Deadly Forest Fires Plague Northern India

Drought, heatwaves intensify forest fires in Uttarakhand, N. Indian

Hundreds of forest fires have killed at least a dozen people and consumed thousands of hectares (acres) of forest in the India’s northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

About 430 separate fires have been burning simultaneously since Friday, according to local reports.

Fires have been widespread this year due multiple factors including record-breaking heatwaves, exceptionally dry forests and minimal rainfall.

National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) reported that 70% of the flames have been put out earlier today, according to satellite imagery.

‘Parched earth, broken promises’

Meanwhile, million of people hit by a third year of “epic drought” across India’s parched districts say the government is not doing nearly enough to help, said a report.

Related Links

• Extreme Heat Kills Hundreds of People across South Asia April 30, 2016
• Deadly Heatwave Intensifies in India, Odisha Broils at Record 48.5ºC April 25, 2016
• Vietnam Reports Mass Fish Deaths April 22, 2016
• 330 Million People Affected by Severe Drought: Indian Govt April 20, 2016
• Deadly Heatwave Persists in India April 14, 2016

 

Extreme Heat Kills Hundreds of People across South Asia

Record temperatures reported in India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam

Deadly heatwaves have scorched vast swathes of South Asia claiming hundreds of lives, exacerbating the drought and destroying or damaging crops in India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The largest number of heat-related deaths have occurred in India, and weather forecasters have warned the recurring heatwave would persist and intensify into May, traditionally the hottest month in the sub-continent.

Related Links

• Deadly Heatwave Intensifies in India, Odisha Broils at Record 48.5ºC April 25, 2016
• Vietnam Reports Mass Fish Deaths April 22, 2016
• 330 Million People Affected by Severe Drought: Indian Govt April 20, 2016
• Deadly Heatwave Persists in India April 14, 2016
• Drought and Saltwater Intrusion Devastate Crops in Vietnam March 16, 2016

Severe Drought Killing Crops, Cattle in South Africa

South Africa paralyzed by worst ever drought, record temperatures

South Africa experienced its driest year on record in 2015, reported the national weather service on Thursday.

Severe drought continues to threaten the vital maize crop impacting the country’s economy.

The rainfall was about two-thirds of the 608mm annual average making 2015 the driest year on record since 1904.

“Weather officials said Sunday that just in the past week there have been 11 fatalities from heatstroke in the North West province after a week of record high temperatures.” Read more…

Drought has reached crisis point

The drought currently being faced by South Africa has reached crisis point. Provincial dam levels are down in all provinces, standing at 57% of capacity as of last week, compared to 82% for the same time last year. This represents a major economic and humanitarian crisis as food security is placed under threat and the livelihood of those in the agricultural sector is placed in jeopardy. This is not a crisis limited to commercial farming, but extends to each and every South African and the poor in particular.

Food crops will be affected across the board. When I visited Hoopstad and Bothaville in the Free State, less than 3% of the maize had been planted, and the planting season has now passed. This is the least number of hectares planted since 1926.

Grain SA said that South Africa imported about 750,000 tonnes of maize to meet the country’s needs. The 2015/16 season will see this increased to 5 million tons of maize. It is expected that we will also have to import about 10 million tons of grain, rice and soya into the country. This would put a heavy burden on our harbour and transport infrastructure while the decline in the Rand over December will increase the cost of this exercise greatly.

Rising food prices, particularly of maize and wheat, which are the staple diet of many South Africans, pose serious problems for the urban and rural poor. The drought will put pressure on food prices, with hikes likely in everything from maize and grains, to meat, poultry and dairy products. Read more…

Drought, record temperatures killing herds

Drought is killing thousands of cattle as well as crops, leading to a rise in food prices.

Cattle farmers in the Free State province are being forced to slaughter or sell their animals at give-away prices because the severe drought, which began in the summer of 2015, has scorched the grass they feed on.

‘‘Thousands of cattle have died. And farmers are now paying high prices for animal feed, making it difficult for farmers to substitute it for grass,’’ said Dr. Jack Armour, Free State’s Agriculture operational manager.

Ten Billion-Dollar Plus Weather, Climate Disasters Hit U.S. in 2015

Record December elevated 2015 to 2^nd warmest year for US 48  —NOAA

The 2015 annual average U.S. temperature was 54.4°F (12.4°C), 2.4°F above the 20^th century average, the second warmest year on record.

• Warmest year for U.S. was  2012  with an average temperature of 55.3°F.
• 2015 was the 19^th consecutive year the annual average temperature exceeded the 20^th century average.

The average contiguous U.S. precipitation was 34.47 inches (87.55cm), 4.53 inches above average, and ranked as the third wettest year in the 121-year period of record.

• Only 1973 and 1983 were wetter.
• The national drought footprint shrank about 10 percent last year.

Ten weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each occurred  across the United States in 2015. These events included

• Drought (1 event)
• Flooding (2)
• Severe storms (5)
• Wildfire (1)
• Winter Storm (1)

The 1980–2015 annual average is 5.2 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2011–2015) is 10.8 events (CPI-adjusted), said NCDC/NOAA.

Additionally, the U.S. experienced five distinct disaster event types in 2015. It is more common to observe three or four disaster event types in a given year. Five or more disaster event types exceeding $1 billion in the same year occurs less frequently (i.e., 2015, 2011, 2008, 1998, 1994 and 1989).

U.S. climate highlights: 2015

• Florida, Montana, Oregon and Washington were record warm.
• Alaska, California, and Idaho had their second warmest year.
• Twenty-one other states were much warmer than average.
• 14 States were much wetter than average.
• Oklahoma and Texas were record wet for the year, and became drought free for the first time since 2010.
• The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for 2015 was 70 percent above average, ranking as the fourth highest annual USCEI in the 106-year record and highest since 2012.

U.S. climate highlights: December 2015

• December 2015 was record warm for the contiguous U.S., with a temperature of 38.6°F, 6.0°F above the 20^th century average.
  • Previous record of 37.7°F was set in 1939.
  • 29 Eastern states had the warmest December on record.
  • No state was record cold.
• The December precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was 3.93 inches, 1.58 inches above the 20^th century average, ranking as the wettest December on record.
  • Previous record of 3.76 inches was set in 1982.
  • Above-average precipitation occurred across the country
  • 23 States were much wetter than average.
  • Iowa and Wisconsin had a record wet December.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: National Overview for December 2015, published online January 2016, retrieved on January 9, 2016 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/201512.

 

Climate Extremes Rule!

U.S. Climate Extremes, Significant Events November, Fall 2015

November, saw 4,502 record warm daily high (1,642) and low (2,860) temperature records, which is five times the 866 record cold daily high (494) and low (372) temperature records, NOAA reported.

U.S. Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events November and Autumn 2015 – NOAA

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Climate Highlights — (September–November)

• The September-November contiguous U.S. average temperature was record warm at 56.8°F, 3.3°F above the 20^th century average. This surpassed the previous record warm autumn of 1963 which had a temperature of 56.6°F.

• Every state across the contiguous U.S. and Alaska had an above-average autumn temperature. Forty-one states across the Rockies, Great Plains, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast were much warmer than average. Florida tied its warmest autumn on record with a statewide temperature of 75.5°F, 3.6°F above average.

• Above-average November temperatures were widespread across the eastern half of the nation, where 32 states were much warmer than average. New Jersey had its warmest November on record with a statewide temperature of 49.7°F, 6.6°F above average.

• Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island had a record warm autumn maximum temperature.

• The autumn minimum (nighttime) temperature was 45.1°F, 3.7°F above average, the warmest on record. This bested the previous record set in 1998 by 0.3°F.

• Minimum temperature in Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota was record warm.

• South Carolina had its wettest autumn on record, partially driven by historic rainfall in early October. South Carolina’s autumn precipitation total was 23.62 (600mm) inches, 13.77 inches above average, and bested the previous record of 18.42 inches set in 1959.

• Based on REDTI, the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand during November was 68.0 percent below average and the fourth lowest in the 1895-2015 period of record.

To avoid many overlapping or crowded dots on the map, a subset of only about 200 stations across the United States were plotted. There are many stations having “top three” or “bottom three” years that are not shown here. The stations under consideration are listed in other supplemental pages (temperature, precipitation).

Related Links

• November gridded temperature maps
• November gridded precipitation maps

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: National Overview for November 2015, published online December 2015, retrieved on December 15, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/201511.

Beijing Broils Under Deadly Heat

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
RECORD TEMPERATURES
DEADLY HEATWAVE
SCENARIO 067
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Beijing Temperatures Top 40°C

Beijing Municipal Warning Center upgraded its temperature warning to “red” early Thursday afternoon.

At least three people have died from heatstroke, as a heatwave  continues to grip China.

Two people died in Yuanyang county in Yunnan province, where the temperatures have been hovering above 40°C  for weeks.

A third fatality was reported in Hong Kong, said South China Morning post.

RED Temperature Warning

“The red warning calls for power suppliers and fire departments to be on the alert, outdoor work and activities to be ceased and classes to be suspended at all schools,” reported Xinhua.

Beijing Meteorological Bureau forecast that temperatures would exceed 42°C [108 degrees] in parts of the city, said the report.

The previous record for hottest day in May was set in 1951, when Beijing temperature reached 38.3°C.

Neighboring regions of Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong Henan and Anhui have also reported record high temperatures.

Related Links

• Heatwaves, Sandstorms Plague China  May 28, 2014

Record Heat Scorching Australia

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
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Extreme conditions continue as searing heat wave moves across Australia

Temperature records shattered again in central, western and north-west Queensland, with 40+ degrees (Celsius) recorded in multiple locations on Thursday.

“It is unusually hot. It’s at least 15 degrees above the average up there at the moment and those are pretty unusual temperatures,” said a weatherman at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

“Century Mine in the far north-west of the state got up to 44.6 today, Camooweal 45.5, a new January record, the Monument Airport 45.9, another January record,” said a senior weatherman at BOM.

“Bedourie police station [recorded] 47.3 [degrees Celsius], which is an annual extreme for them, and Birdsville got up to 48.6 [degrees Celsius.]”

“Our temperatures have been near record, the highest temperature we had was at Moomba at 49.3 degrees but a lot of centres up there are pushing up around that 50 mark,” said another official at BOM.

“It is unusually hot. It’s at least 15 degrees above the average up there at the moment and those are pretty unusual temperatures.”

In the Northern Territory, top temperatures at Alice Springs have remained above 43ºC since the New Year, several record broken already.

Meantime, highest-ever temperature of 45.4ºC was recorded at Tennant Creek airport on Thursday, breaking the previous record  set on January 25, 2013 by 1.2ºC,  said a report.

Australia’s Drought Spells Absolute Disaster

The heat wave has brought more misery for drought-hit cattle farmers who have been slaughtering livestock as Australia sweltered through the hottest year on record in 2013, said a report.

“Water supplies are fast diminishing and whatever feed supplies that were left are cooking off to the point where there won’t be any left,” said Charles Burke, chief executive of Agforce, a Queensland cattle industry group.

“This drought is shaping to be an absolute disaster.”

Australia is the third largest beef exporter in the world after India and Brazil, followed by the US, NZ, EU-27, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico and Belarus (Source: USDA).

Hottest Year Since Records Began in 1910

Australia experienced its hottest year in 2013  since records began more than a 100 years ago, said BOM on Friday. The continent recorded average temperatures of 1.2ºC above the long-term average of 21.8 degree Celsius, shattering the previous record set in 2005.

The authorities have issued multiple health warnings on Friday for several major cities as fire crews continued to control bushfires across the continent.

Australian PM May Live to Regret…

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott abolished the country’s Climate Change Commission in September, denying that climate change was responsible for bushfires across New South Wales state in October.

Ex-tropical cyclone Christine

South Australia’s far north also experienced near-record temperatures on Thursday, as ex-tropical cyclone Christine moved across the state.

SoCal Sets New Record Temperatures on Xmass

Mercury (!) rises above 86 degrees at Oceanside, CA

Warm, dry Santa Ana winds drove temperatures to record or near-record highs in southern California on Wednesday.

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States)

• High Temperature for Wednesday: 86ºF (30ºC) at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, CA

• Low Temperature for Wednesday: -22ºF (-30ºC) at Mount Washington, NH

Source: NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD – Issued 7 pm EST Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Long Beach reported highs of above 83 degrees, 2 degrees above the 1972 daily record for Xmas, according to NWS.

As of December 24, 2013 California had broken or tied a total of 43  daily high temperatures for the month.

Santa Ana Winds

The arrival of Santa Ana winds coupled with very low relative humidity prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue Red Flag Warnings for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Moderate to locally strong Santa Ana winds will continue across the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and associated coast and valley areas through Thursday afternoon. The offshore winds will strengthen into Thursday morning with gusts up to 40 – 45 mph.

Poor relative humidity recoveries are expected tonight with many locations remaining below 25 percent. On Thursday, conditions will continue to dry with areas of single digit relative humidities likely along with well above normal temperatures for most areas. Very dry conditions are likely to persist into Friday, but with much lighter winds.

A red flag warning remains in effect for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Thursday due to the combination of moderate offshore winds, low humidities, warm temperatures, and abnormally dry fuels. —NWS

Global Land Surface Third Warmest June on Record

Earth’s land surface was 1.05°C above 20th century average

The global land surface temperature rose 1.05°C (1.89°F) above the 20th century average of 13.3°C (55.9°F), marking the third warmest June on record, according to NOAA.

• The June global sea surface temperature was 0.48°C  above the 20th century average of 16.4°C, the 10th warmest June in the 134-year period of record.

• June’s combined average temperature for land and ocean surfaces for 2013 tied with 2006 as the fifth highest on record, at 0.64°C above the 20th century average of 15.5°C.

• The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for the January–June period (year-to-date) was 0.59°C above the 20th century average of 13.5°C, tying with 2003 as the seventh warmest similar period on record.

• The United States experienced its 15th-warmest June on record.

• Monthly average records for June were broken over much of N Canada, far NW Russia, the Philippines, S Japan, portion of SW China and part of Africa.

January–June Global Land and Ocean plot. Source: NOAA/NCDC

January–June Global Hemisphere plot. Source: NOAA/NCDC

Latest data may be accessed via the Global Surface Temperature Anomalies page.

Cardboard Kingdoms Spooked by a Piece of Plastic

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – June 9, 2013

Saudi Arabia becomes the third Arab dictatorship to Ban Guy Fawkes Masks

The Saudi newspaper al-Medina reported that the country’s Ministry of the Interior has banned the import and sale of the Guy Fawkes masks.

The ban includes the immediate confiscation and destruction of all masks and related symbols already in Saudi Arabian markets and toy stores, the report said.

The United Arab Emirates banned the masks in November 2012, followed by the mini kingdom of Bahrain, which prohibited the masks in February.

The Guy Fawkes Mask: A stylized portrayal of Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), a member of a group that planned the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

The Guy Fawkes mask is a stylized portrayal of Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, who attempted to blow up the House of Lords in London in 1605.

The mask, designed by illustrator David Lloyd, was used as a major plot element in V for Vendetta, a comic book published in 1982, and its 2005 film adaptation, and has now become  a symbol of united opposition to undemocratic governments.

-oOo-

New Round of Deadly Flooding in South, Central and East China

Severe flooding and landslides triggered by extreme rain events have affected millions of people in south and east China.

Heavy rains have been pounding ten provincial regions in southern, central and eastern China, since Wednesday, including the provinces of Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

• The floods have left dozens dead or missing.
• At least 62,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes.
• More than 2,500 homes have been destroyed, and tens of thousands of buildings damaged.
•  Some 21,400 hectares of crops have also been destroyed by floodwaters.

-oOo-

River Danube to Peak at Record High Levels in Budapest

The Danube in Budapest is forecast to peak later today (Sunday evening) at 8.95 meters (30 feet), more than double its usual level, and 0.35 meters above the record set in 2006 floods.

• The authorities have already declared a state of emergency, and evacuated thousands of people (1,200 – 4,000) from dozens of towns and villages. The authorities have also closed dozens of roads, according to local news.

-oOo-

Torrential rain, hail and floods affect about 100,000 in NW China

Widespread flooding has affected about 100,000 people in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

“The rainstorm has damaged over 12,300 hectares of crops and killed 2,340 head of livestock, while 303 houses have been toppled or damaged, forcing the evacuation of 939 people,” said a report.

-oOo-

State of emergency declared in Kiev following landslides

The Kiev municipal government has declared a state of emergency in the Ukrainian capital following multiple landslides on the banks of Dnieper River.

• “There were a total of 11 possible disaster sites in Kiev,” said a report citing city officials.
  

-oOo-

Another Day of Record Breaking Heat in Western US

Excessive Heat Warnings remain in effect in the Desert Southwest as daytime temperatures again soar into triple digits, said NWS.

-oOo-

Continental US Experienced Warmest 12 Months in 117 Years

Contiguous U.S. 2 degrees warmer in June than 20^th century average

Continental U.S. experienced record-warm first half of the year and the warmest 12-month period since recordkeeping began in 1895.

Temperature Chart for Contiguous U.S. (January-June 1895-2012; 6-month average). Source: NOAA/NCDC

Scorching temperatures during the second half of June led to more than 170 all-time high temperature records broken or tied, NOAA reported.

Contiguous U.S. Temperature, July-June 1896-2012; 12-month average (year, temperature) – Source: NOAA/NCDC

• The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 71.2°F last month, which is 2.0°F above the 20^th century June average.
• The July 2011-June 2012 period was the warmest of any 12-months on record for the contiguous U.S.
• The average temperature for the U.S. was 56.0°F, or 3.2°F above the long term average for the 12-month period, with every state across the contiguous U.S. experiencing warmer than average temperatures, except Washington, which was near normal.
• Precipitation total of 2.27 inches (national average), were 0.62 inch below long-term average.
• “Temperatures in South Carolina (113°F) and Georgia (112°F) are currently under review by the U.S. State Climate Extremes Committee as possible all-time statewide temperature records,” NOAA reported.
• Colorado experienced its warmest June on record, with a statewide temperature of 6.4°F above average.
• As of July 3, 76.33 percent of the contiguous U.S. was Abnormally Dry or in Drought, with about 56.0 percent of the contiguous U.S. experiencing D1 – D4 drought conditions, marking the largest percentage of the country experiencing drought conditions since the U.S. Drought Monitor began over 12 years ago.
• “Drought conditions worsened across much of the West, Central Plains, and the Ohio Valley, causing significant impacts on agriculture in those regions.” (see previous posts for details).
• A list of select June temperature and precipitation records is posted  here.

U.S. Drought Map. Released July 5, 2012

Links to Recent Related Entries

• Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin Posted on July 10, 2012
• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012
• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

U.S. Drought Intensifying

Drought conditions spread to more than ¾ of the U.S.

Moderate to Exceptional drought levels (D1 – D4) have intensified  by about 10 percent since last week, spreading throughout the contiguous U.S.

• D0 – D4 drought conditions prevail in 76.33 percent of the lower 48.
• Alaska has not reported any change in drought levels.
• Hawaii drought conditions increased to 81.07% from 78.89% last week.

U.S. Drought Map. Released July 5, 2012

Map of Total Precipitation in the U.S. – 7 Days

Map of Total Precipitation in the U.S. – 30 Days

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (July 5 to September 30, 2012)

Recent History

Weekly US Drought Map, January 3, 2012.  Source: US Drought Monitor.

Related Links

• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012
• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012

• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012

U.S. Overwhelmed by Excessive Heat, Fire, Flooding, Extreme Weather Events

More than 40,000 Coloradans flee their homes as firestorms rage across the state

Firestorms ravaging Colorado, as temperatures rise 20+ degrees above average in central U.S. and the Rockies

• “This is a fire of epic proportions,” said Colorado Springs Fire Chief, Rich Brown.

• “This is the worst fire season in the history of Colorado… it looks surreal,” said Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.

• “We are in a very critical situation now. Unfortunately we do have structures and homes that are burning in the northwest corner of Colorado Springs. We have mandatory evacuation over a considerable area,” fire information officer Rob Deyerberg told Reuters.

• Some 3 dozen active wildfires are currently burning hundreds of thousands of acres in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, South Dakota and California.

The fast-moving Waldo Canyon Fire in Pike National Forest, El Paso County, which ignited on June 23, has grown to more than 6,500 acres, destroying numerous homes and forcing at least 32,000 people from their homes.

• High Park Fire west of Fort Collins – the second-largest and the most destructive blaze ever recorded in the state has destroyed at least 257 homes; burned 87,250acres; up to 5,000 people remain evacuated; 55 percent contained.
• Little Sand Fire near Pagosa Springs, Weber Fire in Montezuma County, State Line Fire  southeast of Durango, Treasure Fire near Leadville, Trout Creek Fire near Rainbow Falls in Douglas County, Woodland Heights Fire near Estes Park southwest of the High Park Fire, and Elbert Fire have so far consumed about 40,000 acres.

US Weather Hazards Map, June 27, 2012

Red Flag Warnings are currently in effect for 13 states:

• Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Heat Advisories are in effect this afternoon to late evening in eight central states:

• North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana

Critical Fire Weather areas exist in parts of Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, Storm Prediction Center reported.

Flood Warning and Flash Flood Emergency continue in Florida. Major flooding is expected in Clay county through Thursday PM, and flash flood emergency in Duval county and NE Clay.

Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for much of Kansas.

For other current hazards and warnings Click Here.

Utah Wildfires

The Wood Hollow Fire, a blaze about 1 mile south of Fountain Green in Utah State Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands has exploded to about 40,000 acres, claiming at least one life and destroying numerous structures and scores of farm animals, mostly sheep.

• Evacuations:
  • The entire town of Fairview (pop: 1,200) has been evacuated.
  • Up to 2,000 others have been evacuated from surrounding communities.
  • Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, Big Hollow, and Oaker Hills communities are under mandatory evacuation.
• Closures: Highway 89 closure is in effect for a second time.
• Weather: “The big worry now is the weather. Everything that can be done is being done,” Gov Herbert said in a televised conference.

Wisconsin State of Emergency

Wisconsin Governor has declared a state of emergency for three northwestern counties of  Douglas, Ashland and Bayfield counties devastated by flooding that damaged at least 500 homes and businesses.

Agricultural Disasters

Pennsylvania and New York. USDA has designates 21 counties in Pennsylvania and 2 counties in New York as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by freezing temperatures from March 1 – May 13, 2012.

• List of Pennsylvania disaster areas: (PDA)Clarion, Forest, Schuylkill, Venango and Warren Counties.  (CDA) Armstrong, Berks, Butler, Carbon, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Elk, Erie, Jefferson, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, McKean, Mercer and Northumberland counties.
• List of New York disaster areas:  Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

Wyoming. USDA has designated 4 counties in Wyoming—Hot Springs, Fremont, Park, and Washakie—as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought that began March 1, 2012, and continues.

Record Power Consumption

Texans set two new records for hourly power demand as their large cities baked under triple-digit heat, with record temperatures set in Houston and San Antonio.  Power demand reached 66,583 megawatts (MW) on Monday in the 60-minute period between 16:00 and 17:00, setting a new record for June, and exceeding Monday’s peak of 65,047MW, a report said.

• “Houston’s high temperature reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius), 12 degrees above normal and breaking the record of 99 degrees. San Antonio hit 105, also a record,” said the report .

Collapsing Cities

Stockton, California. The river port city of Stockton, California (pop: 300,000),  may become the largest US city to declare bankruptcy, after the city failed to make a deal with its creditors.

• Located about 90 miles (144km) east of San Francisco, the city was hit hard during the US housing market crash.
• Stockton’s unemployment rate (~ 16%) and violent crimes rank among the highest in the U.S.

North Las Vegas, Nevada. The Nevada city of North Las Vegas, described as “ground zero for foreclosures” was officially declared as a disaster area on June 23.

• “One in every 195 homes is in foreclosure, the state’s highest rate. Once the nation’s fastest growing city, it lost more than 3,000 businesses in three years after the recession hit in 2007. Its total revenue has plunged from $817 million in 2009 to $298 million this year,” AP reported.

Tropical Depression DEBBY

Tropical Depression DEBBY is expected to continue moving ENE across Florida and into the Atlantic. The storm is forecast to re-intensify as it clears the eastern U.S. coast, NWS reported

• Coastal and inland flooding still pose major threats across the affected areas. 

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs

• Mega Disasters
• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar
• Mass Die-offs

Disaster Calendar – 26 June 2012

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,359 Days Left

[June 26, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,359 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

State of the Climate – Global Analysis for May 2012

• The globally-averaged land surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 1.21°C (2.18°F) above average
• The Northern Hemisphere land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was the all-time warmest May on record, at 0.85°C (1.53°F) above average.
• The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for May 2012 was 0.66°C (1.19°F) above the 20^th century average of 14.8°C (58.6°F). This is the second warmest May since records began in 1880, behind only 2010.

Temperature Anomalies Maps for May 2012 – [Source: NCDC/NOAA]

See also: Hottest U.S. Spring on Record

Record Temperatures Today

NOAA/NCDC reported 58 high temperature records broken Monday across nine states:  Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky. The temperature records included

• Colorado: 31 records broken, 7 tied; highest temp 110 degrees at La Junta Airport; old record 107 in 1990

• Kansas: 10 broken, 4 tied, highest temp 114 1 northeast of Hill City, old record 108 in 1971

• Kentucky: tied record 94 degrees at London, KY; old record set in 1988

• Missouri:  1 tie, 95 degrees at Kirksville, old record set in 1971

• Nebraska:  4 broken, 1 tied; 105 degrees near Harrisburg in Banner County; old record 98 in 2001

• Wyoming:  6 broken, 8 tied; highest temp 107 at Gillette; old record 99 in 1988

• Texas:  3 broken, 2 tied, highest 102 degrees at Victoria tied 102 in 2009

• Oklahoma: 1 broken, 101 degrees at Ralston in Pawnee County, old record 100 in 1988

• Arkansas:  3 broken, two tied, highest 101 at Little Rock Forecast office and Little Rock airport; old record 99 and 100 in 1988

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

20 Nations Facing Record Temps

Japan Feeling the Heat

Japan facing its hottest summer with Kyoto recording 39.9ºC (103.8ºF) today, and 128 other cities higher than 35ºC.

Japan’s  hottest summer since records began in 1898 has claimed about 700 lives [150 deaths confirmed by govt in mid August due to heatstroke and another 496 dying from heat-related complications,] with 50,000 others hospitalized from heatstroke.

The country’s average temperature between June and August was 1.64ºC (2.95ºF) higher than the 30-year average calculated between 1971 and 2000.

Since early August, many parts of the country has experienced temperatures above 35ºC, Japan’s Meteorological Agency earlier reported.

“It can be said that weather was abnormal in this summer,” an agency official said.

Their earlier forecast for the temperature to exceed 35ºC in many parts of the country has proven right.

The intense heatwave has also killed up to 1,200 cows, about 660 pigs and as many as half a million chicken, according to a report.

“The latest survey does not cover Miyazaki Prefecture, which was hit by foot-and-mouth disease among its livestock and was forced to slaughter around 289,000 cows and pigs. The prefecture announced the end of the outbreak last week.”

NOTE: The hottest ever temperature recorded in Japan was 40.9ºC  in Kumagaya city,  Saitama prefecture (state) in August 16, 2007.

List of countries with record temperatures in summer 2010  (A-Z)

• Ascension Island
• Belarus
• Burma
• Chad
• Colombia
• Cyprus
• Finland
• Iraq
• Kuwait
• Niger
• Pakistan
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Solomon Islands
• Sudan
• Ukraine
• United States

Related Links:

• Will it be drought?
• ‘Google Civilization’ Collapsing from Disinformation
• Drought and Deluge: Major Mechanisms Of Collapse

• Decadal Temp Avg Up by 74 pct on 1990s
• Drought and Deluge [Index Page]
• Land Use And Topsoil