across central Indiana with the entire region placed under a severe thunderstorm watch.
Storms knocked out power to at least 100,000 customers.
A record high temperature of 104 degrees was recorded at Indianapolis International Airport on Thursday, the highest ever in the month of June in the city, a report said.
Earlier, NWS issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for the region
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES PER
HOUR...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
Death toll exceeds 200 in AES outbreak in Bihar, eastern India
An outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has claimed at least 200 lives in India’s eastern state of Bihar since May, reports quoting government sources said.
State health officials in Bihar have identified 10 districts where the mosquito-borne disease has spread. Most of the dead are children.
The disease has killed thousands of people in India since the late 1970s, reports said.
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain, which can be caused by a bacterial infection, e.g, bacterial meningitis, spreading directly to the brain.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a brain with encephalitis. It has resulted in a large lesion (orange). Source: NHS/UK
Acute viral encephalitis
Acute viral encephalitis is most often caused by a viral infection from a large list of viruses that include rabies virus, herpes simplex virus (the virus that causes cold sores and the sexually transmitted infection, STI, genital herpes), poliovirus, measles virus, JC virus, West Nile Virus, mumps, varicella zoster virus (the virus which is responsible for chickenpox in children and shingles in adults), and rubella.
Exposure to viruses can occur through
Breathing in respiratory droplets from an infected person
Contaminated food or drink
Mosquito, tick, and other insect bites
Skin contact (Source A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia and others
Other causes may include an allergic reaction to vaccinations, autoimmune disease, bacteria, such as Lyme disease, complication of an existing infectious disease such as syphilis and tuberculosis, parasitic infestations, such as malaria, roundworms, cysticercosis, and toxoplasmosis in AIDS patients and other people who have a weakened immune system, or the effects of cancer.
For a list of other acute infections and symptoms click HERE.
Other Global Disasters, Significant Events
Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic. An Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect from 1 pm Wednesday to 6 am EDT Friday for New Castle-Mercer-Gloucester-Camden-Northwestern Burlington-Chester-Montgomery-Bucks-Delaware-Philadelphia- including the cities of Wilmington, Trenton, Glassboro, Camden, CherryHill, Moorestown, Mount Holly, West Chester, Norristown, Doylestown, Media and Philadelphia. NWS has forecast Heat Index Values of up yo 103ºF (39.4ºC).
Arizona and California. An Excessive Heat Watch remains in effect through Friday for east-central, southwest and south-central Arizona deserts and lower deserts of far southeast California. Cities include the Phoenix Metro area, Yuma, El Centro, Casa Grande, Wickenburg, Parker and Blythe. NWS has forecast temperature high of up to 115ºF (~46ºC).
North Carolina.A wildfire that is burning in Croatan National Forest has grown to 10,800 acres, a fire official said.
“Ash has been falling from the sky in areas near the forest, and high levels of particle pollution have spurred two agencies to issue alerts. The National Weather Service has issued a Code Red Air Quality alert for Craven County until 8:15 PM on June 19. And the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for Craven, Jones, and Pamlico Counties,” said a report.
Up-to-date weekly average CO2 at Mauna Loa
Week of June 10, 2012: 396.37 ppm (1-year increase: 2.75 ppm)
The graph shows recent monthly mean carbon dioxide measured at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii.
The last four complete years of the Mauna Loa CO2 record plus the current year are shown. Data are reported as a dry air mole fraction defined as the number of molecules of carbon dioxide divided by the number of all molecules in air, including CO2 itself, after water vapor has been removed. The mole fraction is expressed as parts per million (ppm). Example: 0.000400 is expressed as 400 ppm. In the above figure, the dashed red line with diamond symbols represents the monthly mean values, centered on the middle of each month. The black line with the square symbols represents the same, after correction for the average seasonal cycle. The latter is determined as a moving average of SEVEN adjacent seasonal cycles centered on the month to be corrected, except for the first and last THREE and one-half years of the record, where the seasonal cycle has been averaged over the first and last SEVEN years, respectively. [Source: NOAA/ESRL]
Recent Global CO2
April 2012: 394.01 ppm (1-year increase: 2.18 ppm)
April 2011: 391.83 ppm
The graph shows recent monthly mean carbon dioxide globally averaged over marine surface sites. The Global Monitoring Division of NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory has measured carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for several decades at a globally distributed network of air sampling sites [Conway, 1994]. A global average is constructed by first fitting a smoothed curve as a function of time to each site, and then the smoothed value for each site is plotted as a function of latitude for 48 equal time steps per year. A global average is calculated from the latitude plot at each time step [Masarie, 1995]. Source: NOAA/ESRL
Fire Earth 