Posts
It
has been some time since I have been able to catch up with extreme
weather conditions. The global hotspot is Antacrtica which is 4.1C
higher than average.
The
Middle East is in the middle of a hellish heatwave right now
14
August, 2016
THOUGHT
your average Aussie summer was rough?
The
Middle East is currently facing one of its most extreme heatwaves
ever, with experts warning temperatures are getting almost too hot
for human survival.
Climate
scientists say it’s evidence that the planet needs to cut down on
its greenhouse gas emissions, especially given heatwaves can be
fatal.
HOW
HOT IS THE MIDDLE EAST RIGHT NOW?
Over
the past month, temperatures in Kuwait and Iraq have soared to 54
degrees, while Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, has seen temperatures of
43C and higher nearly every day for almost two straight months.
Meanwhile,
parts of the United Arab Emirates and Iran were dealt a historic heat
index of 60C.
Zainab
Guman, a 26-year-old university student from Basra, told The
Washington Post it
felt like “walking into a fire” when she left the house.
“It’s
like everything on your body — your skin, your eyes, your nose —
starts to burn,” she said.
For
the past couple of months, she’s barely left home.
The
heat in many parts of the Middle East is seriously out of control
right now. Credit: AFPSource:AFP
A
study by climate scientists released last year predicted that extreme
heatwaves could push the Gulf in the Middle East beyond human
endurance if nothing was done about climate change.
It
predicted that extreme heatwaves — more intense than anything the
planet has ever felt — will kick in just after 2070, and our most
scorching days of today would be near-daily by that stage.
Professor
Elfatih Eltahir, one of the study’s co-authors, said this was
evidence that the planet needs to cut down on greenhouse gas
emissions.
“We
would hope that information like this would be helpful in making sure
there is interest (in reducing emissions) for the countries in the
region,” he said.
“They
have a vital interest in supporting measures that would help reduce
the concentration of CO2 in the future.”
According
to a UN report, the combined population of 22 Arab countries is
expected to grow from 400 million to about 600 million by 2050.
By
that time, the world’s overall population is expected to reach 9.7
billion.
ARE
HEATWAVES REALLY A BIG DEAL?
In
short, yes. Heatwaves can prove fatal on a mass level. While
wealthier families can afford air-conditioning and swimming pools,
it’s typically poor people and farmers in rural areas who suffer
the most.
Dr
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a research fellow at UNSW’s Climate
Change Research Centre, told news.com.au that many people don’t
seem to realise that heatwaves have killed more people than any other
natural disaster, so much so that it’s been dubbed the “silent
killer”.
She
said that, while the Middle East is no stranger to heatwaves
historically, the key fact here is that they’re getting
increasingly more frequent.
People
without air-conditioning are suffering the most.Source:AFP
She
warned this would largely impact the lower class — people who
worked in outdoor jobs and didn’t necessarily have access to
air-conditioning.
“People
in the Middle East are used to the heat,” she said. “It’s part
of their culture. They’ve experienced high temperatures before. But
it’s getting more frequent, and people of a certain status are
going to suffer a lot more.
“If
you work outside in these conditions you will not survive. These are
the people who can’t afford clean drinking water or to sit in the
shade — they’re typically of a lower socio-economic status.”
Earlier
this year, temperatures in parts of India soared to 51C, the highest
in the country’s recorded history.
The
impact of the heat was devastating, and increasingly deadly,
particularly for the hundreds of people dying of starvation due to
withering crops in their remote fields.
In
India, earlier this year, the impact of the heat drove many
debt-ridden farmers to suicide.Source:Supplied
According
to local media reports, suicide among farmers in rural areas spiked
during this period, due to crippling debt and poverty over poor
yields.
Pakistan
had a similar crisis midway through last year, when temperatures of
up to 45C struck various provinces in the country.
A
Pakistani health official said the death toll from the heatwave alone
hit roughly 700.
So
far, authorities are yet to report any heat-related deaths in Iraq.
However, the statistics are complicated by the fact that doctors here
don’t usually list heat as an official cause of death.
It’s
not just the death toll that’s a concern. Heatwaves can have a
significant impact on a country’s overall ability to function.
An
Iraqi economist said the country’s gross domestic product had
contracted between 10 and 20 per cent during the heatwave.
“There’s
a similar relationship between heat and a country’s economy in
Australia,” said Dr Kirkpatrick.
“Public
transport slows down, the air-con breaks, people get to work late or
don’t go at all. For farmers, crops fail. Agriculture gets damaged,
which affects everything. Everybody loses their ability to
concentrate.”
The
situation is especially dire for people who don’t have access to
air-conditioning or swimming pools.Source:AP
She
also warned that over time, this could eventually lead to a mass
migration, which would hold implications for the rest of the world.
She
compared this to villages in Fiji, where residents have been forced
to relocate uphill because their homes were threatened by rising sea
levels, as well as the country of Kiribati, which may be completely
immersed in water in just decades.
So,
what’s the government to do? Dr Kirkpatrick said, quite simply,
that while governments can help people be more adaptive to changing
weather patterns in the short-term, the only real solution was taking
effort to reduce carbon emissions.
It
has been some time since I have been able to catch up with extreme
weather conditions. The global hotspot is Antacrtica which is 4.1C
higher than average.
‘Truly historic event’: Flooding batters Louisiana, at least two deaths confirmed –‘Our state is experiencing an unprecedented event’
14
August, 2016
By Joe Sterling and Boris Sanchez
13 August 2016
AMITE CITY, Louisiana (CNN) – Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards called the widespread flooding spawned by the region's pounding rainfall across the southern part of the state a "truly historic event" that won't be over anytime soon.
The rainfall battered the parishes around Baton Rouge and is expected to move west, he said at a news conference Saturday.
There are record levels of flooding and cresting along rivers and creeks that will affect homes, roads, and driveways, he said.
"This is a major disaster," the governor said. "This is an ongoing event and we are still in the response mode."
The governor said at least two deaths have been confirmed and searches are being carried out. Initially, as flooding news emerged on Friday, CNN reported three deaths. [more]
By Bob Henson
12 August 2016
(wunderground.com) – A devastating flood event was unfolding over southeast Louisiana on Friday, and conditions may get worse yet, as an extremely slow-moving center of low pressure is dumping colossal amounts of rain on the region. This sprawling, “stacked” low is carrying more water vapor than many tropical cyclones, and its slow motion is leading to persistent rains that could add up to all-time record totals in some places.
Multi-sensor analyses indicate that several areas in southeast Louisiana and southermost Mississippi racked up more than 6” of rain from 7:00 am CDT Thursday, August 11, to 7:00 am Friday (see Figure 1). More than 10” of rain was analyzed just northeast of Baton Rouge, the hardest-hit area thus far. In the 24 hours from 2:00 pm CDT Thursday to 2:00 pm Friday, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport recorded a preliminary total of 8.49” of rain. Since records began in 1892, the city’s largest calendar day total is 11.99” (set on April 14, 1967), and the largest two-day calendar total is 14.03” (June 6-7, 2001). Given the very slow motion of the stacked low, these all-time records are conceivably within reach. A cooperative observer in Livingston, LA, reported 17.09” of rain from midnight to 3:00 pm CDT Friday. The state’s official 24-hour record is 22 inches, reported near Hackberry on August 28-29, 1962.
As the low edges westward over the next 24-48 hours, the zone of heaviest rain potential will shift toward west Louisiana and east Texas, but southeast Louisiana will remain under the gun for more downpours at least into early Saturday. The short-range HRRR model produces another 2”-6” of widespread rain over southeast Louisiana through Saturday morning, with localized totals of 8-12” not out of the question.
Both flash flooding and river flooding threats are looming large for southeast Louisiana, where flash flood warnings were in place on Friday afternoon. Major flooding has already occurred throughout the day Friday, and a flash flood emergency (the most urgent type of flash flood warning) was in effect Friday afternoon for parts of Feliciana, West Feliciana, St. Helena, and East Baton Rouge parishes, which extend roughly from Baton Rouge northward. Water rescues and evacuations were under way in this region, according to the NWS. Even if the rains ease during the weekend, the area faces a major flood threat. The Tickfaw River at Montpelier, LA, hit a record crest of 22.75 feet at 1:30 pm CDT Friday, with several more feet expected this weekend. A number of other rivers across southeast Louisiana are projected to reach all-time crests, including the Amite River, where record levels of flooding can be expected to inundate many homes and roadways on the eastern side of the Baton Rouge metro area for an extended period. [more]
Saturday, 3:20 p.m.: U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, has asked FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to "rapidly process" coming Major Disaster Declarations from state and local governments as well as request for assistance from individuals and public entities in Louisiana. His office shared a copy of the letter Richmond sent to FEMA in a news release.
"I have no doubt our state is experiencing an unprecedented event," Richmond wrote. "I anticipate our state officials, after preliminary assessments, will present a formal request for a Major Disaster Declaration by the President. Your agency, under the President's leadership, has been responsive to our requests for assistance in the past. I hope this instance will be no different."Read Richmond's full letter.
‘Hotter than hell’ heat wave causes power outage leaving nearly 1,000 Harlem residents in the dark
14
August, 2016
The
New York heat turned downright diabolical Saturday as oppressive
humidity made it feel like 110 degrees — and power outages left
some residents to swelter.
An
excessive-heat warning was extended through the weekend, with
temperatures expected to stay in the 90s — and the real-feel
continuing to bubble above 100.
In
Harlem, nearly 1,000 residents were left without power Saturday night
in an outage affecting the area between W. 145th and W. 147th Sts.
from Seventh Ave. to Eighth Ave., a Con Edison spokeswoman said.
The
utility promised to return power by 4 a.m. Sunday. And meantime, in
Fresh Meadows, Queens, customers were not expecting their air
conditioners back on until around 1 p.m. Sunday.
New
York meteorologist George Wright said a heat wave like this “only
occurs on average once a summer. (Saturday was) probably be the
worst.”
From a few days ago
From a few days ago
Sahara-Like Heat Marches North, Sparks Scores of Massive Wildfires Across Portugal
Over
the past week, Sahara Desert-like weather conditions marched north
into Spain and Portugal. This extreme, abnormal heat brought with it
a rash of severe wildfires. And, unfortunately, these
are exactly the kinds of conditions we should expect to see more and
more of as a result of human-forced climate change.
(Wildfire
consumes homes, businesses and vehicles on Madeira Island, Portugal
on August 10, 2016. Meanwhile, scores of wildfires are also burning
over the mainland. Video Source:CV.)
*****
Yesterday, the
temperature hit a hot, dry 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) just
west of Lisbon, Portugal — temperatures
more typical to the Sahara desert hundreds of miles to the south. On
any normal August day, this Atlantic coastal town would
expect to see readings around 28 C (83 F).
To
the north, a sprawling heat dome of high pressure has tucked beneath
a big jet stream wave for much of the past week. Pulled poleward by
near record-low sea ice extents, this atmospheric brute — one of a
new breed made stronger and thicker by human-forced warming of the
atmosphere — funneled in brisk winds even as it baked Portugal’s
lands and islands day after day....[ ]
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.