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☆ 2024 will probably be hotter than this year because of El Niño, NASA scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels, is unequivocally warming the Earth’s temperature, NASA scientists said. “It’s really only just emerged, and so what we’re seeing is not really due to that El Niño,” Schmidt told reporters. But, he added, it is likely that a sweltering 2024 will exceed it, precisely because of El Niño’s influence. “We anticipate that 2024 is going to be an even warmer year because we’re going to be starting off with that El Niño event,” Schmidt said. “This issue with ocean temperature is not a problem that stays in the ocean – it affects everything else.” Castillo noted hotter ocean temperatures can make hurricanes stronger and make ocean levels rice due to glacial melt.

Persons: El Niño, Gavin Schmidt, “ It’s, El, ” Schmidt, Schmidt, we’re, ”, Carlos Del Castillo, ” Castillo Organizations: CNN, Hemisphere – NASA, El, NASA, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Service, ”, NASA’s, Ecology Laboratory Locations: South, Europe, Atlantic

☆ Oppenheimer's famous quote 'I am become Death' isn't really his. The ominous words come from Hindu scripture.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

J. Robert Oppenheimer watched the first atom bomb explode and thought, "Now I am become Death." That's right," Alan Robock, a climatologist and leading expert on nuclear winter, told Insider. The mushroom cloud of the Trinity nuclear test rises over the New Mexico desert. It was the first atom bomb explosion, ever. Similarly, the new film grapples with the question of how much Oppenheimer was (or wasn't) responsible for how the US used the atom bomb, and for the people it killed.

Persons: Robert Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer, Vishnu, —, Alan Robock, Christopher Nolan's, Prince, Kenneth Bainbridge, Rev, Stephen Thompson, Gita, Leslie Groves, J, Arjuna, Lord Krishna, Krishna, Thompson Organizations: NBC, Service, Manhattan, Trinity, National Security Research, Trinity Test, Wired Locations: Wall, Silicon, New Mexico, Hiroshima, Nagasaki

☆ World hits record land, sea temperatures as climate change fuels 2023 extremes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Sea temperatures also broke April and May records. Global average sea surface temperatures hit 21C in late March and have remained at record levels for the time of year throughout April and May. Australia's weather agency warned that Pacific and Indian ocean sea temperatures could be 3C warmer than normal by October. Though this year's high sea temperatures are caused by a "perfect combination" of circumstances, the ecological impact could endure, she said. The Worldwide Fund for Nature, however, warned of a "worrying lack of momentum" during climate talks in Bonn this month, with little progress made on key issues like fossil fuels and finance ahead of November's COP28 climate talks in Dubai.

Persons: Cpl Marc, Andre Leclerc, Kerry, Sarah Perkins, Kirkpatrick, Piers Forster, El Nino, Annalisa Bracco, Li Shuo, John Kerry, Li, David Stanway, Ali Withers, Gloria Dickie, Jamie Freed Organizations: Canadian Forces, REUTERS, EU, Australia's University of New, U.S ., World Meteorological Organization, El Nino, University of Leeds, Georgia Institute of Technology, DUBAI, The, Nature, Thomson Locations: Mistissini, Quebec, Canada, Beijing, SINGAPORE, Bonn, Australia's University of New South Wales, United States, North America, U.S . East Coast, India, Spain, Iran, Vietnam, Paris, 1.5C, California, Africa, November's, Dubai, China, Copenhagen, London

☆ Climate nears point of no return as land, sea temperatures break records, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Persons: Kerry, Sarah Perkins, Kirkpatrick, Piers Forster, El Nino, Annalisa Bracco, Li Shuo, John Kerry, Li, David Stanway, Ali Withers, Gloria Dickie, Jamie Freed Organizations: EU, Australia's University of New, U.S ., World Meteorological Organization, El Nino, University of Leeds, Georgia Institute of Technology, DUBAI, The, Nature, Thomson Locations: Beijing, SINGAPORE, Bonn, Australia's University of New South Wales, United States, North America, Canada, U.S . East Coast, India, Spain, Iran, Vietnam, Paris, 1.5C, California, Africa, November's, Dubai, China, Copenhagen, London

☆ Texas heat is not letting up at night
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Evan Bush | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The heat wave in Texas has offered little reprieve. Heat at night disrupts sleep and prevents the body from recovering and cooling down, making minimum temperatures a critical indicator of a heat wave's severity, experts said. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said temperatures during this heat wave in the state have threatened records at both ends of the spectrum — including maximums and minimums — in its urban centers. Ebi said the high nighttime temperatures and the prolonged nature of the Texas heat wave are particularly concerning. "A very small percentage of death certificates during a heat wave put down, 'heat' as an underlying cause," Ebi, who studies heat deaths, adding that about half of excess deaths, on average, are from cardiovascular diseases.

Persons: Del, Ben Zaitchik, John Nielsen, Gammon, We've, Kristie, Ebi, Everything's, Nielsen, We're Organizations: National Weather Service, Johns Hopkins University, Nielsen, Center for Health, Global, University of Washington Locations: Texas, Del Rio, San Antonio, Houston, Midland, San Angelo

☆ Four alarming charts that show just how extreme the climate is right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Record high levels of carbon pollution in the atmosphere and record low levels of Antarctic ice. Several all-time heat records were also broken earlier this month in Siberia, as temperatures shot up above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2022, the world’s oceans broke heat records for the fourth year in a row. In late February, Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent since records began in the 1970s, at 691,000 square miles. The decline in sea ice also poses severe harm to the continent’s species, including penguins who rely on sea ice for feeding and hatching eggs.

Persons: Brian McNoldy, vZ9eKEs22b, we’re, ” Jennifer Marlon, “ We’ve, – we’ve, Ted Scambos, “ We’re, Phil Reid, El, Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, “, El Niño, ” Herrera, ” Scambos, Reid, Scambos, there’s, Rick Spinrad, ” Organizations: CNN, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Yale School of, University of Colorado -, National Weather Service, Australian, of Meteorology, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic, NOAA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, Industrial Locations: University of Colorado - Boulder, Canada, United States, Siberia, Central America, Texas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Asia, China, El, California, Pacific, San Diego

☆ Temperatures have reached 100 degrees in Siberia amid its 'worst heat wave in history'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Dozens of heat records have fallen in Siberia, as temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius). Last Saturday, temperatures reached 37.9 degrees Celsius (100.2 Fahrenheit) in Jalturovosk, its hottest day in history, according to the climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, who tracks extreme temperatures across the globe. Several all-time heat records were broken on Wednesday, including in Baevo, which reached 39.6 degrees Celsius (103.3 Fahrenheit), and Barnaul, which hit 38.5 degrees Celsius (101.3 Fahrenheit). Some of these stations have between five and seven decades of temperature recordings, Herrera told CNN. On Wednesday, temperatures of more than 45 degrees Celsius (111.2 Fahrenheit) were recorded in China, 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) in Uzbekistan and 41 degrees Celsius (105.8) in Kazakhstan.

Persons: Maximiliano Herrera, Herrera, ”, ” Herrera, ” Omar Baddour, Samantha Burgess, Canada –, It’s Organizations: CNN, Twitter, “ Records, Tomsk, World Meteorological Organization, Northern Locations: Siberia, Jalturovosk, Baevo, Asia, China, India, Northern Hemisphere, Canada, Central Asia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

The average May temperature in Hanoi is 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit). “Which is why a humid heat wave is more dangerous than a dry heat wave,” she told CNN. This is above a threshold considered dangerous, especially for people with health problems or those not used to extreme heat. In Thailand, 20 days in April and at least 10 days in May reached feels-like temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit). Throughout April and May, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia all had several days with potential to cause extreme heat stress.

Persons: ”, ” Phong, Dinh Van Hung, ” Dinh, Nhac Nguyen, Maximiliano Herrera, Herrera, Mariam Zachariah, Cyclone Mocha, ” Zachariah, Chaya Vaddhanaphuti, ” Emmanuel Raju, ” Raju, Madaree Tohlala, “ Nui, “, ” Nui, Andre Malerba, Chaya, –, Chintanaphone, Boua Seng, Lobia Yaw, Thongsouk, hasn’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Getty, ” Workers, Imperial College London, WWA, Chiang Mai University, Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research, Labour Organization, Farmers, Weather, Lao Farmer Network Locations: Hong Kong, Hanoi, Vietnam, Dong Da district, “, Hanoi , Vietnam, AFP, Dinh, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Asia, Thai, Narathiwat, Bangkok, ”

☆ Before Smartphones and the National Weather Service, There Was Grandma’s Knee
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I thought my grandmother was psychic. My grandmother looked down and began to vigorously massage her knees, like a soothsayer rubs a crystal ball. Before humans became reliant on technology, we used our senses — including observing animal behavior and shapes of clouds — to help predict the weather. “People started to either pass these on verbally or, as civilization started to evolve more, people would start writing these things down,” he said. Sandi Duncan, the managing editor of Farmers’ Almanac, where weather lore is still regularly discussed, likened passing down weather lore over time to a game of telephone, adding that some of it may have been changed in order to rhyme.

☆ Hurricanes of Data: The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Porter Fox | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +35 min

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea Shortly after dawn on Sept. 30, 2021, Richard Jenkins watched a Category 4 hurricane overrun his life’s work. That August, a sister ship, SD 1031, successfully entered Tropical Storm Henri, but only in its early stages. Hurricane research, modeling and forecasting requires many terabytes of data for every square mile the storm passes through, including vitally important sea-level data from inside a storm. The next day, the depression was upgraded to a tropical storm and officially given the name Sam. And four months later, Tropical Storm Megi killed more than 150, wiped out several villages with landslides and displaced more than a million people.

Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have endured five failed consecutive rainy seasons since October 2020, with aid groups labeling it 'the worst drought in 40 years'. "Climate change has made this drought exceptional," said Joyce Kimutai, a climate scientist with the Kenya Meteorological Department who worked with WWA to tease out climate change's role. Unlike with extreme heat and heavy rainfall, scientists have a harder time pinning down climate change's contribution to droughts around the world. Using computer models and climate observations, the WWA team determined climate change had made the Horn of Africa's long rains from March through May twice as likely to underdeliver, and the short rains from October through December wetter. In addition to less rain falling on the Horn, a warming climate means more water is evaporating from soil and transpiring from plants into the atmosphere.

April 25 (Reuters) - Most of the vast, scenic valley at the heart of Yosemite National Park in California will close to visitors this weekend in a rare shutdown prompted by forecasts of floods from rapid snowmelt. The closure will start at 10 p.m. on Friday and last at least until Wednesday, May 3, possibly longer, depending on how swiftly melting mountain snow runs off into the Merced River through Yosemite Valley, the National Park Service said on Tuesday. About 100 miles to the north, the Merced River at the Pohono Bridge at the west end of the Yosemite Valley was forecast to top flood stage late this week, the park service said. The vast glacial Yosemite valley received a record 40 inches of snow during the winter, prompting the closure of the entire park to the public on Feb. 25 for three weeks. That shutdown marked one of the longest and most expansive weather-related closures in the park, according to park spokeswoman Nancy Phillipe.

In Southeast Asia, some countries posted their highest ever recorded temperatures this week, while searing heat in the Indian subcontinent has killed more than a dozen people. Neighboring Myanmar set an April temperature record on Monday as Kalewa, in central Sagaing region, reached 44°C (111°F), Herrera tweeted. April and May are typically the hottest months of the year for South and Southeast Asia as temperatures rise before monsoon rains begin and bring some relief. On Monday, more than 100 weather stations in 12 provinces broke their April temperature record, according to climatologist Jim Yang. Extremely hot temperatures across South and Southeast Asia are expected to continue.

☆ As summer heat looms, Japan urged to curb impact, emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Stanislav Kogiku | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesTemperatures are rising in Japan and summer is coming fast. "The risks from climate change are right before us," said Yasuaki Hijioka, deputy director of the Center for Climate Change Adaptation at the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, northeast of Tokyo. But climate change means communities are often caught off guard because the systems were engineered for the weather conditions of the past. The warming weather can also hold more moisture, adding flooding and landslides to the summer forecast, something that Japan has also seen with growing frequency. "We need to view climate change as a natural disaster."

☆ An ominous-looking shelf cloud descended over Chicago, EarthCam footage shows, bringing severe winds up to 60 mph
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Chris Panella | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An imposing, ominous shelf cloud was spotted in the skies above Chicago. Video shows the cloud moving through the city, bringing strong winds up to 60 mph with it. If you see one of these apocalyptic-looking shelf clouds coming toward you, it's important to seek shelter, Wysocki said. The National Weather Service of Chicago said the area was experiencing severe weather threats throughout this morning, with strong winds and rains. Derek Van Dam, a CNN meteorologist, tweeted that the "powerful" shelf cloud brought wind gusts of up to 60 mph to Chicago.

☆ Italy's ski industry fires cannon against climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Stefano Bernabei | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/7] Skiers pass on an artificial snow slope as end of the ski season nears, in Monte Cimone, Italy, March 31, 2023. "The ski-lifts were closed, the ski instructors and seasonal workers had nothing to do and we lost 40% of our revenue for the whole season," said Luciano Magnani, head of the local consortium of ski tourism operators. Some 90% of Italy's pistes rely on artificial snow, compared with 70% in Austria, 50% in Switzerland and 39% in France, according to data from Italian Green lobby Legambiente. Italy's ski sector directly or indirectly employs 400,000 people and generates turnover of 11 billion euros ($11.92 billion), according to Anef data, equal to about 0.5% of national output. Some economists and climatologists argue that trying to keep low-altitude ski resorts in business is destined to fail, and snow-making merely delays the inevitable.

☆ Europe drought: This once-thriving lake has all but dried up -- a story repeated across Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

While in the United States, the snow and rain that have pummeled California have helped fill reservoirs and ease unrelenting drought, winter has been far from kind to many parts of Europe. A buoy is seen on the banks of the partially dry Lake Montbel as France faces a record winter dry spell. “Lake Montbel remains at an abnormally low level,” Franck Solacroup, the regional director of the Adour-Garonne Water Agency, which covers the area that includes Lake Montbel, told CNN. Farmers like Rouquet, who rely on the lake, are having to make tough decisions on what to grow. “This is the most extreme winter in terms of low snow cover,” she told CNN.

☆ 'The grass does not grow': In Chile's far south, the worst drought in 50 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view of parched earth as a wetland is drying up, in Punta Arenas, Chile February 2, 2023. In the far south city of Punta Arenas, that has led to a water emergency declared last year. "In 2022 Punta Arenas had its driest year in 52 years," said Nicolas Butorovic, a climatologist from the regional University of Magallanes. "The wind picks up and dries everything and the grass does not grow, that is the drama we're facing," said Hector Garay, a livestock farmer in the region. "If there is no irrigation water, water from rain, the grass does not grow.

☆ You Call That Snow?! See How This Winter Stacks Up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Francesca Paris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

If so, you’re not alone: It has been a dreary winter for children hoping for snow days and grown-up snow enthusiasts alike on the East Coast. More than 50 years of snowfall in … Interactive line chart showing cumulative snowfall for each winter season over 50 years, as well as the median snowfall for all seasons. Line chart showing Philadelphia’s cumulative snowfall for each winter season over 50 years. Loading dataLine chart showing Boston’s cumulative snowfall for each winter season over 50 years. Milwaukee Pittsburgh Providence, R.I. Pueblo, Colo. Richmond, Va. Rockford, Ill. St. Louis Topeka, Kan. About normal snow Anchorage Boise, Idaho Colorado Springs Columbia, Mo.

☆ California floods underscore rising climate costs: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Catastrophic storms have devastated the Golden State’s economy and left more than $1 bln in damages. In this Exchange podcast, climatologist Adam Smith explains how global warming has made weather events more expensive, and what governments can do to protect against them. Listen to the podcastFollow @BenWinck on TwitterEditing by Thomas ShumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ California is emerging from a 'parade of storms' with recovery efforts across a ravaged state
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

California's snowpack is on pace for a remarkable season after nearly three weeks of atmospheric river storms pummeled California with heavy precipitation. California has had nine atmospheric river storms since Christmas, Anderson said. "We're finally getting through the parade of storms," Anderson said. Meantime, a mudslide closed part of State Route 13 in the Oakland area, the state Transportation Department said. It expected it could take as long as three weeks to clear the road and up to six months for repairs.

The United States experienced 18 extreme weather events last year that each caused at least $1 billion in damages, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Weather and climate disasters across the country resulted in more than $165 billion in damages in 2022, making it the third-costliest year on record, NOAA officials said. Despite a slow start to last year's hurricane season, three storms resulted in at least $1 billion in damages: Hurricane Fiona, Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole. Hurricane Ian, which slammed into southwestern Florida in late September and caused widespread destruction, resulted in nearly $113 billion in damages, the report found. NOAA’s findings offer a glimpse of the major toll that extreme weather events are already having and the country’s vulnerability to climate disasters in the future.

☆ Hundreds of thousands left without power in California as forecasters warn of 'relentless' cyclones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Hundreds of thousands of homes in California were left without power early Sunday after torrential downpours and high winds battered the northern part of the state as forecasters warned of a “relentless parade of cyclones,” over the coming days. Drivers barrel into standing water on Interstate 101 in San Francisco on Jan. 4. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday as California was engulfed by rain and snow, which produced flooding across the state. The San Francisco Fire Department tweeted images of downed trees and flooded buildings on Saturday but said there was no threat to life. On Friday, San Francisco Public Works announced it could supply 10 sandbags per household and business in preparation for the weekend’s wet weather.

☆ Europe’s recession may not be as bad as feared
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

On Wednesday, France’s statistics institute said consumer price inflation was 5.9% in December, down from 6.2% in November. A drop in energy prices drove the decline, the institute said. In Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, provisional data released on Tuesday showed that inflation had fallen to 8.6% in December, from 10% the month before. “If we are seeing a continued flight to value, then the relative cheapness of European stocks is a big plus,” he said. Benchmark prices for European natural gas futures have tumbled 10% since Monday to €69 ($73) per megawatt hour.

☆ Rising climate costs to challenge countries, companies in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Katy Daigle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nowhere was this more apparent than at the U.N. climate conference in Egypt, where countries reached a landmark agreement to set up a fund to help poor countries cope with climate-fueled disaster costs. Even Hayhoe and others warning about the dangers of climate change didn't escape censure, with some activists laying into them for flying to conferences or eating meat. As of today, there are 2,176 climate-related lawsuits in play across the world, including 654 filed in U.S. courtrooms, according to the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. And scientists and economists are making further advances in calculating exactly how much a country's activity may have contributed to climate change – and to specific disasters. With the new year, expect more public anxiety as climate change continues to escalate – and more worry among companies and governments over liability and risk.

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