Weather extremes

Heat wave continues to bake Southern California

San Diego Source,

9 August, 2012

Forecasters say there's no relief in sight and Southern California's heat wave is expected to continue through this week, with temperatures peaking Thursday and Friday.

The National Weather Service says Woodland Hills topped its 1982 record of 106 on Wednesday, when the mercury reached 107.

On Monday, the San Fernando Valley hotspot tied its record temperature of 108 degrees that was set in 1997.

Southern California Edison is ramping up the number of crews available to respond to possible power outages as sweltering temperatures send electricity use climbing.

The company is urging conservation and saying that high electricity use _ particularly from air conditioners _ is straining distribution equipment, but no power outages have been reported.

So far, 2012 is on record as Northeast’s hottest year ever, climatologists say

Washington Post,

8 August, 2012

No surprise for Northeast residents sweating out the summer after a winter barely touching their snow shovels: This is the hottest year on record in the region so far.

The Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University reported Tuesday that the average temperature in the 12-state region was 49.9 degrees from January through July. That’s the warmest seven-month period since 1895, the year systematic record keeping began.

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July heat broke 1930s Dust Bowl record

CBSNews,

8 August, 2012

This probably comes as no surprise: Federal scientists say July was the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states, breaking a record set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

And even less a surprise: The U.S. this year keeps setting records for weather extremes, based on the precise calculations that include drought, heavy rainfall, unusual temperatures, and storms.

The average temperature last month was 77.6 degrees. That breaks the old record from July 1936 by 0.2 degree, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Records go back to 1895.

"It's a pretty significant increase over the last record," said climate scientist Jake Crouch of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. In the past, skeptics of global warming have pointed to the Dust Bowl to argue that recent heat isn't unprecedented. But Crouch said this shows that the current year "is out and beyond those Dust Bowl years. We're rivaling and beating them consistently from month to month."

Three of the nation's five hottest months on record have been recent Julys: This year, 2011 and 2006. Julys in 1936 and 1934 round out the top five.

Last month also was 3.3 degrees warmer than the 20th century average for July.

For article GO HERE

S. Korea heatwave kills more than 830,000 poultry

Terra Daily,

8 August

South Korea's extended heatwave has taken its toll on both humans and animals, with more than 830,000 chickens or other poultry reported dead as of Wednesday.

The agriculture ministry said 786,512 chickens, 40,780 ducks, 3,000 quail, 336 pigs and five cows have died since July 20, when the peak temperature began hovering above 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) in most areas.

The stifling heat also killed seven people in June and July, the health ministry said, mostly elderly people working in fields or greenhouses.

Temperatures have stayed above 35 C for 12 days in much of the country, causing massive blooms of algae in rivers.

Sales of electric fans and air conditioners have soared. On Monday the state power company warned that reserves were dangerously low and urged people to switch off appliances, as usage reached a record.

The meteorological administration says relief is in sight starting Friday, with midday temperatures dropping to the customary August figure of 30C from the weekend.

Rare snowfall stuns residents of Johannesburg, South Africa

Huffington Post,

7 August, 2012

People slowly came outside despite the cold wind Tuesday across South Africa, pointed their mobile phone cameras to the sky and opened their mouths to taste a rare snowfall that fell on much of the country.

The snow began Tuesday morning, part of an extreme cold snap now biting into a nation still in its winter months. By mid-afternoon, officials recorded snowfall across most of South Africa. However, forecasters acknowledged snow remains so unusual that they typically aren't prepared to provide details about snowfall in the nation.

For article GO HERE