Topic: Around the Globe in Real Time

[Michael]

They have really GOT to replace that automated/computerized voice --- it lends an eeriness in an already eerie circumstance.

Add: Ok, it's official. We're now in the Warning area. I guess I knew that as soon as I saw the darkness.  The reporting sucks!

Hang in the Niche!
Ask that thing to go around.

[Nichi]

The tornado didn't come through, but the rain did! Mega-heavy. (We needed it.)

I thought I'd do some "rain-collecting", and put a bucket under one of the gutter-spouts. As I turned to go in the house, I looked back at the bucket, which was already full, in a matter of those seconds: that's how heavy the rain was. 

The back porch/patio was completely immersed, and taking cover on the porch was a very wet bird. He looked quite rattled - species unknown. (Maybe he got blown in off his usual track.)

[Nichi]

Thousands trapped by Pakistan floods; 900 dead

Riaz Khan, Associated Press Writer   – 42 mins ago

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Rescue workers struggled Sunday to save more than 27,000 people still trapped by massive flooding in Pakistan's northwest that has killed over 900 people and destroyed thousands of homes, officials said.

The effort has been aided by a slackening of the monsoon rains that have caused the worst flooding in decades in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province. But as flood waters have started to recede, authorities have begun to understand the full scale of the disaster.

"Aerial monitoring is being conducted, and it has shown that whole villages have washed away, animals have drowned and grain storages have washed away," said Latifur Rehman, spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. "The destruction is massive and devastating."

The death toll from the flooding has risen to 903 people, said Mujahid Khan, the head of rescue services for the Edhi Foundation, a private charity. The worst hit areas have been the districts of Swat and Shangla, where more than 400 people have died, he said.

The disaster comes as the residents of Swat are still trying to recover from a major battle between the army and the Taliban last spring that caused widespread destruction and drove some 2 million people from their homes. About a million of those people are still displaced.

Authorities have deployed 43 military helicopters and over 100 boats to try to rescue some 27,300 people still trapped by the floods, said Rehman, the disaster management spokesman. At least 115 people are still reported missing in Swat and Shangla, he said.

As rivers swelled in the northwest, people sought ever-shrinking high ground or grasped for trees and fences to avoid getting swept away. Buildings simply crumbled into the raging river in Kalam, a town in the northern part of the Swat Valley, local TV showed.

"All efforts are being used to rescue people stuck in inaccessible areas and all possible help is being provided to affected people," said Rehman.

But some residents stepped up their criticism of the government's response on Sunday.

"The flood has devastated us all, and I don't know where my family has gone," said Hakimullah Khan, a resident of Charsadda town who complained the government has not helped him search for his missing wife and three children.

"Water is all around and there is no help in sight," said Khan.

The military has deployed 30,000 army troops who had evacuated 19,000 trapped people by Saturday night, said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas.

But the scale of the disaster has strained the resources of a government already grappling with a faltering economy and a brutal war against the Taliban.

Even people like Sehar Ali Shah who were rescued by the government complained that authorities didn't provide shelter that would allow them to stay until the flood waters receded.

"My son drowned, but I don't see the government taking care of us," said Shah after returning to his half-submerged house in the city of Nowshera. "The government has not managed an alternate place to shift us."

Authorities have recovered more than 400 bodies from Swat and Shangla, but the collection effort has been hampered by mud and debris from destroyed houses, said Khan, the Edhi Foundation representative.

The floods have caused an acute shortage of fruits and vegetables in the northwest because many of the hardest hit areas were the key centers of production, said Khan.

The threat of disease loomed as well as some evacuees arrived in camps with fever, diarrhea and skin problems.

"There is now a real danger of the spread of waterborne diseases like diarrhea, asthma, skin allergies and perhaps cholera in these areas," said Shaharyar Bangash, the head of operations in Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa for World Vision, a major international humanitarian group.

A variety of nations and aid organizations have begun to mobilize a response to the flood disaster.

The U.S. delivered thousands of food packages, four rescue boats and two water filtration units to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said Rehman, the group's spokesman.

"This is much needed stuff in the flood-affected areas and we need more of it from the international community," said Rehman.

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has also announced it will provide 12 prefabricated steel bridges to temporarily replace some of the spans damaged by the water.

But some residents wondered how they would ever recover from such a disaster.

"I won't be able to cover my losses for 10 years," said Shair Dad, a timber shop owner in Nowshera who lost most of his wood in the floodwaters.

[Nichi]

Palestine records its hottest temperature in history

The State of Palestine, the portion of the territories occupied by Israel that declared independence in 1988, recorded its hottest temperature since record keeping began on August 7, 2010, when the temperature hit 51.4°C (124.5°F) at Kibbutz Almog (also called Qalya or Kalya) in the Jordan Valley. The previous record for Palestine was set on June 22, 1942, at the same location.

Palestine was the 4th nation to set an all-time hottest temperature in history record this month, and the 18th to set such a record this year. There has also been one nation (Guinea) that set an all-time coldest temperature in history record this year. Note that many countries, including the U.S., do not recognize Palestine as a nation, though 110 countries do recognize it. Here's the updated list of nations or semi-independent islands or territories that have set all-time heat or cold records this year:

National heat records set in 2010

Palestine, the portion of the territories occupied by Israel that declared independence in 1988, recorded its hottest temperature since record keeping began on August 7, 2010, when the temperature hit 51.4°C (124.5°F) at Kibbutz Almog (also called Qalya or Kalya) in the Jordan Valley. The previous record for Palestine was set on June 22, 1942, at the same location.

Belarus recorded its hottest temperature in its history on August 6, 2010, when the mercury hit 38.7°C (101.7°F) in Gorky. The previous record was 38.0°C (100.4°F) set at Vasiliyevichy on Aug. 20, 1946.

Ukraine tied its record for hottest temperature in its history when the mercury hit 41.3°C (106.3°F) at Lukhansk on August 1, 2010. Ukraine also reached 41.3°C on July 20 and 21, 2007, at Voznesensk.

Cyprus recorded its hottest temperature in its history on August 1, 2010 when the mercury hit 46.6°C (115.9°F) at Lefconica. The old record for Cyprus was 44.4°C (111.9°F) at Lefkosia in August 1956. An older record of 46.6°C from July 1888 was reported from Nicosia, but is of questionable reliability.

Finland recorded its hottest temperature on July 29, 2010, when the mercury hit 99°F (37.2°C) at Joensuu. The old (undisputed) record was 95°F (35°C) at Jyvaskyla on July 9, 1914.

Qatar had its hottest temperature in history on July 14, 2010, when the mercury hit 50.4°C (122.7°F) at Doha Airport.

Russia had its hottest temperature in history on July 11, when the mercury rose to 44.0°C (111.2°F) in Yashkul, Kalmykia Republic, in the European portion of Russia near the Kazakhstan border. The previous hottest temperature in Russia (not including the former Soviet republics) was the 43.8°C (110.8°F) reading measured at Alexander Gaj, Kalmykia Republic, on August 6, 1940. The remarkable heat in Russia this year has not been limited just to the European portion of the country--the Asian portion of Russia also recorded its hottest temperature in history this year, a 42.7°C (108.9°F) reading at Kara, in the Chita Republic on June 24. The 42.3°C (108.1°F) reading on June 25 at Belogorsk, near the Amur River border with China, also beat the old record for the Asian portion of Russia. The previous record for the Asian portion of Russia was 41.7°C (107.1°F) at Aksha on July 21, 2004.

Sudan recorded its hottest temperature in its history on June 25 when the mercury rose to 49.6°C (121.3°F) at Dongola. The previous record was 49.5°C (121.1°F) set in July 1987 in Aba Hamed.

Niger tied its record for hottest day in history on June 22, 2010, when the temperature reached 47.1°C (116.8°F) at Bilma. That record stood for just one day, as Bilma broke the record again on June 23, when the mercury topped out at 48.2°C (118.8°F). The previous record was 47.1°C on May 24, 1998, also at Bilma.

Saudi Arabia had its hottest temperature ever on June 22, 2010, with a reading of 52.0°C (125.6°F) in Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. The previous record was 51.7°C (125.1°F), at Abqaiq, date unknown. The record heat was accompanied by a sandstorm, which caused eight power plants to go offline, resulting in blackouts to several Saudi cities.

Chad had its hottest day in history on June 22, 2010, when the temperature reached 47.6°C (117.7°F) at Faya. The previous record was 47.4°C (117.3°F) at Faya on June 3 and June 9, 1961.

Kuwait recorded its hottest temperature in history on June 15 in Abdaly, according to the Kuwait Met office. The mercury hit 52.6°C (126.7°F). Kuwait's previous all-time hottest temperature was 51.9°C (125.4°F), on July 27,2007, at Abdaly. Temperatures reached 51°C (123.8°F) in the capital of Kuwait City on June 15, 2010.

Iraq had its hottest day in history on June 14, 2010, when the mercury hit 52.0°C (125.6°F) in Basra. Iraq's previous record was 51.7°C (125.1°F) set August 8, 1937, in Ash Shu'aybah.

Pakistan had its hottest temperature in history on May 26, when the mercury hit an astonishing 53.5°C (128.3°F) at the town of MohenjuDaro, according to the Pakistani Meteorological Department. While this temperature reading must be reviewed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for authenticity, not only is the 128.3°F reading the hottest temperature ever recorded in Pakistan, it is the hottest reliably measured temperature ever recorded on the continent of Asia.

Myanmar (Burma) had its hottest temperature in its recorded history on May 12, when the mercury hit 47°C (116.6°F) in Myinmu, according to the Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. Myanmar's previous hottest temperature was 45.8°C (114.4°F) at Minbu, Magwe division on May 9, 1998. According to Chris Burt, author of the authoritative weather records book Extreme Weather, the 47°C measured this year is the hottest temperature in Southeast Asia history.

Ascention Island (St. Helena, a U.K. Territory) had its hottest temperature in history on March 25, 2010, when the mercury hit 34.9°C (94.8°C) at Georgetown. The previous record was 34.0°C (93.2°F) at Georgetown in April 2003, exact day unknown.

The Solomon Islands had their hottest temperature in history on February 1, 2010, when the mercury hit 36.1°C (97°F) at Lata Nendo (Ndeni). The previous record for Solomon Islands was 35.6°C (96.0°F) at Honaiara, date unknown.

Colombia had its hottest temperature in history on January 24, 2010, when Puerto Salgar hit 42.3°C (108°F). The previous record was 42.0°C (107.6°F) at El Salto in March 1988 (exact day unknown).

National cold records set in 2010
One nation has set a record for its coldest temperature in history in 2010. Guinea had its coldest temperature in history in January 9, 2010, when the mercury hit 1.4°C (34.5°F) at Mali-ville in the Labe region.

Commentary

The period January - July was the warmest such 7-month period in the planet's history, and temperatures over Earth's land regions were at record highs in May, June, and July, according to the National Climatic Data Center. It is not a surprise that many all-time extreme heat records are being shattered when the planet as a whole is so warm. Global warming "loads the dice" to favor extreme heat events unprecedented in recorded history. In fact, it may be more appropriate to say that global warming adds more spots on the dice--it used to be possible to roll no higher than double sixes, and now it is possible to roll a thirteen.

The year 2010 now has the most national extreme heat records for a single year--eighteen. These nations comprise 19% of the total land area of Earth. This is the largest area of Earth's surface to experience all-time record high temperatures in any single year in the historical record. Looking back at the past decade, which was the hottest decade in the historical record, seventy-five counties set extreme hottest temperature records (33% of all countries.) For comparison, fifteen countries set extreme coldest temperature records over the past ten years (6% of all countries). My source for extreme weather records is the excellent book Extreme Weather by Chris Burt. His new updates (not yet published) remove a number of old disputed records. Keep in mind that the matter of determining extreme records is very difficult, and it is often a judgment call as to whether an old record is reliable or not. For example, one of 2007's fifteen extreme hottest national temperature records (good for 2nd place behind 2010 for most extreme heat records) is for the U.S.--the 129°F recorded at Death Valley that year. Most weather record books list 1913 as the year the hottest temperature in the U.S. occurred, when Greenland Ranch in Death Valley hit 134°F. However, as explained in a recent Weatherwise article, that record is questionable, since it occurred during a sandstorm when hot sand may have wedged against the thermometer, artificially inflating the temperature. Mr. Burt's list of 225 countries with extreme heat records includes islands that are not independent countries, such as Puerto Rico and Greenland. I thank Mr. Burt and weather record researchers Maximiliano Herrera and Howard Rainford for their assistance identifying this year's new extreme temperature records.

Pakistan's monsoon set to enter a heavy phase; Indus River flood crest peaking near the coast

The flooding on Pakistan's largest river, the Indus, has slowly eased along the upper and middle stretches where most of the heavy monsoon rains fell in late July and early August. However, a pulse of flood waters from these heavy rains has arrived at the coast, and flood heights have risen to all-time record levels today at the Indus river gauge station nearest to the coast, Kotri. The new flooding has forced new evacuations of hundreds of thousands of people in southern Pakistan over the past two days. Flood heights at every monitoring station along the Indus have been the highest or almost the highest since records began in 1947. The monsoon has been in a weak to moderate phase over the past three days, but is expected to enter a heavy phase once again Tuesday through Thursday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1585
Jeff Masters

[Michael]

There you go - the proof is in the pudding. We'll all be cooked.

Mohenjudaro, currently flooded and possibly destroyed forever, is not a town - it's an archaeological dig of the one of the oldest cities in the world.

[Builder]

...but we have known that for years (or aeons, or even...always?), haven't we...?

Human condition - separateness of what you know, what you believe and what you feel.

[Nichi]

...but we have known that for years (or aeons, or even...always?), haven't we...?

Yes, we have.

[Nichi]

Anniversary of Katrina - Mississippi footage made by some storm-chasers.

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-Kou0HBpX4A/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Kou0HBpX4A"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Kou0HBpX4A?fs=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/-Kou0HBpX4A?fs=1</a>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kou0HBpX4A

[Nichi]

Apologies for being Atlantic-centric over the past few months: I've been distracted by the BP thing and the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season. In keeping with that orientation, however, I share this from Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground:

This morning is just the second time in recorded history that two simultaneous Category 4 or stronger storms [Igor and Julia] have occurred in the Atlantic. The only other occurrence was in 1926.

[Nichi]

Comparative Photography: River of Ice

[Michael]

spooky

[Builder]

California heat wave gives downtown Los Angeles an all-time record high temperature

By John Antczak (CP) – 3 hours ago

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — California's blistering fall heat wave sent temperatures to an all-time record high of 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius) in downtown Los Angeles, and many sought refuge at the beach or in the shade.

Downtown hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius) Monday for a few minutes at about 12:15 p.m. local time, breaking the old all-time record of 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44 Celsius) set on June 26, 1990, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist at the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. Temperature records for downtown date to 1877.

The historic mark was part of an onslaught of temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in many cities ranging from Anaheim, home of Disneyland, to San Luis Obispo on the usually balmy Central Coast. Many records were set or tied.

Firefighters carried heavy hoses up hills to battle a small but persistent brush fire west of Los Angeles in Thousand Oaks while other workers in less strenuous jobs also struggled through the day.

The giant Los Angeles Unified School District cancelled all outdoor activities, including sports competitions and practices.

Thousands of heat-related power outages were reported.

More than 30,000 Southern California Edison customers were without power at 8 p.m. Monday, spokeswoman Mashi Nyssen said. Some of the cities affected include Santa Monica, Compton, Whittier and West Hollywood in Los Angeles County and Santa Ana, Fullerton and Huntington Beach in Orange County.

About 5,400 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers were without electricity at 6:30 p.m., DWP spokeswoman Gale Harris said. The utility Monday recorded its highest-ever demand for electricity, with a peak demand of 6,177 megawatts by 3:45 p.m. That broke the previous record of 6,165 megawatts on July 24, 2006, Harris said.

Some people were able to seek relief at the beaches — though not in the hundreds of thousands who turned out over the weekend as the heat wave built.

The city of Los Angeles urged people to use Parks and Recreation facilities, senior centres and libraries as cooling centres.

Umbrellas were the necessary accessory for many women venturing along sizzling sidewalks.

The heat didn't keep tourists from snapping pictures of the Walk of Fame stars on the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk, but Don Macfarlane, 59, of Melbourne, Australia, said he would rather have been at the beach.

"I expected this part of the world to be fairly warm, but not quite this warm," he said.

It felt like an oven to Dilia Rosada, 24, a lawyer from the Dominican Republic who was in Los Angeles to meet her fiance's family.

"We thought it was going to be normal hot, but this is hotter than our country," she said.

The National Weather Service said the siege of dry heat was being caused by a ridge of high pressure over the West that was keeping the Pacific Ocean's normal moist and cool influence at bay.

Firefighters were on alert for wildfires, but there was little wind amid the onslaught of dry heat.

Red Flag warnings for fire danger were posted in some areas, but mostly due to the withering effect on vegetation alone rather than the dangerous combination of low humidity and offshore winds. Air movement remained breezy at best rather than forming the gusty Santa Ana winds linked to destructive wildfires.

The early fall blast of intense heat follows an unusually cool summer that often found beaches covered in overcast and whipped by chilly winds.

The 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius) registered in downtown Los Angeles would not be all that remarkable in the populous inland valleys and deserts of Southern California — the highest temperature recorded in Los Angeles County was 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48 Celsius) in the San Fernando Valley community of Woodland Hills on July 22, 2006 — but downtown's highs are typically well below those areas.

The National Weather Service said the siege of dry heat was being caused by a ridge of high pressure over the West that was keeping the Pacific Ocean's normal moist and cool influence at bay.

Conditions were expected to remain hot Tuesday but not as extreme. Forecasters said the ridge would drift east and allow some cooling through the end of the week, with moist air flowing from the southeast creating the possibility of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday through Friday.

___

Associated Press writers Raquel Maria Dillon, Jacob Adelman and Robert Jablon contributed to this report.

[Quantum Shaman]

Yup, it's pretty weird here, and "hot" would be an understatement.  We were at an outdoor festival in Vista (near San Diego) over the weekend, with temps over 100 both days.  Today we're going into Los Angeles on business, where the forecast is calling for another day of 100+ (farenheit).  I've lived in Calfornia since 1979, and can't recall it EVER being this hot this late into September.

Any of you weather witches want to do a rain dance?  A cooling spell?  Heh.

[Nichi]

Oh, that's hot for there!

[Builder]

Any of you weather witches want to do a rain dance?  A cooling spell?  Heh.

I can do either refrigerator or air conditioner dance. The refrigerator dance is more artistic.