Topline
Dramatic weather events have hit various parts of the world this week, ranging from extreme flooding in India and Vermont to record-breaking temperatures in the southwest to record-breaking water temperatures in Florida, as climate change continues to show how it will challenge norms on Earth; here’s a round-up of what’s happened.
This image made from drone footage provided by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets … [+]
Key Facts
Flood waters from torrential rains pushing the Yamuna river to record-breaking levels in Delhi—India’s capital city—have closed schools and roads, taken over homes, closed three water treatment plants, and led to evacuation orders; this year’s monsoon season in India has killed at least 91 people, the New York Times reported.
Vermont was under a state of emergency earlier this week as rainfall was expected to exceed what was seen during Hurricane Irene in 2011 and more than 100 people were rescued by Tuesday morning, at which point Gov. Phil Scott said the extent of the storm’s damage was unclear, but roads had been washed out and thousands of people had lost homes and businesses.
In New York, some counties were also under extreme weather watches and faced severe flooding leading Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency in Orange County, New York. where one woman died after being swept away by rapid waters; Hochul called the extreme rainfall a “1-in-1,000-year weather event” caused by climate change.
Ocean temperatures off the coast of Florida hit “exceptional” temperatures—near 97 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday—introducing the risk of bleaching the area’s coral reefs, meaning they turn white and expel algae until they starve to death, CNN reported; Jeff Berardelli, chief meteorologist and climate specialist for WFLA-TV, tweeted that “very shallow water in Everglades Nat’l Park” hit 98.1 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours on Wednesday, “reaching a whole new level” of heat.
A tornado touched down near O’Hare International Airport in Chicago Wednesday night before making its way through suburbs, canceling or delaying more than 600 flights and causing more than 10,000 people in the area to lose power, the Associated Press reported.
Wildfires in Canada are continuing to burn, leading to the country’s worst fire season in modern history as more than 20 million acres have burned and hazardous smoke has lingered over parts of the U.S., NPR reported; in addition to the fires, the Washington Post reported Canada saw a record-high temperature Saturday when the highest temperature ever measured in the Northwest Territories—100 degrees Farenheit—was reached.
Similar to Canada, heat records are happening all across the U.S. as almost 110 million Americans are under heat advisories: On Wednesday, the National Weather Service put parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona under excessive heat warning—temperatures in Phoenix are expected to reach 118 degrees on Saturday and Sunday—and parts of northern California under excessive heat watch, while heat advisories were in effect in Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas.
A woman watches a large bird fly over Tempe Town Lake during a recording-breaking heat wave on July … [+]
Tangent
NASA announced Thursday that June 2023 was officially the hottest June on record. NASA looked at data collected from weather stations, Antarctic research stations, and instruments on ships and ocean buoys to determine that the month was record-breaking. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information also determined June 2023 to be the warmest June in their records, as well, NASA said in a release. The previous record was set in June 2020, but this past June was .23 of a degree warmer, according to the NOAA. Last month was also the 47th-consecutive June and the 532nd-consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th-century average.
Surprising Fact
As much of the world is hitting record highs, it’s not the case everywhere. Sea ice levels in Antarctica hit record low levels last month—in the hottest June on record—the World Meteorological Organization announced this week, saying sea ice levels were 17% below average, their lowest since satellite observations began, Reuters reported. The record lows came ahead of the expected increase in temperature due to El Nino, which will likely increase temperatures on land and in the oceans.
Big Number
30. That’s how many U.S. cities since June 1 have broken a daily heat record, according to a Forbes tracker. With records being broken from Hartford, Connecticut to St. Louis to Tucson, Arizona and many places in between, this summer is proving to be one of the hottest nationwide.
What To Watch For
More cities to break daily heat records. NWS forecasters think temperatures in Las Vegas will tie the city’s daily record Saturday at 114 degrees, and break the daily record on Sunday and Monday when it’s expected to hit 116 degrees.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/07/13/tornadoes-floods-and-scorching-heat—heres-all-the-extreme-weather-that-occurred-just-in-the-past-week/