by faster | Jul 31, 2018 | Blog
SOURCE: Earther DATE: July 31, 2018 SNIP: July has been one for extreme heat around the world, but every locale pales in comparison to what’s going on at Death Valley in California. Already one of the hottest places on the Earth, the heat has gone into overdrive this July. Death Valley is in line to set a record for the hottest month ever recorded on Earth. Through the first 30 days of July, the average temperature there has been 108 degrees Fahrenheit. The forecast on Tuesday—the last day of the month—calls for a high of 120 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 92 degrees Fahrenheit. If that holds, Death Valley will end July with an average temperature of 107.94 degrees Fahrenheit and a place in the history books for the hottest month reliably recorded anywhere (pending official review of course). It will take the spot of… Death Valley, which set the record last year with a July average of 107.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Hell will basically have to freeze over to keep the site from beating its previous world record. July has been a month of wild heat waves that have engulfed the high Arctic, Japan, North Africa, and much of Europe. Scientists have already shown that climate change made the European heat wave more likely, and it wouldn’t be surprising in the least that the other heat waves are also linked to global warming. Rising background temperatures can amplify heat waves’ intensity and make them more common. The atmospheric setup has also helped bake in July heat in some locations, including Death Valley. The jet stream has gone wild...
by faster | Jan 18, 2018 | Blog
SOURCE: The Guardian DATE: January 18, 2018 SNIP: 2017 was the hottest year since global records began that was not given an additional boost by the natural climate cycle El Niño, according to new data. Even without an El Niño, the year was still exceptionally hot, being one of the top three ever recorded. The three main global temperature records show the global surface temperature in 2017 was 1C above levels seen in pre-industrial times, with scientists certain that humanity’s fossil fuel-burning is to blame. The data, published on Thursday, means the last three years have been the hottest trio ever seen, with 2017 ranking second or third depending on the small differences between the temperature records. Furthermore, 17 of the 18 hottest years recorded since 1850 have occurred since...
by faster | Nov 1, 2017 | Blog
SOURCE: Motherboard and Earth’s Future Open Access Journal DATE: November 1, 2017 SNIP: Think of the stickiest, record-hot summer you’ve ever experienced, whether you’re 30 or 60 years old. In 10 years or less, that miserable summer will happen every second year across most of the US and Canada, the Mediterranean, and much of Asia. By the 2030s, every second summer over almost all of the entire Northern hemisphere will be hotter than any record-setting hot summer of the past 40 years, the study found. By 2050, virtually every summer will be hotter than anything we’ve experienced to date. Record hot summers are now 70 times more likely than they were in the past 40 years over the entire Northern hemisphere, the peer-reviewed study...
by faster | Oct 3, 2017 | Blog
SOURCE: The Guardian DATE: October 3, 2017 SNIP: Even if the Paris agreement to limit the global temperature rise to below 2C is met, summer heatwaves in major Australian cities are likely to reach highs of 50C by 2040, a study published on Wednesday warns. The lead author of the study, the climate scientist Dr Sophie Lewis, said Sydney and Melbourne could expect unprecedented summer temperatures of 50C under two degrees of global warming. Governments needed to start thinking about how the public transport system would cope during peak hour in extreme temperatures, how emergency departments would respond to increased demand from elderly people and others vulnerable to heatstroke, and how energy requirements would be met during peak temperatures, she said. “I don’t think we have any plans in place that would be adequate to withstand days of 50 degrees and it is another urgent warning to our leaders and all levels of government that we need a strong plan to cut commissions and deal with climate...
by faster | Aug 3, 2017 | Blog
SOURCE: Washington Post DATE: Aug 3, 2017 SNIP: The average temperature in Death Valley last month was a stifling, suffocating 107.4 degrees. It was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States, and the second-hottest in the world — by just a fraction of a degree. The temperature didn’t fall below 89 degrees at any point in the month of July at Death Valley. On three nights, the “low” temperature was 102-103 degrees. The record-hot month in Death Valley adds to a growing group of locations to set all-time heat records this summer around the Northern...
