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The UK has experienced its hottest day on record, with temperatures in various places rising past 40C according to provisional Met Office figures. Coningsby hit 40.2C, Heathrow 40.2C, Kew Gardens 40.1C, Northolt 39.9C, Cambridge 39.9C and St James’s Park in London 39.9C. The warmest night ever was recorded from Monday into Tuesday, staying above 25C all night in places, according to the Met Office.The Guardian team of photographers headed out in the hot weather across England and Wales to document people struggling with the heat in hotspots in Yorkshire, Manchester, the Midlands and London.Manchester People sweltering in Manchester on the day temperatures rose above 40C for the first time ever in the UK. Photograph: Chris Thomond Joel Goodman was out in Manchester on Monday as commuters, workers and shoppers struggled with the heat in the city.“I reduced my kit to just one camera and a lightweight, 24-240mm superzoom lens. It left me with fewer creative options but enabled me to shoot more comfortably in the heat. My sense was that far fewer had commuted in to the city centre. Those who I met out were either there to enjoy the sun or had no option but to work through it.“Pools of sunscreen, litres of water and my finest bucket hat didn’t stop me from feeling it hard. For those working with heavy tools, such as the road crew I saw sweating in the Northern Quarter, it must have been incredibly tough.” Joel Goodman A woman holds up a bag of ice on a tram in Shudehill. Photograph: Joel Goodman A group of workmen taking a break in the city. A young woman having a quiet breakfast on the steps of Manchester Central Library. Photograph: Christopher Thomond Billie Christiansen and Megan Browne carrying fans to keep cool. Photographs: Christopher Thomond Chris Thomond was back in central Manchester on Tuesday. He found many graduates carrying fans to keep cool as they gathered outside Bridgewater Hall for a Manchester Met University graduation ceremony.York Residents and tourists sweltering in the sunshine in York. Chris Thomond had been to York city centre on Monday, while Richard Saker was out photographing in York on Tuesday. A woman with an umbrella takes shelter from the sun on York’s city walls on Tuesday. Photograph: Richard Saker A woman with a red umbrella taking shelter from the sun, and a woman waiting at a bus stop struggling with the heat in York. Photographs: Richard Saker “Walking out into an oven is not the best for taking pictures – it makes you lethargic, which doesn’t help when trying to photograph – so travelling light with a bottle of water was the best strategy. The city of York was less crowded than usual on the perimeters. Given that the city walls are one of the most exposed areas, generally they were deserted and I was pleased to move on from here to the city centrem which thankfully didn’t feel as hot as the temperature gauge had said (39C). The narrow streets of central York provided welcome shelter from the sun’s rays.” Richard Saker The newest use for the British brolly on the streets of York. Photograph: Christopher Thomond Worcester Colourful protection from the blazing sun in Worcester. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt Adrian Sherratt covered the hottest day ever recorded in the UK from Worcester. Cooling chiweenies at the Quayhead Fountains. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt A man stops for a rest on High Street, and tradesman take a break from a shop refit in Angel Place. Photographs: Adrian Sherratt London People with umbrellas near Tower Bridge overlooking the City of London. Photograph: Andy Hall Jill Mead and Graeme Robertson were out in central London on Monday. On Tuesday the baton was handed over to street specialist Andy Hall and the Observer’s Tony Olmos. A woman fans herself in the mist of the fountain at Trafalgar Square. Photograph: Antonio Olmos A woman suns herself in Leicester Square, and a family finds shelter under a red umbrella at Trafalgar Square, Tuesday. Photographs; Antonio Olmos “I have always lived in hot countries (Until I came to London) and mostly have worked abroad in very hot places. I am Mexican so I am used to 40C hot days. But even today I have to admit it was very hot. I haven’t seen London this empty since the pandemic and those about were mostly tourists. Most people heeded the warnings and stayed at home. I walked from Waterloo station to Piccadilly sweating like I never have before in the UK. But I am not complaining, I was built for this weather and was enjoying it despite the fact that it was a warning from Mother Nature to change our ways quick or else.” Tony Olmos A man jogging and another resting in a central London park. Photograph: Graeme Roberton Bishopsgate on Tuesday. Photograph: Andy Hall People sitting in the fountains in Trafalgar Square on Monday. Photograph: Jill Mead. Hugo, an explosives search dog, with his handler, Steve Goode, working in the City of London on Monday. The dogs wear wet jackets, which are changed every 45 minutes. Photographs: Jill Mead Vaidas, who was working on a cherrypicker in Threadneedle Street in the City of London on Monday. Photograph: Jill Mead Kieran Sargent from Bristol,who was in London for his birthday, having a drink from a water fountain near St Paul’s Cathedral. Photograph: Jill Mead Boston Skateboarders in Central Park in Boston under the midday sun on Tuesday. Photograph: Fabio De Paola Fabio De Paola was working in Boston in Lincolnshire, in the east Midlands. Chris Gall with his sister Beth having a picnic in Central Park in Boston to celebrate his 30th birthday. Photograph: Fabio De Paola Scaffolders working on the restoration of St Botolph’s church in the midday heat. The team – Liam Powell, Vincent Forinton and Jamie Hicks – had stopped for a drink, having started work at 5.30am so they could finish at 1.30pm. Photograph: Fabio De Paola A parkgoer carrying the essentials for the extreme weather in Central Park, and a woman using a brolly to keep cool. Photographs: Fabio De Paola Two boys taking a break by the River Haven in Boston. Photograph: Fabio De Paola “The biggest surprise was just how quiet it was in Boston centre. It seems the message to stay home had worked but this did not stop a group of hardy scaffolders working on the local church restoration. But even they started early at 5.30am so they could finish earlier. I was always diving into the shade of the local shops and this was where everyone else was. Shops were quiet and people moving slowly. A couple of hours walking and talking to locals certainly felt like a good workout carrying cameras and water!” Fabio De PaolaSwansea A woman walks with an umbrella during a spell of rain in Oxford Street, in the city centre of Swansea, Wales. Photograph: Dimitris Legakis On Monday, Wales hit its highest ever temperature. But on Tuesday, when Dmitris Legakis headed out to photograph people in the heat in Swansea, he found a rare spot of rain.“Off I went at about 11.30 trying to see what people in the city centre of Swansea would be up to, to keep cool. It was a day like normal when it came to people being out andabout, a mixture of shoppers and workers on their lunch break.Quite a few were walking either holding some cold drink from the city’s restaurant and cafe chains, some with water bottles. No one seemed to bother to rest – that is, until the rain started, when umbrellas came out and people started scattering. Then sunshine, then overcast, then rain again … and again. I decided to go and have a look down Swansea Bay, which is usually quite busy with young families, cyclists, people lounging on the green, walking on the sandy beach, you name it, only to face an almost deserted sight.” – Dimitris Legakis A spell of rain in Oxford Street, Swansea. Photographs: Dimitris Legakis | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSEOUL, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The heaviest rain in Seoul in 115 years has spurred the South Korean capital to revive a $1.15 billion plan to improve drainage after floods exposed how even the affluent Gangnam district is vulnerable to climate change-driven extreme weather.Experts say the city's capacity to drain water is far behind what's needed to handle a deluge like the one suffered this week. That has disasterous implications for low-lying areas like Gangnam, as these bouts of extreme weather are becoming increasingly common.This week's torrential rain killed at least 11 people across the northern part of the country, as of Thursday morning. The downpour, which began on Monday and shifted southwards on Wednesday, knocked out power, caused landslides and flooded roads and subways. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comMonetary estimates of the damage were still being compiled.In the wake of the downpour, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced on Wednesday the city will spend 1.5 trillion won ($1.15 billion) in the next decade to build six massive underground tunnels to store and release rainwater to prevent flooding."The damage from this record rainfall shows that there are limits with short-term water control measures when unusual weather conditions due to global warming have become common," Mayor Oh said, vowing to establish a city-wide system capable of handling 100 mm (3.94 inches) rainfall an hour from the current 95 mm.The city's development meant increased pavement and impermeable surfaces, leading to higher runoff and more flooding. More than 50% of Seoul's land areas are impermeable, with the figure much higher in the affluent Gangnam district with wide boulevards and office buildings, experts said.A general view of flooded Han river from an observation platform in Seoul, South Korea, August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji"It's always a see-saw game between cost and safety," said Moon Young-il, a professor of civil engineering at University of Seoul. "We need to find a balance point and 100 mm seems reasonable enough."Seoul had lacked any detailed plan for water control as it grew from a city of 2 to 3 million people in the 1960s to one with over 10 million by the 1990s, Moon said.The underground tunnels were originally proposed in 2011 after heavy rains and landslides killed 16 people, many of them in Gangnam. But the plan was put on hold amid decreased precipitation and budget issues in the following years.The Seoul city also plans to ban basement or lower ground apartments after three family members including a woman with developmental disabilities drowned in their home on Monday. read more The calamitous wet weather prompted President Yoon Suk-yeol to hold a series of meetings with officials this week, to find fundamental ways to improve South Korea's preparedness against similar climate change-induced disasters.Warmer weather increases moisture levels in the air, leading to more intense rainfall. So while there has been little change in the annual precipitation over the past four decades, the frequency of heavy rains in Seoul has increased by 27% since the 2000s, according to a 2021 report by the Seoul Institute."It was indeed an extreme weather. But we can no longer call this kind of weather event unusual," President Yoon told a meeting on Wednesday. "The largest, highest record can be broken at any time."($1 = 1,302.2400 won)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Heejung Jung, Minwoo Park and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Josh Smith and Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Rain across central China this week is expected to relieve the country’s worst heatwave on record, but weather agencies are now warning of potential floods, while analysts say the energy crisis exacerbated by the months-long drought is not over.Almost half of China has been affected by the latest heatwave, the hottest since record-keeping began in 1961. Hundreds of temperature records have been broken, and the heat has exacerbated the effects of low rainfall, drying up rivers and reservoirs across the country.Light to moderate showers have moved into central and southern China, and were expected to intensify this week, according to China’s meteorological agencies (CMA). It said moderate to heavy falls were expected from southern Gansu down to Yunnan and across the drought-stricken Sichuan basin, bringing a risk of flash floods. In Sichuan on Monday more than 110,000 people in Sichuan had been relocated to safer areas.After a period of significantly lower-than-average rainfall, some areas would now see up to twice as much rain as usual, the agency said. The CMA said the rains would help replenish reservoirs, but it still maintained drought warnings.High temperatures are expected to ease on Wednesday for areas in southern China.The heatwave sparked huge demand for electricity as hundreds of millions of people turn to air conditioning, which in turn has led to major power shortages. Across affected cities and provinces, authorities suspended or rationed electricity supply to factories, shopping malls, high-rises, and public transport.Li Xi, a resident of central Chongqing, told the Guardian that residents of his high-rise apartment block were able to use their air conditioning but areas outside the city and public spaces were rationed.“Without AC it’s terrible at home … I just stay at home all day long and go out in the evening after sunset,” he said. “The Chongqin city takes some measures to save the power – the supermarket is only open from 4pm to 9pm … Even in the subway the elevator is turned off, and we have to take the stairs.”The heat, combined with power and water shortages, had a debilitating impact on regional and farming areas, and on vulnerable groups including elderly people and those working outdoors.Andrew Polk, an analyst with Trivium China, said the demand for electricity had overwhelmed provincial power grids, and warned it was “highly likely” the coming winter would see another regional power crunch.Polk said the lack of water in the Yangtze river and dozens of tributaries, during what is supposed to be the wet season, had severely affected power supply in Sichuan – which draws 80% of its electricity from hydropower – and downstream regions.Cooler temperatures would lower household demand for electricity and ease rationing of commercial and industrial power, but it was only temporary.“Officials have had to uncork reservoirs to avert agricultural, river transport and ecological disasters,” he said.“Chances are high that Sichuan will again run low on hydropower by year end – even if the heatwave ends immediately … Sichuan is now at such a water deficit that it would take a meteorological miracle to reach anything approaching normal levels for winter power production.”Analysts have said centres such as Sichuan would probably have to boost reliance on energy from fossil fuel in the short term, until the development of renewable sources caught up. On Tuesday the official People’s Daily newspaper warned of the need for regions to prepare for increasing extreme weather events driven by global heating, including drought and floods.Additional reporting by Xiaoqian Zhu | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comKARACHI, Pakistan, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities are struggling to prevent the country's biggest lake bursting its banks and inundating nearby towns after unprecedented flooding, while the disaster management agency on Monday added further 24 fatalities to its death toll.Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan's northern mountains have brought floods that have affected 33 million people and killed at least 1,314, including 458 children, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency said.The floods have followed record-breaking summer temperatures and the government and the United Nations have both blamed climate change for the extreme weather and the devastation it has brought.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAuthorities on Sunday breached Pakistan's largest freshwater lake, displacing up to 100,000 people from their homes in the hope of draining enough water to stop the lake bursting its banks and swamping more densely populated areas.But water levels in the lake, to the west of the Indus river in the southern province of Sindh, remain dangerously high. read more "The water level at Manchar lake has not come down," Jam Khan Shoro, the provincial minister for irrigation told Reuters.He declined to say if another attempt to drain water from the lake would be made.The floods have led to a growing humanitarian crisis, with officials especially concerned about the wellbeing of pregnant women and young mothers.Over 400,000 pregnant women in badly affected Sindh province have been displaced by the floods, with only 891 making it to relief camps, according to data from the provincial government released on Friday.Men use a makeshift raft as they cross a flooded street in a residential area, following rains during the monsoon season in Hyderabad, Pakistan September 5, 2022. REUTERS/Yasir Rajput The relief effort is a huge burden for an economy already needing help from the International Monetary Fund.A delegation of three U.S. lawmakers, who visited the flood-hit areas on Sunday to assess the damage and explore ways of assisting Pakistan in its recovery efforts, met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, his office said.Sharif told the lawmakers that given the challenges and enormous resources involved in the reconstruction efforts, "continued support, solidarity and assistance from the international community was critical," the office said.The United Nations has called for $160 million in aid to help the flood victims but Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said the damage was far higher."The total damage is close to $10 billion, perhaps more," Ismail said in an interview with CNBC."Clearly it is not enough. In spite of meagre resources Pakistan will have to do much of the heavy lifting."Nevertheless, help kept pouring in with the foreign ministry reporting arrivals of relief flights on Monday from the United Nations and individual countries, including Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates.Elsewhere in the region, floods are also threatening crisis-hit Sri Lanka, while rains have disrupted life in India's technology hub, Bengaluru.The northern summer is the rainy season across much of Asia.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Asif Shazad in Islamabad; Writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Robert Birsel and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Firefighters continued to battle blazes in southern Europe as searing temperatures moved north and Britain braced for what could be its hottest day on record.Expectations are now high that on Tuesday the British record of 38.7C could be broken and 40C breached for the first time, with experts blaming climate change and predicting more frequent extreme weather to come.Temperatures are also forecast to rise above 35C in the Netherlands while neighbouring Belgium is expected to hit 40C and over.In France, a host of towns and cities recorded their highest-ever temperatures on Monday, the national weather office said.The mercury hit 39.3C in Brest on the Atlantic coast of Britany, in the far north-west of the country, smashing a previous record of 35.1C from 2002.Saint-Brieuc, on the Channel coast, hit 39.5C beating a previous record of 38.1C, and the western city of Nantes recorded 42C, beating a decades-old high of 40.3C, set in 1949.Firefighters in France’s south-west are still struggling in the crushing heat to contain two massive fires that have caused widespread destruction.For nearly a week now, armies of firefighters and a fleet of waterbombing aircraft have battled blazes that have mobilised much of France’s firefighting capacity.graph of destruction caused by wildfires in France“It never stops,” said David Brunner, one of 1,500 firefighters battling the Gironde blaze, which since Tuesday has destroyed 14,000 hectares of pine forest near the Dune du Pilat, Europe’s highest sand dune and a summer tourism hotspot. “In 30 years of firefighting I have never seen a fire like this.”An area 5.5 miles long (9km) and 5 miles wide was still burning near the dune on Monday, with temperatures in the area forecast to hit 44C.A total of 8,000 people were being evacuated from near the dune Monday as a precaution, as changing winds blew thick smoke into residential areas, officials said.“We’re climate change refugees,” Théo Dayan, 26, told Le Monde after fleeing his home near the village of La Teste-de-Buch. Jean-Luc Gleyze, the head of the local fire service, said: “We’re not reaching out and touching global heating – it’s hitting us full in the face.”Around 32,000 tourists or residents have been forced to decamp in France, many to emergency shelters.Fifteen départements have been placed on the highest state of alert for extreme temperatures, including Brittany, where the coastal city of Brest was set to hit 40C on Monday, nearly twice its usual average for July.The European heatwave is the second to engulf parts of the south-west of the continent in recent weeks. European Commission researchers meanwhile said nearly half (46%) of EU territory was exposed to warning-level drought. Ireland saw temperatures of 33C in Dublin – the highest since 1887 – while in the Netherlands, temperatures reached 35.4C in the southern city of Westdorpe. While that was not a record, higher temperatures are expected there on Tuesday.Blazes in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land.A firefighter walks among flames at a blaze in Gironde, France. Photograph: Philippe Lopez/APOn Monday evening, French prosecutors in the south-west city of Bordeaux said a man suspected of having started one of the fires in the region had been taken into custody.The extreme temperatures of the past week have directly claimed at least four lives in Spain and fanned dozens of wildfires – many still burning – that have seared almost 30,000 hectares (75,000 acres) across the country.Fire burning in the northwestern province of Zamora claimed the life of a 69-year-old shepherd, regional authorities said. On Sunday, a fireman died in the same area.Later on Monday it was reported that an office worker in his fifties had died from heatstroke in Madrid.Authorities have reported around 20 wildfires still raging from the south to Galicia in the far northwest, where blazes have destroyed around 4,500 hectares (more than 11,000 acres) of land.During a visit to the south-western region of Extremadura on Monday morning, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, paid tribute to Gullón Vara and said the events of the previous week were further evidence of the climate crisis.“I want to make something very clear,” he said. “Climate change kills: it kills people, as we’ve seen; it also kills our ecosystem, our biodiversity, and it also destroys the things we as a society hold dear – our houses, our businesses, our livestock.”In neighbouring Portugal – where temperatures hit 47C last week – the fires have been brought under control after destroying 12,000-15,000 hectares of land, killing two people and injuring 60 others.“We found the car and these two people, aged around 70 years, completely burnt,” the mayor of Murca, Mario Artur Lopez, told SIC Noticias television. The victims were from the nearby village of Penabeice, he added.Haze from a wildfire near Guarda, Portugal. Photograph: Miguel Pereira Da Silva/EPATemperatures dropped over the weekend, but the risk of wildfires remained very high, according to the Portuguese Institute of Meteorology (IPMA). More than 1,000 firefighters, backed by 285 vehicles and 14 aircraft, were battling nine ongoing wildfires, mainly in the country’s northern regions, authorities said.Agence France-Presse contributed to this report | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Texas is making national headlines for its climate change–related extreme weather again — this time for a so-called heat dome that’s trapping warm temperatures over the area. More than a year after its infamous deep freeze triggered massive blackouts, the Lone Star State is sweltering through a severe summer heat wave.On Sunday, over a dozen municipalities in Texas set record-high temperatures, with some reaching 113 degrees. The National Weather Service labeled the conditions “oppressive and dangerous” and experts warned of potential disruptions to electricity distribution. The extreme heat has lasted for several days, with San Antonio expecting to reach 104 degrees and Houston hitting a high of 98 degrees on Wednesday.News accounts typically described the occurrence as a heat dome that settles over the state for days. The same term was used last June, in reference to the record-breaking weeklong heat wave that caused hundreds of deaths in the Pacific Northwest.A aerial view shows low water levels at Medina Lake, outside of San Antonio. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Reuters)Unlike other extreme weather events such as hurricanes, heat domes are a phenomenon that most Americans have become aware of only recently. But because of climate change, they will likely be an increasingly common feature of weather reports.While extreme heat waves have become more prevalent in recent years, a heat dome is a particular type of heat wave. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains that a heat dome “happens when strong, high-pressure atmospheric conditions combine with influences from La Niña, creating vast areas of sweltering heat that gets trapped under the high-pressure ‘dome.’”A team of scientists funded by the NOAA Modeling, Analysis, Predictions and Projections program studied the cause of heat domes and found that the primary factor was “a strong change (or gradient) in ocean temperatures from west to east in the tropical Pacific Ocean during the preceding winter.”Basically, global warming is causing warm air to rise over the western Pacific. “As prevailing winds move the hot air east, the northern shifts of the jet stream trap the air and move it toward land, where it sinks, resulting in heat waves,” the NOAA study states.Much like the severe winter weather that the South has also increasingly experienced lately, the heat dome is related to the jet stream, a band of air flowing in a westerly direction.A corn crop that died due to extreme heat and drought in Austin. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images)“When the jet stream swings far to the north, air piles up and sinks,” wrote William Gallus, a professor of atmospheric science at Iowa State University, in a recent column for the Conversation. “The air warms as it sinks, and the sinking air also keeps skies clear since it lowers humidity. That allows the sun to create hotter and hotter conditions near the ground.“If the air near the ground passes over mountains and descends, it can warm even more. This downslope warming played a large role in the extremely hot temperatures in the Pacific Northwest during a heat dome event in 2021, when Washington set a state record with 120 degrees Fahrenheit.”Because the poles are warming faster than the Equator, and the difference in temperature between those regions drives the jet stream, climate change has made the jet stream wavier and more likely to move towards the North Pole in the Northern Hemisphere. As a result, heat domes are going to be a more regular occurrence, especially if the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change are not curbed._____Global temperatures are on the rise and have been for decades. Step inside the data and see the magnitude of climate change. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummaryBritain on course for hottest day on recordTemperatures begin to ease in parts of southern EuropeHeatwave consistent with climate change, scientists sayFirefighters still battle to contain wildfiresMADRID/LISBON July 18 (Reuters) - A heatwave sweeping southern Europe that has caused hundreds of deaths and huge wildfires in past weeks showed some signs of abating on Monday but continued to move north, including towards Britain where authorities issued an extreme weather warning.Much of Europe is baking in a heatwave that scientists say is consistent with climate change and has pushed temperatures into the mid-40s Celsius (over 110 Fahrenheit) in some regions, with wildfires raging across tinder-dry countryside in Portugal, Spain and France. read more Temperatures in some parts of southern Europe began to ease over the weekend but thousands of firefighters across the region still battled to contain hundreds of wildfires and authorities said the risk of further blazes remained extremely high.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSpain was facing the eighth and last day of a more than week-long heatwave on Monday, which caused more than 510 heat-related deaths, according to estimates from the Carlos III Health Institute.With fires burning thousands of hectares in Galicia, Castille and Leon, Catalonia, Extremadura and Andalusia, Spain mourned the death of one firefighter in the northwestern province of Zamora on Sunday evening. Almost the entire country faces a extreme fire risk."There are never words to thank the immense work of those who fight the fires tirelessly," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday night in a condolence message on Twitter.More than 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) have burnt in Spain so far this year, the worst year of the last decade, according to official data. Last month, a huge wildfire in Sierra de la Culebra, Castille and Leon, ravaged about 30,000 hectares of land.Spain also reported a second death caused by a wildfire after a fireman died on Sunday. A 69-year-old was found dead on Monday in Ferreruela, in an area burned by flames, emergency authorities said. Local media said it was a farmer.In Portugal, temperatures dropped over the weekend, but the risk of wildfires remained very high across most of the country, according to the Portuguese Institute of Meteorology (IPMA).More than 1,000 firefighters, backed by 285 vehicles and 14 aircraft, were battling nine ongoing wildfires, mainly in the country's northern regions, authorities said.A firefighter works to contain a tactical fire in Louchats, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierNATIONAL EMERGENCIESBelgium and Germany were among the countries expecting the heatwave to hit them in coming days.Britain was on course for its hottest day on record on Monday with temperatures forecast to hit 40 Celsius (Fahrenheit) for the first time, forcing train companies to cancel services, schools to close early and ministers to urge the public to stay at home.The government has triggered a "national emergency" alert as temperatures were forecast to surpass the 38.7C (102F) recorded in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden in 2019 on Monday and Tuesday. read more "We hoped we wouldn't get to this situation but for the first time ever we are forecasting greater than 40C in the UK," climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, Dr Nikos Christidis, said."Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK. The chances of seeing 40C days in the UK could be as much as 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a natural climate unaffected by human influence," he said.In France, wildfires had spread over 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) in the southwestern region of Gironde, and more than 14,000 people have been evacuated, regional authorities said on Sunday afternoon.More than 1,200 firefighters were trying to control the blazes, the authorities said in a statement.France issued red alerts, the highest possible, for several regions, with residents urged "to be extremely vigilant".In Italy, where smaller fires have blazed in recent days, forecasters expect temperatures above 40C in several regions in coming days.Switzerland also suffered the effects of the heatwave. Axpo, the operator of the Beznau nuclear plant, said it on Monday it was forced to reduce output so that it does not overheat the Aare river from which it draws its cooling water.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Reuters bureaus; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Vangie Jacobo wipes her face with a wet rag while working outside in 106 degree heat in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Rebecca NobleRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJuly 24 (Reuters) - Virtually all the contiguous United States experienced above normal temperatures in the past week, with more dangerously hot weather forecast. read more The U.S. heat wave followed record heat that killed hundreds if not thousands of people and sparked wildfires in Europe. read more Following is an explanation of what is causing the heat waves, according to scientists.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWHAT IS A HEAT WAVE?A heat wave has no single scientific definition. Depending on the climate of a region, it can be determined by a certain number of days above a specific temperature or percentile of the norm.ARCTIC WARMING AND JET STREAM MIGRATIONThe Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the globe as a whole, meaning there is ever less difference between northern temperatures and those closer to the equator.That is resulting in swings in the North Atlantic jet stream, which in turn leads to extreme weather events like heat waves and floods, according to Jennifer Francis, senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center.HEAT DOMESWarmer oceans contribute to heat domes, which trap heat over large geographical areas. This weekend the heat dome is stretching from the southern plains of the Oklahoma/Arkansas area all the way to the eastern seaboard, according to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center.Scientists have found the main cause of heat domes is a strong change in ocean temperatures from west to east in the tropical Pacific Ocean during the preceding winter."As prevailing winds move the hot air east, the northern shifts of the jet stream trap the air and move it toward land, where it sinks, resulting in heat waves," the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says on its website.EL NIÑO AND LA NIÑAEvery few years, the climate patterns known as El Niño and, less frequently, La Niña occur. El Niño brings warm water from the equatorial Pacific Ocean up to the western coast of North America, and La Niña brings colder water.At present, La Niña is in effect. Because summer temperatures trend lower during La Niña, climate scientists are concerned about what a serious heat wave would look like during the next El Niño, when even hotter summer weather could be expected.HUMAN-INFLUENCED CLIMATE CHANGEClimate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels is a global phenomenon that is certainly playing a role in what the United States is experiencing, scientists say."Climate change is making extreme and unprecedented heat events both more intense and more common, pretty much universally throughout the world," said Daniel Swain, climate scientist at UCLA."Heat waves are probably the most underestimated type of potential disaster because they routinely kill a lot of people. And we just don't hear about it because it doesn't kill them in, to put it bluntly, sufficiently dramatic ways. There aren't bodies on the street."Francis, of the Woodwell Center, said with climate change the world is seeing changing wind patterns and weather systems "in ways that make these heat waves, like we're seeing right now, more intense, more persistent, and cover areas that just aren't used to having heat waves."Alex Ruane, researcher at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said as the world warms, "it takes less of a natural anomaly to push us into the extreme heat categories. Because we're closer to those thresholds, it's more likely that you'll get more than one heat wave at the same time. We're seeing this in the United States."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Donna Bryson and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
People move a boat in a flooded area during a widespread flood in the northeastern part of the country, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, June 19, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comDHAKA/GUWAHATI, India, June 23 (Reuters) - Authorities in Bangladesh are bracing for the spread of waterborne diseases and racing to get drinking water to people stranded in their homes by flooding across a quarter of the country, an official said on Thursday.Nearly 2,000 rescue teams, along with the army, navy and air force, were trying to reach flood victims in 17 of the country's 64 districts and bring them water and other supplies, Atiqul Haque, director general of the Department of Disaster Management, told Reuters."With the flood waters receding, there is a possibility of an epidemic. We fear the outbreak of waterborne diseases if clean water is not ensured soon," Haque said. "Ensuring availability of drinking water is our top priority."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comMore than 4,000 people have contracted waterborne illnesses, including diarrhea, in flood-hit districts, with more than half the cases in the Sylhet region, the Directorate General of Health Services said."The situation is alarming. We are getting more and more patients each day. They are mainly suffering from diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, fever, skin infections and other waterborne diseases," Ahmed Hossain, Civil Surgeon of Sunamganj, one of the worst-affected districts, told Reuters.More than 4.5 million people have been stranded and 68 people killed in Bangladesh, 46 in the worst flooding in the Sylhet region in the northeast for more than 100 years.The floods have damaged 75,000 hectares of paddy and 300,000 hectares of other crops, including maize, jute and vegetables, agriculture ministry official Humayun Kabir said."The devastation is huge. More crops could be damaged as new areas are being flooded."Fatema Begum, a mother of three in Sylhet's Sunamganjdistrict, said the floods had washed away everything. "There is not even a trace," she said of her small thatched hut. "We don't even have a second pair of clothes. No one has come to help."The monsoon brings heavy rain and floods to South Asia between June and October, especially in low-lying areas like Bangladesh, where rivers swollen with waters pouring out of the Himalayas often burst their banks.But extreme weather has become more frequent and environmentalists warn that climate change could lead to ever more serious disasters.In the eastern Indian state of Assam, also badly hit by the rain that lashed the region, Indian air force helicopters were deployed on Thursday to drop food and other supplies to cut-off communities.More than 280,000 people were stranded in the town of Silchar, most of which was underwater, district official Keerthi Jalli told Reuters."Never before in our lifetime have we witnessed such devastation. The water was up to my chest," Silchar teacher Monowar Barbhuyan said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Zarir Hussain in Guwahati; writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; editing by Robert Birsel and Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
World Aug 28, 2022 9:47 AM EDT ISLAMABAD — Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan topped 1,000 since mid-June, officials said Sunday, as the country’s climate minister called the deadly monsoon season “a serious climate catastrophe.”
Flash flooding from the heavy rains has washed away villages and crops as soldiers and rescue workers evacuated stranded residents to the safety of relief camps and provided food to thousands of displaced Pakistanis.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority reported the death toll since the monsoon season began earlier than normal this year — in mid- June — reached 1,033 people after new fatalities were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Sindh provinces.
Sherry Rehman, a Pakistani senator and the country’s top climate official, said in a video posted on Twitter that Pakistan is experiencing a “serious climate catastrophe, one of the hardest in the decade.”
“We are at the moment at the ground zero of the front line of extreme weather events, in an unrelenting cascade of heatwaves, forest fires, flash floods, multiple glacial lake outbursts, flood events and now the monster monsoon of the decade is wreaking non-stop havoc throughout the country,” she said. The on-camera statement was retweeted by the country’s ambassador to the European Union.
Flooding from the Swat River overnight affected northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where tens of thousands of people — especially in the Charsadda and Nowshehra districts — have been evacuated from their homes to relief camps set up in government buildings. Many have also taken shelter on roadsides, said Kamran Bangash, a spokesperson for the provincial government.
Bangash said some 180,000 people have been evacuated from Charsadda and 150,000 from Nowshehra district villages.
Khaista Rehman, 55, no relation to the climate minister, took shelter with his wife and three children on the side of the Islamabad-Peshawar highway after his home in Charsadda was submerged overnight.
“Thank God we are safe now on this road quite high from the flooded area,” he said. “Our crops are gone and our home is destroyed but I am grateful to Allah that we are alive and I will restart life with my sons.”
The unprecedented monsoon season has affected all four of the country’s provinces. Nearly 300,000 homes have been destroyed, numerous roads rendered impassable and electricity outages have been widespread, affecting millions of people.
Pope Francis on Sunday said he wanted to assure his “closeness to the populations of Pakistan struck by flooding of disastrous proportions.’’ Speaking during a pilgrimage to the Italian town of L’Aquila, which was hit by a deadly earthquake in 2009, Francis said he was praying “for the many victims, for the injured and the evacuated, and so that international solidarity will be prompt and generous.”
Rehman told Turkish news outlet TRT World that by the time the rains recede, “we could well have one fourth or one third of Pakistan under water.”
“This is something that is a global crisis and of course we will need better planning and sustainable development on the ground. … We’ll need to have climate resilient crops as well as structures,” she said.
In May, Rehman told BBC Newshour that both the country’s north and south were witnessing extreme weather events because of rising temperatures. “So in north actually just now we are … experiencing what is known as glacial lake outburst floods which we have many of because Pakistan is home to the highest number of glaciers outside the polar region.”
The government has deployed soldiers to help civilian authorities in rescue and relief operations across the country. The Pakistani army also said in a statement it airlifted a 22 tourists trapped in a valley in the country’s north to safety.
Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif visited flooding victims in city of Jafferabad in Baluchistan. He vowed the government would provide housing to all those who lost their homes. Left: Men collect bamboo from a collapsed mud house after heavy monsoon rains in Jaffarabad district, Balochistan province, on August 28, 2022. - Photo by Fida Hussian/AFP via Getty Images) | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Hello!Extreme weather conditions ⛈️ and the danger they present to lives and livelihoods are the focus of today’s newsletter as flooding submerges entire villages in Fiji and threatens similar conditions in Uganda and Kentucky, U.S.A community running out of ways to adaptVillage elders in Fiji’s Serua Island must consider the previously unthinkable possibility of evacuation as water breaches the seawall at high tide 🌊. The community is running out of ways to adapt to the rising Pacific Ocean. Leaders of 15 low-lying Pacific Island nations declared climate change their “single greatest existential threat”⚠️ at a mid-July summit in Fiji’s capital, Suva.The nation’s representatives argued that developed nations – those contributing the most to global warming – must curb their emissions and pay 💰 for the steps islanders must take to protect their people from rising sea levels, a key point of contention at United Nations climate conferences.The worst in the state’s historyIt is not just Fijians feeling the effects of these meteorological conditions.🌧️ Floods unleashed by torrential rains in eastern Kentucky, U.S., have killed at least 37 people, including four children, according to Governor Andy Beshear, who warned on Monday that more dangerous weather is approaching the region. Authorities continued to work to rescue residents and provide food and shelter for thousands who had been displaced 🆘.☔ Days of heavy rainfall - described by Beshear as some of the worst in the state's history - caused some homes in the hardest-hit areas to be swept away. Post-drought torrential rains⛈️ Floods in parts of eastern Uganda resulting from torrential rains have killed at least 24 people, confirmed by the government and Uganda Red Cross. The flooding in parts of Bugisu, Mbale and Kapchorwa initially killed 10 people on Sunday, the State Ministry in charge of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement late on Sunday – unfortunately, the death toll rose further on Monday.The torrential rains come right after a prolonged drought in vast swaths of the country that has left many areas parched and crops in fields scorched 🏜️. Quote of the Day"It's astonishing to learn how much plastic we consume. The truth is, we are in the midst of a plastic crisis. And while it's easy to feel powerless, more and more people and brands are stepping up to face the challenge. I'm proud to play a part in supporting Grove's mission to become plastic-free by 2025 and to help households across America to do the same."-Drew Barrymore, actor, investor and global sustainability advocate for Grove, a sustainable consumer products retailer ESG LensESG Movers and ShakersMultinational financial services corporation Mastercard has appointed Ellen Jackowski as chief sustainability officer. Jackowski joins Mastercard from international information technology firm Hewlett-Packard, where she was the chief impact officer and head of sustainable impact. She serves on the advisory board of the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network, is a deputy advisor on the World Economic Forum’s Champions for Nature community and has served as a faculty member of The Prince of Wales’s Business & Sustainability Programme at the University of Cambridge.Broadcasting company Warner Bros Discovery has named WarnerMedia and UK corporate veteran Asif Sadiq as the company’s chief global diversity, equity and inclusion officer (DEI). Along with the executive hire, the company said it has formed a “creative diversity council,” with the goal of weaving DEI principles into the development, production and distribution process. Since April 2021, Sadiq had been a senior vice president for DEI at WarnerMedia, based in London. He held a similar post at Adidas and also has worked for the Telegraph Media Group, EY Financial Services and the City of London Police.Dutch asset manager Robeco has appointed David Thomas as senior portfolio manager to complement its forthcoming biodiversity strategy. Thomas comes from Australia-based fund manager Ellerston Capital, where he was a portfolio manager. He brings 28 years of experience in financial markets, having worked for global corporations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Macquarie Bank, Morgan Stanley and CLSA.Egon Zehnder, a global management consulting and executive search firm has appointed Rachael De Renzy Channer as global head of sustainability. Prior to her new role, Channer led the firm’s sustainability practice for three years. She has extensive experience conducting executive search, leadership advisory, and sustainability work with clients. Before joining Egon Zehnder, Channer led strategy in several companies, including French multinational energy management company Schneider Electric. Earlier in her career, she served in the British Army for 12 years, where a large part of her military career was spent focusing on leadership and development.Like what you see? This is just a taste of Sustainable Switch. To receive the complete newsletter straight to your inbox twice a week, subscribe here. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The devastating floods in Pakistan are "probably the worst in the country's history", according to its prime minister, as the UN appeals for $160m (£136m) in emergency funding to help the nation.The floods have affected more than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis.
More than 1,150 have been killed, including over 300 children, and millions displaced by heavy monsoon rains in the past two and a half months.All four of Pakistan's provinces have been affected and prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had been to three - Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - to see the devastation for himself.Satellite imagery from the company Planet has shown large areas of cities completely submerged. Image: The city of Hala in Sindh, Pakistan on 2 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery Image: Hala on 28 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery Mr Sharif said nearly one million livestock had been lost, crops were washed away, and his government was considering importing wheat to avoid any shortage of food.He said that any inadvertent delay by the international community in helping victims "will be devastating for the people of Pakistan". More on Pakistan Who should pay for a 'climate catastrophe'? Pakistan's savage flooding reignites debate Pakistan minister says West has 'responsibility' to help with floods as it's caused climate change Why Pakistan is at 'ground zero' of the climate crisis after suffering deadly flooding Around half a million of those displaced are living in organised camps, while others have had to find their own shelter. Image: A section of Kabul river in Pakistan on 17 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery Image: Kabul river on 28 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery "Pakistan is awash in suffering," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video message for the launch of the appeal. "The Pakistani people are facing a monsoon on steroids… people's hopes and dreams have washed away."Pakistani authorities, supported by the military, rescuers and volunteers, have been battling the aftermath of the floods. Image: Mianwali in Punjab on 22 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery Image: Mianwali on 28 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery Although rainfall stopped three days ago and floodwater in some areas has receded, large areas remain underwater.Rescue workers were evacuating stranded people to safer ground, including makeshift tent camps that have sprung up along motorways, villages, and towns. Image: The city of Sukkur in Sindh province on 2 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery Image: Sukkur on 28 August. Pic: Planet satellite imagery According to initial estimates by the government, the devastation has caused $10m (£8.5m) of damage to the economy, however, the planning minister, Ahsan Iqbal, said this was a preliminary estimate and that the actual cost will be "far greater". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Why is Pakistan flooding? More than $1bn in aid releasedOn Monday, the International Monetary Fund's executive board approved the release of $1.17bn (£1bn), as part of a bailout accord the IMF and Pakistan signed in 2019.But the release of a $1.17bn tranche had been put on hold this year after the IMF raised concerns about Pakistan's compliance with the deal's terms under Imran Khan's government. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Londoners collect donations for Pakistan Last week, the UN allocated $3m (£2.5m) for aid agencies and their partners to respond to the floods, with the money used for health, nutrition, food security, water, and sanitation services.Pakistan's climate minister, Sherry Rehman, said on Monday that new monsoons were expected in September.While monsoons are common at this time of year in the region, they hit earlier than usual in Pakistan, according to officials. Image: The whole of Pakistan has been impacted by the latest flooding Why are these floods particularly devastating?The massive rainfall last week affected nearly the whole country.Pakistan is used to monsoon rains and flooding, Ms Rehman said, but not like this.The flooding has the hallmarks of a natural disaster fuelled by climate change."This year, Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. So far this year the rain is running at more than 780% above average levels," said Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a member of Pakistan's Climate Change Council."Extreme weather patterns are turning more frequent in the region, and Pakistan is not an exception."Read more:Why Pakistan is at 'ground zero' of the climate crisisPictures reveal devastating impact of Pakistan's floodsQueen and PM send messages to Pakistan Image: A man swims in floodwaters while heading for a higher ground in Charsadda Poorer nations paying the price of climate changePakistan saw similar flooding and devastation in 2010 that killed nearly 2,000 people, but the government did not implement plans to prevent future flooding by preventing construction and homes in flood-prone areas and river beds, said Mr Suleri.Floods and monsoon rains have damaged one million houses and affected 33 million people and reflects how poorer nations can often pay the price for climate change largely caused by more industrialised nations.Since 1959, Pakistan has been responsible for only 0.4% of the world's historic CO2 emissions, while the US is responsible for 21.5%, China for 16.5% and the EU 15%.According to the National Disaster Management Authority, at least 498,000 people in the country of 220 million are in relief camps after being displaced.Many more displaced victims are believed to be living with relatives, friends, or out in the open, without shelter. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Antonio Guterres issued an appeal for $116m Pakistan started receiving international aid this week, and more planes carrying aid from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates landed at an airport near Islamabad on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the military.It said Chinese planes carrying aid were due to arrive later on Tuesday and 6,500 Pakistani military personnel had been deployed to help authorities in rescue and relief operations. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
U.S. Updated on: June 15, 2022 / 7:29 PM / CBS/AP Historic flooding devastates Yellowstone Historic flooding devastates Yellowstone National Park 02:02 Search and rescue teams in southern Montana have airlifted 87 people to safety since historic floods hit Yellowstone National Park, the state's National Guard said Wednesday.The military organization confirmed in a tweet that helicopters had flown over the park and its surrounding communities for at least 41 hours this week, as part of a collaborative effort between federal, state and local authorities to evacuate visitors and residents from the region.Yellowstone — a sprawling protected area that encompasses 2.2 million acres in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana — has been ravaged by flooding over the last several days. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said portions of the Yellowstone River in Billings appeared to have the highest streamflow ever recorded on Wednesday afternoon. The flooding forced the city of Billings, Montana, to shut down its water plant late Tuesday night. PROVISIONAL data are showing that the Yellowstone River at Billings is currently flowing at the highest streamflow ever recorded at the site. (93 years of data) We are out measuring right now to confirm. Real-time information: https://t.co/Jp7UjKfe8F pic.twitter.com/Me6ndpsb56— USGS in Montana (@USGS_MT) June 15, 2022 In just days, dramatic flooding could forever alter the human footprint on the park's terrain and the communities that have grown around it. The historic floodwaters that raged through Yellowstone this week, tearing out bridges and pouring into nearby homes, pushed a popular fishing river off course — possibly permanently — and may force roadways nearly torn away by torrents of water to be rebuilt in new places. "The landscape literally and figuratively has changed dramatically in the last 36 hours," said Bill Berg, a commissioner in nearby Park County. "A little bit ironic that this spectacular landscape was created by violent geologic and hydrologic events, and it's just not very handy when it happens while we're all here settled on it."The flooding drove more than 10,000 visitors out of the nation's oldest national park and damaged hundreds of homes in nearby communities, though remarkably no one was reported hurt or killed. The only visitors left in the massive park straddling three states were a dozen campers still making their way out of the backcountry. The park could remain closed as long as a week, and northern entrances may not reopen this summer, Superintendent Cam Sholly said."I've heard this is a 1,000-year event, whatever that means these days. They seem to be happening more and more frequently," he said. A house that was pulled into Rock Creek in Red Lodge, Mont., by raging floodwaters is seen Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Matthew Brown / AP Sholly noted some weather forecasts include the possibility of additional flooding this weekend. Days of rain and rapid snowmelt wrought havoc across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming, where it washed away cabins, swamped small towns and knocked out power. It hit the park as a summer tourist season that draws millions of visitors was ramping up during its 150th anniversary year. Businesses in hard-hit Gardiner had just started really recovering from the tourism contraction brought by the coronavirus pandemic, and were hoping for a good year, Berg said. "It's a Yellowstone town, and it lives and dies by tourism, and this is going to be a pretty big hit," he said. "They're looking to try to figure out how to hold things together."Some of the worst damage happened in the northern part of the park and Yellowstone's gateway communities in southern Montana. National Park Service photos of northern Yellowstone showed a mudslide, washed out bridges and roads undercut by churning floodwaters of the Gardner and Lamar rivers.In Red Lodge, a town of 2,100 that's a popular jumping-off point for a scenic route into the Yellowstone high country, a creek running through town jumped its banks and swamped the main thoroughfare, leaving trout swimming in the street a day later under sunny skies.Residents described a harrowing scene where the water went from a trickle to a torrent over just a few hours.The water toppled telephone poles, knocked over fences and carved deep fissures in the ground through a neighborhood of hundreds of houses. Electricity was restored by Tuesday, but there was still no running water in the affected neighborhood. This photo provided by Katherine Schoolitz shows flood waters rise around a house in Red Lodge, Mont., on Monday, June 13, 2022. AP Heidi Hoffman left early Monday to buy a sump pump in Billings, but by the time she returned her basement was full of water. "We lost all our belongings in the basement," Hoffman said as the pump removed a steady stream of water into her muddy backyard. "Yearbooks, pictures, clothes, furniture. We're going to be cleaning up for a long time."At least 200 homes were flooded in Red Lodge and the town of Fromberg. The flooding came as the Midwest and East Coast sizzle from a heat wave and other parts of the West burn from an early wildfire season amid a persistent drought that has increased the frequency and intensity of fires. Smoke from a fire in the mountains of Flagstaff, Arizona, could be seen in Colorado. While the flooding hasn't been directly attributed to climate change, Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said a warming environment makes extreme weather events more likely than they would have been "without the warming that human activity has caused.""Will Yellowstone have a repeat of this in five or even 50 years? Maybe not, but somewhere will have something equivalent or even more extreme," he said.Heavy rain on top of melting mountain snow pushed the Yellowstone, Stillwater and Clarks Fork rivers to record levels Monday and triggered rock and mudslides, according to the National Weather Service. The Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs topped a record set in 1918.Yellowstone's northern roads may remain impassable for a substantial length of time. The flooding affected the rest of the park, too, with park officials warning of yet higher flooding and potential problems with water supplies and wastewater systems at developed areas. The rains hit just as area hotels filled up in recent weeks with summer tourists. More than 4 million visitors were tallied by the park last year. The wave of tourists doesn't abate until fall, and June is typically one of Yellowstone's busiest months.Mark Taylor, owner and chief pilot of Rocky Mountain Rotors, said his company had airlifted about 40 paying customers over the past two days from Gardiner, including two women who were "very pregnant."Taylor spoke as he ferried a family of four adults from Texas, who wanted to do some more sightseeing before heading home."I imagine they're going to rent a car and they're going to go check out some other parts of Montana — somewhere drier," he said.At a cabin in Gardiner, Parker Manning of Terre Haute, Indiana, got an up-close view of the roiling Yellowstone River floodwaters just outside his door. Entire trees and even a lone kayaker streamed by. Floodwaters inundated property along the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River near Bridger, Mont, on Monday, June 13, 2022. Emma H. Tobin / AP In early evening, he shot video as the waters ate away at the opposite bank where a large brown house that had been home to park employees before they were evacuated was precariously perched.In a large cracking sound heard over the river's roar, the house tipped into the waters and was pulled into the current. Sholly said it floated 5 miles before sinking. The towns of Cooke City and Silvergate, just east of the park, were also isolated by floodwaters, which also made drinking water unsafe. People left a hospital and low-lying areas in Livingston. In south-central Montana, 68 people at a campground were rescued by raft after flooding on the Stillwater River. Some roads in the area were closed and residents were evacuated.In the hamlet of Nye, at least four cabins washed into the Stillwater River, said Shelley Blazina, including one she owned."It was my sanctuary," she said Tuesday. "Yesterday I was in shock. Today I'm just in intense sadness." In: Weather Forecast Travel Montana Yellowstone National Park Flooding flood Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
For the second time in a week, portions of Kentucky were submerged following extreme rainfall that sparked deadly flash flooding. Several inches of rain in the eastern part of the state on Wednesday turned Appalachian towns into raging rivers that swept away homes and the people who lived in them.At least three people have been reported dead since the latest torrential rains began. In places like Perry County, as much as 14 inches of rain had been recorded over the past 48 hours, and the rain was still falling on Thursday. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll would probably rise into the double-digits.Men navigate down Wolverine Road in Breathitt County, Ky., on Thursday. (Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)“In a word, this event is devastating, and I do believe it will end up being one of the most significant deadly floods that we have had in Kentucky in at least a very long time,” Beshear said at a Thursday news conference, adding, “This isn’t just a disaster, it’s an ongoing natural disaster. We are in the midst of it. and for some place it will continue through tonight.”Kentucky is still working to repair the damage left behind in December of 2021, when a string of tornadoes leveled whole towns in the western portion of the state. The latest round of extreme weather, which scientists have linked to climate change, will present even more challenges in the coming months."We expect a loss of life. Hundreds will lose their homes," Beshear said, adding that it is likely that many families will take not not just months but years to recover and rebuild.Homes are flooded by Lost Creek, Ky., on Thursday, July 28, 2022. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)Eastern Kentucky is expected to receive another two to three inches of rain Thursday night, and Beshear issued a statewide emergency declaration and called in the National Guard to help evacuate trapped residents. Hundreds of calls to police and fire departments have been pouring in as the floodwaters have continued to rise, and the rate the rainfall has effectively cut many residents off. In the town of Hazard, at least 9 inches of rain fell in 12 hours from Wednesday night into Thursday, the Washington Post reported.Horrendous situation in eastern Kentucky with "one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky’s history" according to Gov. Andy Beshear. "We expect double digit deaths." Three deaths confirmed so far. Second 1,000-yr rainstorm in 3 days. https://t.co/PSa5H0i0R2— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) July 28, 2022On Tuesday, extreme rain hit the western Kentucky town of St. Louis, dumping up to 12 inches of rain. At its peak, the rain fell in some locations at a rate of 5 inches per hour. The National Weather Service said that the chances that much rain would fall there were 1 in 1,000 in any given year.Two days later, those same odds were met once again in the eastern part of Kentucky.Home and structures are flooded near Quicksand, Ky., Thursday, July 28, 2022. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)Climate scientists have shown that for every celsius degree of temperature rise, the atmosphere holds 7% more moisture in the atmosphere. When conditions are right, that moisture is unleashed in rainfall events like the ones being experienced in Kentucky this week.With rescue efforts still underway and more rain falling across portions of the state already transformed into rivers and lakes, the ultimate causes of the horrific scenes playing out in Kentucky seem, at least for the time being, of secondary importance.“I believe climate change is real,” Beshear, a Democrat, told reporters. “I believe that it is causing more severe weather. With that said, I don’t know about this one and whether it is or is not connected, and I don’t want to cheapen or politicize what these folks are going through.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Britain is bracing for its hottest night ever on record with temperatures set to remain at 86F (30C) across London and the South East until midnight.Forecasters have warned of a 'very warm and uncomfortable' night ahead as Britons struggle to drift off in the 'extreme' Spanish heatwave that has upset millions of sleep cycles across the country.The current hottest overnight temperature was 75F (23.9C), recorded in Brighton in August 1990. Wales has already recorded its hottest day on record, with the temperature reaching 37.1C Hawarden in Flintshire - beating the previous record for the country which has been in place since 1990 by almost 2C. Searches for 'How to Sleep in a Heatwave' have soared by 138 per cent since the Met Office issued its red extreme heat warning, new figures have shown.It comes as the mercury is set to reach a sweltering 43C (109F) on Tuesday, which is likely to see the previous temperature record of 38.7C (101.6F) broken.The sizzling heat, which has already killed more than 1,000 people on the continent and led to devastating wildfires in several countries, is set to cause havoc with some schools closing and commuters left struggling to get to work. Pictured: Britons watch the glorious sunset from Greenwich Park viewpoint during the UK heatwave on Monday Forecasters have warned of a 'very warm and uncomfortable' night ahead as Britons struggle to drift off in the 'extreme' Spanish heatwave that has upset millions of sleep cycles across the country. Pictured: The sunset from Greenwich Park viewpoint on Monday night A glowing red sunset is pictured in Sheerness, Kent at the end of another intensely hot day - as the mercury is set to reach a sweltering 43C (109F) on Tuesday, which is likely to see the previous temperature record of 38.7C (101.6F) broken Firefighters respond to a large wildfire that has broken out in woodland at Lickey Hills Country Park on the edge of Birmingham on Monday Britons enjoy a barbecue in a river near the village of Luss in Argyll and Bute, Scotland Britain is bracing for its hottest night ever on record with temperatures set to remain at 86F (30C) across London and the South East. Pictured: Sunseekers jump from a pier into the water of Loch Lomond, in the village of Luss in Argyll and Bute, Scotland this morning Lee Hudson decided to take the day off in Kidderminster and jump into his homemade plunge pool while enjoying a drink and keeping a bottle of sunscreen nearbyExperts also have warned major wildfires will tear through the countryside tomorrow. While the National Grid has issued an alert calling for more power plants tonight and predicted very high demand as the country has turned on their fans and aircon on to try and stay cool.A notice to power stations was briefly issued on Monday afternoon to remind them they must ensure they have enough megawatts available for an expected surge in electricity demand this evening. National Grid ESO, which covers England, Scotland and Wales, said: 'Earlier today a capacity market notice (CMN) was triggered by the automated system and cancelled shortly afterwards.'This was due to a combination of factors including high exports, low wind, planned plant maintenance outages, higher than usual demand and a small reduction in gas generation.'CMNs are automated and do not take into account all the factors which our engineers are working on.'Based on current assessments and submitted data the ESO is confident that electricity margins are sufficient.'Health chiefs told patients to stay away unless it is an emergency amid fears hospitals will be overwhelmed, while emergency services urged swimmers to stay away from lakes and rivers in case they face difficulties.Following a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, health secretary Steve Barclay said emergency services are experiencing a rise in 999 calls - as London Ambulance said it was anticipating up to 8,000 calls by the end of today - with the worst yet to come.Some schools in Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire have shut while others will close early - and water providers have also warned of shortages, while a burst water main caused chaos in Kingston upon Thames.Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office said: 'The extreme heat we are forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented.'We have seen when climate change has driven such unprecedented severe weather events all around the world, it can be difficult for people to make the best decisions in these situations because nothing in their life experience has led them to know what to expect.'Here in the UK, we're used to treating a hot spell as a chance to go and play in the sun - this is not that sort of weather.'Our lifestyles and our infrastructure are not adapted to what is coming.'Please treat the warnings we are putting out as seriously as you would a red or amber warning from us for wind or snow, and follow the advice.'Stay out of the sun, keep your home cool, think about adjusting your plans for the warning period. If you do have to go out, wear a hat and sunscreen. Keep in the shade as much as possible and carry water.'Don't leave people or animals in hot cars and keep a particular look-out for your family and neighbours, especially more vulnerable people.'Meanwhile, the Luton Airport runway was closed for two hours because of a 'surface defect' in the heat today as Wales recorded its hottest day on record with England having its hottest day of the year after fires broke out, trains were cancelled and schools closed.The Met Office said temperatures could hit 43C tomorrow, the hottest ever recorded, and bring 'thousands' of deaths amid the country's first ever Red Extreme Heat warning.In Santon Downham, Suffolk the mercury hit 38.1C today, making it the hottest day of the year and the third hottest day on record. London was at 37.5C (99.5F) today and the mercury rose to 31.3C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, and Leuchars in Fife.Meanwhile, flying activity was also halted at RAF Brize Norton, with Sky News reporting that part of the runway had melted.Wildfires continued to burn today after weeks of very dry conditions - including across fields near Chesterfield in Derbyshire and Lickey Hills Country Park, Birmingham - while a vehicle dramatically set on fire in a car park near the beauty spot of Durdle Door in Dorset and an oil tanker went on fire on the M25. The Luton Airport runway was closed because of a 'surface defect' in the heat today as Wales recorded its hottest day on record with England set to follow later after fires broke out, trains were cancelled and schools closed Fire crews fight grass and field fires near Chesterfield in Derbyshire today as temperatures soar across Britain A vehicle dramatically set on fire in a car park near the beauty spot of Durdle Door in Dorset this afternoon Emergency services rushed to a fuel tanker carrying 40,000 litres of fuel after it went up in flames this afternoon on the hard shoulder of the M25 near SevenoaksThousands of people pack onto Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon as the very hot weather continue An easyJet plan sits on the tarmac as it waits to take off after Luton was shut due to the tarmac on the runway melting and maintenance crews were seen with water trucks cooling down the surface of the airport People jump into the tidal pool and swim during hot weather at Perranporth Beach in Cornwall today A Luton Airport staff member radios a colleague as passengers are seen crouched down and pack out the terminal as the flights are now beginning to operate again but face a lengthy delay due to the closure effecting flights Lee Hudson decided to take the day off in Kidderminster and jump into his homemade plunge pool while enjoying a drink and keeping a bottle of sunscreen nearby Wizz Air and easyJet passengers are seen queuing as flights start to resume while the Terminal looks packed out this evening A man carries his suitcase with his shirt off as the sweltering heat prevented flights from flying at Luton Airport for two hours today Power stations issued notice to have enough megawatts for the surge in electricity demand this evening A notice to power stations was briefly issued on Monday afternoon to remind them they must ensure they have enough megawatts available for an expected surge in electricity demand this evening.National Grid ESO, which covers England, Scotland and Wales, said: 'Earlier today a capacity market notice (CMN) was triggered by the automated system and cancelled shortly afterwards.'This was due to a combination of factors including high exports, low wind, planned plant maintenance outages, higher than usual demand and a small reduction in gas generation.'CMNs are automated and do not take into account all the factors which our engineers are working on.'Based on current assessments and submitted data the ESO is confident that electricity margins are sufficient.'Both the BBC and the Mirror reported that flights at Luton resumed at 5.40pm with arrivals following 15 minutes later while it was said the last plane was thought to have taken off at around 3pm.Passengers packed out the Terminal as flights resumed but also face lengthy delays due to the earlier closure affecting some planes taking off. One passenger said her flight had been diverted to Stansted because the 'runway has apparently melted in Luton', adding that her car was still at Luton and she 'can't wait to schlep with the kids across counties on the hottest day of the year.' Another added: 'Diverted to Stansted, sat waiting to see will they fly us or bus us back to Luton.' A Luton spokesman apologised to passengers, telling MailOnline: 'Following today's high temperatures, a surface defect was identified on the runway. Engineers were called immediately to site and repair works are currently in progress to resume operations as soon as possible. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.' An RAF spokesman said on RAF Brize Norton: 'During this period of extreme temperature flight safety remains our top priority, so aircraft are using alternative airfields in line with a long established plan. This means there is no impact on RAF operations.'The current UK temperature record looks almost certain be exceed when temperatures could reach a 'crazy' 41C in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and hit 40C in London on Tuesday. The Met Office has also issued an amber weather warning of 'extreme heat' in eastern, southern and central parts of Scotland which is in force until midnight on Tuesday.On Monday afternoon, the mercury rose to 31.3C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, and Leuchars in Fife, the Met Office said. Meanwhile the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh recorded 30.8C, and the mercury peaked at 29.9C in Aviemore. Temperatures have not broken Scotland's 9 August 2003 record of 32.9C at Greyrcrook in the Scottish Borders, but forecasters said that may happen on Tuesday.South of the border, the Met Office has issued the UK's first red extreme heat warning for a large part of England, covering Monday and Tuesday. Tonight will be warm and uncomfortable, the Met Office has said, and higher than the average July afternoon.Northern Ireland recorded its hottest day of the year, with temperatures soaring above 30C in some areas like in Derrylin in Co Fermanagh with 31.1C and in Armagh with 30.6C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Northern Ireland was 31.3C (88.3F) in Castlederg in County Tyrone last July. In the Republic of Ireland, a yellow weather warning is in place after the Phoenix Park temperature on Monday marks the highest recorded in the 21st century, overtaking 32.3C in Elphin, Co Roscommon on July 19, 2006.Met Eireann said: 'This is only 0.3C below the all-time 135-year-old record set at Kilkenny Castle in 1887. Temperatures may still rise further.' Sunbathers on the sand at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today as the very hot weather continues Crowds are seen swelling into departures at Luton Airport this evening as flights began to take off once again People on the beach in the village of Luss on Loch Lomond, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland this afternoon A man looks at his phone as passengers face waits to take off after the Luton Airport runway closure People out enjoying the hot weather at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside today as temperatures rise all over the UK A jetty almost buckled under the weight of scores of teenagers looking to escape the record-breaking heat at a popular Snowdonia beauty spot. Footage taken by an eyewitness showed the jetty near Llanberis, partially dip beneath the waters, before scores of youths fall into the Gwynedd lake People are seen during the hot weather on the Embankment in London Members of the public cool off by jumping from the pier into Loch Lomond on Monday, July 18 A sparse looking concourse at Waterloo Station in London as people look at the departures board A man rides a sea scooter at Loch Lomond today as temperatures soar in Scotland which could see its hottest ever recorded temperature tomorrow Elsewhere, rail tracks buckled in London's Vauxhall in the heat - resulting in a safety inspection on the line that caused disruption between Waterloo and Clapham Junction. And operator Great Northern said a buckled rail at Watlington in Norfolk meant services could not run between Cambridge and Kings Lynn. And all flights in and out of RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire were halted because the 'runway has melted', according to a military source.Some 53 schools in Buckinghamshire have closed and reverted to remote learning. Elsewhere, Northwood Community Primary School in Kirkby, Merseyside, said that sports day had been axed today; while King Charles I School, a secondary school in Worcestershire, has cancelled all on-site detentions both today and tomorrow.The Met Office is also warning that temperatures overnight into Tuesday are holding up in the low 20s and possible mid-20s in isolated places, and it looks likely to be the warmest night on record in the UK.Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said: 'I've been a qualified meteorologist for 10 years, and telling people about 41C in the UK doesn't seem real.'It's crazy how we are talking about these sorts of values, I've never seen the models coming up with these values.'It's been quite an eye-opener to climate change with all these temperatures in the UK.'Professor Endersby told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'We think today we may well see the hottest day in the UK in history, with the hottest temperatures in the South East, but actually the highest temperatures we expect tomorrow, and those temperatures will be further north as that warm air pushes north. 'It's tomorrow that we're really seeing the higher chance of 40C and temperatures above that. Even possibly above that... 41C isn't off the cards. We've even got some 43Cs in the model but we're hoping it won't be as high as that.'Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office said: 'The extreme heat we are forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented. Please treat the warnings we are putting out as seriously as you would a red or amber warning from us for wind or snow, and follow the advice.'One GP surgery in Hertfordshire had to close a site today because it has no air conditioning; others in London have texted patients to warn them of reduced services with limited clinic rooms in operation; and Milton Keynes University Hospital said it was 'standing down routine outpatient appointments and surgery' today and tomorrow. Maintenance workers are seen working to repair the runway after surface damage left passengers delayed by two hours People are seen jumping off the pier in Scotland as temperatures reached this year's highs this evening in the country Water trucks can be seen cooling down the surface of the airport at Luton this afternoon A large fire that has broken out on grassland at Lickey Hills Country Park in Birmingham today causing smoke to envelope the city Luton airport passengers saw the tarmac melting today before it was shut as it's pictured looking empty This map from Netweather shows how 41C highs are expected in parts of central England tomorrow - and 40C in the South A very busy Brighton beach in East Sussex at lunchtime today as visitors flock to the seaside A man leaps into the River Cam, as the temperatures continue to rise to 38C in Cambridge today Concern wildfires could tear through the countryside at 40C Experts are worried about the possibility of major wildfires tearing through the countryside as temperatures threaten to soar as high as 40C.Wildlife would be 'devastated' by such a blaze, with one expert suggesting Britain could face conditions similar to those taking hold in southern Europe.Patches of England were at 'exceptional risk' of wildfires on Monday, the Met Office said, with an alert spreading to most of the country for Tuesday.'I haven't even seen the exceptional category being used in the times I've looked at the Wildfire Index before,' Kathryn Brown, the Wildlife Trust's director for climate action, said.'In southern Europe, we're seeing these stories of these horrendous wildfires taking hold all over the place and these are the conditions that we're going to be more prone to.'We need to be much more aware, and the public needs to be much more aware, of the wildfire risk.'Blazes across France, Spain, Portugal and Greece have levelled thousands of acres of land and forced the evacuation of locals and holidaymakers.The National Trust has warned against lighting barbecues or campfires in open countryside and dropping litter such as glass bottles.'We're on tenterhooks that someone is careless with a cigarette butt or thoughtless by lighting barbecues and us having to deal with a wildfire,' the charity's conservation head Ben McCarthy said.'They destroy the habitat they rip through and also all the animals and plants that occur there and make up those habitats.'At the Marsden Moor (in West Yorkshire) fire back in 2019, when we surveyed the site after the flames had been extinguished, we saw lots of burnt-out reptiles and amphibians, burnt-out nests.'Rainfall has been scarce recently, with less than 1mm recorded in the north east and north west between July 6 and 12, with none across the rest of England. In London, a judge at Wood Green Crown Court was forced to halt a murder trial after an air conditioning unit broke down – saying he had 'no choice' but to adjourn proceedings and move the case to the Old Bailey. In Cardiff, a children's hospital's cancer ward at Noah's Ark Children's Hospital was left without air conditioning after the unit failed in hot weather. Engineers were working to fix the fault affecting the chemotherapy area - and health chiefs said that if the problem cannot be solved, patients will be moved to a different ward to keep cool. Meanwhile Royal Mail warned of disruption to deliveries, saying today: 'In areas where temperatures rise to potentially dangerous levels during the day, our staff have been advised to return to the office with any mail they have been unable to deliver and not put themselves under any risk of falling ill due to the extreme heat.' At Buckingham Palace, the Changing of the Guard was scaled down to protect the soldiers. The marching and ceremonial parade was made shorter to prevent the Queen's Guard from being too long in the midday sun.But Guardsman were still required to stand to attention and march outside the Palace in their Canadian bearskins and full uniform. And one standing guard was seen being given water to drink as he stood in the direct sunshine.As health officials declared a 'national emergency', rail chaos was already affecting parts of London this morning - with the Overground suspended between Willesden Junction and Richmond, and Romford and Upminster.On the Underground, the District, Central, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines all had severe delays while the Hammersmith & City Line was completely axed due to 'heat related restrictions' and there was no Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate. Transport for London told all passengers in the capital to avoid non-essential travel.Transport for London (TfL), which advised people to 'only travel if essential', said around 1.06 million entries and exits were made by London Underground passengers up to 10am on Monday, down 18% compared with the same period last week. The scorching heat means the UK will be warmer than Nassau in the Bahamas (32C), Kingston in Jamaica (33C), Malaga in Spain (28C), Athens in Greece (35C), Albufeira in Portugal (28C) and Dakhla in the Western Sahara (24C).Temperatures had already hit 34C (93F) in London by midday today. As Britons camped overnight at Bournemouth beach for the best spot today amid what forecasters called an 'exceptional hot spell':The hot weather also caused a significant drop in footfall in London, with a drop of 10 per cent across high streets, retail parks and shopping centres today compared to last week.The figure across all UK shopping destinations was down 3 per cent overall - but footfall on high streets in coastal towns was up 9 per cent. A 4,000 square metre fire has broken out on grassland at Lickey Hills Country Park in Birmingham this afternoon. The fire service has asked people to stay away from the area and told residents to keep their doors and windows closed A member of the Queen's Guard receives water to drink during the hot weather outside Buckingham Palace in London today A major grass fire in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, today with multiple crews at the scene trying to keep it under control Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to tackle a grass fire on Woolwich Common during the heatwave Two women play in the sea off Bournemouth beach today on the hottest day of the year so far A deserted play area at Grendel Park in Maidenhead as temperatures have topped 38C in the heatwave Members of the public cool off by jet skiing at Loch Lomond in Luss, Scotland today as the Met Office has warned that temperatures could reach 30c in Scotland as a heatwave engulfs the UKA woman walks past Galata Restaurant on Green Lanes in Haringey, north London (left) which is closed due to extreme hot weather. Wellbeing (right) on Green Lanes in Haringey, north London was also shut A woman jumps into the water in Loch Lomond today as temperatures continue to soar dramatically Firefighters continue to tackle a huge blaze at a recycling centre near Braintree in Essex today amid fears it may spread to a nearby forest The fire seen as it was originally raging in Braintree today as the heatwave creates massive temperatures in the UK Network Rail engineers have found a kink in the rail at Vauxhall in London today due to the extreme heat The kink in the tracks was spotted near Vauxhall in London today, with trains re-routed to avoid the affected section A man uses a newspaper as a fan whilst travelling on the Bakerloo line in central London during the heatwave today Lara Cahill, Olivia Murtagh and Caoimhe Clynch sunbathe on Portobello beach in Edinburgh todayPeople flock to Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they make the most of the extreme temperaturesTanisha Randell, 19, takes a stroll along Bournemouth beach today during a day trip from Southampton People swim at Hampstead Heath in North West London today as they enjoy the very hot weather Commuters cross London Bridge today as the Shard reflects the sun in the early morning heat People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People are seen enjoying the heatwave today at Ruislip Lido in west London People flock to Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they make the most of the extreme temperatures People preparing to enter the water in Penzance, Cornwall, today Scorching temperatures in Battersea Park in South West London today as people cool off inside the fountainCommuters on London Bridge feel the heat at 8.30am this morning amid the extreme weather conditions A young girl rides her inflatable pelican in the sea at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, this afternoon A woman uses a fan to cool herself down as commuters cross London Bridge today in extreme temperaturesA woman keeping cool in the River Thames near Chertsey in Surrey today (left) and another on Bournemouth beach (right)People took to Twitter after the London Luton Airport runway was closed because of a 'surface defect' in the heat todayThe Met Office's Professor Endersby said today that such extreme temperatures are not expected beyond tomorrow, but that meteorologists will then be monitoring the possibility of drought in the coming months. 'Well, we certainly don't see these very hot temperatures persisting past Tuesday, so we're expecting a big drop in temperature, mercifully, overnight into Wednesday - down 10 or 12 degrees on what it has been the days before. Millions more people work from home to avoid severe travel disruptionMillions more people are working from home to avoid severe disruption to transport networks caused by soaring temperatures.Road traffic and public transport usage dropped on Monday after people were urged to avoid unnecessary travel.Network Rail said the number of passengers using major stations across Britain on Monday was around 20% down on a week ago.Location technology firm TomTom said road congestion at 9am was lower in most UK cities than at the same time last week. In London, congestion levels fell from 53% on July 11 to 42% on Monday.In Birmingham they were down from 46% to 43%, in Manchester they decreased from 45% to 37%, and in Glasgow they dropped from 17% to 12%. The figures reflect the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions.Transport for London (TfL), which advised people to 'only travel if essential', said around 1.06 million entries and exits were made by London Underground passengers up to 10am on Monday. This is down 18% compared with the same period last Monday.Some 1.07 million bus journeys were made up to 10am, a 10% decrease week on week.TfL said: 'Ridership on Monday is typically lower than other days of the week on public transport and is therefore likely to be a good indication of where people are working from home. Typically, TfL also sees a small reduction in ridership at this time of year as schools enter their last week of term and people begin to go on holiday.'However, the recent high temperatures have led to more of a reduction than would have been expected before our travel advice was issued to only make essential journeys during this extreme hot weather.'Temperatures were expected to soar into the high 30s on Monday. Train speed restrictions imposed by Network Rail to reduce the chances of tracks buckling in the heatwave caused delays and cancellations.Many operators are running a heavily reduced timetable on Monday and Tuesday, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Great Northern and Thameslink. LNER will run no trains from south of York and south of Leeds to London King's Cross on Tuesday.Kevin Groves, chief spokesman for Network Rail, said journeys which typically take two hours could take 'more than four hours' as emergency measures have been brought in to prevent trains derailing.He told Sky News: 'Certainly later on today that (buckling) is a strong possibility, which is why, from about midday today through till 8pm tonight, there will be large swathes of England and Wales that will have emergency heat-related speed restrictions placed on the rail network.'Jake Kelly, also from Network Rail, warned of travel disruption across the country. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the return of normal services on Wednesday 'will depend on the damage that the weather does to the infrastructure'.Council gritters were on stand-by to spread light dustings of sand on melting roads.The RAC anticipated that the number of vehicle breakdowns on Monday and Tuesday could be up to a fifth higher than normal. Spokesman Rod Dennis said the increase in callouts will 'put pressure on all breakdown services' as he advised drivers to carry an 'emergency kit' such as water, non-perishable food, sun protection and any medication required.'We are still seeing hotter than average in our three-month outlook and also very dry, and our attention is turning, once we're past these two days, to drought and when we might see any rain, and we're not seeing any significant rain coming up.'She also said that the public should take Met Office heat warnings as seriously as those about other significant weather events such as snow or wind, as the extreme heat could cause thousands of excess deaths.Professor Endersby added: 'Our warnings are always impact-based, so, when we put out warnings, if they're red, that means there's a danger to life and we're expecting major infrastructure impacts, and that's true, whether it's snow, wind, rain, and it's true of this heat warning. 'We're certainly seeing people reacting a little bit differently to the heat warnings as though they think that maybe we shouldn't be telling them to worry about heat the way we tell them to worry about storm or wind.'These temperatures are unprecedented in the UK and we're not used to dealing with them. And heat undoubtedly causes many hundreds, thousands of excess deaths in heatwaves, so people do need to take care and follow the advice we've been putting out about keeping in the shade, keeping cool, keeping hydrated, and so on.'She also said that, while extreme temperatures remain 'rare', by 2100 temperatures like those expected this week could be seen in the UK as frequently as once in every three years as a result of climate change.'These temperatures are unattainable in the UK without climate change, they just don't appear in the ensembles at all. They're still rare in today's 1.1 - 1.2-degree warmed climate, but by 2100, we're expecting them to be anywhere between one in 15 and one in three years, depending on the emissions pathways we take between now and then.'She added: 'We will certainly need to make changes to our infrastructure, transport, hospitals, care, homes, all those sorts of things, as well as to our domestic building designs. So yes, we need to make short-term changes for things like cooling centres and then longer-term changes, as well as assuming the very good progress we've already made as a nation towards net zero.'Health secretary Mr Barclay said: 'We're seeing an increase in calls and the extra resource we have put in place is to manage that.'But there's also a time lag in the data because the highest point of the expected heatwave is actually going to be tomorrow afternoon.'So that's the point of maximum concern, but we're seeing an increase in calls.'That's why we put more call handlers in place. It's why we put additional funding in - an extra £150 million for the ambulance service, a further £50 million for 111, and indeed other support such as £30 million for auxiliary ambulances. So extra resource has been put in place.'The contingency plans, that are well established, have been activated.'And we're meeting regularly with NHS leaders, with ambulance chief executives, to closely monitor the impacts, and particularly the (ambulance) handover times, so we can mitigate those with the increased pressure they're facing.'It comes after the Met Office revealed the deep red colour showing the high temperatures on weather maps was part of a redesign in autumn 2021 that was actually intended for parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Chief meteorologist at the Met Office Paul Davies warned that tonight will be very hot and it will be hard to sleep in the heat. He told Sky News: 'Tonight will be very oppressive, I mean it's actually difficult sleeping conditions.'And tomorrow is the day where we are really concerned about a good chance now of hitting 40C or 41C, and with that all the health conditions that come with those higher temperatures.'He also claimed that the rise in temperature is 'entirely consistent' with climate change and said the 'brutality' of the heat could become commonplace by the end of the century.Mr Davies told Sky News the weather charts he had seen today were 'astounding' and unlike any he had observed throughout his 30-year career.'This is entirely consistent with climate change. To get 40 degrees in the UK we need that additional boost from human-induced climate,' he said. 'Well, I've been a meteorologist for about 30 years and I've never seen the charts I've seen today. 'And the speed at which we are seeing these exceptionally high temperatures is broadly in line with what we were saying but to be honest, as a meteorologist, to see the brutality of | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
By Janhavee MooleBBC MarathiImage caption, A month after heavy floods swept Gadchiroli district, its residents are yet to return to their homes"It's been over a month of living with nothing," Neelakka Modem, a tribal woman from the western Indian state of Maharashtra, says gloomily as rain trickles down her rickety plastic tent.She and her family, along with 700 others, were forced to abandon their homes in Somanpalli village in Gadchiroli district after heavy rains in July triggered massive floods. They have been camping along a national highway ever since. "The authorities came in the middle of the night and asked us to move to safety. We left with nothing but the clothes we were wearing," Ms Modem, 70, recalled. The state government has provided food and water, but living by the highway carries risks - speeding vehicles, wild animals, including deadly snakes, are common in this region which is home to dense tropical forests. Back in the village, Ms Modem's son Madhukar, a farm labourer, is trying to salvage whatever he can from their destroyed house. But Ms Modem wonders if they will ever go back. "We can't live there anymore - the place is inhabitable. The government should rehabilitate us elsewhere," she said. Image caption, Residents of Somanpalli village in Gadchiroli have been living in camps along a highwayHeavy rainfall is common during the monsoon in Gadchiroli district, which is surrounded by forests. Here, the Godavari river, the second longest in India, along with its tributaries, forms a flood-prone zone between June and September. During those months, if often overflows and enters the villages. But residents say the flooding has become worse in recent years.Torrential rains this year between 11 July and 19 July left a trail of devastation- at least 34 of the 52 towns and villages along the riverbank in Gadchiroli were submerged for days, while three of them, including Somanpalli, were almost wiped out as water levels rose to their highest point in 35 years. The rains have stopped now, but people are yet to return home or start rebuilding their lives."I've never seen a flood like this. This time, it has taken everything," Ms Modem said. Image source, ANIImage caption, The lush region of Gadchiroli receives heavy rainfall every yearVillagers and environmental experts say the heavy floods are caused by the discharge of water from a nearby dam in Medigadda - a village in the neighbouring state of Telangana. But authorities have denied the claim. "The dam has no effect on the flood situation in Gadchiroli and its neighbouring areas. In fact, because of the construction of flood banks, heavy damages could be avoided during the recent floods," said Dr Rajat Kumar, a senior official in Telangana's irrigation department. Mr Kumar added that irrigation officials in his state were "continuously coordinating" with their counterparts in Maharashtra over the situation. The dam, known as Lakshmi Barrage, is located on the border between Maharashtra and Telangana. It was constructed in 2016 after the two states signed a water-sharing agreement.Since its inception, the project has been embroiled in controversies over the alleged violation of environment laws - a claim denied by both state governments. "People had opposed construction of this dam and there were protests, but the government of Maharashtra and Telangana did not pay any heed - now, we are suffering because of that," said Ranjit Gagapurwar, a local social activist. He added that villagers who live on the banks of the Godavari river needed to be relocated permanently because "it will flood every monsoon". Jitendra Shiktode, a government officer in Maharashtra who is in charge of Gadchiroli, said: "We are trying hard to help the villagers. But it's not possible to relocate them so quickly."Image caption, Environmental experts say that the intensity of floods in the region has increased over the yearsExperts, however, say that the issue is not just about rehabilitation, but about the management of hydro projects. "Every dam is a potential source of disaster. That's the reality and one needs to be aware of it," says Himanshu Thakkar, an environmental activist and water expert, who is also the coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP). "It's not just that the dam could break, but also if it is not operated properly, it could lead to floods." On 8 August, India's ministry of water resources had acknowledged that "faulty operations of reservoirs may sometimes result in flooding of downstream regions." Mr Thakkar explained how this could happen: "India has concentrated rainfall in three-four months of monsoon. So if a dam is filled right at the beginning of the season and it rains further, authorities end up releasing water from the dam while the area downstream is already flooded, worsening the situation." One of the things to ensure proper operation of dams is a "rule curve" or a graph that shows when and how a dam is to be filled gradually through the season. This graph, Mr Thakkar explained, must be designed considering the siltation and carrying capacity of the downstream river, or the tide timings, if the dam is close to the coast. Image caption, Residents say that a dam located in the neighbouring state of Telangana is responsible for the floodsBesides, authorities also need to regularly update the curve to accommodate changes in rainfall patterns. "Increasingly we are witnessing late monsoons. So we need to change the rules accordingly," he said. This is extremely important for regions like South Asia, where extreme weather events like floods are expected to become more frequent amid rising temperatures, according to a 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Back in Somanpalli, water levels have reduced. But villagers are still living by the highway. They fear another deluge since the monsoon is not over yet. "What's the point in going back? We have lost everything," Ms Modem said.Additional reporting by Sumit Pakalwar in Telangana | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The International Committee of the Red Cross warns hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa are going hungry due to conflict, climate shocks, and rising food prices triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ICRC warns Africa’s food crisis is set to worsen. It says conflict and armed violence, failing harvests due to years of drought, and increases in food and other commodity prices are driving more people into extreme poverty and hunger.
A recent U.N. assessment estimates 346 million people on the continent face severe food insecurity, meaning one-quarter of the population does not have enough to eat.
The ICRC regional director for Africa, Patrick Youssef, says the situation is urgent. He warns many lives will be lost without a concerted effort by different actors to meet the challenges ahead. He says aid agencies, international financial institutions, and governments must collaborate to prevent the humanitarian crisis from becoming irreversible.
“As we look at 2023, we know that this will repeat itself. These climate shocks will repeat themselves; food insecurity will remain as acute as it is," said Youssef. "It will not end with the calendar year. So, we all will better collectively be prepared for a long haul, for a situation, for a crisis that will certainly increase in size and volume.”
The ICRC reports the war in Ukraine has caused a sharp increase in fuel and fertilizer prices. That, it says, has added significant pressure on farmers, many of whom are weathering the combined impact of conflict and climate shocks.
Youssef says the Horn of Africa is most seriously affected. He notes, however, that other parts of Africa, from Mauritania to the Sahel to Lake Chad and, to a lesser extent, the Central African Republic, are suffering from the effects of the Ukraine crisis.
“Countries are equally, at least those who are, as you mentioned, so dependent on grains and wheat from Russia and Ukraine. Somalia is the worst—90 percent," said Youssef. "But Nigeria has also a large dependency on that. Sudan and South Sudan as well. And, indeed the situation is extremely difficult for people that are inaccessible for humanitarian organizations, such as Somalia.”
Youssef says lack of access to people in areas affected by conflict and armed violence, such as Somalia and Burkina Faso raise the challenges to a different level.
The ICRC reports more than 35 armed conflicts are taking place on the continent and around 30 million people are internally displaced and refugees. The Swiss-based humanitarian agency says people uprooted from their homes are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather, fluctuation of food prices and hunger. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Pope Francis waves as he leads the Angelus prayer from his window, at the Vatican July 17, 2022. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummaryUrges world to tackle climate change like other crisesSays global warming hurts poor, indigenous people mostWarnings of urgency rise as heatwave, wildfires hit EuropeVATICAN CITY, July 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday called on world leaders to heed the Earth's "chorus of cries of anguish" stemming from climate change, extreme weather and loss of biodiversity.In a message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, he urged nations to confront climate change with the same attention as global challenges like wars and health crises, saying global warming hurts the poor and indigenous populations most.Francis said rich countries have an "ecological debt" because it is they who had caused the most environmental pollution over the past two centuries, marring nature's song.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"Tragically, that sweet song is accompanied by a cry of anguish. Or even better: a chorus of cries of anguish. In the first place, it is our sister, mother earth, who cries out. Prey to our consumerist excesses, she weeps and implores us to put an end to our abuses and to her destruction," he wrote.Emergency services have battled wildfires across swathes of southern Europe amid a brutal heatwaves this week, prompting warnings that the fight against climate change needed to be stepped up. read more The appeal came a few days before the pope is due to leave for a trip to Canada, where he will meet with indigenous people in Iqaluit in the Canadian arctic, which is part of the fastest-warming part of North America."Exposed to the climate crisis, the poor feel even more gravely the impact of the drought, flooding, hurricanes and heat waves that are becoming ever more intense and frequent," Francis said."Likewise, our brothers and sisters of the native peoples are crying out. As a result of predatory economic interests, their ancestral lands are being invaded and devastated on all sides, provoking a cry that rises up to heaven."Francis repeated an appeal "in the name of God" that he first made last year to the mining, oil, forestry, real estate and agribusiness industries to "stop destroying forests, wetlands, and mountains, to stop polluting rivers and seas, to stop poisoning food and people".The pope, who in 2015 wrote a major encyclical on environmental protection, said the U.N. COP15 summit on biodiversity, to be held in Canada in December, would be a big opportunity for an agreement to halt the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of species.He said COP15 could construct a clear ethical basis for the changes needed to save biodiversity, support conservation and give priority to vulnerable populations, including indigenous peoples.He called for the "effective implementation" of the 2016 Paris climate change agreement, whose goal is to limit the increase in average global temperature to 1.5°C.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Philip Pullella
Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
LONDON (AP) — Britain shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered Tuesday amid a heat wave that has seized swaths of Europe — and the national weather forecaster predicted it would get hotter still in a country ill prepared for such extremes.The typically temperate nation was just the latest to be walloped by unusually hot, dry weather that has gripped the continent since last week, triggering wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans and leading to hundreds of heat-related deaths. Images of flames racing toward a French beach and Britons sweltering — even at the seaside — have driven home concerns about climate change.The U.K. Met Office registered a provisional reading of 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport — breaking the record set just an hour earlier. Before Tuesday, the highest temperature recorded in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019. The nation watched the mercury rise with a combination of horror and fascination. With several hours of intense sunlight ahead, the record could go even higher.“Temperatures are likely to rise further through today,” the forecaster said after the first record fell.The sweltering weather has disrupted travel, health care and schools in a country not prepared for such extremes. A huge chunk of England, from London in the south to Manchester and Leeds in the north, remained under the country’s first “red” warning for extreme heat Tuesday, meaning there is danger of death even for healthy people.London streets saw less traffic, as many heeded advice to stay out of the sun, and trains ran at low speed out of concern rails could buckle, or did not run at all. The British Museum — which has a glass-roofed atrium — planned to shut its doors early. And the Supreme Court closed to visitors after a problem with the air conditioning forced it to move hearings online. Many public buildings, including hospitals, don’t even have air conditioning, a reflection of how unusual such extreme heat is in the country better known for rain and mild temperatures.The capital’s Hyde Park, normally busy with walkers, was eerily quiet — except for the long lines to take a dip in the park’s Serpentine lake.“I’m going to my office because it is nice and cool,” said geologist Tom Elliott, 31, after taking a swim. “I’m cycling around instead of taking the Tube.’’ London’s King’s Cross Station, one of the country’s busiest rail hubs, was empty on Tuesday, with no trains on the typically bustling east coast line connecting the capital to the north and Scotland. London’s Luton Airport closed its runway for several hours Monday because of heat damage.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Britain’s transport infrastructure, some of it dating from Victorian times, “just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature — and it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could.”The dangers of extreme heat were on display in Britain and around Europe. At least six people were reported to have drowned across the U.K. in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off. Meanwhile, nearly 750 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain and neighboring Portugal in the heat wave there. The highest temperature previously recorded in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019. Tuesday’s reading was provisional, which means they are produced as near to real time as possible with final readings issued after data quality-control, the Met Office said.The head of the U.N. weather agency expressed hope that the heat would serve as a “wake-up call” for governments and voters to do more on climate change. World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said that heat waves were only expected to increase.Climate experts warn that global warming has increased the frequency of extreme weather events, with studies showing that the likelihood of temperatures in the U.K. reaching 40 C (104 F) is now 10 times higher than in the pre-industrial era. In fact, that once unthinkable mark looked possible — even likely — Tuesday.“This record temperature is a harbinger of things to come,” said Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. “The increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves and other extreme weather events is the result of climate change, and these impacts will continue to grow” unless the world drastically reduces emissions.Drought and heat waves tied to climate change have also made wildfires harder to fight.In the Gironde region of southwestern France, ferocious wildfires continued to spread through tinder-dry pines forests, frustrating firefighting efforts by more than 2,000 firefighters and water-bombing planes.More than 37,000 people have been evacuated from homes and summer vacation spots since the fires broke out July 12 and burned through 190 square kilometers (more than 70 square miles) of forests and vegetation, Gironde authorities said.A smaller third fire broke out late Monday in the Medoc wine region north of Bordeaux, further taxing firefighting resources. Five camping sites went up in flames in the Atlantic coast beach zone where blazes raged, around the Arcachon maritime basin famous for its oysters and resorts.But weather forecasts offered some consolation, with heat-wave temperatures expected to ease along the Atlantic seaboard Tuesday and the possibility of rains rolling in late in the day.___Associated Press Writer John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, contributed to this story.___Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
As the country struggles to cool down in ever hotter summers, the communities that will be hardest hit and least able to cope have been identified by new research. Birmingham has by far the most communities that urgently need help to cope with hotter weather, according to analysis from Manchester University and campaigners Friends of the Earth (FoE).
The city's followed by the London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney - with Nottingham also making the list. The number of people exposed to extreme heat "grows very rapidly as the planet warms up", which shows the "real human consequence" of failing to cut emissions, FoE's head of science, policy and research Mike Childs told Sky News.The research sends "a very strong signal to politicians that we need to double down on cutting our carbon emissions, unlike some of the candidates to be our next prime minister... who are suggesting perhaps we could dial back on climate action", he said. Climate change has already warmed Britain by 0.9C. About 800 extra people die due to heat each year.
The researchers identified neighbourhoods that are prone to hot weather, and then assessed more than 40 factors that would make those communities vulnerable. Age is one of them - with risks to the elderly and toddlers well known. More on Climate Change Extreme weather: Roads close, 'frightening' fires break out and drought sets in as Portugal's temperatures climb towards 46C Is insulation making your house hotter in summer - and how can you cool it down? Blistering heat scorches Europe as Portugal wildfire injures 29 and officials warn of hotter, changing climate There are also lesser-discussed risks such as crime levels, with high crime rates deterring people from opening windows.Landscape also plays a big role, as concrete heavy areas absorb a lot of heat, whereas street trees and green space have a cooling effect and provide shelter, and high-rise buildings are particularly susceptible to overheating.Birmingham is not only urban, but also has a large stock of privately rented accommodation in poor condition.Mr Childs said these areas should be targeted for greater support - such as by planting more trees along streets, installing air conditioning in community centres, or retrofitting homes to be warmer in winter and cooler in summer.Mr Childs called it a "fairness" and "race" issue, with all worst-affected communities having a below-average carbon footprint, and ethnically diverse people four times more likely to live in a vulnerable community than white people. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Why heatwaves are getting worse FoE wants the government to prioritise the 3,000 most vulnerable neighbourhoods for publicly funded adaptation projects, as well as double down on cutting emissions to avoid further warming.A government spokesperson said the UK has already cut emissions faster than any other G7 nation and has made "significant" £1.2bn funding available for councils to take local action.It is also working on plans for regulations to reduce the risk of overheating in new residential buildings - though existing housing stock remains a problem.The Local Government Association was unavailable to comment. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Is it getting hotter more often? Professor Robert Lowe, who specialises in energy resilience and built environments at University College London, said that while climate change was dangerous, the current "unravelling of global supply chains, and the likelihood that the energy crisis will be followed by a food crisis and general impoverishment of populations " made the demands "unrealistic".The researchers first focused on England, which has the greatest risk and largest population.A similar project looking at Wales is ongoing.The analysis comes as the government's climate advisers warn of the dangers of "locking in" the dangerous impacts of climate change to our homes.Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday, and The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. All on Sky News, on the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
CBS Mornings June 16, 2022 / 12:42 PM / CBS News Climate change's risk to national parks Floods that devastated Yellowstone now impacting Montana, water supplies threatened 02:53 Alisha Beekman woke up on Wednesday to her 10-year-old screaming—floodwaters that tore through Red Lodge, Montana had come without warning and made it inside Beekman's home. "The water was flowing so quickly and rising so fast that I needed to get the breakers off," she told CBS News' Jonathan Vigliotti. She and her family were able to escape unharmed but are now in the process of cleaning up the damage left behind by the same waters that devastated Yellowstone National Park earlier this week. Alisha Beekman looks at soggy drywall in her daughter's bedroom Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Red Lodge, Mont. Her home was one of hundreds in the small city that flooded when torrential rains swelled waterways across the Yellowstone region. Brittany Peterson / AP Flooding over the last several days has forced the popular summer tourist destination to remain closed as water levels rise throughout the park. The dramatic flooding could permanently damage one of the nation's oldest, most treasured landmarks, according to experts. "One aspect of climate change is that we're going to see more extreme weather events. And I think we're seeing that not only in Montana but around the country and around the world. Events that really exceed what we've seen in recorded history," Cathy Whitlock, a scientist and professor of earth sciences at Montana State University said. Whitlock fears even the nation's most protected national parks are now at risk because of our changing climate. "We have to really plan for change. The infrastructure in places like Yellowstone is not ready for climate change. We're seeing roads wash out, landslides. We need to give that some more thought," she said. The park encompasses 2.2 million acres in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. At least 87 people were airlifted to safety in Montana alone. "No one's ever seen anything like this," said Red Lodge Fire Chief Tom Kuntz. Kuntz estimates that about 250 homes in the city of Red Lodge have been damaged by the flooding. "That boulder right there gives you a sense of the power of this water. That that boulder was originally in our main street," he said. "The river literally came right through here and went through these folk's house. The river was going through their living room." Kuntz said that in recent years the weather has been extreme and unpredictable. "A year ago we were on fire. A year later, we're wet. We have the highest stream flows the area has ever seen," said Kuntz. In: Climate Change Yellowstone National Park Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Britain today experienced its hottest day on record with temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) amid growing rail travel chaos as schools shut again and millions of people respond to the extreme heat by working from home.The mercury hit an unprecedented 40.2C (104.4F) at London Heathrow Airport at 12.50pm - around an hour after a reading of 39.1C (102.4F) in Charlwood, Surrey, beat the previous all-time UK high of 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge in July 2019. In third place is 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent in August 2003, and 38.1C (100.6F) in Suffolk yesterday is fourth.Elsewhere today, before 1pm the mercury had already got up to 39C (102.2F) in Cambridge and Northolt in West London and 38.8C (101.8F) at Kew Gardens in West London - with all three of these readings also beating the all-time UK high. It was also 38.1C (100.6F) at St James's Park in London and 37.7C (99.9F) at Chertsey in Surrey. Forecasters said an absolute maximum of 43C (109F) is possible later on - and the highs in England are equal to the warmest spots anywhere in Europe today. The UK is also hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados.The Met Office also confirmed that last night was the warmest night on record in Britain, with temperatures not falling below 25C (77F) in many areas of England and Wales. The highest overnight minimum in the UK last night was 25.9C (78.6F) at Emley Moor in West Yorkshire, while it was 25.8C (78.4F) at Kenley in Croydon, South London.This smashed the previous record of 23.9C (75F) in Brighton set on August 3, 1990. It comes one day after Wales had its hottest day ever with 37.1C (99F) in Hawarden, Flintshire - beating a record set in the same village in 1990. In Cambridgeshire today, the surface of the A14 at Bottisham appeared to have melted and buckled. And on the trains, Network Rail and operators upgraded their travel advice for those heading north out of London into the red warning area to 'do not travel', saying there will be no services in or out of London King's Cross all day today. The heat has brought major rail chaos for commuters around the capital, with no Thameslink or Great Northern trains running in any location north of London, from Blackfriars via St Pancras, or from King's Cross or Moorgate.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told people across Britain today to 'apply common sense' and 'depending on the nature of your journey and reason for it, you might want to consider rearranging your day around it'. But the sight of parts of the UK shutting down sparked a backlash, with complaints that ministers and health chiefs were 'acting like nanny' - while holidaymakers were delayed yesterday as a part of runway at Luton Airport melted.Today, the Supreme Court in London was closed to visitors because of the heat and an air-conditioning fault. A sign was posted at the building's entrance explaining the problem, although hearings could still be viewed online. But the extreme heat is likely to end with a bang tomorrow, with the Met Office issuing a thunderstorm warning for between 1pm and 9pm across the South East amid concerns of sudden flooding, lightning strikes and power cuts. Forecasters said up to 1.2in (30mm) of rain could fall in some areas in just an hour and 2in (50mm) in three hours. Before then, with the UK's first ever red warning for extreme heat still predicted to see the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time ever this afternoon, normal life was on hold in parts of the country as:At least 171 schools closed, with teachers claiming learning was impossible in sweltering classrooms;Hospitals cancelled appointments and non-urgent operations as operating theatres turned into ovens;Royal Mail workers were told to return to sorting offices with undelivered mail amid fears they would fall ill;Experts recommended avoiding the beach and holding off exercising until the extreme heat has passed;Commuter numbers on roads and railways were down by up to a fifth, and tracks on some lines buckled;There was a spate of water-related tragedies, including a 13-year-old boy's body pulled from the River Tyne;A 50-fold increase in demand for fans alongside a boom for bottled water, ice lollies and canned cocktails;Water companies raised the prospect of hosepipe bans amid fears of a summer drought.LNER will run no trains from south of York and south of Leeds to King's Cross - and Southern, Southeastern, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway are among the operators running significantly reduced services.On the London Underground, there was no Hammersmith & City line, no Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate due to 'heat-related speed restrictions' and no Jubilee line between Waterloo and Willesden Green.There were severe delays on the Central, District and Victoria lines; severe delays on the sections of the Jubilee and Metropolitan that were in operation; and no Overground between Willesden Junction and Richmond or Romford and Upminster. There were also delays on the western and eastern sections of the Elizabeth line.Two women dip their heads into the fountain to cool off at Trafalgar Square in London this morning amid the extreme heat The surface of the A14 at Bottisham in Cambridgeshire appears to have melted and buckled today during the heatwave Maximum temperatures of at least 40C are expected in England this afternoon - but could rise even further to as high as 43C Forecasters at MetDesk produced this map revealing where the top temperatures are likely to be observed in Britain today A group of women walk along the pebbles of Brighton beach today as they head to the coast of East Sussex People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record A member of F Company Scots Guards swelters during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace today The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a huge grass fire came within feet of homes People on the beach in Bournemouth today as temperatures soar across England to record levels A young woman in the fountains at Trafalgar Square in London today as the heatwave continues Beachgoers make the best of the scorching morning temperatures at West Bay in Dorset today Peter Dolby jumps into the water at Compton Lock in Winchester today on what is expected to be the hottest day on record Two women lay a towel on the sand at Bournemouth beach today as sunbathers flock to the Dorset coast to enjoy the heat A man and woman sit in the River Dove in Dovedale today during the heatwave as people enjoy the weather in Derbyshire Sunworshippers on Brighton beach this morning on day two of the red extreme heat warning People on the beach in Bournemouth today as temperatures soar across England to record levels Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to workCommuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work today People flock to the beach and seafront at Southend-on-Sea this morning as an Essex Police officer walks past Cyclist Oonagh Thin, 24 takes a rest to enjoy the sun at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh this morning Australian cabaret and circus troupe Briefs take to the water to attempt to cool themselves during a photocall for 'Bites' outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London today Two women sunbathe on Brighton beach in East Sussex this morning on day two of the red extreme heat warning Racehorses get cooled down at trainer Sue Smith's yard near Bingley in West Yorkshire this morning People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London's Hyde Park today A member of the Household Cavalry has a fan placed next to him at Horse Guards Parade in Central London this morning People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire - known as 'Blue Lagoon' - on what is the hottest day on record in the UK A horse at Horse Guards Parade in Westminster is given some water to cool down as the heatwave continues Siblings Joshua, Harry and Chloe jump into the water at Compton Lock in Winchester, Hampshire, this morning A member of the Household Cavalry feels the heat at Horse Guards Parade in London today as the heatwave continues The Tarmac on Crook Mill Road in East Halton, North Lincolnshire, is sizzling today due to the current heatwave People walk along the sand at Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning ahead of another very hot day at the seaside Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground Friends Isaac Pratt and Connie Dolby hold hands as they drift down the river at Compton Lock in Winchester this morning The dried out bed and reduced water levels in the Thruscross Reservoir in North Yorkshire, pictured this morning A woman enjoys the hot weather on a paddleboard at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside this morning Police smashed the window of a £25,000 electric Hyundai to save a dog trapped inside in London's Leicester Square The UK has experienced its warmest night on record, according to provisional Met Office figures as shown in this mapIn the West End, Oxford Circus station was closed this morning while London Fire Bridgade crews investigated what they said were 'reports of smoke issuing from an escalator machine room on the northbound Victoria line'. Transport for London said London's rail network will be running a reduced service throughout today due to safety restrictions put into place to deal with the heat, and Gatwick Express trains were completely suspended. Heatwave death toll soars to 13 with two missing: Man in his 20s dies in Cotswolds as search is launched for swimmer dragged out to sea in Essex and hunt continues for 14-year-old boy in River Thames A man in his 20s has become the latest to drown after attempting to cool off from the scorching temperatures by going for a swim at a water park in Wiltshire.At least 13 people have died in heatwave-related incidents since the heatwave began on July 9, bringing with it record-breaking temperatures. It comes after it was confirmed a man had died from drowning, bringing Monday's death toll alone to five.The 70-year-old man was pulled unconscious from the water in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. Emergency services battled for 40 minutes to save his life but he was declared dead at the scene.In Wiltshire, police confirmed the man in his 20s had died at Cotswold Water Park in Ashton Keynes. The force said the man was pulled from the water but pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6pm. Meanwhile, a boy aged 14 is feared dead in Richmond after he was declared missing when he was spotted getting into difficulty in the Thames in West London and at least one person is missing after going for a swim in Clacton, Essex, with a search operation ongoing.In Richmond, emergency services were called at 5pm yesterday to reports of a child seen in the water at Tagg's Island in Hampton and searched the area for the boy but were unsuccessful. Also yesterday, a 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in Bray Lake in Maidenhead, Berkshire.Robert Hattersley, 13, from Crawcrook, died following an incident in the River Tyne on Sunday as his family said they were 'absolutely devastated'. The 'kind and loving' teenager died after getting into difficulty in a river near Ovingham, Northumberland, over the weekend.Yesterday, police were also seen near the River Irwell in Bury at around 4pm as police parked in Jubilee Way. A man was also rescued yesterday by fire, police and ambulance services yesterday after he was seen in Erewash canal near Sandiacre, Derbyshire.A 37-year-old man died after being pulled out of the sea at Brighton beach on Saturday evening. In Scotland a 51-year-old man died after his kayak capsized on the River Spey, Moray, on Sunday. The same night, a man in his 50s died after falling from a boat and getting into difficulty in the water in Northern Ireland. Emergency services rushed to the scene at Cromane Bay, Kilorglin, at around 10pm.Also on Sunday, a 50-year-old man died at Ardsley Reservoir, West Yorkshire, it was reported, after he got into difficulty while swimming.On Saturday a 16-year-old Kalen Waugh drowned in Salford Quays on Saturday, causing Greater Manchester Police to issue a fresh warning about swimming.Two other schoolboys drowned in separate swimming accidents last week.After getting into difficulties while swimming in a quarry at Appley Bridge, Lancashire, on July 9, 16-year-old Jamie Lewin died. The promising boxer who 'loved life' and was 'was one in a million' was the third teenager in just seven years to lose his life at the quarry.Just two days later Alfie McCraw, also 16, from Wakefield, who had only recently finished his GCSEs, died after swimming in a West Yorkshire canal.In North Wales, Emma Louise Powell, 24, drowned while paddleboarding with two friends last Thursday evening.The 'happy go lucky' woman got into difficulties at the beauty spot at Conwy Morfa with her two friends. All three were rescued from the water following a major rescue operation, but Ms Powell, from Llandudno, died. Network Rail had previously warned customers to travel only if 'absolutely necessary' today. It said the hottest rail track was 62C (143F) in Suffolk yesterday - where the air temperature was 38.1C (100.6F). Merseyrail said the number of trains running and journey times will be 'seriously affected', with some routes shut.East Midlands Railway is running limited services between Derby, Nottingham, Luton, Bedford and London, which will stop completely between lunchtime and 7pm - the hottest period of the day.There are limited and disrupted services running into and out of London Euston - on Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway - and London Marylebone with Chiltern Railway, according to Network Rail.Meanwhile a section of the A14 dual carriageway in Cambridgeshire was left looking like a 'skatepark' after it warped in the heatwave yesterday, police said.Policing East Cambridgeshire said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, with a photo of the damaged road surface: 'No, the A14 is not being turned into a skatepark... unfortunately the road surface isn't coping well in this heat. While it might look like fun it's potentially very dangerous.'The westbound section of the A14 at Bottisham was closed overnight for emergency repairs and had reopened by around 7am today, National Highways said.Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth told how it was 'extraordinarily unusual' to see temperatures in the 30Cs by the morning rush-hour in the UK.She added: 'We're looking at the maximum temperatures somewhere between 40C to 41C, and that's looking to be across the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire region.'Forecaster Rachel Ayers added: 'There are likely to be delays on roads, with road closures, as well as possible delays and cancellations to trains and maybe issues with air travel. This could pose a significant health risk to those stuck on services or roads during the heat.'Figures published by location technology firm TomTom show the level of road congestion at 9am today was lower in several cities than at the same time last week.In Birmingham, congestion levels fell from 48 per cent on July 12 to 32 per cent. In Bristol, congestion levels were down from 46 per cent to 42 per cent. In London, levels fell from 60 per cent to 44 per cent. In Manchester, it declined from 59 per cent to 44 per cent.The data shows the proportion of extra time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions.Forecasters and NHS leaders have warned that thousands of people – even those who are fit and healthy – could die during the 'ferocious' heatwave, urging them to do 'as little as possible'.But in a furious backlash, senior Tory MPs claimed people were becoming 'frightened of the heat'. Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'Great British common sense should be allowed to prevail'.'I long for the day when the Government stops acting like Nanny telling everyone what to do, every institution panicking and the BBC telling us we're all going to die,' he said yesterday.'If it's very hot, just give people advice – wear a hat, wear sun lotion, drink a lot of liquid. If you go to Italy or France, they don't just stop everything because it's hot.'Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense group of backbench Tory MPs, said we were entering 'a cowardly new world where we live in a country where we are frightened of the heat'.'It is not surprising that in snowflake Britain, the snowflakes are melting,' he added. 'Thankfully, most of us are not snowflakes.'Former Tory Health Minister Edwina Currie warned against 'too much hectoring'. She called on the Government to promote 'more positive messages' in hot weather, such as going to work and school early in the morning and 'having a siesta' to stay out of the sun.Former Northern Ireland First Minister Dame Arlene Foster branded the warnings 'Government over-reach', add-ing that 'all of this started with Covid regulations'.She told BBC Politics Live people now 'expect the Government to tell them how to live their lives, which I think is absolutely wrong'.Tory donor and Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins claimed the push to stay away from work due to hot weather risked damaging an already fragile economy.'The only reason they want to be at home is so they can sit in the sun,' he told Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 show. 'It's another excuse. Just go to work, get on with your job.Sunseekers head into the water at Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the extreme heat continues in England People carry umbrellas to take cover from the sun during a heatwave at Trafalgar Square in London this afternoon A busy Bournemouth beach this morning as people enjoy the sunshine on what is set to be a record-breaking day People out enjoying the hot weather at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside this morning A woman wears an umbrella hat on the beach at Southend-on-Sea in Essex this morning as the heatwave continues Steller sea eagle Vraska cools down with keeper Johanna McQuade at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park today Beachgoers make the best of the scorching morning temperatures at West Bay in Dorset today A woman lays on the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, today as Britons feel the heat on the hottest UK day on record Australian cabaret and circus troupe Briefs take to the water to attempt to cool themselves during a photocall for 'Bites' outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London today People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire - known as 'Blue Lagoon' - on what is the hottest day on record in the UK People with their feet in a fountain at Trafalgar Square in central London today as the heatwave continues Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service issued this picture of firefighters attend to a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington, today People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record Swimmers Tara Wight and Kate Whitaker in the sea at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh this morning amid the heatwave People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record Fire crews have been sent to a gorse blaze at Zennor near St Ives in Cornwall, which is pictured this morning A woman goes for a swim off Bournemouth beach today as people enjoy the water and sun on the Dorset coast People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record People on Bournemouth beach this morning as Britons prepare for another very hot day across the country Two women carry water across Bournemouth beach early this morning as sunseekers flock to the Dorset coast again Ddrone footage of the aftermath of a field fire by Cheshunt Park in Hertfordshire pictured today, after it started yesterday People out enjoying the hot weather at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside this morning A group of men go for a paddle early this morning at Bournemouth beach as sunseekers flock to the Dorset coast again Chippy the chimpanzee enjoying an ice treat at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park near Stirling this morning People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire - known as 'Blue Lagoon' - on what is the hottest day on record in the UK Commuters and joggers cross London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures as the heatwave continues People rest on a bench at St James's Park in London today as temperatures soar again across England People on Bournemouth beach this morning as Britons prepare for another very hot day across the country The dried out bed and reduced water levels in the Thruscross Reservoir in North Yorkshire, pictured this morningA woman wears an umbrella hat on the beach at Southend-on-Sea in Essex this morning as the heatwave continues The burnt out remains of Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham this morning where fire crews are still on the scene A cyclist makes her way around Holyrood Park in Edinburgh today as the UK is braced to face the hottest day on record People flock to the beach at Southend-on-Sea in Essex this morning as the heatwave continues A woman dips her head into the fountain to cool off at Trafalgar Square in London this morning amid the extreme heat A bush fire in Leytonstone, East London, resulted in roads having to close as the heatwave continues in England A man sits in a chair on the beach in Bournemouth today as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record Trains to London King's Cross from Edinburgh Waverley station are cancelled due to hot weather this morning A fire in Upminster, Essex, today as the hot weather continues amid a series of extreme weather warnings Wayoh Reservoir in Entwistle, Bolton, which is currently well below capacity, is pictured today A woman rests on the grass at St James's Park in London today as temperatures soar again across England'If we put up with this, we're going to open the floodgates for all the snowflakes. They're not going to come to work, whether it's too foggy, too wet, too rainy, windy, (or) storms are coming.' Keep gadgets out of the sun to stop overheating Tech experts have urged smartphone users to keep their gadgets out of the sun during the heatwave to ensure they continue working properly.Many gadgets can overheat in direct sunlight leaving them unable to function properly or be charged.People are also being encouraged to take cases off phones, tablets and laptops to improve airflow around them and help a device's ability to cool, and move other items such as WiFi routers to a place with plenty of airflow to ensure they do not overheat.Some larger devices contain internal fans to aid cooling, meaning giving them some extra space to disperse that warm air can help lower their temperature.According to the mobiles team at Uswitch.com, extreme temperatures can cause gadgets to stop working as well as doing lasting damage to the technology.Uswitch advises people to consider adjusting some settings to reduce battery usage and how hard a phone has to work as a result, which can help reduce the device's temperature and ensure it continues to work efficiently.'Playing with the settings on your laptop, smartphone or tablet can also be an effective way of preventing them from overheating,' Uswitch says. 'It's usually the batteries in these devices that get hot, so tinkering to get the battery usage down is always helpful.'The higher the brightness, the more the battery gets used, so this is the first setting to get down as low as you can.'It might be a bit harder to see, but it will definitely help keep your device cool. Also, a lot of smartphones have adaptive screens. In which case, the brightness will automatically go up if you're out in the sun, so turn this setting off.'If a device such as a smartphone begins to overheat, many will show users a warning to tell them they need to cool the phone down.A smartphone that is too hot may also not charge when plugged in as this can cause a further temperature rise.But experts have warned gadget owners not to put their devices in a fridge or freezer in an effort to cool them down.Insurance provider So-Sure said doing so can be 'very harmful' as it means moisture could get into a device and cause significant damage.Scotland and Northern Ireland also experienced their warmest days of the year so far yesterday with 31.3C (88.3F) recorded in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, and 31.1C (88F) in Derrylin, County Fermanagh.After Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab urged the country to 'enjoy the sunshine' and be 'resilient enough through some of the pressures it will place', beaches were thronged yesterday. Members of the Household Cavalry have been using electric fans to help them cope with the rising temperatures in London.Troops were looking red in the face and sweating while standing watch in their heavy ceremonial uniforms and helmets at Horse Guards Parade in Westminster, as the heatwave continued to hit the UK on Tuesday.One could be seen stood in position with a large metal desk fan pointed towards him in a bid to keep him cool. Water was brought out to the horses of the mounted troops.Meanwhile commuter numbers have plummeted across England – with a corresponding rise in visitor numbers to sea-side resorts.It suggested that millions of people had heeded Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse, who said 'this may be a moment to work from home' – or taken the day off altogether.Mr Malthouse updated the Cabinet on the impact of the heatwave during their meeting this morning.A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster updated Cabinet on the impact of the heatwave. He said services had experienced some disruption but were generally coping well thanks to the hard work of frontline staff.'After more than a dozen train firms advised passengers to travel only if it is 'absolutely necessary', Network Rail said the number using major stations across Britain yesterday was around 20 per cent down on the week before.Rail tracks buckled in London's Vauxhall in the heat – resulting in a safety inspection on the line that caused disruption between Waterloo and Clapham Junction. And operator Great Northern said a buckled rail at Watlington in Norfolk meant services could not run between Cambridge and Kings Lynn.Transport for London, which has advised people to 'only travel if essential', said around 1.03 million entries and exits were made by London Underground passengers up to 10am today.This is down 30 per cent compared with the same period last Tuesday, and also lower than yesterday's figure of 1.06 million.Some 1.04million bus journeys were made up to 10am, a decrease of 16 per cent week on week, and down from Monday's figure of 1.07million.Today, Mr Shapps said issues on the rails and roads will continue for decades during extreme heatwaves.Asked how long it will take to upgrade existing rail infrastructure to be more resilient, he told Sky News: 'Decades, actually, to replace it all. Ditto with Tarmac on the roads.'There's a long process of replacing it and upgrading it to withstand temperatures, either very hot or sometimes much colder than we've been used to, and these are the impacts of global warming.'He said there was no Cobra meeting planned for today, with the Prime Minister instead chairing Cabinet. People sit next to the fountain at Trafalgar Square in central London today as the heatwave continues People sleep on deckchairs on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast A busy London Euston Station this morning amid mass travel disruption on the second day of the red weather warning People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire - known as 'Blue Lagoon' - on what is the hottest day on record in the UK People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London's Hyde Park today The sun rises over Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, this morning on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far A man sleeping at London Bridge railway station this morning as temperatures are set to climb to 40C today Trains in sidings at Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, as many services are cancelled amid mass rail disruption Today, the Supreme Court in London was closed to visitors because of the heat and an air-conditioning fault People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London's Hyde Park today A person wets their hair in a fountain at Trafalgar Square in central London this morning Early morning swimmers and paddleboarders cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today The sun rises on a warm early morning over the countryside at Dunsden in Oxfordshire today Sun scorched grass seen on what is set to be the hottest day of the year so far at Blackheath in South East London today Empty shelves at a Lidl store in Clevedon, Somerset, this morning as the UK is set for another day of hot weather People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London's Hyde Park today People out enjoying the hot weather at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside today A man drinks from a bottle of water on the Jubilee line this morning as commuters use the London Underground to get to work Sunrise from Glastonbury Tor in Somerset this morning at the start of what could be the hottest day on record Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they wait for a train at London Bridge station Empty shelves in the water aisle of a Sainsbury's supermarket at Nine Elms in South West London this morning Early morning swimmers cool off at Clevedon Marine Lake in Somerset today at the start of an exceptionally hot day Swimmers Tara Wight and Kate Whitaker in the sea at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh this morning amid the heatwave People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London's Hyde Park today People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire - known as 'Blue Lagoon' - on what is the hottest day on record in the UKMr Shapps also insisted Boris Johnson has not checked out early from Number 10 after the Prime Minister was criticised for not playing a direct enough role in combating the heatwave. What were Britain's ten hottest days on record before today? 1) 38.7C - July 25, 20192) 38.5C - August 10, 20033) 38.1C - YESTERDAY 4) 37.8C - July 31, 20205) 37.1C - August 3, 1990=6) 36.7C - July 1, 2015=6) 36.7C - August 9, 19118) 36.6C - August 2, 19909) 36.5C - July 19, 2006=10) 36.4C - August 7, 2020=10) 36.4C - August 6, 2003He told Sky News: 'It's literally not true, in fact exactly the opposite is the truth.'Mr Shapps also conceded that the UK's transport network cannot cope with the extreme heat.He told BBC Breakfast: 'We've seen a considerable amount of travel disruption, we're probably going to see the hottest day ever in the UK recorded today and infrastructure, much of it built in Victorian times, just wasn't built to withstand this type of temperature.'And it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could, because the temperatures are so extreme.'Asked if the transport system can cope with the weather, he said: 'The simple answer at the moment is no.'Where those tracks are 40C in the air, on the ground that could be 50C, 60C, 70C and more. 'So you get a severe danger of tracks buckling, what we can't have is trains running over those and a terrible derailing.'We've got to be very cautious and conscious of that, which is why there's reduced speeds on large parts of the network.'Predictions of long tailbacks as road surfaces melted in the heat also took effect, with location technology firm TomTom recording congestion at 9am down by up to 11 per cent in major UK cities.Lincolnshire Police said road surface temperatures topping 50C caused parts of the A159 to melt.Transport for London – which advised people to 'only travel if essential' – said Tube passenger numbers were down 18 per cent on the previous Monday.Meanwhile bus journeys in the capital were down ten per cent week-on-week. Council staff pick up an abandoned tent on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the hot weather continues Two women walk along the sand at Bournemouth beach this morning as people arrive early at the Dorset coast Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast People rest on the sand on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast People rest on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
China’s most populous city, Shanghai, has issued its highest alert for extreme heat for the third time this summer as sweltering temperatures repeatedly tested records this week.The commercial and industrial hub of 25 million people declared a red alert on Thursday, warning of expected temperatures of at least 40C (104F) in the next 24 hours. Temperatures soared as high as 40.6 C in the afternoon but fell short of Wednesday’s 40.9 C, which matched a 2017 record.Extreme heat conditions have also taken hold in parts of Europe. Firefighters have been battling wildfires in Spain, Portugal, France and Croatia.Just 17 red alerts have been issued in Shanghai since records began in 1873, but three have been in the past five days. Photograph: Alex Plavevski/EPAAs of 5pm local time, Shanghai’s red alert was in force. The highest of a three-tier colour-coded warning system, it requires construction and other outdoor work to be reduced or halted.Shanghai has issued three red alerts in the past five days, though these are a relatively rare occurrence, with just 17 issued since record-keeping began in 1873.The hot weather coincided with mass testing for Covid-19 in several districts amid minor outbreaks, adding to heat woes for both residents and health workers wearing protective suits.Some Covid-19 testers taped bottles of frozen mineral water to their white hazmat suits as they worked, while others sat next to huge blocks of ice to cool off. “This suit is terribly hot,” Peng Lei, who worked at one testing site, told Reuters. “The clothes are never dry. All day long they are wet with sweat.”Some communities also began testing in the evening, when it was cooler.The past month’s unusually hot spell has affected half of China. The Yangtze River basin, encompassing large cities from Shanghai to Chongqing in the heartland, has broiled in heatwaves over the past week.By 5pm, 86 red alerts had been declared across China, most in the Yangtze basin.Higher demand for air conditioning pushed China’s maximum power load to an all-time high on Tuesday. Authorities said they were making every effort to ensure energy supplies during the summer’s peak demand period.Nations across southern Europe – experiencing the second heatwave in as many months – have been hit by a series of wildfires over the last few weeks.Wildfires have swept across the central part of the Portgual. Photograph: Octávio Passos/Getty ImagesIn Portugal’s central Leiria district, tired firefighters battled to control blazes that have been fanned by strong winds. Footage from the area on Wednesday showed smoke darkening the sky and billowing across a highway, while flames licked around the roofs of houses in one small village.Across the border in western Spain, a fire that started in the Extremadura region on Tuesday swept into Salamanca province in the region of Castile and León, forcing the evacuation of 49 children from a summer camp on Thursday.Regional authorities said more than 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of land had been burned.Spain’s meteorological agency Aemet expected the heatwave to reach its peak later on Thursday, with temperatures likely to exceed 44C in large parts of southern Spain.On Croatia’s Adriatic coast, firefighting planes swooped low to dump water over burning forests, and troops were called in to help firefighters battling to contain three major wildfires around Zadar and Šibenik.In south-west France, about 1,000 firefighters, supported by six water-bombing planes, were battling two wildfires that started on Tuesday.The biggest of the two Gironde fires was around the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, where roads have been closed and 500 residents evacuated.The other blaze was along the Atlantic coast, close to the Dune du Pilat – the tallest sand dune in Europe – in the Arcachon Bay area, above which heavy clouds of dark smoke were seen rising into the sky.About 6,000 people were evacuated from surrounding campsites on Wednesday, and another 4,000 people early on Thursday.Scientists blame human-caused climate change for the increased frequency of extreme weather such as heatwaves, which have also hit parts of China and the United States in recent days.A study in the journal Nature last week found the number of heatwaves in Europe has increased three-to-four times faster than in the rest of the northern mid-latitudes, such as the United States and Canada, due in large part to the jet stream air current splitting into two parts for longer periods.“Europe is very much affected by changes in atmospheric circulation,” co-author Kai Kornhuber, a climate scientist at Columbia University, told Reuters. It’s a heatwave hotspot.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Britain is under a heat warning – reportedly stretching from London in the south to Leeds and Manchester in the north – as the mercury climbs to record levels amid an intense heat wave plaguing Europe.
Some reports say the temperature climbed to 40.2 Celsius (104 F) in Britain on Tuesday, with other media reporting a high of 40.3 C (104.5). The high temperatures break a record of 38.7 C (101.7 F) set in 2019.
Due to the heat, fires are blazing in major cities, including in the London area. Elsewhere, in the West Midlands area, a fire forced the evacuation of more than a dozen people. A fire burns during a heat wave, in Rainham, East London, Britain, July 19, 2022. Households are turning off their washing machines in an attempt to conserve water for future use.
London has seen fewer people outside and on roads, instead trying to stay cool in the scorching heat. To avoid the sun, many tourist attractions, like the British Museum with a full glass ceiling, and outdoor activities have been canceled or closed early.
Airports have seen damaged runways due to the extreme weather, while Britain's Network Rail has warned passengers not to travel north of London. The rail system says on its website that buckled rails are reported and overhead wire systems are failing.
Hospitals, the Supreme Court, and other public buildings are feeling the high temperatures. Buildings are either having air conditioning outages or don't have air conditioning at all.
"Infrastructure, much of it built in Victorian times, just wasn't built to withstand this type of temperature," said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
While members of the public have been seeking ways to cool off, authorities are warning people not to swim in open waters, citing fatalities. A member of an Australian cabaret and circus troupe cools down in a fountain on the South Bank in London, July 19, 2022. Many other countries across Europe are experiencing the same extremes in weather. Cities in Spain and Portugal are feeling the effects of record-breaking temperatures as fires erupt throughout their cities. Over 750 heat-related deaths have been recorded in Spain and Portugal, said the Associated Press.
Climate experts believe the high temperatures are warnings of climate change progressing more quickly, something they say will risk the lives of European citizens for the next 30 years.
A professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, Hannah Cloke, said the record high temperature was a "grim milestone" and a "slide into unknown territory for humanity as we heat our planet," reported The Guardian newspaper.
Climate experts also believe the extreme temperatures will continue across Europe for years to come. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Image source, Matt StaniekImage caption, The blue-green algae blooms can be harmful to people, pets and fishProlonged high temperatures have seen harmful algae blooms spread across the "entirety" of England's largest lake, a campaigner has warned.Zoologist Matt Staniek said the situation at Windermere, in the Lake District, was becoming "critical".The blue-green blooms can make humans ill and be fatal to animals.The Love Windermere partnership, led by the Environment Agency, said it had a long-term commitment to improving the lake's water quality.Although algal blooms occur naturally, they are more frequent during warm, dry weather like that seen in recent weeks and are exacerbated by nutrients from phosphate in pollutants such as sewage.'No urgency'Mr Staniek, whose online petitions calling for action have been signed by almost 250,000 people, says phosphate in Windermere comes from a variety of sources.These include sewage from waste treatment sites owned by United Utilities, septic tanks at homes and holiday lets, and run-off from farming land.Image source, Lewis HarrisonImage caption, This image taken of Windermere on Sunday shows the extent of the algal bloom spread, Mr Staniek saysHe believes organisations who share responsibility for the lake have shown "no urgency" to tackle the problem."We have not seen sufficient investment to protect Windermere. The entirety of the lake is covered in blue-green algae."Infrastructure is inadequate and no-one wants to upset the tourist industry."The heatwave then helps create a situation where the site cannot cope. The environment is screaming and people's health is being put at risk. People are becoming angry."Why should Windermere, the jewel in the crown of the national park, not have the most pristine water possible?"'Threat to health'Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said there was "no doubt" action is needed."The water company is not doing enough to clean up their act and the government has not only failed to regulate them but also the thousands of septic tanks that are adjacent to the lake and its tributaries."Their failure to take this seriously is a threat to health, the environment and the tourism industry."Image source, Matt StaniekImage caption, Notices warning of blue-green algae have been posted at the water's edgeThe Environment Agency said it had spent more than £700,000 over the past decade to help tackle the problem.The Love Windermere partnership, which also includes organisations such as United Utilities, the Lake District National Park Authority and the National Trust, told BBC Radio Cumbria water quality was "affected by a number of complex challenges including the impact of more extreme weather caused by climate change, an excess of nutrients and seasonal variations of the tourist population".It added it was "committed to developing the most effective solutions to maintain and improve water quality in the lake, including collating more scientific evidence".Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] Internet LinksThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Get Metro HeadlinesThe 10 top local news stories from metro Boston and around New England delivered daily.Report card grades range from A to F and reflect what percentage of the time a waterway is safe for activities like boating and swimming, according to the report. Those percentages are based on the amount of E. coli bacteria found in the rivers, weather data, and three-year water quality averages.The report underscored the need for action to combat climate change, pointing to heavier rainfall events and extreme weather as contributors to more storm water runoff and combined-sewer overflows, which occur when combined sewer systems that contain waste, toxic materials, and storm water overflow and discharge into nearby bodies of water.Throughout 2021, the watersheds experienced effects of climate change in the forms of heavier downpours, extreme heat, severe storms, and more frequent drought, the Mystic River Watershed Organization noted in their press release. The three watersheds experienced 52 inches of rainfall, 24 days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and several flash flooding events — all of which impacted the water quality of the rivers, the report said.Hundreds of volunteers working with the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset watershed associations to obtain water samples from dozens of sites on a monthly basis, though volunteers only collect data from the Neponset from May through October. Data in each year’s reports is determined by averaging numbers across three years during both wet and dry weather.The watersheds span hundreds of square miles, meaning different parts of the rivers vary widely in the grades they received. Here’s a closer look at each report card.The Charles River WatershedIn line with grades from recent years, five of the Charles River Watershed’s six segments fell in the A to B range. The Muddy River, a Boston tributary, received a C-minus, an improvement from its D-minus rating in 2020.Lisa Kumpf, the river science program manager for the Charles River Watershed Association, said the river has improved significantly since they first began testing in 1995.The biggest issue in the Charles River at large right now is excess phosphorus, which occurs when there are too many nutrients that “throw the whole river ecosystem off balance,” Kumpf said. Phosphorus levels are impacted by events like sewage and stormwater discharges and are less balanced in urban areas.The Charles River experienced numerous combined-sewer overflows last summer, which decreased the water quality in the river’s lower basin from last year. During summer 2021, a record 35 inches of precipitation helped discharge over 126 million gallons of sewage and storm water into the river — the volume of 36 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to the report.Kumpf said that the lower basin region of the Charles received a B-minus but would have been a B without the discharged sewage and stormwater in 2021.Water quality in the middle sections of the watershed — which received “A” ratings — is generally better than the upper and lower areas due to land use differences, Kumpf explained. The middle watershed has more conserved areas with plants that filter out pollutants. The EPA report helps the organization know where to focus conservation and restoration efforts, she said.“This report card is really based on the safety of water quality of the river for recreation. So if people are going into the river, they should be aware that overall, the river has improved a lot since 1995, but there’s still work to be done,” Kumpf said.The Neponset River WatershedMost bodies of water in the Neponset River Watershed received A’s and B’s, with the recreation-heavy main stem of the Neponset River receiving results in the B range and all of the rivers’ monitored ponds receiving A grades.However, three areas face continued contamination with grades in the D to F range: Germany Brook, Unquity Brook, and Meadow Brook.Sean McCanty, the river restoration director for the Neponset River Watershed, said past information indicates that the brooks’ particularly low ratings are likely caused by broken sewer pipes and pet waste.The Neponset River’s biggest threat is polluted storm water runoff from streets, parking lots, and yards that can cause invasive species growth and harmful algal blooms when it rains, the report found. On average, water quality grades dropped 22 percent during wet weather.While the Neponset River Watershed Association has only participated in the report for two years, McCanty said they plan to follow up on areas of concern with “hot spot monitoring,” which he said involves taking more rigorous samples in particular locations to identify what’s impacting the water.The group can then plan targeted approaches, such as education campaigns on pet waste, to address areas with especially poor water quality.“We do caution the people who use this data that just because something is an A grade doesn’t mean it’s always swimmable at every time of the year, it’s just a representative average. So we always tell people to trust their own judgment about whether something is safe,” McCanty said.The Mystic River WatershedThough the Mystic River itself and Mystic Lakes received B-plus to A-plus ratings, respectively, several smaller bodies of water in the watershed got failing grades on the report card.The report said that Winn’s Brook in Belmont, Alewife Brook in Cambridge and Arlington, and Mill Creek in Chelsea showed “clear evidence of frequent contamination by waste water” and earned the lowest grades, similar to prior years.Mystic River Watershed Association scientist Andy Hrycyna said that the main channels of the river are relatively clean for urban rivers as a result of “a lot of work” over the past several decades.Small streams, however, tend to be “disproportionately negatively affected by continued sources of pollution,” he said, which include waste water contamination and excess nutrient pollution.“A lot of investment has been put in to improve water quality, but it’s still not enough — the promise of the Clean Water Act has not been fully realized,” Hrycyna said.Hrycya said that the group has also worked to mitigate toxins not studied in the report, namely certain types of algae that cause excess nutrient pollution and increase water toxicity. The group has launched efforts to reduce phosphorus inputs to combat that toxic algae spread, in addition to trash and waste removal.Hrycya called for further infrastructure investment to protect Massachusetts waterways, particularly in the face of climate change threats. Those funds are needed to maintain water quality safety, including efforts like sewage removal, he said.“We have usually clean urban rivers but pollution sources still remain and the solutions are infrastructure spending,” Hrycyna said. “And so over the next year, five years, when we’re having this huge public investment in infrastructure … these conversations become even more salient and more urgent.”Anjali Huynh can be reached at [email protected] her on Twitter @anjalihuynh. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Villagers line up to receive water from a water supply truck amid hot temperatures in Xinshi village of Chongqing, China August 17, 2022. cnsphoto via REUTERS Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSHANGHAI, Aug 18 (Reuters) - China warned that severe drought conditions along the Yangtze river could last well into September as local governments race to maintain power and find fresh water to irrigate crops ahead of the autumn harvest.Beijing has warned of the increasing risk of extreme weather in China as a result of climate change, and heavy rainfall continues to take its toll in other parts of the country. Flooding in the western Chinese province of Qinghai killed 16 people, state media reported on Thursday, with an additional 36 missing. read more The Ministry of Finance said on Thursday that it would make 420 million yuan ($61.83 million) of emergency funds available to help local governments provide food and drought relief.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comA severe heatwave across the basin of China's longest river, the Yangtze, caused by a large- than-usual Western Pacific subtropical high, has now lasted more than two months, slashing hydropower supplies and parching large expanses of arable land. The river supports about a third of the country's population.The sprawling southwestern region of Chongqing, where most of the Yangtze's Three Gorges reservoir is located, is scrambling to secure power from other parts of the country as supplies to industry are rationed, state media reported.China's State Grid also promised to do its utmost to dispatch power to neighbouring Sichuan province, which normally supplies large amounts of surplus hydroelectricity to the east but is now imposing strict consumption controls.Firms with operations in Sichuan, including CATL, the world's largest battery maker, and Japan's Toyota (7203.T), have suspended production in the province as a result of the restrictions, according to media reports. read more Normal water flows in the region could still be months away, with rainfall expected to remain low until the end of this month and beyond, said Liu Zhiyu, an official at the Ministry of Water Resources, speaking at a briefing on Wednesday."It is expected that in September, water inflows in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze will still be low, and the drought in Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi could develop further," Liu warned, referring to four major provinces on the middle reaches of the river.Rainfall in the Yangtze basin has been around 45% lower than normal since July, and high temperatures are likely to persist for at least another week, official forecasts said.Authorities in the region also warned that temperatures would continue to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Thursday, with parts of Chongqing set to go beyond 44 degrees, putting further pressure on power supplies amid surging air conditioner use.'CRITICAL PERIOD'Controlling water resources is seen as a crucial part of government in China as it tries to guarantee food supplies and secure another bumper harvest.Rice and other autumn crops were now at a "critical period" when it comes to irrigation, warned Liu Weiping, Vice-Minister of Water Resources, at the Wednesday briefing.He said around 820,000 hectares (2 million acres) of arable land from Sichuan in the southwest to central China's Anhui have suffered damage, affecting 830,000 people as well as 160,000 head of livestock.Water levels on the main trunk of the Yangtze and the vital flood basin lakes of Dongting and Poyang are now at least 4.85 metres (16 feet) shallower than normal, and the lowest on record for the period, officials said.The Yangtze's maritime safety bureau has issued several warnings about low water levels, ordering vessels to reduce their load when passing through shallower parts of the river.The drought has also highlighted the role played by the cascade of giant hydropower projects in regulating flows on the Yangtze.Giant upstream reservoirs are now opening their gates to replenish storage levels at the Three Gorges Dam, which will which will release 830 million cubic metres downstream over the coming days.($1 = 6.7930 yuan)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by David Stanway in Shanghai and Muyu Xu in Singapore; Editing by Michael Perry and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Heavy rain has pummeled Kentucky once again, raising fears of further devastating flooding that has already killed 30 people, with hundreds more still missing.Rainfall of up to two inches an hour was anticipated in some parts of eastern Kentucky on Monday, with the ground already waterlogged from the overnight downpour. With the saturated ground unable to soak up more water, bridges have collapsed under the weight of flooding, isolating towns and communities and hampering rescue missions.Roads are impassable, mudslides have produced further hazards and many houses have been destroyed. The victims include four siblings aged two to eight who were washed away from the top of the family’s trailer home in Knott county.Family members have identified the children to media as Chance Noble, two; Nevaeh Noble, two; Riley Noble Jr, six; and Maddison Noble, eight.At a press conference from the state capital, Frankfort, Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, said that on top of everything else residents now had to contend with high winds.“If things weren’t hard enough on the people of this region, they’re getting rain right now,” Beshear said. “Just as concerning is high winds – think about how saturated the ground has been … it could knock over poles, it could knock over trees. So people need to be careful.”'With several western states fighting their own battles against wildfires, extreme heat and prolonged drought, Kamala Harris travelled to Miami on Monday to announce a $1bn package to deal with disasters exacerbated by the climate crisis. The vice-president was briefed by officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency about the multiple calamities striking the country simultaneously.“Our communities are facing extreme weather made worse by the climate crisis, including hurricanes, floods, drought, extreme heat, and wildfires,” Harris said ahead of making the announcement.Kamala Harris in Miami on Monday. Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty ImagesIn a statement, the White House said: “We know that the impacts of the climate crisis are here, and that we must invest in building resilience to protect our communities, infrastructure and economy.”With Kentucky bracing itself for further flash flooding, state officials were racing against the clock to assist communities before an approaching heatwave adds to the collective misery. Beshear warned that when the rain stops, punishing heat will provide its own dangers.About 12,000 Kentuckians are without power as a result of destruction to their homes or workplaces. About 300 are in emergency shelters, according to Associated Press.In the west, wildfires in California and Montana have exploded over the weekend to a vastly greater scale. The McKinney fire in the Klamath national forest in the north of California is burning out of control, compounded by lightning storms and powerful gusty winds, the AP reported.Montana is wrestling with a massive fire around the town of Elmo, which has grown to 11 sq miles (28 sq km). Strong winds are heightening the threat there, too, as well as scorching temperatures reaching 96F (36C). | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Image source, National TrustImage caption, Bats were found dehydrated and disorientated out in daylight at the National Trust's Wallington siteBats, lichen and stately gardens have been hit hard by the hot summer weather, the National Trust has warned.The conservation charity said issues caused by the heat had been reported at a number of its sites.Its climate change adviser said the impact of extreme weather was "stark".Issues at National Trust sites have included:Lichen and mosses that normally thrive in the damp atmosphere of rare temperate rainforest in Lydford Gorge on Dartmoor have shrivelledHeather has struggled to flower on Dunwich's lowland heath in SuffolkWildfires in beauty spots in Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk and Morden Hall Park in LondonBats were found disorientated and dehydrated in the daylight at Wallington in NorthumberlandA water wheel that powers Houghton flour mill in Cambridgeshire stopped turning due to low river levelsA Victorian steam yacht Gondola that ferries passengers across Coniston Water in the Lake District was forced to stop as the engine room hit unbearable temperaturesMoat levels at 500-year-old Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk have been down, causing issues with clay that needs to remain wet to prevent structural problemsPlants and lawns have been scorched and water features dried up at Hidcote in Gloucestershire and Coleton Fishacre in DevonThe National Trust said it was responding to the conditions with short-term measures including giving the dehydrated bats water using pipettes and moving them into a cooler spots, stopping mowing, and discouraging barbecues.Image source, National TrustImage caption, Parched lawns and plants were reported at a number of sites including Coleton Fishacre in DevonIt said it was also implementing longer-term strategies such as selecting drought-resistant plants in its gardens, increasing tree cover and shade, planning 20 million new trees by 2030, and creating wetlands to hold more water in the landscape.The trust cited the success of reintroducing beavers at Holnicote Estate in Somerset in 2020 where the animals' engineering had seen the wetlands retain water despite low river levels.Image source, National TrustImage caption, Wildfires were reported at numerous spots including Zennor Head in CornwallKeith Jones, the National Trust's climate change adviser, said the high temperatures should not be a surprise as "it's what the science has been saying for decades"."But even with years of planning, some of the effects are stark and we are still learning of the precise impacts extreme weather events like this can have," he said.Image source, Howard CookImage caption, Lawns are also dry at Ickworth in SuffolkRichard Millar, head of adaptation at the UK's advisory Climate Change Committee, said: "We have long known that climate change is making UK heatwaves more frequent and more intense."These amplified heatwaves are just one of the impacts on the UK's significant cultural heritage sites and landscapes."Addressing these impacts requires conservation and heritage planning to be undertaken on the basis that the UK's climate is changing."Related Internet LinksThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.Related TopicsConistonDunwichZennorWytonMorpethChipping CampdenKingswearLydfordBatsClimate changeNational TrustSwaffhamHolnicoteBury St EdmundsMorden | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The Fire Brigades Union has warned that the UK is “completely unprepared” for the fire risk posed by the latest soaring temperatures, as the Met Office issued its highest warning under its Fire Severity Index.The “exceptional” red fire risk warning covers much of central of southern England this Sunday, when temperatures are expected to have exceeded 35C for fourth day in a row for the first time since 1976.During last month’s record-breaking heatwave, scores of homes were destroyed as dozens of blazes broke out.Riccardo la Torre, national officer for the Fire Brigades Union, has warned that cuts to services across the UK have left fire service unable to deal with a repeat of those scenes.Speaking to Sky News, he said: “These are brutal, brutal fires to fight. The temperature that they burn at, the speed at which they spread at.“The reality is we’ve been left completely unprepared to do that as a fire and rescue service.“We’ve had over a fifth of the workforce cut since 2010, that’s over 11,500 firefighters cut. Yet we’re asking them to deal with these extreme weather events in increasing regularity and increasing severity.”La Torre warned that the lack of preparation threatened the lives of fire officers.“The professionals on the ground have been warning that these conditions are coming and we very much saw the reality of that in these last few weeks.“Firefighters have been injured, firefighters have ended up in hospital, we’ve seen families lose their homes, we’ve seen businesses lost, infrastructure burn to the ground, because we simply can’t get to these fires quick enough.“When we do, we simply don’t have the resources to deal with them adequately.”Mark Hardingham, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said the fire service was “well prepared” to respond to a high volume of calls.But in an interview for the Daily Telegraph, he warned that the prolonged dry and hot spell created an “unprecedented” risk of fires.He said: “I can’t remember a summer like this and I’ve been in the fire service 32 years.”A Met Office amber extreme heat warning came into force on Thursday and will be in place for the next four days. It covers many parts of southern and central England and part of Wales.Meanwhile, the trade body representing water companies said a decision on the declaration of an official drought was imminent.Stuart Colville, director of policy at Water UK, said that it was looking “increasingly inevitable” that the Environment Agency would declare a drought in England.Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he added that this would be the “right decision given some of the pressure on the environment that we’re seeing at the moment”.Several water companies have imposed hosepipe bans or are preparing to do so, and have been criticised for the failure to prevent leaks.Colville said companies had a “constant battle” to stop water leakage but that the industry was doing “everything possible” to do so.He said: “Although we are currently seeing the lowest level of leakage on record, it is a constant battle because, particularly in hot, dry conditions, what happens is the soil dries out, cracks, and it moves, and that puts additional pressure on the pipes, and that can cause additional bursts.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A third person has been found dead in the water in the north of England as temperatures climb towards the UK’s all-time record.The government’s Cobra emergency committee is meeting on Monday afternoon to consider the overall response to the extreme weather but it will not be chaired by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, whom Labour accused of having “clocked off”.Northumbria police said a body found in a river near Ovingham, Northumberland, is believed to be that of a 13-year-old boy who went missing after getting into trouble in the water on Sunday.On Saturday, a 16-year-old boy died in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, and a 50-year-old man died in a reservoir near Leeds.A high of 34.8C (95F) was recorded in Charlwood, Surrey, at midday on Monday, with forecasters predicting highs of 38C that could threaten the record of 38.7C set in Cambridge in 2019.Operators slowed down trains across the rail network due to fears of tracks buckling, schools were closed in counties including Nottinghamshire and Hampshire, and extra call handlers were laid on to deal with an expected surge in 999 ambulance calls and inquiries to the NHS 111 line.Kit Malthouse, a Cabinet Office minister who will chair the Cobra meeting, said Labour’s accusation was unfair, while Downing Street said Johnson, who spent the morning at Farnborough airshow, is being kept “fully briefed”.By lunchtime on Monday, temperatures were above 30C across most of England, with Baltasound in the Shetland Islands the coolest place in the UK at 13C.The first “emergency” level 4 heat-health alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is in effect alongside a Met Office red extreme heat warning for a large part of England.Drivers appeared to be heeding calls to avoid unnecessary journeys, with congestion levels down by 43% in Birmingham and similarly lower in London and Manchester, according to figures from location technology provider TomTom.Penelope Endersby, the Met Office chief executive, said: “We may well see the hottest day in the UK in history.” But she said Tuesday is expected to be hotter, with 43C appearing as a possibility in modelling.Endersby said the heatwave would not have happened without climate change and warned: “By 2100, we’re expecting [such temperatures] … anywhere between one in 15 and one in three years, depending on the emissions pathways we take between now and then.”After the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, said people should be resilient enough to “enjoy the sunshine”, Endersby addressed those who “think that maybe we shouldn’t be telling them to worry about heat the way we tell them to worry about storms or wind”.She said: “Heat undoubtedly causes many hundreds, thousands of excess deaths in heatwaves, so people do need to take care and follow the advice we’ve been putting out about keeping in the shade, keeping cool, keeping hydrated.”Prof Hannah Cloke, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, said: “We know that heatwaves are killers.“We still have people still shrugging their shoulders saying this is [just] summer … Last year’s heatwave in the UK killed at least ten times as many people as the Grenfell [Tower] fire [that killed 72].”Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the health service has “got an estate that is crumbling, so many are not the kind of buildings that have got the adaptability to these kinds of challenges”.Mike Tipton, a professor of physiology at the University of Portsmouth, advised the public to avoid beaches and warned that A&E departments risk being filled with people with sunburn.“It’s not a great idea to go and sit exposed in these conditions,” he said. He also advised fit and healthy people to avoid exercise, and rest to prevent their bodies from overheating.Care homes, which house many of the people most vulnerable to cardiovascular problems caused by heat, have been urged by UKHSA to regularly check indoor temperatures, provide access to “cool rooms”, closely monitor vulnerable individuals, shade windows and turn off unnecessary lights and equipment.Nadra Ahmed, the chair of the National Care Association, urged family and friends to check on people who rely on home care in the middle of the day, when they might not be scheduled for a visit from a professional care worker.She said dementia care homes are facing a particular challenge as residents may not understand the need to drink more regularly, take off layers of clothing or put their feet in cold water to cool down.There may also be an increase in altercations, adding to the burden on care home staff to monitor residents at a time when there are more than 100,000 vacancies in the sector, Ahmed said.“Only a very small proportion of care homes will be able to put air conditioning on,” she said. “The stock that is five years or older won’t have that. I am especially worried about homes that are converted buildings and especially the [people in] the upper floors.”England’s deputy chief medical officer Thomas Waite urged people to help anyone showing symptoms of heat exhaustion, which he said include excessive sweating, cramps, nausea and vomiting, and dizziness.“That’s really quite easily treated,” he said. “Get them into the cool, get them into the shade, give them some fluid to rehydrate, it can be water, it can be sports drinks or rehydration fluids, and most people will make a good recovery in about 30 minutes or so.”Elsewhere in Europe, firefighters in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Morocco are battling forest fires that have destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of land and are expected to continue this week with blistering temperatures.Temperatures have soared to 47C in Portugal and 45C in Spain, and are expected to rise above 40C in western France. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The heatwave is adding 'extreme pressure' to the NHS with some hospitals declaring 'critical incidents' and ambulances have been put on their highest alert levelBeachgoers bathe at a beach in southwest France while a cloud of smoke from a fire rises in the backgroundGlorious sunshine and soaring temperatures will have Brits flocking to beaches and parks this weekend. But with the Met Office issuing a “danger to life”warning over the blistering weather, NHS staff fear being overwhelmed by a huge surge of heat-related casualties. And as temperatures could hit a record 40C – normally seen at the world’s hottest place, Death Valley in California – experts warn of a climate catastrophe that could kill hundreds of Brits. With hospitals already struggling after a decade of cuts, one doctor said a heatwave is the “last thing the NHS needs”. Cardiff A&E consultant Dr Farbod Babolhavaeji, 38, added: “I think people are very worried about it because we are already under extreme pressure. Smoke from a wildfire rises above a home in Palmela, Portugal (
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via REUTERS) Wildfires in the Vale do Lobo area in Portugal “This extreme weather is going to cause a lot of problems because we are not used to it in this country. “I don’t think people appreciate how hot it can get and we just have to be very careful. People should hear the basic advice again… keep out of the hot part of the day, stay indoors, stay in the shade, make sure they are drinking plenty. “It’s not just the sun stroke and heat exhaustion and collapses. There’s a significant risk of developing a stroke in the heat. Ambulances are on high alert (
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Getty Images) “There are long waits for ambulances outside A&Es and despite everything we are doing the increasing demand means we are struggling to find space for the patients.” New figures show ambulance response times have got worse, with an average wait of 51 minutes and 38 seconds for emergency calls such as heart attacks and strokes. That is well above the target of 18 minutes. As the Government today held a Cobra on the heatwave, climate change senior lecturer John Grant urged No10 to act fast. Abi from Worcester having fun in the sun and warm weather at Gheluvelt Park Splashpad in Worcester (
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SWNS) He said: “I think hundreds are going to die in the UK if not thousands, that’s my fear if we hit temperatures of 40C. “It’s terrifying what will happen if we don’t have a management plan and get cooling centres ready.” Former Environment Agency boss Dave Throup warned forecast models seem to be “firming up on some incredible temperatures”. He added: “If they materialise it will be unprecedented in the UK, It will also be incredibly dangerous.” Cabinet Office minister Kit Malthouse urged the public to look out for vulnerable neighbours. He said: “People need to do all the stuff they would do when it is very hot, wear a hat, drink water. Horse riders cool off in the harbour in Portland (
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Getty Images) “But it’s critical, with the elderly, those with cardiovascular problems and the very young, that people look out for them and take care.” Temperatures will hit 30C on Saturday and could peak at 35C next week. But Mr Malthouse added: “There is a possibility we could hit 40 which would be an all time record.” Events have been cancelled all over the UK including school sports days. A couple read in deckchairs on the promenade in Weymouth (
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Getty Images) Despite the fears, Brits are still cramming onto beaches, with some arriving at the crack of dawn. Emile Crosby, 24, who runs the Natural Surf School in East Wittering, West Sussex, said: “There’s families getting down to the beach at 6.30am to 7am to get a space.” And ice creams sales are expected to hit a record high of nine million this weekend, Tesco said. A woman sits on a park bench reading as a heron takes shade near the fountain in Kensington Gardens, south London (
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PA) Barbecue burgers and sausages, beer, wine and salads will also fly off the shelves. But the heat could spark travel chaos as millions take to trains, planes and cars to get away. A burst water main today at Gatwick Airport left restaurants and toilets closed. Read More Read More | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Widespread floods in Pakistan that have killed more than 1,000 people since mid-June may not have reached their peak yet, experts have warned.All four of the country's provinces have been hit by the unusually heavy rains, with over 30 million people affected.
Flash floods have swept away villages, crops, and 800,000 livestock, as soldiers and rescue workers evacuated stranded residents to relief camps and provided food to thousands of displaced Pakistanis.Nearly 300,000 homes have been destroyed, numerous roads are impassable, and there have been widespread electricity outages. Peter Ophoff, from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Sky News: "The monsoon season should have stopped by the end of July. We are now in the end of August, and we still have very heavy rain. Many people are thinking that we haven't reached a peak yet."
The number of dead reached at least 1,061 people after new fatalities were reported in several different provinces.Flooding from the Swat River hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where tens of thousands of people - particularly in the Charsadda and Nowshehra districts - have been evacuated from their homes to camps in government buildings. More on Pakistan Pakistan floods: Tens of thousands flee homes as country's PM warns 'magnitude of calamity' is worse than feared Pakistan calls for international help after months of flooding cause 'humanitarian disaster' Imran Khan: Former Pakistan prime minister charged under anti-terror law Some 180,000 people have been evacuated from villages in Charsadda and 150,000 in Nowshehra.Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's top climate official, said in a video on Twitter that her country was experiencing a "serious climate catastrophe, one of the hardest in the decade". She said: "We are at the moment at the ground zero of the frontline of extreme weather events, in an unrelenting cascade of heatwaves, forest fires, flash floods, multiple glacial lake outbursts, flood events, and now the monster monsoon of the decade is wreaking non-stop havoc throughout the country." Image: Pic: AP Peter Ophoff also told Sky News: "The situation in Pakistan is dire. We are experiencing the worst floods in decades."The biggest problem is access. We have around 3,000km (1,860 miles) of roads that have been destroyed, 160 bridges have been washed away."Foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan needs financial help to deal with "overwhelming" floods and many crops that provided livelihoods to a large proportion of the population had been wiped out. Image: Pic: AP The International Monetary Fund board will decide this week whether to release $1.2bn (£1bn) as part of the seventh and eighth tranches of Pakistan's bailout programme, which it entered in 2019.He said: "Going forward, I would expect not only the IMF, but the international community and international agencies to truly grasp the level of devastation." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Pakistan PM helps drop aid after floods Pakistan's government has sent soldiers to help civilian authorities in rescue and relief operations.Military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has visited flood-affected areas of southern Sindh province to push through relief work.Meanwhile, the Pakistani army said it airlifted 22 tourists who were trapped in a valley in the country's north to safety. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
LOST CREEK, Kentucky (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday witnessed the damage from deadly and devastating storms that have resulted in the worst flooding in Kentucky’s history, as they visited the state to meet with families and first responders.
At least 37 people have died since last month’s deluge, which dropped 8 to 10 1/2 inches of rain in only 48 hours. Gov. Andy Beshear told Biden that authorities expect to add at least one other death to the total. The National Weather Service said Sunday that flooding remains a threat, warning of more thunderstorms through Thursday.
WATCH: Extreme heat complicates recovery efforts in Kentucky after major flooding
The Bidens were greeted warmly by Beshear and his wife, Britainy, when they arrived in eastern Kentucky. They immediately drove to see devastation from the storms in Breathitt County, stopping at the site of where a school bus, carried by floodwaters, was crashed into a partially collapsed building.
Beshear said the flooding was “unlike anything we’ve ever seen” in the state and credited Biden with swiftly approving federal assistance.
He praised responders who “have moved heaven and earth to get where we are what about nine days from when this hit,” he said.
Attending a briefing on the flooding’s impact with first responders and recovery specialists at Marie Roberts Elementary School in Lost Creek, Biden pledged the continued support of the federal government.
“We’re not leaving, as long as it takes, we’re going to be here,” he said. Biden emphasized that politics have no place in disaster response, noting his frequent political battles with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “We battle all the times on issues,” Biden said, but in helping Kentuckians rebuild, “we’re all one team.”
The Bidens were later scheduled to tour another hard-hit community in the state and meet directly with those affected.
Monday’s visit is Biden’s second to the state since taking office last year. He previously visited in December after tornadoes whipped through Kentucky, killing 77 people and leaving a trail of destruction.
“I wish I could tell you why we keep getting hit here in Kentucky,” Beshear said recently. “I wish I could tell you why areas where people may not have much continue to get hit and lose everything. I can’t give you the why, but I know what we do in response to it. And the answer is everything we can. These are our people. Let’s make sure we help them out.”
Biden has expanded federal disaster assistance to Kentucky, ensuring the federal government will cover the full cost of debris removal and other emergency measures.
Jean-Pierre said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided more than $3.1 million in relief funds, and hundreds of rescue personnel have been deployed to help.
“The floods in Kentucky and extreme weather all around the country are yet another reminder of the intensifying and accelerating impacts of climate change and the urgent need to invest in making our communities more resilient to it,” she said.
READ MORE: How to help flood victims in Kentucky
The flooding came just one month after Beshear visited Mayfield to celebrate the completion of the first houses to be fully constructed since a tornado nearly wiped out the town. Three families were handed keys to their new homes that day, and the governor in his remarks hearkened back to a visit he had made in the immediate aftermath.
“I pledged on that day that while we had been knocked down, we were not knocked out,” Beshear said. “That we would get back up again and we would move forward. And six months to the day, we’re not just up, we’re not just standing on our feet, we are moving forward.”
Now more disasters are testing the state. Beshear has been to eastern Kentucky as many times as weather permitted since the flooding began. He’s had daily news conferences stretching an hour to provide details including a full range of assistance for victims. Much like after the tornadoes, Beshear opened relief funds going directly to people in the beleaguered regions.
A Democrat, Beshear narrowly defeated a Republican incumbent in 2019, and he’s seeking a second term in 2023.
Polling has consistently shown him with strong approval ratings from Kentuckians. But several prominent Republicans have entered the governor’s race, taking turns pounding the governor for his aggressive pandemic response and trying to tie him to Biden and rising inflation.
Beshear comments frequently about the toll surging inflation is taking in eating at Kentuckians’ budgets. He avoids blaming Biden, instead pointing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supply chain bottlenecks as contributors to rising consumer costs.
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Schreiner reported from Frankfort, Kentucky and Megerian reported from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The UK's iconic Lake Windermere is almost completely covered in algae as experts warn that fish may be struggling to survive as they appear to swim in circles on the water's surface - as rivers and canals across 'Tinderbox Britain' turn green during the heatwave.Aerial photos show the beloved UNESCO-protected holiday spot in the Lake District in Cumbria blanketed with blue-green algae - which can be potentially harmful to dogs - transforming the water's appearance from crystal blue into a slimy pale green colour. Have you fallen ill after swimming in Lake Windermere? Contact [email protected] Video posted by environmental campaigners appear to show fish swimming in circles at the water's surface amid fears they are 'distressed' and 'struggling for life'.An online petition to clean up Windermere has now garnered more than 100,000 signatures - meaning it has to be debated by MPs when they return from their holidays.Algae begins to multiply when the weather is warm and once the numbers are high they are likely to persist and dominate a waterway throughout the season. They can produce toxins that can cause skin rashes, vomiting, stomach pains, a fever and headaches. Though not all blue-green algae are toxic, it is not possible to tell from appearance alone, and it is not clear if the algae on Windermere is harmful.MailOnline has approached South Lakeland District Council, which owns the popular lake, for further information. Experts have warned that England's largest lake is on the brink of ecological disaster owing to algae blooms as well as sewage work pollution, local agriculture and the near 2,000 private septic tanks that line the historic site which is believed to have inspired the works of Oscar Wilde and William Wordsworth.Data showed that raw sewage was pumped into the lake for 1,719 hours in 2020 - while an interactive map from the River Trust shows at least seven points where waste was discharged into the water last year.It comes as waterways in London, Manchester, Berkshire and elsewhere are coated by algae as the country is scorched by searing 30C temperatures. LAKE WINDERMERE: Aerial shots show how Lake Windermere, Cumbria, has been swamped with blue-green algae over the last few days due to the hot and sunny weather Aerial footage showed the iconic Lake District site overwhelmed with toxic blue-green algae after it continued to multiply in the hot and sunny weather What are algal blooms and when are they harmful? What is a harmful algal bloom? Algae are microscopic organisms that live in aquatic environments and use photosynthesis to produce energy from sunlight, just like plants. A harmful algal bloom occurs when algae grow excessively in a body of water.The algal bloom becomes visible to the naked eye and can be green, blue-green, red, or brown, depending on the type of algae.Why do harmful algal blooms occur? Algae are always present in natural bodies of water like oceans, lakes, and rivers, but only a few types can produce toxins. In these algae, toxin production can be stimulated by environmental factors such as light, temperature, and nutrient levels. As climate change gradually warms the Earth’s , scientists expect harmful algal blooms to become more frequent, wide-ranging, and severe.What are the dangers to humans and pets?Harmful algal blooms can produce potent toxins that can result in a range of health effects in people and animals. Effects on people coming into contact with toxic scums include skin rashes, eye irritations, vomiting and diarrhoea, fever and pains in muscles and joints. Harmful algal blooms have also caused the deaths of dogs, horses, cattle, birds and fish across the UK.How do harmful algal blooms affect ecosystems? In addition to health concerns, harmful algal blooms can damage the environment by depleting oxygen in the water, which can kill fish as well as organisms deeper in the water. Director of the Aquatic Veterinarian Dr Bryony Chetwynd-Glover said: 'Looking at the video, the fish is displaying very abnormal, uncoordinated swimming movements at the surface of the water, indicating a severe level of neurological impairment. 'This is likely due to the direct toxic effects of the algae or the indirect depletion of oxygen from the water which occurs during algal blooms. So ‘choking’ from a lack of oxygen in the water is possible!'Water extracted from areas showing blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, may contain high nitrates which can cause stomach cancer and blue baby syndrome. It is not known whether the algae covering Lake Windermere is toxic. In Slough, Berkshire, algae can be seen completely covering the Jubilee River as temperatures soared and surpassed 30C once again - and in Bedford day trippers have been warned about the algae at a local beauty spot which can cause skin rashes and lead to serious illness if consumed. Barges and canal boats in Greater London were seen ploughing through pea-green soup algae which is covering the city's canals, and where specialised boats have been called out on a daily basis to clean and clear the algae away. Another image shows a horse drinking in a Hampshire lake while a swan in Bedford was seen trudging through the thick green mush. A warning sign was put up by local authorities at the Priory Country Park in Bedford which strongly advised children, adults and their pets to stay away from the lake there. The blue-green algae at Priory Country Park, which produces an unpleasant odor, was seen swarming with flies and insects. Snapshots of Sale Water Park, which is on the outskirts the Manchester, found swans and other birds navigating their way through the clusters of brown algae lying on top of the water. An Environment Agency spokesperson said: 'Hot, sunny weather can result in algal blooms forming and removing dissolved oxygen from our waters, which fish need to survive. 'Environment Agency officers are out on the ground ensuring our fisheries are supported, deploying aeration pumps to restore oxygen levels and, when necessary, performing a fish rescue.' SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE: The Jubilee River was almost covered in lime-green coloured algae on Thursday 11 August as temperatures soared and surpassed 30C once again SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE: Last week algae smothered parts of the Jubilee River as temperatures continue to increase across the country BEDFORD: Visitors have been told to stay away from a natural beauty spot in Bedford on 11 August after a wave of poisonous blue-green algae blossomed BEDFORD: A warning post at popular Country Park, Priory Country Park, was put up to inform visitors of the dangers of blue-green algae which is toxic and poisonous MANCHESTER: Algae floating in the water on 11 August at Middlewood Locks, Salford, and blocking the natural sunlight for plants or other organisms at the bottom BEDFORD: Blue-green algae flourish and have a competitive advantage over other plants in temperatures which are 25C or higher REGENT'S CANAL: 'Pea soup' algae has begun to cover London's canals, particularly in Regents Canal (pictured above); the water on Wednesday 10 August looks as like thick green paint MANCHESTER: Photos from Sale Water Park, which is on the outskirts of Manchester, on the 11 August showed swans and birds navigating their way around the thick clumps of brown algae BEDFORD: Blue-green algae, a toxic type which can be harmful for humans and other animals, covered a popular country park in Bedford on Thursday - pictured from above SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE: As the dry weather continues there is still no forecast for rain for the foreseeable future, more algae can be expected. Pictured: Algae and weed forming on the Jubilee River in Slough on 4 August HAMPSHIRE: A pony foal drinks and cools down in Janesmoore pond in the New Forest, Hampshire as temperatures soar and surpass 30C, 9 August LONDON: A swan swims and trudges through thick green lumps in the Diana Fountain pond at Bushy Park in South West London on 11 August LONDON: Due to the extreme hot weather algae has begun to cover London's canals, the picture was taken on 10 August LONDON: A narrowboat makes its way down a London canal in the extreme weather: the tracks are the only parts of the water which are not covered in algae LONDON: Although the pea soup algae has begun to cover London's waters, a group of small people are making their way through Regent Canal while protecting themselves from the sun with large umbrellas Algal blooms usually develop in the summer months and occur due to higher temperatures, an abundance of sunlight and more nutrients. Once they have multiplied the water becomes less clear and can appear as thick green paint, discoloured small clumps or brown paste. Some such as blue-green algae can be poisonous and produce toxins which can make humans and animals very ill. If they cover the whole water surface they can block much needed sunlight for plants at the bottom of Britain's waterways. As the temperature increases the level of oxygen in water decreases, which directly affects fish in rivers, canals and still waters.Algae exacerbates this as it sucks up even more air which can lead to creatures and wildlife suffocating. Algal blooms cause levels of oxygen to widely fluctuate over a 24-hour period placing additional stress on sea creatures. Dogs fall ill and hospital anaesthetist contracts disease 'after swimming' in iconic Lake District beauty spot A zoologist who is campaigning to prevent sewage being dumped in Lake Windemere has warned of an impending environmental disaster after claiming his beloved dog fell seriously ill while swimming in England's largest lake.Matt Staniek, a 26-year-old conservationist, launched a campaign that is nearing 100,000 signatures calling for an end to the polluting of the UNESCO protected Lake Windemere, Cumbria.Walking last month by the lakeside accompanied by his black Labrador Bo, Mr Staniek's pet was struck down with vomiting, diarrhoea and tiredness.After rushing her to a vet, the expert confirmed Bo had contracted campylobacter, a bacterial disease that can transmitted from animals to humans. Mr Staniek claims at least five dogs who regularly go on walks around Lake Windermere have also been struck down with a bacterial illness.His claims have been supported by wildwater swimmer Peter Semple, a 62-year-old hospital anaesthetist, who says he was forced to take time off work after catching campylobacter when he swallowed water while swimming in Windermere.Mr Semple says he was left with crippling abdominal pain and diarrhoea, which led him to send a stool sample to his GP that confirmed he had the infectious bacteria.'I had to take two weeks off work. It is a notifiable disease so the GP told the local environmental health people', Mr Semple added.'They just sent me leaflets telling me to cook meat properly. But we are all vegetarians. Neither my partner nor daughter were ill. We all ate the same things, but they didn't go swimming.'It was definitely swimming that caused it. It has put me right off swimming in the lakes, even though we still love going there.'Matt Staniek, a 26-year-old conservationist, claims his black Labrador Bo fell ill after swimming in the UNESCO protected Lake Windermere Water safety campaigners say this large fish washed up dead by the path at Lake Windermere due to the increased presence of 'toxic' blue-green algae blooms | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Parts of northern Texas, mired in a drought labeled as extreme and exceptional, are flooding under torrential rain. In a drought.Sound familiar? It should. The Dallas region is just the latest drought-suffering-but-flooded locale during a summer of extreme weather whiplash, likely goosed by human-caused climate change, scientists say. Parts of the world are lurching from drought to deluge.The St. Louis area and 88% of Kentucky early in July were considered abnormally dry and then the skies opened up, the rain poured in biblical proportions, inch after inch, and deadly flooding devastated communities. The same thing happened in Yellowstone in June. Earlier this month, Death Valley, in a severe drought, got a near record amount of rainfall in one day, causing floods, and is still in a nasty drought.China’s Yangtze River is drying up, a year after deadly flooding. China is baking under what is a record-long heat wave, already into its third month, with a preliminary report of an overnight low temperature only dipping down to 94.8 degrees (34.9 degrees Celsius) in the heavily populated city of Chongqing. And in western China flooding from a sudden downpour has killed more than a dozen people.MOST WIDESPREAD DROUGHT IN 9 YEARS EXPECTED TO EXPANDIn the Horn of Africa in the midst of a devastating but oft-ignored famine and drought, nearby flash floods add to the humanitarian disaster unfolding. Europe, which suffered through unprecedented flooding last year, has baked with record heat compounded by a 500-year drought that is drying up rivers and threatening power supplies."So we really have had a lot of whiplash," said Kentucky’s interim climatologist Megan Schargorodski. "It is really difficult to emotionally go through all of these extremes and get through it and figure out how to be resilient through the disaster after disaster that we see."In just two weeks in late July and early August, the U.S. had 10 downpours that are only supposed to happen 1% of the time — sometimes called 1-in-100-year storms — calculated Weather Prediction Center forecast branch chief Greg Carbin. That’s not counting the Dallas region, a likely 1-in-1,000-year storm, where some places got more than 9 inches of rain in 24 hours ending Monday with several inches more forecast to come."These extremes of course are getting more extreme," said National Center for Atmospheric Research climate scientist Gerald Meehl, who wrote some of the first studies 18 years ago about extreme weather and climate change. "This is in line with what we expected." After a summer full of droughts and heatwaves scorched the globe, weather has "whiplashed" and flipped to the other extreme, floods, like the one pictured here pulling a house into Rock Creek in Red Lodge, Mont., on June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)WESTERN STATES SCRAMBLE AS DEADLINE TO CUT COLORADO RIVER WATER USE LOOMSWeather whiplash, "where all of a sudden it changes to the opposite’’ extreme, is becoming more noticeable because it’s so strange, said climate scientist Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts. She is in the middle of a study of whiplash events.The scientists at World Weather Attribution, mostly volunteers who quickly examine extreme weather for a climate change fingerprint, have a strict criteria of events to investigate: they have to be record-breaking, cause a significant number of deaths, or impact at least 1 million people. So far this year they’ve been swamped. There have been 41 events — eight floods, three storms, eight droughts, 18 heat waves and four cold waves — that have reached that threshold point, said WWA official Julie Arrighi, associate director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center.In the United States, many of the big heavy summer rains are traditionally connected to hurricanes or tropical systems, like last year’s Hurricane Ida that smacked Louisiana and then plowed through the South until it flooded the New York, New Jersey region with record rainfall rates.But this July and August, the nation had been hit with "an overabundance of non-tropical related extreme rainfall," the National Weather Service’s Carbin said. "That’s unusual."HEAT WAVES EXPLAINED: WHY SOME HEAT WAVES ARE WORSE THAN OTHERSScientists suspect climate change is at work in two different ways.The biggest way is simple physics. As the atmosphere warms it holds more water, 4% more for every degree (7% more for every degree Celsius), scientists said.Think of the air as a giant sponge, said UCLA and Nature Conservancy climate scientist Daniel Swain. It soaks up more water from parched ground like a sponge "which is why we’re seeing worse droughts in some places," he said. Then when a weather system travels further, juicy with that extra water, it has more to dump, causing downpours.Another factor is the stuck and wavier jet stream — the atmospheric river that moves weather systems around the world — said Woodwell’s Francis. Storm systems don’t move and just dump huge amounts of water in some places. Other places, like China, are stuck with hot weather as cooler, wetter weather moves around them.ANOTHER DANGEROUS SIDE-EFFECT OF EUROPE'S HEATWAVE: AIR POLLUTION SURGE"When that jet stream pattern gets amplified, which is what we’re starting to see happen more often, then we notice more of these big whiplash events," Francis said.When the ground is so hard from drought, water doesn't seep in as much and runs off faster in flood, Francis and others said.This will only get worse as climate change worsens, so "it highlights the type of events that we need to adapt to, that we need to harden ourselves against," said Princeton University climate scientist Gabriel Vecchi.The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasized what it called compounding weather disasters as a future threat.PACIFIC NORTHWEST HEAT WAVE SUSPECTED IN 10 DEATHS IN OREGON, OFFICIALS SAY"Frankly how fast and how badly it’s now playing out is a surprise to many of us," said IPCC report co-author Maarten van Aalst, director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre in the Netherlands. "It’s scary how quickly it is appearing in front of our eyes." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A former defence chief has warned the new government against complacency in natural disaster recovery planning, saying army troops cannot keep being deployed to fire or flood zones and raising concerns about a “huge gap” in the resources needed to combat increasingly extreme weather events.Admiral Chris Barrie made the comments after the federal emergency management minister, Murray Watt, acknowledged in a National Press Club address that ADF troops were being stretched by constant domestic deployments, but downplayed previous suggestions about setting up a civilian disaster response agency.“The time for action is now,” Barrie said. “There is a huge gap between what we have and what we need to do.” In March, Labor’s then defence spokesperson, Brendan O’Connor, said in government Labor “would consider as a matter of urgency” proposals to set up a civilian disaster response agency, citing increased incidence of natural disasters that required ADF assistance.The proposal had previously been floated by Barrie, who was chief of the Australian Defence Force from 1998 to 2002; his successor, Sir Peter Cosgrove, who held the position from 2002 to 2005; and other defence analysts.On Tuesday, Watt praised the work of the ADFin disaster recovery, but said Labor was considering alternative disaster response arrangements.“We think that there will always be a role for the Defence Force, but we do have concerns about how far they are being stretched … their core job is the defence of the nation,” he said.Watt added that he “[doesn’t] really envisage us setting up” a separate federal agency akin to the State Emergency Service.Barrie, an executive on the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, has long-suggested a volunteer scheme for young Australians, where people who filled areas of national need could get tax breaks or have their university fees refunded. He said this could fill the non-military gaps the ADF is currently used to plug.“We need to put our thinking caps on to make it attractive and prepare ourselves for a future that’s different from the one we’ve left,” Barrie said.“We don’t have the workers to resource the lifestyles we have. We must find a better way to use the people we have.” Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning.He said deploying military was “the most expensive way to put people on the ground” in situations like disaster recovery or aged care, and called on the government to better engage local communities in disaster planning.“Defence should focus on what defence is there for, defending the nation … they’re not the right people for this kind of work,” he said.Watt’s comments, Barrie said, “appear to reflect that same kind of complacency we saw in the previous government”.“I hope I am wrong and that the present government does not shy away from the demands of leadership to get our community involved in participation in the urgent climate-security risk assessment,” he said.Cosgrove, who is also a former governor general, has suggested a national disaster force that would work with state agencies.“While it is not one of the primarily role of any element of the defence force to participate in disaster relief, it will of course always remain available in an emergency if not deployed on important defence tasks at that time,” he said. Greg Mullins, a former Fire & Rescue NSW commissioner and chair of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, said setting up a separate national disaster agency would result in duplication and waste. Instead, he called on the federal government to fund existing agencies to meet the current need, and intraining up local volunteers like the “tinnie army” in the Lismore floods.“Those structures are funded for the threat environment of the 1990s, not the 2020s,” he said. “If you’re going to invest money, build up the SES so it has enough flood boats in Lismore, enough people trained up to use them.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A girl carries her sibling as she walks through stranded flood water, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Nowshera, Pakistan September 4, 2022. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities are struggling to prevent the country's biggest lake bursting its banks and inundating nearby towns after unprecedented flooding, while the disaster management agency on Monday raised its toll of flood deaths by another 24.Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan's northern mountains have brought floods that have affected 33 million people and killed at least 1,314, including 458 children, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Agency said.The floods have followed record-breaking summer temperatures and the government and the United Nations have both blamed climate change for the extreme weather and the devastation it has brought.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAuthorities on Sunday breached Pakistan's largest freshwater lake, displacing up to 100,000 people from their homes in the hope of draining enough water to stop the lake bursting its banks and swamping more densely populated areas.But water levels in the lake, to the west of the Indus river in the southern province of Sindh, remain dangerously high. read more "The water level at Manchar lake has not come down," Jam Khan Shoro, the provincial minister for irrigation told Reuters.He declined to say if another attempt to drain water from the lake would be made.The floods are a huge burden for an economy already needing help from the International Monetary Fund.The United Nations has called for $160 million in aid to help the victims of the floods but Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said the cost of the damage was far higher than that."The total damage is close to $10 billion, perhaps more," Ismail said in an interview with CNBC."Clearly it is not enough. In spite of meagre resources Pakistan will have to do much of the heavy lifting."Nevertheless, help from abroad is arriving.Relief flights from the United Nations and countries including Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates arrived on Monday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.Elsewhere in the region, floods are also threatening crisis-hit Sri Lanka, while rains have disrupted life in India's technology hub, Bangalore.The northern summer is the rainy season across much of Asia.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Asif Shazad in Islamabad and Syed Raza Hassan in Karachi; Writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Updated 4:07 AM ET, Sat July 2, 2022 (CNN)When Garrett Dickman drove through Yosemite National Park early this week, he passed through a diverse band of large trees -- conifer, red fir, lodgepole pine -- and noticed a grim pattern: many of the trees were either dead or dying."It was really striking to see that every single tree seems to be getting hit by either climatic changes; it could be dying from drought, or it could be insect attack or fungus, but they're certainly weakened," Dickman, a forest ecologist with the National Park Service, told CNN. "There's a big shift happening right now, and it's right in front of our eyes."The consequences of the climate crisis -- more wildfires, devastating drought, sea level rise, flooding, ecological disease -- are plaguing the country's national parks. Most recently, unprecedented flash flooding overwhelmed Yellowstone National Park and some of its surrounding areas.Scientists and officials say it signals a dramatic change unfolding at the nation's most prized parks. And unless the planet slashes fossil fuel emissions, scientists believe the climate crisis could drastically alter the landscapes, cultural sites and ecosystems in the parks, potentially making them inaccessible for humans and uninhabitable for other species.What happened at Yellowstone is also a classic example of the climate crisis converging with failed emergency disaster response, said Marcy Rockman, a former climate change adaptation coordinator for the Park Service."When I heard they were evacuating every visitor from Yellowstone, I was like, 'Oh my god, evacuating every visitor was not a part of our climate change scenarios,' " Rockman told CNN. "Seeing what my former colleagues at Yellowstone are having to deal with now, it's like ... I'm worried for them."That the parks' climate change response "now involves 'how do you evacuate everyone from a park' is just a gut-punch that I don't think we had fully taken in when we started the climate program," she said.As more climate change-fueled events occur, CNN talked to Park Service officials and scientists to see how the climate crisis may alter the ecosystems and landscapes of some of the country's most beloved national treasures.Yosemite National ParkClimate change has already touched one of the Sierra Nevada's most valuable sites. Yosemite National Park has been forced to close several times in recent years because of extreme heat, deadly wildfires or dangerous air quality from fire smoke.The average temperature in Yosemite may increase by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, which is several degrees higher than global temperatures are predicted to surge.And it's not a future threat. Park rangers and scientists have already observed the shrinking snowpack, dried-up waterfalls, increasing fire activity and more tree die-offs like those Dickman observed."People come to Yosemite because we have some of the biggest trees on Earth," Dickman said. "But the whole experience in Yosemite is starting to be altered ... We're just kind of seeing that tree line lift up in a weird way."As average temperature increases, it increases the elevation of where trees can grow. Dickman said forecast models show this part of the Sierra Nevada could look more like the mountains around Los Angeles, where trees can grow at a higher elevation because of the warmer temperatures.Studies have also showed the range of small mammals in Yosemite has shifted upslope over the last century as the area warmed. Dickman told CNN even 10 years ago he was concerned about different threats, pointing to how the park dealt more with flooding from powerful storms coming off the Pacific Ocean and less with dangerous wildfires."For our preparedness now, it's really going to be around fire, and to get fire back on the ground in a good way to ward off some of the effects of these climate- and fuels-driven fires," he said.Glacier National ParkScientists at Glacier National Park are bracing for its namesakes to disappear entirely."If you wanted to see a glacier, go to Glacier National Park in Montana," Beissinger said "But you better get there soon, because the glaciers are going to be gone from Glacier National Park, probably sometime in the next decade or two. They've been disappearing."In the past 50 years, some of the Montana park's 26 glaciers have lost as much as 80% of their area. Loss of glacier ice is a huge threat for aquatic ecosystems within the park that rely on cold freshwater. It also threatens the surrounding area with increased flooding.Much like the flooding at Yellowstone in June, the climate crisis is expected to trigger more flooding at Glacier. As Yellowstone closed down to visitors during its flooding disaster, officials at Glacier warned visitors their park was also experiencing dangerous water levels.Melting glaciers are also a significant source of sea level rise. Caitlyn Florentine, a research physical scientist at the US Geological Survey who studies US glaciers, noted the glaciers at Glacier National Park are already quite small. But when taken together with other glaciers globally under a warming climate, they are enough to cause significant sea level rise around the planet."The meltwater from these glaciers affects the streams that are very high in the alpine environment," Florentine told CNN, pointing to a study which found "the presence or absence of glacier meltwater will be felt by water in the rivers that feed agricultural communities to the east of the park."Given the rate at which climate change is accelerating, researchers say the timing of the loss depends highly on how much fossil fuel we burn in the future.Sequoia National ParkJust south of the Yosemite Valley in California, the West's megadrought is weakening and destroying the nation's largest, oldest trees in Sequoia National Park.Six fires over the course of six years burned more than 85% of the giant sequoia grove acreage across the larger Sierra Nevada, compared to around 25% over the previous 100 years, the National Park Service reported. Three of those fires crossed into Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, forcing officials to close the parks to the public and take dramatic steps to protect the trees.In September 2021, park biologists wrapped the base of General Sherman -- the planet's largest living tree -- in protective foil as the flames of the KNP Complex fire approached. General Sherman is estimated to be anywhere from 2,200 to 2,700 years old, and has grown to 275 feet.The tree's diameter is more than 36 feet at its base, which is about as wide as six average cars.Park scientists have already seen "major effects" of climate change, said Christy Brigham, chief of resource management and science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, mainly in the form of hotter, drier droughts and how they fuel extreme wildfires."We had a historic superintendent's building burned down in a recent wildfire," Brigham told CNN. "So those kinds of impacts are already happening in lots of national parks, and will continue to happen."Brigham added the climate crisis is "already changing our day-to-day operational business of managing our national parks."Besides maintaining public amenities and ensuring endangered species are safe, she said park employees -- who have also been personally impacted by wildfires -- are working even harder to clear up trails and engage in new emergency response systems to prepare for events such as fire risks."People who work in these places like me and all the other staff really care deeply about keeping these places the spectacular environments that they are for the enjoyment of visitors, and we are seeing changes," Brigham said. "I came to Sequoia National Park from a different Park in 2015, and we were already seeing lots of dead trees from hotter drought, and that's only been made worse by the wildfires."National parks, like Sequoia National Park, "is a place where we share values, as Americans, in terms of our heritage," she added. "It's a place where we can connect and see the impacts and maybe make some choices to reduce those impacts in the future."Grand Canyon National ParkThe impact of warmer temperatures, severe lack of rainfall and stunted streamflow on the Colorado River is alarming at Grand Canyon National Park, said Mark Nebel, the park's geosciences program manager.The climate crisis is critically altering the Arizona park's ecosystems, habitats for species, as well as its hydrology, Nebel told CNN."We're seeing snow melting about a month earlier than it did a century ago, and there's evaporation as well, and that really affects the levels of water in the [Grand Canyon's groundwater] aquifer," Nebel said. "We're concerned about how it will affect the springs, which are our drinking water source, as well as the vast majority of the biodiversity around the springs."Vasey's Paradise Spring is one which has gone from consistently reliable to bone dry.The West's megadrought has devastated the Colorado River, which is a vital resource for the national park. Increased flooding, rock slides, wildfires, and heavy storms also pose severe challenges to Grand Canyon's cultural sites, infrastructure, surrounding communities, fisheries and other wildlife.Because of a hotter and drier climate, as well as aging infrastructure, Nebel said the park is changing the source of their water supply from groundwater, which has long relied on one of Grand Canyon's springs, to surface water supply elsewhere. The plummeting level of Lake Powell upstream on the Colorado River -- the nation's second-largest reservoir -- is affecting species in the river downstream and at the park according to Nebel."With the water level lowering at Lake Powell, these warm-water invasive fish that are normally near the surface are coming through the dam and getting into the Grand Canyon National Park and threatening native fisheries," he said. "Our fisheries folks have been working really hard to remove like invasive trout from streams, where these native fish reproduce."Nebel acknowledge for most visitors who are only there for a few days, the impacts of climate change in the park are largely imperceptible. It's different for the park researchers and staff who live with them day in and day out."For most of us who work at Grand Canyon, we see these crises, we see the danger, we see the damage," Nebel said, and "we see that it's gonna get worse."Joshua Tree National ParkFor Steve Beissinger, ecology professor at the University of California in Berkeley, national parks like Joshua Tree in Southern California are vital for scientific research. But over the years he has seen how climate change has threatened the park's biodiversity by pushing many species -- including small mammals and birds -- toward the brink of extinction."When we go back and resurvey places [in Joshua Tree] that the early scientists at UC Berkeley visited a century ago, we find about half as many birds, and that's because it's warmed and dried so much," Beissinger told CNN. "What we're seeing is a whole kind of change in a community; a collapse in the case of birds. For park managers, there's limits of what they can actually do to reverse this because of the climate change effects."The extreme heat, dire lack of rain and drought conditions at Joshua Tree have triggered a decline in several species, including the cactus mouse, kangaroo rat, mountain quail and other bird species.Joshua trees themselves are also at risk. Scientists have concluded the western Joshua trees could lose up to 90% of its current habitat in the Mojave Desert by as early as 2070. In mid-June, the California Fish and Game Commission considered whether to list the tree under the state's Endangered Species Act. The four-person commission was split down the middle and so failed to secure a majority vote to give the species protected status.Jane Rodgers, chief of science and resource stewardship at Joshua Tree National Park, said they're "fortunate to have some longer term data which is hard to come by for land managers to be able to inform and make decisions." She said such comprehensive data allows park managers to b proactive rather than reactive to extreme weather and drought."We are looking at a holistic portfolio of things we can do to protect these areas," Rodgers told CNN. "It's not just continuing to collect data, but also protecting these areas by managing fuels or creating fuel breaks, so that firefighters have a higher probability of stopping a fire. We want to be prepared for that ahead of time as much as we can."Everglades National ParkAs US national parks in the West continue to be plagued with drought, the opposite is taking shape in the eastern end of the country.Everglades National Park in southern Florida is disappearing because of sea level rise. The vast wetlands are now half their original size not only due to rising sea levels but also rampant urban development.Researchers with the National Park Service have observed an increase in water level at some inland, freshwater areas in the Everglades over the last 50 years, on par with the pace of rising seas in the region.The park has also been battered by intense hurricanes in recent years. The Everglades, which encompasses 1.5 million acres of mangroves, marshes and upland forest, is a critical buffer, absorbing the fury of tropical storms. Hurricane Irma pummeled the region in 2017, and the Everglades took much of the storm's wrath and protected inland communities.But scientists warn the barriers won't be around for much longer. Because of the dramatic changes seen in US national parks, Dickman said people should make climate-conscious choices to help preserve the landscapes for future generations."The history of America is painted [in these parks], anything from some of the good in our history, some of the bad of our history, and it protects some of the most incredible landscapes on Earth," Dickman said. "I have traveled around the Earth and it is hard to go to a place more beautiful than the national parks of America. And we so owe the next generation the ability to experience these places as we have." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
CNN — The devastating flooding that occurred along the Yellowstone River this week constitutes a 1 in 500-year event, according to a US Geological Survey (USGS) news release. Unprecedented rain and rapid snowmelt in recent days have caused rivers in parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho to burst their banks, swallowing bridges and sweeping away entire sections of roadway. More than 10,000 visitors to Yellowstone National Park have been forced to evacuate. All entrances to the park are expected to remain closed until at least Monday. “At two streamgages, Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs and Yellowstone River at Livingston, the peak streamflow was higher than the 0.2% (or 1 in 500-years) flood (level),” said USGS hydrologist Katherine Chase in the release. Farther downstream, “the Yellowstone River at Billings was between the 1% (or 1 in 100-years) and 0.2% (1 in 500-years) flood,” according to the release, which notes that streamflow data is “currently being reported as ‘provisional’ until followup analyses of the stream channel and data are completed.” However, Chase notes in the release that, “while these floods are often referred to as greater than (or rarer than) a 1 in 500-year event, there is the same probability that they could occur in any given year.” The USGS frequencies are calculated from historical data for the Yellowstone River’s locations. As CNN has reported this week, scientists have shown that climate change is impacting the frequency at which extreme weather events occur, and that trend is expected to continue as the planet continues to warm. In a three-day period last week, Yellowstone National Park received about two to three times the typical rainfall for the whole month of June, and precipitation this month has already been more than 400% of the average across northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana, according to the National Weather Service. All five of Yellowstone’s park entrances remained closed Friday as flood recovery and repair efforts are underway in preparation for the park’s reopening, according to a release from the park’s superintendent’s office. According to the release, the National Park Service does not yet have an estimated reopening date for the entire park – nor an idea of total repair costs. The release outlines an extensive list of repairs needed to roads and infrastructure in each section of the park in order for it to reopen. “We have made tremendous progress in a very short amount of time but have a long way to go,” Superintendent Cam Sholly said in the release. “All emergency and life safety objectives within the park have been accomplished or stabilized within the first 96 hours of the flood event, without major injury or death.” The park service said it is “highly possible” they will be able to reopen the Yellowstone’s south loop sometime next week, though likely with “certain visitor entrance modifications” in place. “We have an aggressive plan for recovery in the north and resumption of operations in the south,” Sholly continued. “We appreciate the tremendous support from National Park Service and Department of Interior leadership, in addition to our surrounding Congressional delegations, governors, counties, communities, and other partners.” Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte struck an optimistic tone about flood recovery and rebuilding as he encouraged continued tourism to the Big Sky State. The “best days are ahead of us,” he told reporters Friday. “We’re open. You’ve got to come,” Gianforte said of Yellowstone Park. “The vitality of our communities depends on it. We’re open for business and we want you to come.” Officials have previously said the northern section of the park will likely remain closed through the remainder of the season. CNN’s Judson Jones, Haley Brink, and Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Once he saw how much water had risen in the creek by his home in eastern Kentucky, "I knew we were in trouble," Larry Adams said.His fears were warranted -- the region suffered historic flooding late last month that left dozens dead and hundreds displaced after their homes were swept away or buried in debris. A yearslong recovery is expected as communities begin to clean up, and officials have warned more victims may be recovered.Appalshop building sits flooded after extreme weather in Whitesburg, Ky., July 28, 2022.Appalshop via AP"There are a lot of people who are suffering here," Adams, 47, told ABC News recently. "It's a dire situation.""We're getting help, but we need a lot more help," he said. "It's like nothing I've ever seen."Adams grew up in Whitesburg, Kentucky, which saw significant flooding during last month's storms. He now lives about 10 miles away where his home was not impacted by the flooding, but still has family in the area.On July 28, as floodwaters surged through his hometown and blackouts made it difficult to contact people, Adams grabbed his kayak and GoPro camera and went out to find his family."I knew what the water must have been like there," he said.Larry Adams went out in his kayak to help rescue family during the recent flooding in Whitesburg, Ky.Courtesy Larry AdamsAs he paddled through the floodwaters, he said he saw his uncle on one rooftop and then his cousin's teenage daughter and her dog on another. In a now viral rescue, which he captured on his GoPro camera, Adams helped pull his cousin's daughter, who had held out for hours on the roof of a garage with her dog, to dry land.He was also able to rescue four other family members.Larry Adams captured footage of his kayak rescues during severe flooding in Whitesburg, Ky.Courtesy Larry AdamsAdams, who runs a martial arts school and had picked up whitewater kayaking during the pandemic, continued to rescue others from their flooded homes, especially where the significant debris made it difficult to reach people by motorized boat.Adams said he couldn't count how many people in total he helped rescue from the floods. He only wished he could have aided those for whom help came too late.At least 37 people died in the flooding, including four young siblings -- ages 2, 4, 6 and 8 -- who were swept away in the water, according to family members.Hundreds of displaced people are taking shelter at state parks, shelters and tractor trailers more than a week after the flooding began."It's going to take years to rebuild," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said last week. "People left with absolutely nothing. Homes that we don't know where they are."Residents are beginning to return after catastrophic flooding in Whitesburg, Ky., July 30, 2022.Michael Clevenger/The Courier-Journal via USA Today NetworkAdams said he is now helping his family in Whitesburg clean up from the flooding. Among the debris, he said he's seen over a foot of mud on the kitchen counters."They're good, healthy, but the loss is significant," he said.Larry Adams speaks with ABC News on Aug. 3, 2022.ABC NewsPeople have lost their cars and don't have access to food and other necessities, and communities are in desperate need of supplies and feet on the ground to help clean up, he said."We're resilient people here, you have to be. But this is a whole lot to ask of anyone," he said. "It feels like a bad dream." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Flash floods, cloudbursts and unusually high temperatures in Jammu and Kashmir are blamed for a loss of livestock, damage to infrastructure and dozens of deaths in what are seen as manifestations of global warming and human-caused climate change.
In one incident, 16 people died in a flash flood during an annual Hindu pilgrimage in Indian-administered Kashmir. Sonam Lotus, director of the meteorological department of Jammu and Kashmir, said in an interview, "even though we monitor the weather constantly, sometimes it is beyond our control."
The region witnessed the heaviest rainfall between May and July, resulting in a dozen flash floods in the environmentally fragile valley, which damaged agricultural crops and other assets. The Kashmir highway, the entrance to the valley from central India, has frequently been closed by landslides and shooting stones brought on by heavy rains. Cloud buildup in summer capital Srinagar, Kashmir, Aug. 19, 2022. "We have analyzed that there has been rapid temperature increase in the valley from the past 40 years, 1980 to 2020. The max temperature is showing a higher increase as compared to minimum temperature," explained Sumira Nazir Zaz, a faculty member at the University of Kashmir Department of Geoinformatics.
Zaz said weather stations have recorded the most significant temperature increases at higher elevations, such as Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Qazigund, while an urban island effect has driven up temperatures at Srinagar, the regional capital. She also noted increased precipitation, especially in winter, even though the valley is far from any ocean.
An 80-year-old resident of Kashmir, Abdul Salam Bhat, told VOA that he has watched temperatures rise over the decades. "Rarely did we use electric ceiling fans during the summer night. However, nowadays ceiling fans won't cool the room. Air conditioners are becoming a new norm in the valley," Bhat said. A bricklin in the middle of rice fields considered as one of the major air pollutant in Anantnag district of Kashmir. Across India, floods have become more common in recent years, claiming the lives of about 6,000 people and causing damage estimated at $7.4 billion over the past three years. This amount is approximately equal to one-third of the India's infrastructure budget for its roads and highways.
In June this year, after four days of nonstop rain, the Jhelum River in Kashmir reached the danger mark in some places, bringing back memories of a devastating 2014 flood that claimed 300 lives and destroyed billions of dollars' worth of property.
The water level in the major rivers and tributaries surged significantly, flooding several low-lying districts in Srinagar and elsewhere in Kashmir. As a result, many Srinagar residents shifted to the upper floors until the rains ended after four days. People in boats mining sand in one of the tributaries of Jhelum in Anantnag district of Kashmir. Official records reported by a local media site showed that Jammu and Kashmir experienced nine extreme weather events between May and July, including flash floods and cloudbursts. Flock of sheep in the Himalayas mountains on way to Gurez, Kashmir. The extreme weather has not spared livestock. According to the region's sheep husbandry department, the valley's grasslands provide summer shelter for about 2 million sheep. However, herders in the highlands of south Kashmir suffered severe losses this year as a result of the unusual occurrence of snow in June.
The shepherds in these areas confirm that heavy snowfall between June 19 and June 22 blanketed the region's green meadows with a layer of snow 2 to 3 feet deep. The authorities in the region declared the heavy snowfall as a state-specific natural disaster.
A resident in the village of Zampathri, who takes his livestock to higher elevations for grazing in the summer, told VOA that he used to take his sheep to an area known as Gaadar but in recent years has had to venture farther because of reduced vegetation in the area.
"The pastoralist community belong to poor communities and are most vulnerable to climate-related disasters," wrote researchers Sajad Ahmad Mir and Maliha Batool in a paper titled "Impact of Climate Change on Gujjar and Bakarwal Communities of Jammu and Kashmir." They said the convergence of land-use change and climate insecurity "is impairing the resilience of various social and ecological systems." A herd moves on a bund on a winter day in Srinagar, Kashmir. Faizan Arif Keng, an independent weather forecaster who has become popular on social media, told VOA he believes authorities need to prepare for additional climate change to come.
"Floods, droughts, lightning strikes, cloudbursts, snowstorms — everything is happening. Extreme events are going to increase furthermore," he said. "Local and global actions are required to guard our planet and ourselves from any catastrophes. There is an immediate need to take climate change seriously."
Zaz said that weather patterns originating in the North Atlantic Ocean have weakened since 1980, contributing to the weather anomalies. "Precipitation in the form of snow has decreased and rain has increased. Land use and cover of Kashmir valley has changed rapidly, affecting the runoff and causing rapid urban flows, and as a result we have increased floods."
The regional government says it is currently revising its plan for climate action, which cites climate change as "a serious threat to the species diversity, habitats, forests, wildlife, fisheries and the water resources in the region." Dry spell in one of the tributaries of Jhelum in Anantnag district of Kashmir A veteran hiker, Shafkat Masoodi, told VOA he has noted the disappearance of glaciers over the decades in several mountain areas surrounding the valley. Just recently, he said, "We were in a place that used to be surrounded by a glacier, however, to our utter surprise we couldn't find one and had to trek for six hours to get some water."
Like many other trekkers, he said, he has learned to pay closer attention to the weather forecasts before setting out on a hike. "Earlier we used not to, but now we check the weather forecast before we plan for a trek as extreme weather could be life-threatening deep inside the woods." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he and first lady Jill Biden visit a flood-ravaged building in Lost Creek, Kentucky, U.S., August 8, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comLEXINGTON, Ky, Aug 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in eastern Kentucky on Monday to survey damage from severe flooding that swept away houses and vehicles, and killed at least 37 people last week.Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit families affected by the disaster along with Governor Andy Beshear, the White House said, before participating in a briefing on the emergency response efforts in Lost Creek, Kentucky.The couple will also visit with affected families after the briefing and then Biden will deliver remarks.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAfter days of torrential rain, extreme hot weather descended on the region as families struggled to recover from the flooding.The arduous task of cleaning up and rebuilding got under way last Wednesday as waters receded and remote areas became more accessible. Mountains of muddy debris, upended vehicles and homes dislodged from their foundations were common sights.Survivors, gathered at temporary shelters in the stricken region, described the harrowing experience of escaping the fast-rising water with little more than their lives.About 400 members of the Kentucky National Guard fanned out to deliver hundreds of cases of water and assisting in the recovery effort, Beshear said last week.The U.S. president approved a major disaster declaration for Kentucky last week, freeing up federal funds for emergency work."The floods in Kentucky and extreme weather all around the country are yet another reminder of the intensifying and accelerate impacts of climate change and the urgent need to invest in making our communities more resilient to it," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One.Biden scored a major victory on Sunday when the U.S. Senate passed sweeping $430 billion bill that includes a clean energy package intended to fight climate change. read more The legislation is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and shifting consumers to green energy.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Nandita Bose; Writing by Doina Chiacu;
Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
More than 33 million people in Pakistan are struggling to deal with a monsoon season supercharged by climate change.Torrential rainfall has dragged on for weeks, killing more than 1,100 people since mid-June, damaging more than 1 million homes, leaving entire villages stranded and underwater, washing away roads and at least 149 bridges, wiping out crops and forcing nearly 500,000 people to seek shelter in relief camps.Residents move belongings from their submerged houses on Aug. 24 after heavy monsoon rainfall in Rajanpur district in Pakistan's Punjab province. (Shahid Saeed Mirza/AFP via Getty Images)"Pakistan's priority, at the moment, is this climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions," Pakistan's Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman said last week, adding that the country “is going through its eighth cycle of monsoon while normally the country has only three to four cycles of rain. The percentages of super flood torrents are shocking."Scientific research has linked rising global temperatures due to mankind’s burning of fossil fuels to increasingly chaotic monsoon seasons, with the potential for more extreme rainfall events like those seen this summer.A vehicle drives along a flooded street, following heavy rains during the monsoon season in Karachi, Pakistan July 24, 2022. (Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)For every degree Celsius of global temperature rise, the Earth’s atmosphere holds 7% more moisture, which is unleashed when conditions are right. This summer, National Disaster Management Authority said Friday, the country had received 133% of its average monsoon season rainfall.Touring the devastation by helicopter, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said over the weekend, “I have never seen such devastation in my life,” and added, "Village after village has been wiped out. Millions of houses have been destroyed."Residents play on a flooded street, following heavy rains during the monsoon season in Karachi, Pakistan July 24, 2022. (Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)The scope of the devastation is still coming into focus. Roughly 750,00 farm animals have been killed in recent weeks, and initial damage estimates place economic losses above $10 billion.More than three-quarters of Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and most impoverished province, has been damaged by floods, while much of neighboring Sindh province is submerged thanks to overflowing rivers such as the Indus.A man walks on a flooded road, following rains during the monsoon season in Karachi, Pakistan August 10, 2022. (Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)“We are devastated by climate disasters such as these time and time again, and we have to adapt within our limited resources, in whatever way we can, to live in this new environment,” Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari told Reuters.Residents use a raft to move along a waterlogged street in a residential area after a heavy monsoon rainfall in Hyderabad City on August 19, 2022. (Akram Shahid/AFP via Getty Images)Over the weekend videos of raging rivers washing away homes and buildings laid bare the devastation that weeks of above-average rainfall can bring.“Pakistan is living through a serious climate catastrophe, one of the hardest in the decade,” Rehman said in a video posted to Twitter. “We are, at the moment, at the ground zero of the frontline of extreme weather events in an unrelenting cascade of heat waves, forest fires, flash floods, multiple glacial lake outbursts, flood events, and now the monster monsoon of the decade is wreaking nonstop havoc throughout the country.”Stranded people wade through a flooded area after heavy monsoon rainfall in Rajanpur district of Punjab province on August 25, 2022. (Shahid Saeed Mirza/AFP via Getty Images)In addition to the unprecedented amount of rainfall, the flooding has been made worse by the rapid melting of 7,000 glaciers in the mountains of Pakistan thanks to a series of punishing heat waves that began this Spring. Temperatures in April hit 120 degrees F in some parts of the country.This year's flooding is reminiscent of 2010, which had been the worst in recorded history. That two such extreme events would occur in the last 20 years is just one more indicator of how a changing climate will impact the region.People wade through flooded mud water after heavy monsoon rainfall in the border town of Chaman in Balochistan province on August 25, 2022. (Abdul Basit/AFP via Getty Images)The Pakistani government has appealed for donations to help it deal with the impacts caused by the flooding, but until the waters recede it will be difficult to assess the full extent of the damage."It's all one big ocean, there's no dry land to pump the water out," Rehman told AFP.A man (L) along with a youth use a satellite dish to move children across a flooded area after heavy monsoon rainfalls in Jaffarabad district, Balochistan province, on August 26, 2022. (Fida Hussain/AFP via Getty Images)"When we send in water pumps, they say 'Where do we pump the water?' It's all one big ocean, there's no dry land to pump the water out," Rehman added.With a population of just over 220 million, roughly one out of every seven Pakistani residents has been impacted by the flooding, and Rehman said that one-third of the country remained under water.A man (R) carries his sick daughter along a road damaged by flood waters following heavy monsoon rains in Madian area in Pakistan's northern Swat Valley on August 27, 2022. (Abdul Majeed/AFP via Getty Images) | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Germany's main industry lobby group warned Tuesday that factories may have to throttle production or halt it completely because plunging water levels on the Rhine River are making it harder to transport cargo. The Rhine's level at Emmerich, near the Dutch border, dropped by a further 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) in 24 hours, hitting zero on the depth gauge. Authorities say the shipping lane itself still has a depth of almost 200 centimeters (6 feet, 6 inches), but the record low measurement Tuesday morning highlights the extreme lack of water caused by months of drought affecting much of Europe. “The ongoing drought and the low water levels threaten the supply security of industry,” said Holger Loesch, deputy head of the BDI business lobby group. The water level gauge in Kaub, western Germany, is seen on Aug.12, 2022, as the level of the Rhine river passed below 40 centimeters, making ship transport increasingly difficult. Loesch said shifting cargo from river to train or transport was difficult because of limited rail capacity and a lack of drivers. “It's only a question of time before facilities in the chemical and steel industry have to be switched off, petroleum and construction materials won't reach their destination, and high-capacity and heavy-goods transports can't be carried out anymore,” he said, adding that this could lead to supply bottlenecks and short-time work might result. Loesch warned that energy supplies could also be further strained as ships carrying coal and gasoline along the Rhine are affected. Drivers in southern Germany already have to pay considerably more for fuel than those further north, according to Germany's biggest motor club. The ADAC said diesel was being sold for under 1.82 euros ($1.84) per liter in Hamburg, while in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg it cost on average 1.97 euros. The BDI said droughts such as that seen this year could become more frequent in the future and urged the government to help closely monitor water levels and react early to potential transportation problems on Germany's waterways. Experts say climate change is making extreme weather, including heatwaves and droughts, more likely. Germany's weather service has forecast heavy rain toward the end of the week that could provide some relief to river shipping companies. The river Rhine is pictured with low water in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 10, 2022. The low water levels are threatening Germany's industry as more and more ships are unable to traverse the key waterway. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Music fans have defied national rail strikes crippling the UK's transport system as well as threats of camping in torrential rain for the second day of Glastonbury.Forecasters have put a yellow warning in place between 10am and 11.59pm today - with torrential lightning, hail and flooding expected across the country.The mud synonymous with the iconic festival is set to make an appearance, with thunderstorms and torrential downpours predicted from today - meaning revellers will have to endure the start of the wet weather before Billie Eilish hits the Pyramid stage tomorrow.But it's not all doom and gloom as there will be spots of sunshine throughout the day and warm temperatures reaching 24C (75F) - so revellers shouldn't find it too hard to dry off.Fans were pictured making the most of the glorious sunshine this morning as they gathered at Worthy Farm's Stone Circle, situated in a valley lying between two low sandstone ridges. This year's Glastonbury festival is the first since summer 2019, and revellers are ready to enjoy the star-studded line-up of music acts including headliners Billie Eilish, Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar over the course of the weekend.But both extreme weather threats and militant rail strikes taking place this week has not stopped the revellers from starting their five-day festival weekend with a cheer.With Thursday's ongoing rail strikes, it is likely the storms will add to transport issues with poor driving conditions and floodwater on roads, potentially causing danger to life. In a statement on its website, the Met Office said: 'There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.'There is a small chance of fast-flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.'They went on to say: 'These torrential downpours may be accompanied by frequent lightning, whilst gusty winds and hail may also affect a few places.'The exact location of the thunderstorms will be hard to pinpoint, so the warning area will be kept under review and updated if necessary.' Fans were pictured making the most of the glorious sunshine this morning as they gathered at Worthy Farm's Stone Circle, situated in a valley lying between two low sandstone ridges Forecasters have put a yellow warning in place between 10am and 11.59pm today - with torrential downpours expected across the country. An aerial view of the Glastonbury Festival site in Somerset this morning where fans have descended for the first time in three yearsThis year's Glastonbury festival is the first since summer 2019, and revellers are ready to enjoy the star-studded line-up of music acts including headliners Billie Eilish , Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar over the course of the weekend Two revellers in front of the Tipi village at Glastonbury Festival on Thursday was pictured making the most of the glorious sunshine Festivalgoers were pictured gathered around a fire this morning to watch for the sunrise at Glastonbury's Stone Circle Crowds gather on the first morning of Glastonbury festival to watch the sunrise at the Stone Circle Pictured: People gather to watch for the sunrise at the Stone Circle at Glastonbury Festival on Thursday People gather at Glastonbury's famous Stone Circle to watch the sunrise on Thursday morningThe Met Office said there is a chance of further rail and bus cancellations due to lightning strikes. It also warned of power cuts to some homes and businesses, while remote communities could be cut off due to flooded roads.Flooding could also cause some road closures, with heavy traffic on the roads already expected around the UK due to rail strikes.People from all ages and parts of Britain made the journey down to Worthy Farm for Glastonbury festival yesterday, which began on Wednesday and ends on Sunday night, complete with their colourful clothes and ready to enjoy the party.However, festivalgoers were spotted in Manchester waiting for replacement buses to reach the music extravaganza in a last minute bid to reach Worthy Farm amid the second day of the rail strikes.Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong said: 'The warm and sunny conditions continue on Thursday, but there will be an increasing risk of thunderstorms through the afternoon and evening which bring a risk of some torrential downpours.'The risk of thunderstorms was issued for 'much of England and Wales' on Thursday, with cloudy starts in the far northwest with some patchy rain.Exeter will see highs of 21C (70F) today, while Manchester will see humid cloudy weather of 27C (80C) this afternoon. Edinburgh will see warm sunshine hitting 22C (71F) today, while Belfast will see highs of 20C (68F).Meanwhile, some bright spells are expected Friday morning in the south east, but will be swiftly followed by scattered showers by midday, with maximum temperatures of 20C (68F). But both extreme weather threats and militant rail strikes taking place this week has not stopped the revellers from starting their five-day festival weekend with a cheer Festivalgoers were spotted in Manchester waiting for replacement buses to reach the music extravaganza in a last minute bid to reach Worthy Farm Hundred's of festivalgoers line the streets in Manchester on Thursday amid ongoing rail strikes Pictured: Revellers leant against a wooden railing as they waited for replacement buses to take them to Glastonbury festival Pictured: Revellers were spotted in Manchester waiting for replacement buses to reach the music extravaganza in a last minute bid to reach Worthy Farm amid the second day of the rail strikes Revellers were pictured with rucksacks filled with their camping supplies This year's much-anticipated festival, running from Wednesday to Sunday, will host huge stars from Diana Ross and Sir Paul McCartney, to Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Olivia RodrigoDeputy Chief Forecaster Daniel Rudman added: 'From Friday onward the weather will become more unsettled. There is a risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms in the Glastonbury area on both Friday and Saturday, although these should be quick moving, some surface water might accumulate at times from the heaviest showers. Temperatures will start to dip as we go through the end of the week returning to near normal for the time of year, with highs likely around 18-20C.'Sunday is expected to be mostly dry and bright at first but with showers once again developing through the morning, some of which could be heavy, and possibly thundery. The unsettled pattern is expected to continue to dominate into the start of next week.'The founder of the Somerset festival Michael Eavis was pictured officially opening the gate to Glastonbury this morning marking the official start of the four-day music spectacular.The festival is returning for its 50th anniversary after a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19. Eavis and his daughter Emily were stood at one of the festival's many entry points and clapped as the first attendees entered the site.Eavis, 86, told those entering the gates: 'This is going to be the best show in town.'Wait and see. You better believe it.'Just 60 per cent of trains will run across Wednesday, with walkouts planned for Thursday and Saturday.This year's much-anticipated festival, running from Wednesday to Sunday, will host huge stars from Diana Ross and Sir Paul McCartney, to Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Olivia Rodrigo. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
China has been hit by record heat waves and droughts this summer, a combined phenomenon that experts say that has the potential to threaten the food, energy and economic security that Beijing values.
The extreme weather — hitting southwestern Sichuan province the hardest — has lasted more than 70 days, marking the country’s worst heat wave since record-keeping began in 1961. Sichuan temperatures have topped 43 degrees Celsius and in Beibei, temperatures bubbled up to 45 degrees Celsius.
At risk, experts say, is agriculture production, energy security and the economy — as well as the general sense of stability that has accompanied China’s economic rise.
Not that China is alone in weather events linked to climate change. Europe also faced extreme heat waves this summer. And in the past few years, wildfires have been growing more frequent and destructivein the western United States.
But in China, the weather forecast carries distinct political implications.
According to the official news outlet, Xinhua, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the China Meteorological Administration are particularly concerned about the heat wave’s impact on this fall’s grain harvest.
“Chinese authorities have urged targeted measures to alleviate the impact of drought in a bid to secure a good autumn harvest this year,” the Xinhua article said.
Faced with water shortages, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had to decide whether it would cut water for agriculture or power-generation, according to Gopal Reddy, founder of the group Ready for Climate. FILE - Cracked dry mud is seen in a community reservoir that ran nearly empty in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality, Aug. 20, 2022. “It’s really hard to cut water from the agriculture sector because food self-sufficiency is so important in China, and that means we have water shortages that turn into power shortages,” Reddy, who is based in Boston, told VOA Mandarin. “For the typical person in China, they may see rolling power blackouts and cutbacks, but the biggest impact is on the manufacturing sector, because that’s where you get whole parts of the economy that just get shut down due to power shortages.”
It’s a difficult tradeoff to make, Reddy said.
“Regarding water, there’s really nothing other than tough decisions in front of the CCP, from here on out,” particularly at the local level, he added.
Turning to coal
Sichuan mainly relies on hydropower. Located on the fabled Yangtze River, China’s longest at 6,300 kilometers, the province’s hydroelectric capacity dropped by 50% this month as reservoirs were drying up.
To compensate, the province and the nation have turned to coal. Power plants throughout China burned 8.16 million metric tons of coal during the first two weeks of August, up 15% from a year ago, according to data reported by the state-affiliated Global Times.
Sichuan Guang’an Power Generation, the largest coal-fired power plant in the province, has been operating at full capacity for much of August.
“That’s so eye-catching,” said Gabriel Collins, a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute, because “the average plant utilization across China over the last few years has been closer to 50%.” The system is under strain, he added.
Energy security has long been one of the top issues facing the Chinese government, according to Philip Andrews-Speed, a fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Energy Studies Institute.
“As in any country, if the lights are going out, industries are closing down, prices are going up, then energy security is right there, one of the top three or four items on the government’s agenda,” he told VOA Mandarin in an interview.
That’s particularly true in light of the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, said Edward Cunningham, director of Harvard’s Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative. Xi is expected to secure an unusual third term at the twice-a-decade leadership congress in October.
This National Congress “is more tense than most,” Cunningham told VOA Mandarin, and extreme weather isn’t helping. “Local governments are very much focused on minimizing social unrest. Factories forced to shutter for days, deadly rainfall and images of barren fields only exacerbate such tension.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Summer has just started but millions around the country have already experienced record-breaking heat waves, forcing people to blast air conditioning and think of ways to protect their homes during an onslaught of high temperatures, all while trying to keep energy costs low.The U.S. has already seen heat indexes reach dangerous levels this summer. Last month, Shreveport, Mississippi, reached 105 degrees, while temperatures in Houston, Texas, hit 103 degrees.Drought conditions in parts of the country also make it ripe for pasture losses, water shortages and wildfires, which puts people's homes at risk.Protecting your homesExtreme weather is costing Americans billions of dollars. In 2020, extreme weather cost U.S. taxpayers $99 billion, with heat waves and droughts costing taxpayers an average of $6.4 billion a year since 1980, according to the Center for American Progress.According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, some tips homeowners could use to protect their home include adding insulation to keep the heat out, incorporating window reflectors and weather stripping windows and doors."Windows and doors are critical," Jim Reinhart, CEO and president of Ygrene, told ABC News. "Today's windows and doors are way more efficient than those that many homes were constructed in 30 to 40 years ago."Reinhart said having a proper roof is also important in protecting your home from extreme heat and can help reduce your energy costs by at least 20%.Rising temperatures can also increase a house's humidity if not properly maintained, which can cause mold to grow.If roofs, windows and doors are not regularly supported, issues, such as water damage, can cause bigger and more expensive problems, Reinhart added."A lot of what we ask people to do is not to just fix it, but fix it appropriately," he said.Keeping energy costs down Windows are replaced in an old house to build energy efficiency in an undated stock image.STOCK PHOTO/Photovs/Getty ImagesCustomers are expected to be hit hard financially because of rising energy costs, especially during the summer.Utility companies have warned customers that the high costs of natural gas are leading to an increase in electricity prices. The war in Ukraine has forced the U.S. to export a record amount of gas, driving up the price.Some tips the Department of Energy suggests for keeping costs down include setting your thermostat to a temperature you're comfortable with and an indoor temperature that isn't that much different from the outside temperature.Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) suggests setting your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher and using ceiling fans to help circulate the air throughout a room.Logan Atkinson, executive director at Alliance for Affordable Energy, told ABC News people should look to see what energy efficiency programs their states offer to help reduce costs."Most utilities are required around the country are to provide [these programs]," Atkinson said. "If you're a low-income homeowner, most of those programs are free of charge entirely."Rising temperatures will undoubtedly lead to an increased usage of people's air conditioning systems.Homeowners with heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, commonly referred to as HVAC, should have them serviced by a technician to ensure they're running efficiently.The cost to replace an HVAC system costs an average of $7,000, with some systems going up to $10,000, according to Home Advisor. It is more economical to maintain it than replace a broken system.Atkinson said the efficiency programs could cover some costs if you're keeping the system serviced. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is making more than $1 billion available to states to address flooding and extreme heat exacerbated by climate change.Vice President Kamala Harris is set to announce the grant programs Monday at an event in Miami with the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other officials. The competitive grants will help communities across the nation prepare for and respond to climate-related disasters."We know that the impacts of the climate crisis are here, and that we must invest in building resilience to protect our communities, infrastructure and economy,'' the White House said in a statement.The announcement comes as the death toll from massive flooding in Kentucky continued to climb on Sunday amid a renewed threat of more heavy rains. In the West, wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size amid windy, hot conditions, encroaching on neighborhoods and forcing evacuation orders.Multiple Western states continued heat advisories amid a prolonged drought that has dried reservoirs and threatened communities across the region.Harris will visit the National Hurricane Center for a briefing by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and FEMA. She also will visit Florida International University, where she is expected to address extreme weather events across the country, including the flooding in Kentucky and Missouri and the wildfires in California.President Joe Biden announced last month that the administration will spend $2.3 billion to help communities cope with soaring temperatures through programs administered by FEMA, the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies. The move doubles spending on the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program, which supports states, local communities, tribes and territories on projects to reduce climate-related hazards and prepare for natural disasters such as floods and wildfires.“Communities across our nation are experiencing first-hand the devastating impacts of the climate change and the related extreme weather events that follow — more energized hurricanes with deadlier storm surges, increased flooding and a wildfire season that’s become a year-long threat,” FEMA head Deanne Criswell said.The funding to be announced Monday will “help to ensure that our most vulnerable communities are not left behind, with hundreds of millions of dollars ultimately going directly to the communities that need it most,'' Criswell said.A total of $1 billion will be made available through the BRIC program, with another $160 million to be offered for flood mitigation assistance, officials said.Jacksonville, Florida, was among cities that received money under the BRIC program last year. The city was awarded $23 million for flood mitigation and stormwater infrastructure. Jacksonville, the largest city in Florida, sits in a humid, subtropical region along the St. Johns River and Atlantic Ocean, making it vulnerable to flooding when stormwater basins reach capacity. The city experiences frequent flooding and is at risk for increased major storms.The South Florida Water Management District in Miami-Dade County received $50 million for flood mitigation and pump station repairs. Real estate development along the city’s fast-growing waterfront has created a high-risk flood zone for communities in the city and put pressure on existing systems, making repairs to existing structures an urgent need, officials said.The Biden administration has launched a series of actions intended to reduce heat-related illness and protect public health, including a proposed workplace heat standard. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
But the relentless heat of this summer — the heavy curtain that has hung over Boston, making the air thick and the going slow — is different, and has been made more likely to happen thanks to climate change, according to scientists. And while these seemingly endless strings of scorching temperatures feel terrible, these experts say they are just a taste of what’s to come.“This is indicative of our future climate: more days greater than 90 degrees, more drought,” said Paul Kirshen, a professor of climate adaptation at UMass Boston, and an author of a recent report about sea level rise and Boston. “What we’re seeing may be what normal temperatures are like decades from now. Every day in summer could be like today.”So far, the Boston area has seen 15 days of temperatures above 90 degrees this year, compared with an average of 10 days each summer in the 2000s, according to a recent report by the city. Fifty years from now, the region could be seeing as many as 62 days, depending on how successful the world is at rapidly reining in greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.But not all weather is due to climate change; some amount of natural variability has always happened. To tease out what weather is normal and what has been caused by the manmade warming, scientists at Climate Central, a nonprofit focused on climate communication, came up with a tool that determines the so-called “Climate Shift Index” — or, how much likelier an event was due to climate change.When the temperature rose to a record-high 98 degrees in Boston on Monday, that was twice as likely to happen due to climate change, according to the index. And when it failed to fall below 72.6 degrees Sunday evening — some 10 degrees higher than the 30-year average — that was five times more likely to happen because the earth has already been warmed at least 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial temperatures.[August 8th] Yet another afternoon of record setting temperatures. Providence ties the record daily high of 95° from 1909. And Boston sets a new record high of 98°, surpassing the previous daily record high of 96° from 1983 #MAwx #RIwx pic.twitter.com/z2YWzgz5K2— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) August 8, 2022 “We’re really seeing a significant, detectable climate fingerprint,” said Andrew Pershing, director of climate science at Climate Central.That fingerprint has been especially strong these last three weeks: the hottest stretch of 21 days in the 151-year record for Boston, during which time the average high temperature was 90.3 degrees. And as of Tuesday, the city had seen 26 days above 80 degrees, the longest run of those temperatures on record.The entire region is heating up faster than much of the planet. A study late last year in the journal Nature found that New England is warming significantly faster than global average temperatures, and that the more greenhouse gases are released, the more that rate will accelerate.The Gulf of Maine, meanwhile, which is warming faster than almost any other part of the world’s oceans, is 2.87 degrees Fahrenheit above the long-term average from 1982 to 2011, according to Gulf of Maine Research Institute.That warmer ocean can do a lot to our climate. “Because the oceans are warming, the air is warming and evaporation from the oceans is increasing,” said Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center. “And that’s why we’ve got these muggier-feeling days.”Warmer oceans can also bring another hallmark of climate change: extreme storms, which are made stronger by the energy whipped up by increased water temperatures. “We haven’t had any hurricanes yet, but the ocean temperature is really warm right now,” said Kirshen. “We could easily have more tropical storms this year.”Of course, Massachusetts is far from the only place feeling the effects of warming. Record wildfires, floods, and extreme heat have ricocheted across the planet, killing more than 2,000 people in Portugal and Spain this summer, and destroying some 1.6 million acres across the country.“The number of extreme events seems to suggest that the warming is having impacts that we may have hoped were in our future, but are now being realized,” said Michael Rawlins, associate director of the Climate System Research Center at UMass Amherst.While the decisions made here on the ground by policymakers and politicians drive what happens to our climate, the impacts are played out most directly high above us, in the jet stream, that river of wind high in the atmosphere that determines the weather below, said Francis.As the planet warms, snow in the northern hemisphere is melting earlier in the spring, revealing the earth below. With the soil exposed earlier, it starts to absorb sunlight, drying out and warming up, creating a “warm bubble along the northern zone of the continent” that is having a dramatic effect on the jet stream, Francis said.Recent science shows that where there would normally be one steady jet stream flowing across the continent, instead it is splitting in two, with one river of wind running high along the planet, and another dipping further south. In between — in the mid-latitudes, where Massachusetts lies — there is no longer the same reliable force of wind to move weather patterns along. And so they sit.“That leads into these more persistent weather patterns that we’re seeing, that can go either way,” said Francis. “It can be wet, like it was in June, or it can be hot, dry, and humid like we’ve had lately.”Unlike many of the symptoms of climate change — rising seas, thawing permafrost, extreme weather — these changes to the jet stream are something that scientists hadn’t necessarily predicted, Francis said, and so they are working now to understand how it relates to a warming planet.Sabrina Shankman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @shankman. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
By Francesca GillettBBC NewsImage source, PA MediaImage caption, People relax in the sun on the grass at the Royal Crescent, Bath, on MondayParts of England and Wales are set to swelter this week with the hottest days of the year so far. Temperatures are forecast to reach 33C (91.4F) in the south-east of England on Friday as hot air spreads up from Spain, Portugal and north Africa.The Met Office has warned sunbathers to "avoid overdoing it" and stay out of the sun in the midday hours.But the far north of the UK will not be as hot, with temperatures expected to rise only to the mid-teens."[It will be] the first hot spell of weather of the year for some parts of the country," said the Met Office's Alex Deakin. "But quite a contrast, it's not going to be hot and sunny everywhere."He said temperatures will be "ticking up day on day" from Wednesday, with highs of 28C (82.4F) expected across the South East - although just 15C (59F) across the far north-west of the UK. The peak of the temperatures is set to be Friday, when the South East could see up to 33C (91.4F) around north London and Cambridge, accompanied by high UV levels and high pollen levels. In the east of Scotland, temperatures could hit the mid-20s.But temperatures would need to beat 35.6C (96.1F) to break the record for the UK's hottest June day, which was recorded in Southampton in 1976.It comes as parts of Europe are also experiencing extreme heat - with Spain in the grip of a heatwave as temperatures top 40C, and the hot weather set to spread to parts of southern France from Tuesday.Image source, StormChaserLiam/BBC Weather WatchersImage caption, A BBC Weather Watcher sent in this picture from Loose in Kent on Tuesday morningImage source, Alan O/BBC Weather WatcherImage caption, And more sunshine from Topsham in Devon, looking out with a westerly view across the river ExeThe hottest day of the year may come as early as Wednesday or Thursday, BBC Weather's Sarah Keith-Lucas said.But from Saturday the picture is more uncertain, she said, with a cold front sweeping in from north to south pushing away the hot air and threatening heavy downpours and thunderstorms."However, the timing and detail of the change to cooler, wetter weather is still uncertain at this stage," she said. "The heat may linger for a day longer in the South East." An official heatwave is not out of the question, which is when at least three consecutive days have daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold. The threshold varies by county, and in the UK's is between 25C and 28C depending on the part of the country. The threshold was raised by 1C in some areas earlier this year.Experts say that while heatwaves are extreme weather events, scientific research shows that climate change is making these events more likely.The Met Office has not yet issued a weather warning for extreme heat, which it did for the first time ever last July.But animal charities have urged pet owners to be careful. The RSPCA warned of the dangers of walking dogs hot weather, while the Blue Cross urged cat owners to be careful when leaving windows open after a kitten fell from three storeys and fractured her leg.Media caption, Heatwaves: BBC Weather's Matt Taylor explains the heatwave thresholdMet Office forecaster Craig Snell previously told the PA news agency: "Very high UV levels are expected in the south this week, meaning people should really avoid being in the sun during the midday hours."Wearing sunglasses, a shirt, a hat and sunscreen are essential to protect the eyes and skin, and drinking lots of water is important - long exposure to the sun can be dangerous."People should avoid overdoing it. We all love the sunny weather, but being sensible can help you avoid a nasty sunburn."The Royal Life Saving Society UK which promotes water safety has issued a plea to those looking to cool off in water, urging people to understand the dangers of drowning.Lee Heard of RLSS UK said: "Ahead of the expected 30C temperatures in the coming week and with June, July, and August proving to be the months with the most fatalities, it is vitally important that everyone has an understanding of water safety, especially during the summer months."We have seen a rise in the number of drownings over the last few years, with peaks during the summer." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The country is bracing itself for extreme disruption next week, as forecasters predict possible temperatures of 40C (104F) in parts of the country.Amid warnings that lives are at risk, a "national emergency" has been declared by the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office has issued its first-ever red warning for extreme heat.
The heatwave is set to peak on Tuesday, with temperatures climbing over the weekend.Find out the five-day forecast for where you liveTravel delays as tracks 'bend and buckle' People are being urged to avoid all non-essential travel and warned of likely disruption to travel by train and car. Image: Temperatures will build over this weekend and early next week for much of England and Wales. Pic: Met Office A No 10 spokesman said railway speed restrictions may be needed on "some parts of the network next week to manage the hot weather and to avoid any potential damage". More on Nhs 12 hour trolley-waits rise as NHS data for June worse than any 'winter crisis' on record Vitamin D 'overdose' warning after man admitted to hospital for excessive intake Drones to deliver chemotherapy drugs in half an hour in NHS trial on Isle of Wight Very hot temperatures can affect rails, overhead power lines and signalling equipment, as well as "bend and buckle" tracks.Jake Kelly, of Network Rail, warned that journeys will take "significantly longer and delays are likely as speed restrictions are introduced to keep passengers and railway staff safe".Train operators, including Transport for London (TfL), are strongly encouraging customers not to travel on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 July.TFL chief operating officer Andy Lord said: "Due to the exceptionally hot weather that is expected next week, customers should only use London's transport network for essential journeys."If customers do need to travel, they should check before they travel as we are expecting there to be some impact to Tube and rail services as a result of temporary speed restrictions we will need to introduce to keep everyone safe."It is also vital that customers always carry water at all times with them when travelling." Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this. Open Privacy Options Meanwhile, motorists have been advised to try to make their journeys outside of the hottest periods of the day, particularly if they have older cars.The RAC has warned more drivers will need help as cars overheat, and asked their customers to question whether they really need to make the journey in the first place. Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this. Open Privacy Options Hospital appointments cancelledSome hospitals have taken the decision to cancel routine appointments and surgeries due to the risk to both patients and staff due to the predicted extreme heat.Joe Harrison, CEO of Milton Keynes University Hospital, said on Twitter: "We have taken the decision to stand down routine outpatient appointments and surgery on Monday and Tuesday because many of the patients travelling to these appointments are frail and at increased risk, and due to the unpredictable nature of very high temperatures on demand for emergency care and on care environment."We will do all we can to keep wards & departments as cool as possible, but we know this will be a challenge given the very high outside temperature."We have solid plans and contingency plans in place and will keep social media channels and our website updated with any changing info."With ambulance wait times already on the rise, there have been warnings that things will only worsen during the heatwave, with patients potentially stuck in hot vehicles for hours while waiting for hospital admission.East Midlands Ambulance Service Director of Operations David Williams warned patients they may face "an extended wait" for an ambulance and urged people to call 999 only as "a last resort".NHS data revealed that none of the England's ambulance services hit crucial response time targets in June.School closures and sports days cancelledSome schools in the south of the country may close on Monday and Tuesday due to the extreme weather, and the NEU teaching union has said it will support headteachers taking this decision.Schools choosing to close their doors have pointed to the potentially dangerous temperatures of classrooms, as well as the risk to both staff and pupils of having to work during the hottest points of day.Many school sports days scheduled to take place during the hot weather are also being postponed or cancelled.Some schools have said they will arrange a skeleton staff to keep the buildings open for parents unable to find alternative childcare at short notice.Some southern nurseries will also be restricting their hours on the hottest days following Public Health England's guidelines for supporting children in Early Years.The majority of UK schools are set to break up for the summer holidays later in the week.Some shops and salons around the country have also advised they will be closing or shutting early on Monday and Tuesday.Scrapped eventsUnprecedented weather conditions have led to many weekend events - including dog shows and summer fetes - being called off, as well as larger scale events at the start of the week.The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) have called off five meetings - their scheduled fixtures at Beverley and Windsor on Monday and their all-weather cards at Chelmsford and Wolverhampton on Tuesday, along with Southwell's jumps fixture. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Northern Ireland heat record could be broken The nation is one to watch with temperatures potentially reaching their highest level on record for August. The current record is 30.6C set in 1995. There's also the potential Northern Ireland could see its hottest day ever recorded. The all-time record is 31.3C, from July 2021. Forecasters believe temperatures could reach 30 or 31C on Friday or Saturday. Part of River Wye is at just 1cm in depth The River Wye is at a shockingly low level this morning. As of 8am, it had a height of just 1cm at Hereford Bridge. Yesterday, it had been 2cm deep according to Environment Agency data. The top of the river's normal range is 3.3m. During last month's heatwave, many fish were found dead in the Wye due to the hot weather dissolving oxygen levels in the water. Latest satellite image shows parched land across much of UK Huge swathes of England appear dry and parched in this satellite image shared by Professor James Cheshire, an expert in geographic information and cartography. Parts of Scotland and Wales also appear to have been affected. It highlights the devastating impact of the hot and dry weather that has lasted for weeks. Official drought expected to be declared tomorrow - report Water industry insiders believe a drought will officially be declared tomorrow, according to the BBC.Weeks of hot weather and little rain have left rivers and ponds running dry, and fields and parks parched and yellow. What does it mean when a drought is declared? The Environment Agency, which can officially declare a drought, will monitor water companies to make sure they stick to their drought plans. Abstractors will be stopped from taking too much water out of rivers, and water companies will be expected to impose restrictions on non-essential domestic and commercial water use. French firefighters battling 'monster' blaze As the UK's wildfire severity risk has been raised to "exceptional", across the Channel France is already gripped by huge fires. Firefighters are tackling a "monster" blaze in the Landiras region near the winegrowing heartland of Bordeaux. "I would qualify the fire in Landiras as a mega-fire," Gregory Allione, from the French firefighters body FNSPF, said. "It's an ogre, it's a monster." Meanwhile, fires continue to rage in the Gironde region in southwestern France. Homes have been destroyed and 10,000 residents have been evacuated, some of whom were forced to scramble onto rooftops as the flames got closer. 'Constant battle' to stop water leakage The water industry is doing "everything possible" to stop water leakage but it is a "constant battle", the director of policy at Water UK has said. As hosepipe bans come into effect across parts of the country, more scrutiny is being given to the water wasted by leakages. "Although we are currently seeing the lowest level of leakage on record, it is a constant battle because, particularly in hot, dry conditions, what happens is the soil dries out, cracks, and it moves, and that puts additional pressure on the pipes, and that can cause additional bursts," Stuart Colville said. He told BBC Breakfast it is looking "increasingly inevitable" that the Environment Agency will declare a drought for England. Weather in UK 'worse than expected', says climate change expert The weather in the UK is "worse than expected" and driven by climate change, an expert has told Sky News.Sir David King, former permanent special representative for climate change, said: "It is worse than we expected and it is all coming sooner than we expected. I think we now have an understanding of these extreme weather events, they are occurring right across Europe."It's driven by what's happening in the Arctic circle region where ice is melting much more rapidly than predicted."Now during the three polar summer months, much of the arctic ocean is exposed to sunlight - whereas before it was covered with ice so it was reflected back into space."So that heating of the Arctic circle region is the cause of what we are looking at."We have now got to anticipate this kind of weather going into the future, and if anything it's getting worse."He warned: "Yes, it's lovely to have a nice hot day to get out in the sun but please don't spend too much time in the sun"Your body should not exceed 37 and getting rid of that excess heat is a real problem."Sir David said the UK needs a "coordinated plan" from the government to adapt society to cope with the challenges posed by heatwaves. A plan "needs to be put in place so next summer we are in a state of preparedness", he said.He spoke out against potential plans to remove the green levy - which has been proposed to help ease (green levies now represent 9-12% of electricity bills) the impact of the rising cost of fuel."The right reaction is not to invest in fossil fuels to see if we can bring the price down by putting more fossil fuels into the marketplace."That would take far too long. We have got a crisis that is here now. How do we manage it today?"The way to do it is to increase energy efficiency, to ask people to really look after their use of energy sources," he said. The latest weather forecast An amber heat warning for extreme heat came into force at midnight last night, affecting much of southern Britain, and is due to stay in place until Sunday.The week will bring heatwave conditions, with rain confined to the far north, but hitting last month's record temperatures is unlikely.The heat will build through the week, peaking on Friday and Saturday thanks to the influence of high pressure positioned over the UK. Temperatures are likely to rise into the low-to-mid 30s Celsius for those within the warning areaOutside the warning area, heatwave criteria are still likely to be met for much of the UK, with temperatures widely into the high 20s Celsius and a chance of a few spots seeing temperatures into the low 30s. Scotland and Northern Ireland will also see temperatures into the high 20s and could reach official heatwave criteria by Friday.National Highways head of road safety Jeremy Phillips said: "It is always very important to plan ahead for your journey and this advice remains the same during periods of hot weather. "When hot weather is forecast, please remember to take plenty of drinking water with you – enough for you and your passengers. "We also advise everyone should check their vehicles, such as tyres, coolant and oil levels, before heading out." Fire services 'completely unprepared' for imminent heatwave Riccardo La Torre, national officer for the Fire Brigades Union, has warned that services across the UK are "completely unprepared" for the level of risk posed by the imminent heatwave.Mr La Torre told Sky News: "These are brutal, brutal fires to fight. The temperature that they burn at, the speed at which they spread at."The reality is we've been left completely unprepared to do that as a fire and rescue service."We've had over a fifth of the workforce cut since 2010, that's over 11,500 firefighters cut. Yet we're asking them to deal with these extreme weather events in increasing regularity and increasing severity."The professionals on the ground have been warning that these conditions are coming and we very much saw the reality of that in these last few weeks."Firefighters have been injured, firefighters have ended up in hospital, we've seen families lose their homes, we've seen businesses lost, infrastructure burn to the ground, because we simply can't get to these fires quick enough."When we do, we simply don't have the resources to deal with them adequately." Climate crisis: Drought hitting nearly half of Europe It's not just the UK being hit by the hot weather - almost half of European Union land is currently under a drought warning, and there are fears it could last for months. From water handouts in France in the west and fish deaths in Serbia in the east, to an evaporating river in Germany and withering olive tress in Spain and Italy, much of the territory is suffering what is set to be its worst drought in a 500 year record.Read more from Sky's climate reporter Victoria Seabrook here... | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Rescue workers evacuate flood-affected residents with a dinghy after heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Chaba flooded the villages, in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China July 4, 2022. cnsphoto via REUTERS Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBEIJING, July 8 (Reuters) - All of China must prepare for potential disasters as this year's flood season reaches a pivotal period, a government official warned on Friday, after months of torrential rains and floods, the worst for some in more than a century.China routinely faces heavy flooding during its summer, but record-breaking rain in some regions this year has highlighted the challenges it faces as it tries to adapt to climate change, with temperatures also reaching fresh highs.As the "critical period" starting in mid-July approaches, officials at all levels needed to "grasp the potential risks", Zhou Xuewen, vice minister at China's Ministry of Emergency Management, told a briefing.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSince the flood season began in March, average rainfall is 10.7% higher than normal, and has doubled in some parts of the south. Rain in the Pearl River basin in the southern province of Guangdong is at its highest on record.The floods have submerged farmland, interrupted power and communications, affected roads and destroyed homes, with emergency response teams deployed throughout the country to administer relief.On Thursday morning, firefighters in the flood-hit Guangdong city of Maoming cautiously made their way through deep, murky waters to rescue 14 villagers trapped in their homes, state television showed."There is no umbrella for the baby, the baby needs an umbrella!" a firefighter shouted, as other rescuers wrapped a plastic sheet over one of two young children.Across China this year, as many as 487 rivers have exceeded their flood warning levels, while over 1.2 million people have been evacuated, with direct economic losses hitting nearly 65 billion yuan ($9.7 billion) so far.Since the start of the flooding season, China has been hit by nine large-scale floods from major rivers, the most since 1998, said an official from the Ministry of Water Resources at the briefing.Among them, overflows from Beijiang river in the populous Pearl River Basin have led to the biggest floods from the river since 1915, he said.China has been striving to improve its ability to cope with extreme weather and promised to set up an advanced risk management and prevention system over the next decade.The country experienced more geological disasters in the first half than the whole of last year, an official from the Ministry of Natural Resources told the briefing.More "severe challenges" can be expected in the second half, he warned.($1 = 6.7021 yuan)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Stella Qiu, David Stanway, Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
WASHINGTON -- The White House is making more than $1 billion available to states to address flooding and extreme heat exacerbated by climate change.Vice President Kamala Harris is set to announce the grant programs Monday at an event in Miami with the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other officials. The competitive grants will help communities across the nation prepare for and respond to climate-related disasters."We know that the impacts of the climate crisis are here, and that we must invest in building resilience to protect our communities, infrastructure and economy,'' the White House said in a statement.The announcement comes as the death toll from massive flooding in Kentucky continued to climb on Sunday amid a renewed threat of more heavy rains. In the West, wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size amid windy, hot conditions, encroaching on neighborhoods and forcing evacuation orders.Multiple Western states continued heat advisories amid a prolonged drought that has dried reservoirs and threatened communities across the region.Harris will visit the National Hurricane Center for a briefing by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and FEMA. She also will visit Florida International University, where she is expected to address extreme weather events across the country, including the flooding in Kentucky and Missouri and the wildfires in California. President Joe Biden announced last month that the administration will spend $2.3 billion to help communities cope with soaring temperatures through programs administered by FEMA, the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies. The move doubles spending on the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program, which supports states, local communities, tribes and territories on projects to reduce climate-related hazards and prepare for natural disasters such as floods and wildfires.“Communities across our nation are experiencing first-hand the devastating impacts of the climate change and the related extreme weather events that follow — more energized hurricanes with deadlier storm surges, increased flooding and a wildfire season that’s become a year-long threat,” FEMA head Deanne Criswell said. The funding to be announced Monday will “help to ensure that our most vulnerable communities are not left behind, with hundreds of millions of dollars ultimately going directly to the communities that need it most,'' Criswell said.A total of $1 billion will be made available through the BRIC program, with another $160 million to be offered for flood mitigation assistance, officials said. Jacksonville, Florida, was among cities that received money under the BRIC program last year. The city was awarded $23 million for flood mitigation and stormwater infrastructure. Jacksonville, the largest city in Florida, sits in a humid, subtropical region along the St. Johns River and Atlantic Ocean, making it vulnerable to flooding when stormwater basins reach capacity. The city experiences frequent flooding and is at risk for increased major storms. The South Florida Water Management District in Miami-Dade County received $50 million for flood mitigation and pump station repairs. Real estate development along the city’s fast-growing waterfront has created a high-risk flood zone for communities in the city and put pressure on existing systems, making repairs to existing structures an urgent need, officials said.The Biden administration has launched a series of actions intended to reduce heat-related illness and protect public health, including a proposed workplace heat standard. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A house sits in Rock Creek after floodwaters washed away a road and a bridge in Red Lodge, Mont., on ... [+] June 15, 2022.(AP Photo/David Goldman, File) Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. With eye-popping price tags on everything from housing to food to fuel, the 9.1% inflation rate already is increasing costs for American consumers. But there’s another reason for mounting prices—the huge bill for damages caused by the rise of extreme weather worsened by climate change. Obviously, loss of life is the biggest tragedy and greatest risk posed by extreme weather. However, the loss of livelihood and property also can inflict great pain by damaging economic prospects and increasing prices. When a wildfire, tornado or hurricane causes damage, the flow of business is interrupted, infrastructure is damaged, supply chains are further ensnarled, and everything becomes more expensive. With 2/3 of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, there is little cushion to help them rebuild when their employer goes out of business, their home gets flooded or their community lacks power for days. One big disaster can wipe out the hard-won gains of a family, community, business or even an entire nation. And yet, instead of protecting our communities, we are seeing an increase in human-caused disasters triggered by our seeming unwillingness to prepare for the changes we are seeing in the natural world. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that we have seen nine disasters resulting in at least a billion dollars in damage so far in 2022, marking a significant increase and following a pattern that has been accelerating in recent years. The past two years saw record numbers of billion-dollar disasters. From 1980 to 2021, the average annual cost of weather disasters was $7.7 billion. A look at just the past five years, reveals a startling increase to $17.8 billion. Our failure to design resilient systems to protect ourselves is costing us money, impeding growth and endangering lives. One reason for the surge in expensive disasters is climate change-fueled drought, as hotter summers and decreased precipitation is sparking devastating wildfires. This year in the spring season alone, more land has already burned than the 10-year average. We also are seeing more thunderstorms and weird weather like the recent derecho in South Dakota that turned the sky neon green. Extreme temperatures and flash flooding have indeed been plaguing the Midwest, a region that we may have thought was less vulnerable to climate-related disasters than say, the Eastern Seaboard. And we have yet to really see what the 2022 hurricane season will bring to that region—one in which hurricanes routinely cause pricey damage—in the second half of the year. NOAA predicts a busy season. An increase in irresponsible land development, for example in flood zones, as well as short-sighted fire suppression practices, are also worsening the cost of destruction. The rise in the wildland-urban interface caused by expanded building in buffer zones makes people vulnerable to Nature’s wrath and contributes to the record destruction we see today. We need to develop and implement smart resilience building and adaptation measures immediately if we are to have any chance at all of lessening the devastating toll that climate change is already exacting. The nation must continue to improve infrastructure and coordinate national preparedness efforts. And because 85% of our critical infrastructure is in the hands of the private sector, businesses need to invest in strong business continuity plans, leveraging everything that they have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Families and individuals need to talk through where they are vulnerable and put in place family emergency plans. With acute short-term economic and security woes diverting our attention, I fear that we will do far too little, far too late.
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Dozens of families across the UK are today having to come to terms with the devastating loss of their homes after they were destroyed by wildfires in yesterday's record-breaking 40C heatwave.As many as 41 homes were gutted across London alone yesterday - including 19 homes in the village of Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London, and 14 homes and 25 vehicles in a blaze in Dagenham.Outside of London, pictures show a row of six houses devastated by wildfire in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Residents reportedly battled back the flames with hosepipes and buckets of water as they awaited the arrival of the fire brigade. Another eight properties were destroyed in Maltby, Rotherham, and three in nearby Kiveton Park, alongside another three in Clayton, West Yorkshire. Where were properties destroyed by fire yesterday? • Wennington (East London) - 19• Dagenham (East London) – 14• Chadwell Heath (East London) – 1• Kenton (North West London) - 2• Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk) - 5• Ashmanhaugh (Norfolk) - 2• Kiveton Park (South Yorkshire) - 3• Barnsley (South Yorkshire) - 6• Maltby (South Yorkshire) - 8• Clayton (South Yorkshire) – 3It comes after terrified residents in Wennington were ordered out as 100 firefighters tried to halt a lethal wall of flame spreading from home to home, fanned by warm winds. One firefighter at the scene branded it 'absolute hell'. Meanwhile, video from Dagenham shows an almost post-apocalyptic scene following a blaze which has destroyed a number of properties. A person filming the devastation, which looks similar to the types of images taken from bombed out villages in Ukraine, described the blackened area as looking 'like a warzone'. Horrific fires swept through homes last night as Britain recorded the hottest day in its history, with the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time. The London fire brigade said Tuesday was their busiest day since the end of the Second World War, with at least 110 fire trucks sent to blazes across the capital.At least 16 London firefighters were injured, including two taken to hospital with heat-exhaustion. A further four firefighters were taken to hospital as they tackled a series of incidents in South Yorkshire. They have since made a full recovery. Extremely dry ground and searing temperatures created the perfect 'tinderbox' conditions for blazes to break out across the country with major incidents declared in London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Leicestershire. Scotland and Wales also saw fires.A wildfire operations expert last night claimed that the severity of yesterday's fires was 'rare or possibly unprecedented', but said due to climate change they were likely to happen 'more and more' in the future.As firefighters battled numerous blazes, parts of the UK saw some relief from the blazing heat last night with showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the north of England and south of Scotland. The Met Office is warning of potential flooding with a yellow warning for thunderstorms in place for London and parts of the south east later today.This map shows scale of damage across the UK after wildfires tore through homes from Wennington and Dagenham to Norfolk and Barnsley leaving villages 'looking like warzones' WATTON: This is the moment another wildfire threatens to engulf a Norfolk village as firefighters desperately battle to push back the advancing inferno WATTON: The blaze, which was yesterday being tackled by at least 60 firefighters, is thought to have started in a field near the homes and is believed to have spread to a number of houses WENNINGTON: An aerial view shows the rubble and destruction in a residential area following a large blaze the previous day in Wennington, Greater London WENNINGTON: Around 100 firefighters were called to an inferno in Wennington, Essex, alone, which one emergency worker described as 'absolute hell.' (Pictured: Row of destroyed homes in Wennington following Tuesday's inferno) DAGENHAM: Firefighters at the scene of a blaze in Dagenham, east London, which destroyed a number of properties and vehiclesDAGENHAM: One of the worst scenes aside from Wennington was in Dagenham, east London, where video shows an almost post-apocalyptic scene following a blaze which has destroyed a number of properties. One person filming the devastation described it as 'like a warzone' DAGENHAM: At least 14 homes and 25 vehicles are believed to have been destroyed in a blaze in Dagenham, east London BARNSLEY: A row of homes destroyed by fire in Woodland Drive, Barnsley stand as empty shells following a devastating wildfire yesterday BARNSLEY: The remains of a property in Barnsley after a fire broke out in a back garden and spread to homes - destroying four properties MALTBY: An aerial view shows the burn out remains of homes after a wildfire ripped through properties in South Yorkshire yesterday MALTBY: An aerial view shows the burn out remains of homes after a wild fire in Maltby yesterday, as fires broke out across the country amid a record 40C heatwave DARTFORD: A view from a drone of Bob Dunn Way Area, close to the former site of Joyce Green Hospital, where a wildfire nearly spread to homes DARTFORD: The fire was contained to a large area of heathland. The fire was the other side over the river to the Wennington fire which destroyed at least 19 houses How London Fire Brigade had resources stretched by multiple fires in yesterday's record-breaking 40C heatwave Yesterday London Fire Brigade declared a 'major emergency' after a number of fires broke out across the Greater London area.Among the largest incidents in the capital, there were: Thirty fire engines dealing with a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster.Fifteen fire engines tackling a fire on The Green in Wennington.Twelve fire engines tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner.Ten fire engines tackling a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate.Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon.Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham.Eight fire engines tackling a fire on The Broadway in Wembley.Six fire engines tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon.Four fire engines tackling a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon.Four fire engines tackling a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that Tuesday was the busiest day for London Fire Brigade since the Second World War, with the service experiencing more than seven times the usual volume of calls.He told old Sky News: 'Yesterday was the busiest day for the fire service in London since the Second World War.'On a normal day the fire service receives - roughly speaking - 350 calls, and on a busy day 500 calls.'Yesterday they received more than 2,600 calls - more than a dozen simultaneous fires requiring 30 engines, a couple requiring 15, and some requiring 12.'I'm afraid the bad news is 41 properties were destroyed in London.'He added that on Wednesday fire engines are expected to arrive at properties on average around six minutes after a call is made, but yesterday it took firefighters 20 minutes due to the increased demand.Amid the scramble to evacuate in Wennington, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was 'digging a trench' around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes. Local councillor Susan Ospreay had been 'devastated'.The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.But they fought in vain to stop it rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field.The heartbreaking village blaze was the most dramatic example of how the country was struggling to cope as the mercury reached unprecedented levels. One resident described the wrecked village as looking like 'a scene from the Blitz'.Resident John Bishop claims he saw the fire from his back window as it started to spread. He told the Telegraph: 'I saw a compost heap which went up in flames and I'm wondering if that was the source of this fire.'The fire became an inferno incredibly quickly. I really don't know about my home, I've been keeping an eye on it on the news via the helicopter pictures.'Another local, Ray Smith, 55, told the Sun: 'I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I got in my car and got out of there. People were scared. It's heartbreaking. I think I've lost everything.' Tim Stock, whose own house was destroyed, said he and his son saw the fire in his neighbour's garden but had been unable to stop it spreading.The 66-year-old, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise.He said: 'I lost everything. The house, the garden, we had two beehives, there was no going back. My son took some stuff and went round to his mate's house but about 10 minutes later that burnt down so he has got nothing either.'I've been a gravedigger for 50 years. My truck has blown up, that belonged to the council. I didn't have time to get it out. 'Last night I stayed in Thurrock Hotel. The council was trying to put us up in people's houses but we've got two dogs and my tortoise Malty.' Speaking about how the fire started, he said: 'The fire started across the cornfield, at one point I got stuck behind the cordon and the field was burning so I couldn't get out that way.'We opened up the church because I have the keys, we got everyone in, people were covered in soot, they were having a drink of water, but then that started filling up with smoke so we had to get everyone out again. I'm surprised it didn't burn down as well to be honest. ' More than a dozen firefighters injured battling blazes in London A total of 16 fire fighters were injured tackling the series of fires that ripped through London, Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Smith of the London Fire Brigade said today.In unprecedented scenes, hundreds of firefighters tackled 15 fires in 40 degree temperatures as he warned that climate change would bring more of the same in the future.Speaking to reporters from the village of Wennington he said: 'We have never faced anything like what we saw across London yesterday. We have never had firefighters operating in 40-degree heat.'We had 2,600 calls come through to our control room and we responded to well over 1,000 incidents.'What we have to do to bring fires in the open back under control is extremely labour intensive. It is very physically draining, dragging hoses across fields.'That's why we have had 16 firefighters injured altogether, all of whom have fully recovered.'Describing the scene after yesterday's blaze, he replied: 'It was like a warzone. Down the actual main road, all the windows had exploded out, all the roofs have caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz really.'It's heartbreaking really. I mean, I've been there 41 years but my granddad was there before me, so we've been there 60-odd years, he told BBC Radio 5 Live.'And to see it all fall apart yesterday, it's really sad. But as I said, we'll get the site cleared, fit up a kind of mobile home there, and we'll start again.'Another resident, Carole Stopp, 69, who has lived in Wennington Green for more than 35 years, also rescued her tortoise Cleo - who is 60 years old in human years - from the blaze.She told the Telegraph: 'Thick black smoke started rising at about 1pm. 'I said: 'Oh my god' and looked out the window. Our neighbour Tim's front garden was on fire. We rang to see if he was ok. Tim was trying to put the fire out himself with a hose.'Then we heard some large bangs - we think it must have been windows imploding because of the heat. We just grabbed the tortoise and left.'Meanwhile, Gary Ruel, 63, a lorry driver who also was evacuated from his home, told the paper: 'I'm really worried about my house.'I might have lost three cats, I got the dog out, but didn't have time for the cats.'Neighbour Kia Meadows described how quickly things went ablaze. She told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: 'I was sunbathing in my garden when a massive black cloud's come across, I looked up and that side of Wennington was on fire and within an hour it had spread to our house. 'A lot of this land is built on a lot of rubbish and as soon as the heat comes, this area goes on fire straight away but never did I believe it would come that close.' WENNINGTON: Residents and emergency services are assessing the damage this morning after Britain's hottest day on record sparked a string of devastating wild fires which destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. (Pictured: Aftermath in Wennington, Essex) WENNINGTON: Burned out cars are among the wreckage left by a fierce wildfire in Wennington, Essex, sparked by record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday WENNINGTON: Firefighters are pictured dampening the flames in Wennington early on Wednesday morning, as warnings for fires remained in place due to the dry conditions WENNINGTON: A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters tackled a fire on Tuesday WENNINGTON: Burnt grass surrounds St Mary and St Peter's Church in the village of Wennington, as historic place of worship miraculously remains largely untouched by the inferno WENNINGTON: Two rows of terraced houses, four other homes, 12 stables and five cars were destroyed by the inferno in Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London. Pictured: A sliding image showing the devastation after the fire (left) and the village before the fire (right) DAGENHAM: Pictures show an almost post-apocalyptic scene with a number of properties and vehicles destroyed in a blaze in Dagenham, east London DAGENHAM: Pictures show the scale of destruction caused by a grassland fire that tore through a residential area of Dagenham DAGENHAM: More than 130 people had to be evacuated from their homes yesterday when a wildfire broke out in Beam Parklands and spread to nearby residential roads (damage pictured) DAGENHAM: The fire tore through buildings and what appears to be a car storage area. As many as 14 homes and 25 vehicles are believed to have been damaged WENNINGTON: A row of burnt out houses and gardens is seen in the village of Wennington east of London after yesterday's record temperatures. Pictured: Slide across to see a satellite image of the properties before the blaze WENNINGTON: A compost heap on the edge of Wennington village is believed by some to be the source of the inferno after it reportedly burst into flames before spreading to nearby grass and undergrowth and eventually reaching homes (destroyed properties pictured) WENNINGTON: The fire took place near to a fire station. Firefighters battled to contain the inferno is it swept across the village, and towards the fire station itself WENNINGTON: The chard remains of homes in the village of Wennington following the devastating fire which swept through yesterday as Britain hit 40C for the first time WENNINGTON: A Union flag remains undamaged amid the devastation following the huge wildfire which ripped through the village of Wennington in east LondonWENNINGTON: The charred remains of a house in Wennington, Greater London, following a devastating wildfire which ripped through the village on Tuesday WENNINGTON: The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene WENNINGTON: Firefighters fought in vain to stop the fire rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding fieldSome disruption is still expected on railway services this morning but timetables are set to improve throughout the day. Wennington resident says she fled her home with just a photo album, her cat and her dead father's ashesA woman fled her burning home in scorched Wennington with just her photo album, a cat and her dead father's ashes, it emerged today.Two of her cats are still missing following the massive fire which she said might have started in a compost bin next door to her.The story emerged as a friend, who would not give his name, returned to the village to look for her cats.He said he was looking after two people who had lost their homes.He said: 'I just came down to look for the cats of two friends who are staying at mine in Upminster.'I heard the scrapyard was looking after pets but I haven't seen the cats and the police aren't letting anyone through.'The fire, it was next door to their house, and she seems to think it came from a compost bin. She said it enveloped the treeline.'She tried to get her cats out, one jumped out of her hand, the other she got in a box and the other ran off.'It scratched her hand it was so frightened.'She was evacuated to the Windmill pub but luckily I'm local so I phoned them up when I heard and they came to stay with me in Upminster.'They are more concerned about the cats than the rest of it. They're in shock but there are little bits coming back to them.'She lost her father last year and she picked up her photo albums on the way out and his ashes.'Otherwise it's all gone, everything. They've got two vehicles and they are not even letting them go in to get them, a van on The Green and a Porsche outside someone's house.'At least if they get them they are mobile.'Wennington is still cordoned off as emergency services remain on site to assess the damage. At least 40 hectares of grassland and farm buildings were affected and many houses and 12 stables were destroyed, while at least 90 properties were evacuated. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, a number of residents reported seeing a fire start in someone's garden. Warnings are still in place across the country today due to the very dry ground but temperatures are expected to drop significantly while some showers are predicted.Elsewhere in the country hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people and a children's nursery was destroyed along with most of a street in Yorkshire amid police fears some of the fires could have been deliberate. Officers and fire chiefs also think deliberate blazes were set on scrubland, trees, fields, rubbish, buildings on a residential street and at a nature reserve during the heatwave, which began on Saturday. Yesterday, temperature records were shattered as sweltering Britons turned to beaches lakes and even fountains in Trafalgar Square in a desperate bid to cool off. Heathrow was first to reach the 40C barrier – breaking the old record of 38.7C (102F) measured in Cambridge in 2019. But hottest of all yesterday was Coningsby in Lincolnshire, which recorded 40.3C (104.5F). At least 34 parts of the country broke the UK's previous national record of 38.7C, the Met Office said stretching from West Yorkshire to Surrey. Staggeringly, meteorologists calculated that Britain was hotter than 98.9 per cent of the Earth's surface yesterday.Scotland also recorded its hottest day ever as temperatures climbed to 34.8C (94.64) at Charterhall and Wales set its record yesterday of 37.1C in Hawarden, Flintshire.But a band of thunderstorms moving across England and Wales from the Isles of Scilly spelt the end of the punishing temperatures for some.The 'extreme heat' also led to almost 15,000 homes in the North East being left without power at about 2pm as electrical equipment overheated during the record temperatures. Roads were also closed as fires broke out alongside major motorways including the M25 and M1.Emergency call centres were hit with tens of thousands of pleas for help. Greater Manchester Police said four fires were deliberate on moorland at Dovestone Reservoir near Oldham. Superintendent Phil Hutchinson said: 'This is being as arson which, following conviction, can result in a lengthy prison sentence.'The UK is also being warned these temperatures could soon be the 'new normal' as Britain starts to see wildfires, extreme heat and pressure on the water supply which has long plagued Europe.One expert, a specialist in wildfire operations, last night told the Telegraph that the severity of fires seen yesterday was 'rare, or possibly unprecedented' in the UK. Steve Gibson said: 'It's difficult to find a previous time when so much of the country has been affected.' A major incident was declared due to a fire surge near Twickenham Golf Course between Feltham, Teddington, Richmond and Hounslow in West London on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Police arrived, along with London Fire Brigades, arrived at the scene and started evacuating residents. Temperatures reached more than 40C for the first time This pictures show how the dramatic fire in the village of Wennington engulfed a row of homes as the blaze spread from the grass A row of houses on fire in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday afternoon as temperatures soar again tod Families now homeless in Wennington, where the worst of the wildfires has been seen, were at first sent to a Premier Inn before that lost power and they were directed to go to Hornchurch Sport Centre to sleep on air mattresses as their 'worst nightmare' came true Maggie Stock, Tim Stock, Vicky Schafer and Alfie Stock who have lost everything after the fire started next door to them in Wennington The chard remains the Stocks's home in the village of Wennington, following yesterday's blaze which started amid yesterday's 40C heatwave Shocking pictures show a huge bush fire raging on the Dartford marshes, Kent on Tuesday Geographic information system software Esri shows on this map where wildfires have broken out and in red where there has been strong thermal hotspots for serious blazes. In this picture you can see most are in England and the south with a few in the very north of England In this aerial view, smoke from fires in a residential area being fought by fire services are seen on Tuesday in Wennington Hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people and a children's nursery was destroyed along with most of a street in Yorkshire. Pictured: A fire at Hatch End on Tuesday afternoon. A fire burns the Kiddi Caru nursery in the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes down to the ground as blazes take hold of areas across England The fire at Wennington is shown yesterday (left) and the area is also pictured before the blaze (right, file picture) This picture shows homes on fire as a huge heath fire ravaged at least three houses near Rotherham, South Yorkshire Fires sparked by lightning at Zennor Head, West Cornwall pictured burning on Tuesday evening Around 100 firefighters tackled blaze in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday amid the 40C heatwave People remove gas canisters from Lennards pub as firefighters tackle a blaze in the village of Wennington yesterday afternoon A huge black smoke cloud erupts during a blaze in the village of Wennington yesterday afternoon Around 100 firefighters tackled a blaze in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday that destroyed a number of homes A man attempts to damp down the smouldering field with a hose pipe as fire services tackle a large blaze in WenningtonThe remains of a fire near Dartford Heath on the A2 coastbound, Crayford is seen as smoke spreads throughout the area Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon Firefighters attend a blaze on Dartford Marshes in Kent after temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record Residents of Yorkshire queued for more than two hours to gain entry into Ilkley Lido The Dartford fire is seen raging yesterday as firefighters rushed to tackle the flames A thunderstorm is seen to rage in Thanet, Kent (left) while a major incident has been declared due to a fire surge near Twickenham Golf Course (right) between Feltham, Teddington, Richmond and Hounslow in West London Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon A firefighter tackles a grass fire in a park in New Brighton in Merseyside yesterday afternoon amid the heatwave Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service issued this picture of firefighters attend to a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington The area surrounding Twickenham Golf Course was filled full of smoke as a fire raged and creeped closer to a Shell garage A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Drone footage of the aftermath of a field fire by Cheshunt Park in Hertfordshire pictured yesterday A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes A wild fire in Upminster, Essex, yesterday, seen from the M25 motorway, as the temperature hit 40C amid a series of extreme weather warnings The burnt out remains of Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham yesterday morning where fire crews are still on the sceneFamilies now homeless in Wennington, where the worst of the wildfires has been seen, were at first sent to a Premier Inn before that lost power and they were directed to go to Hornchurch Sport Centre to sleep on air mattresses as their 'worst nightmare' came true. How to claim on insurance if your home is damaged in a fire Claiming on your insurance can be a daunting task at the best of times, let alone after your home has been damaged or destroyed in a fire. Here is a step-by-step guide by loss assessors Morgan Clark on what you should do if tragedy strikes.1. Notify the insurance companyYou'll need to tell your insurer immediately. Many of these have a specific emergency number you can ring that is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 2. Secure the buildingAfter the fire brigade has done its job, the home owner is the person responsible for making sure there is no further damage or loss. They should do their best to keep people from entering the house and making sure it is structurally safe - the latter of which may require hiring a qualified surveyor. You must also have your house checked by a qualified electrician to make sure wiring isn't compromised. 3. Find temporary accommodationThis will often be the main priority immediately after a fire. You can stay with family or friends, or your insurer can provide you with accommodation such as a nearby hotel, until you find somewhere long-term.4. Meet a Loss AdjusterThe insurance company will appoint, and pay for, a Loss Adjuster. This person is responsible for all investigations and negotiations. They will look into the damage, and will ask questions about the fire including what caused it. It might be helpful to hire a professional Loss Assessor to represent yourself in this.5. Loss Adjuster's initial reportThe Loss Adjuster will submit a report to the insurance company. This will detail the circumstances of the fire and recommend whether or not the insurer should accept the claim. It will also state whether they think your insurance policy is sufficient for what has taken place. If you have hired a Loss Assessor, they will discuss with you where you can go from here. 6. Appoint emergency contractorsThese contractors will deal with securing and weather-proofing the property, as well as storing any items. They will also check for asbestos and make the property safe. The insurer might not pay for this until they have accepted liability for your claim, so you might have to pay for it in the meantime. 7. Appoint a qualified SurveyorThis person will assess the damage to the property and put together a detailed scope of works for rebuilding your home.8. Claim for your contentsAt this stage you (or the Loss Assessor if you've appointed one) will now start to prepare a claim for lost or damaged contents. This must be as detailed as possible, with accurate replacement values. For items such as designer clothes or electronic equipment, there will need to be proof of make, model or design.9. Emergency accommodation/costs claimA claim for emergency costs should now be compiled, such as money spent on emergency accommodation.10. Find long-term alternative accommodationYou can choose to stay with friends or family, but you can also move into more permanent rented accommodation. If you have a Loss Assessor they can guide you through your options.11. Negotiations with the Loss AdjusterThere should now be another meeting with the Loss Adjuster to discuss the entire claim, including how much work is needed on the house, and the claims you have submitted for contents and emergency costs.12. Move into long-term alternative accommodationOnce this has been approved by the insurer, you are free to move into your temporary new home. 13. Tender ProcessThe Surveyor will put re-building works out to tender, with contractors submitting their bids. They will then make a decision on the successful bids and works will take place.14. Contents claimWhile the tender process is taking place, negotiations will continue about the contents claim. This should be fully agreed and all payments made or replacement items secured before the work is completed on the home. 15. Return HomeOnce works are completed, you will be able to move back into your home.16. Final claim settlementAfter all this is done, you will be able to submit the final part of your claim, which covers all your expenses as a result of the incident. Source: Morgan Clark Amid the scramble to evacuate people from Wennington yesterday, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was 'digging a trench' around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes.Local councillor Susan Ospreay said: 'Wennington Village has been completely devastated by fire.' The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.But they fought in vain to stop it rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field.Lorry driver Gary Rouel, 64, told how he raced back from work after a phone call from his wife Debbie, 64, saying: 'She just said, 'The house has gone up in flames.'Mrs Rouel, a dinner lady, tried to round up the couple's three cats and their dog as firefighters ordered her to evacuate.Mr Rouel said: 'It's terrible. I've just finished paying off the mortgage two months ago. It's heartbreaking. My wife has [the lung condition] COPD and the fireman was just telling her 'Get out, get out!'.'The couple's son William, 33, who lives in Halstead, Essex said: 'My mum sent me a picture of the fire outside the home from the bathroom. She was still in there when it was coming up to the house.'It started in the field, then came into the garden, then it was up to the decking and the conservatory. We think the neighbour's house has gone too. It's awful, I watched on TV as the house went up in flames.' Distressed residents could be seen carrying buckets of water to the Lennards Arms pub where the community had gathered. Others were hurriedly removing gas canisters from the pub.Others were hurriedly removing gas canisters from the pub. As the blaze drew nearer, police evacuated the building. Landlord Walter Martin, 6 | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Experts are ignoring the worst possible climate change catastrophic scenarios, including collapse of society or the potential extinction of humans, however unlikely, a group of top scientists claim.Eleven scientists from around the world are calling on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world's authoritative climate science organization, to do a special science report on “catastrophic climate change” to “bring into focus how much is at stake in a worst-case scenario.” In their perspective piece in Monday’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences they raise the idea of human extinction and worldwide societal collapse in the third sentence, calling it “a dangerously underexplored topic.”The scientists said they aren’t saying that worst is going to happen. They say the trouble is no one knows how likely or unlikely a “climate endgame” is and the world needs those calculations to battle global warming.“I think it’s highly unlikely you are going to see anything close to even extinction over the next century simply because humans are incredibly resilient,” said study lead author Luke Kemp at the Center for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge in England. “Even if we have a 1% chance of having a global catastrophe, going extinct over the coming century, that 1%, that is way too high.”Catastrophic climate scenarios “appear likely enough to warrant attention” and can lead to prevention and warning systems, Kemp said.Good risk analyses consider both what’s most likely and what’s the worst that could happen, study authors said. But because of push back from non-scientists who reject climate change, mainstream climate science has concentrated on looking at what’s most likely and also disproportionately on low-temperature warming scenarios that come close to international goals, said co-author Tim Lenton, director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter in England.There is, Lenton said, “not enough emphasis on how things, the risks, the big risks, could go plausibly badly wrong.”It’s like an airplane, Lenton said. It’s overwhelmingly likely that it will land safely, but it’s only because so much attention was made to calculate the worst case scenario and then figure out how to avoid a crash. It only works if you research what could go badly wrong and that isn’t being done enough with climate change, he said.“The stakes may be higher than we thought," said University of Michigan environment dean Jonathan Overpeck, who wasn't part of the study. He worries that the world “may stumble” upon climate risks it doesn't know about.When global science organizations look at climate change they tend to just look at what happens in the world: extreme weather, higher temperatures, melting ice sheets, rising seas and plant and animal extinctions. But they aren’t factoring enough how these reverberate in human societies and interact with existing problems — like war, hunger and disease — study authors said.“If we don’t look at the intersecting risks, we’ll be painfully surprised,” said University of Washington public health and climate professor Kristie Ebi, a co-author who like Lenton has been part of United Nations global climate assessments.It was a mistake health professionals made before COVID-19 when assessing possible pandemics, Ebi said. They talked about disease spread, but not lockdowns, supply chain problems and spiraling economies.Study authors said they worry about societal collapse — war, famine, economic crises — linked to climate change more than the physical changes to Earth itself.Outside climate scientists and risk experts were both welcoming and wary of focusing on the worst of the worst, even as many reject climate doom talk.“I do not believe civilization as we know it will make it out of this century,” University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver, a former British Columbia legislator for the Green Party, said in an email. “Resilient humans will survive, but our societies that have urbanized and are supported by rural agriculture will not.”Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather of the tech company Stripe and Berkeley Earth has criticized climate scientists in the past for using future scenarios of greatly increasing carbon pollution when the world is no longer on those paths to more rapid warming. Yet, he said it does make sense to look at catastrophic scenarios “as long as we are careful not to conflate the worst case with the most likely outcome.”Talking about extinction of humans is not “a very effective communications device,” said Brown University climate scientist Kim Cobb. “People tend to immediately say, well, that’s just, you know, arm waving or doomsday mongering."What’s happening short of extinction is bad enough, she said.Co-author Tim Lenton said researching worst case scenarios could find nothing to worry about: “Maybe it’s that you can thoroughly rule out a number of these bad scenarios. Well, that’s actually really well worth spending your time doing that. Then we should all cheer up a bit.”___Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment___Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears___Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Wildfires threaten to sweep across the country this weekend posing an 'exceptional risk' to homes, as an 'Extreme Heat' warning comes into force from today with temperatures set to reach at least 33C (91F) in London. A double heat warning has been put in place by experts amid increasing heatwave temperatures that are set to soar, with Manchester set to reach 31C (88F), while Portsmouth will reach a balmy 29C (84F) - albeit not quite as high as the record-breaking 40.3C blast experienced last month.The Met Office has also raised its Fire Severity Index to exceptional - the highest level - today for much of southern England, and Wales alongside an amber, as the mercury is forecast to climb to 'lethally hot' temperatures of 36C (97F) this weekend.Police are looking to step up patrols for wildfires in high risk areas and there are also reports that tomorrow could see an official drought in the South announced by the Government.The heat is likely to affect health, transport and working conditions, meteorologists said, as water companies are being urged to protect essential supplies heading into a 'likely very dry autumn'.Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said: 'The risk is very high across much of central, southern and eastern England.'Going into Friday and the weekend, it starts to increase further, going into the highest category of exceptional risk.'Britain has been told to brace for a sweltering heatwave this week as a Level 3 Heat Health Alert also came into effect Tuesday and has been extended until Saturday - with little rain expected to help relieve the threat of drought which has prompted hosepipe bans and fire warnings. Mark Hardingham, the chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said that he 'can't remember a summer like this' in his entire 32-year career in the fire service. Wildfires threaten to sweep across the country this weekend posing an 'exceptional risk' to homes, as an 'Extreme Heat' warning comes into force from today with temperatures set to reach at least 33C (91F) in London Pictured: Sunseekers headed to Bournemouth beach on Wednesday to make the most of the sizzling temperatures Pictured: Two Brits walk along the route of the Long Walk approaching Windsor Castle on Wednesday, as heat warnings are extendedHe told The Telegraph: 'We're not going to see temperatures as hot as we saw three weeks ago, but that doesn't matter because the ground couldn't get any drier than it already is.'The wildfires are as prevalent in semi-urban areas as they are in rural communities so it's difficult to know where the next one will be.'Riccardo La Torre, national officer for the Fire Brigades Union, has warned that services across the UK are 'completely unprepared' for the level of risk posed by the imminent heatwave.Mr La Torre told Sky News: 'These are brutal, brutal fires to fight. The temperature that they burn at, the speed at which they spread at.'The reality is we've been left completely unprepared to do that as a fire and rescue service.'We've had over a fifth of the workforce cut since 2010, that's over 11,500 firefighters cut. Yet we're asking them to deal with these extreme weather events in increasing regularity and increasing severity. The Met Office has raised the Fire Severity Index to exceptional - the highest level - for much of southern England, and stretching as far west as Abergavenny in Wales, for this coming SundayMark Hardingham, the chairman of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) told The Telegraph that he 'can't remember a summer like this' in his entire 32-year career in the fire service. Pictured: The Met Office's Fire Severity Index (FSI) which shows how the red 'highest risk' is spreading from Thursday (left) to Friday (middle) to Saturday (right) Pictured: A raging wildfire broke out near a busy road in Herefordshire, just off from Chesham Road in Berkhamsted A man walks his dog along a sun-bleached pathway in Richmond Park on Tuesday, as heat warnings are extended A view of a dried up pond in the village of Northend in Oxfordshire, where Thames Water is pumping water into the supply network following a technical issue at Stokenchurch Reservoir'The professionals on the ground have been warning that these conditions are coming and we very much saw the reality of that in these last few weeks. Source of the Thames DRIES UP for the first time: Head of the river is now more than five MILES downstream With parts of the UK experiencing the driest conditions since the drought of 1976, experts have warned that the source of the River Thames has dried up for the first time on record.The source of the river was originally just outside Cirencester, according to The Rivers Trust.However, following a continuous period of dry weather, it is now more than five miles downstream, near Somerford Keynes.Around 6.5km upstream, residents in Ashton Keynes in North Wiltshire have revealed the area is completely dry, as half the UK population could face more hosepipe bans. Speaking to The Guardian, Dr Rob Collins, director of policy and science at The Rivers Trust, explained: 'Following the prolonged dry weather, the source of the Thames in Gloucestershire has dried up, with a weak flow now only just about discernible more than 5 miles downstream (at Somerford Keynes).'Under our changing climate we can anticipate the frequency and severity of such periods of drought and water scarcity to intensify, with increasing competition for a dwindling resource and devastating impacts on aquatic life.''Firefighters have been injured, firefighters have ended up in hospital, we've seen families lose their homes, we've seen businesses lost, infrastructure burn to the ground, because we simply can't get to these fires quick enough.'When we do, we simply don't have the resources to deal with them adequately.'Meanwhile, Met Office boss Paul Davies said the increasing heatwave temperatures may now occur once every five years - and annually by the end of the century. He told The Mirror: 'When I started out as a forecaster, if someone had said in your lifetime you'll see 40 degrees, I'd have said; 'No, surely not!'.'We are in uncharted waters. We're entering areas we've never experienced before and it's not just the UK, it's the planet as a whole.'Families across the country are being warned to expect some uncomfortable nights, with temperatures unlikely to drop beyond the mid-to-high teens. It comes as the driest first seven months of the year in decades and hot spells have left parts of the UK facing looming drought, prompting hosepipe bans and warnings about the impact on agriculture, rivers and wildlife.The latest analysis from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) has warned that low or even exceptionally low river flows and groundwater levels are likely to continue for the next three months in southern England and Wales.Mr Petagna said that rain could be on the horizon early next week, adding: 'There are signs that we could get some rain next week, but details at the moment are uncertain,' he said.'What we really need is a few weeks of light rain to soak into the ground. Thunderstorms are more likely to cause some flooding issues because the ground is hard the water can't sink in.'It comes as an Oxfordshire village has become the first in Britain to run dry, with residents forced to rely on deliveries of bottled and tanker water.Northend, on the Buckinghamshire border, usually gets its water from the now dried-up Stokenchurch Reservoir.Thames Water had to send water tankers and bottles to its residents, struggling after high demand on the natural resource in recent hot weeks. Pictured: Reduced water levels at Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex on Wednesday afternoon Pictured: An aerial view of the parched fields on the clifftop at Burton Bradstock on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset where the grass has been scorched by the hot sunshine and lack of rain during the summer drought condition Martyn Read shared this image to his Twitter of a fire that had started 'just 150m from his home' in a field in Exeter As temperatures continue to rise across the UK, one Twitter user, James, shared an image showing the aftermath of a fire that had started in his village. He wrote: 'Luckily it had already been harvested but the stubble went up quick. Fire service were there blooming quickly. Building in the background is a care home. Lucky escape' Essex Fire Service posted an image on Tuesday evening after a field fire near the M25 junction 26-25 at Waltham Abbey had started, leaving behind a scorched trailThe company has also recently announced it will be issuing a hosepipe ban for 15million customers across London, Surrey and Gloucestershire in the coming weeks.A Thames Water spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We're sorry to customers in the Stokenchurch area who are experiencing lower pressure than normal due to technical issues with our Stokenchurch reservoir. We have a team on site working hard to resolve this as soon as possible and the situation is improving and supplies have been restored to customers.'We're using tankers to help boost supplies to customers in Northend to keep up water pressures for these customers so they do not see supply issues as well as delivering water bottles.'Customers may experience lower than normal pressure during periods of higher demand. These times are typically in the morning and during the early evening.'We've also identified everyone in the affected area who has pre-registered with us as having special requirements, such as being medically reliant on water, so we can get in touch and make sure we give them the help and support they need.'We realise how inconvenient this is, especially during such hot weather, and appreciate customers' patience as we work to resolve things'Last night Andrew Sells, head of Natural England between 2014 and 2019, accused water companies of selling off reservoirs which could have helped ease drought to housing developers.'Several of our water companies preferred to build houses on some of their reservoirs, and last week we learned that together they have built precisely zero new reservoirs in the past 30 years', he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.'No doubt some reservoirs had reached the end of their working lives, but in abandoning this infrastructure, without any replacements, they have again put short-term profits ahead of long-term supply.' The Rhine runs DRY and is set to become impassable to crucial coal barges, with Europe on course to suffer worst drought in 500 YEARS and 'extremely violent' wildfires ravaging France in 100F heat By Jack Newman for MailOnlineGermany's most-important river is running dry as Europe suffers through a drought that is on course to become its worst in 500 years, with terrifying wildfires burning once again in France.Water levels in the Rhine - which carries 80 per cent of all goods transported by water in Germany, from its industrial heartlands to Dutch ports - are now so low that it could become impassable to barges later this week, threatening vital supplies of oil and coal that the country is relying upon as Russia turns off the gas tap.The Rhine is already lower than it was at the same point in 2018, when Europe suffered its last major drought. That year, the river ended up closing to goods vessels for 132 days, almost triggering a recession. Costs to transport goods by river this year have already risen five-fold as barges limit their capacity to stay afloat.Economists estimate the disruption could knock as much as half a percentage point off Germany's overall economic growth this year, with experts warning the country was facing recession due to an energy crisis even before the drought hit.Andrea Toreti, senior researcher at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, said: 'We haven't analysed fully [this] event, but based on my experience I think that this is perhaps even more extreme than in 2018.'2018 was so extreme that looking back at this list of the last 500 years, there were no other events similar.'Meanwhile wildfires are once again ripping their way across France, torching an area that was already badly-hit as temperatures soared to record levels last month. The Rhine river - Germany's most-important waterway - is running so low that it may soon become impassable to barges, threatening huge economic damage Transport vessels cruise past the partially dried riverbed of the Rhine river in Bingen, Germany, amid the ongoing droughts Bone dry: Almost half of EU land is currently under a drought warning or worse because of a combination of heatwaves and a 'wide and persistent' lack of rain, experts have warned. A map (pictured) reveals the countries most at risk. Areas in orange are under 'warning' conditions, while 15 per cent of land has moved into the most severe 'alert' state (shown in red) House boats are perched on a drying side channel of the Waal River due to drought in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands Boat houses are seen on the banks of the Waal River in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, as Europe suffered through a drought Europe has seen lower-than-average rainfall for the past two months, with rivers across the continent - including in Nijmegen, the Netherlands (pictured) - running very low The droughts are not only affecting Germany, with Spain, southern France, Portugal and most of Italy suffering from the shortagesSince Tuesday, the so-called Landiras blaze in Gironde - near Bordeaux - has burned 15,000 acres of pine forest and forced the evacuation of almost 6,000 people.'The fire is extremely violent and has spread to the Landes department' further south, home of the Landes de Gascogne regional park, the prefecture said in a statement. Local authorities of the wine-growing Gironde department said 500 firefighters were mobilised.The prefecture warned the fire was spreading toward the A63 motorway, a major artery linking Bordeaux to Spain.Speed limits on the highway have been lowered to 55 mph in case smoke starts to limit visibility, and a full closure could be ordered if the fire worsens and continues to spread.The Landiras fire that ignited in July was the largest of several that have raged this year in southwest France, which like the rest of Europe has been buffeted by record drought and a series of heat waves over the past two months.Fires were also raging on Tuesday in other parts of the country.One broke out in the southern departments of Lozere and Aveyron, where close to 600 hectares have already burnt and where Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is due to go later in the day.Another fire is in the Maine et Loire department in western France, where 1,600 acres have been scorched and 500 are threatened, according to local authorities.Meanwhile, in Germany, barges carrying iron ore from Rotterdam to steelmaking plants in Duisburg were running at less than half capacity to avoid running aground.In some places the Rhine was so shallow that other vessels were moored far below the quays where people walk. Signs warning people about dangerously high waters stuck out of the riverbed, and rocks lay exposed.The resulting bottlenecks are another drag on Europe's largest economy, which is grappling with high inflation, supply chain disruptions and soaring gas prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.The droughts are not only affecting Germany, with Spain, southern France, Portugal and most of Italy suffering from the shortages with ministers imposing emergency water restrictions. The European Drought Observatory said 15 per cent of the bloc is on red alert due to crops suffering from 'severe water deficiency.' As many as 95 French regions have brought in hosepipe bans, while 62 are at a 'crisis level' that only allows the use of water for essential needs.More than 100 French towns have no running drinking water and are being supplied with special deliveries.In Andalusia, one of Europe's hottest and driest regions, paddle-boats and waterslides lie abandoned on the cracked bed of Vinuela reservoir which is now 87 per cent empty.A prolonged dry spell and extreme heat made July the hottest month in Spain since at least 1961. Spanish reservoirs are at just 40 per cent of capacity on average in early August, well below the ten-year average of around 60 per cent, official data shows. A flooded Portuguese village has reemerged from the depths with its stony foundations still intact as a result of the drought An aerial view of the people on a boat between the partially flooded village Vilarinho da Furna during the summer season People walk arround the remains of the church of Sant Roma de Sau as it emerges from the low waters of the Sau Reservoir, north of Barcelona, Spain A sheep drinks water from the dried bed of the Guadiana river during a severe drought in the Cijara reservoir, in Villarta de los Montes, SpainMeanwhile, a flooded Portuguese village dating back to the first century has reemerged from the depths with its stony foundations still intact as a result of the drought.Vilarinho da Furna in Braga, northern Portugal, was intentionally submerged by the state in 1971 to build a reservoir, now bearing the same name, on the Homem River.Every summer, the forgotten village reappears and becomes a popular attraction, with locals and tourists walking along the ruins that have been underwater for 50 years.But this year, more of the village has been uncovered due to the sweltering heat that has suffocated Europe this summer.Locals say that 70 per cent of the former granite houses are now visible.The guardian of Vilarinho da Furna, António Barroso, told Renascença that: 'Since 2009, the water has not gone down as it is now.' The village had an unusual communitarian social system in which each family had a member on the council, known as the Junta.The practice is believed to date back to the Visigoths and the leader of the Junta was chosen among the married men of the village, and they would serve for six months. The Junta would discuss important local issues such as harvesting, transport, cattle herding and trapping wolves to maintain the self-sustaining community.The Junta was also responsible for judging crimes and imposing punishments, which could lead to exclusions from Vilarinho da Furna, meaning they would not receive any of the benefits of the communitarian system.The village used to house 300 people who were forced to relocate to neighbouring towns in 1970.The 57 families of the Geresian town left the stones houses as they were before the water drained their properties.There had been strong resistance to the dam among the villagers but they were unable to stop the government who offered them compensation for the forced relocation. Visitors have to access the village via a dirt road that also leads to three river beaches in the area run by the Association of Former Inhabitants of Vilarinho da Furna (AFURNA).During the drought, authorities have been able to clean the standing pillars and structures normally covered by the reservoir.AFURNA charges entrance to the village during the summer weeks in order to maintain it and prevent hordes of crowds ruining the buildings.Barroso, the 77-year-old guardian of the village, is responsible for two thousands hectares in the area. FRANCE: A wildfire that destroyed thousands of acres of tinder-dry forest in southwest France has flared again amid a fierce drought and the summer's latest heat wave, officials said Wednesday. Pictured: The front of a wildfire is seen in Saint Magne, in the Gironde region of southwestern France, on Tuesday. A small village is seen in the foreground as the smoke rises Since Tuesday, the so-called Landiras blaze has burned 15,000 acres of pine forest and forced the evacuation of almost 6,000 people in an area already hit last month by huge blazes. No one has been injured in the coastal area that draws huge summer tourism crowds, but 16 houses were destroyed near the village of Belin-Beliet Pictured: Smoke rises from a forest fire near the town of Romeyer in the Diois massif located in the Drôme department and at the foot of the Vercors massif, Tuesday Pictured: A firefighting plane sprays fire retardant chemicals over a forest in France as smoke rises into the air There were no reports of any injuries in wildfire in The Netherlands, but authorities said the main coastal road was closed in the province that is packed with tourists throughout the summer Pictured: Blackened earth is seen from above in The Netherlands after a wildfire spread through near the Brouwersdam area | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The Met Office has warned that temperatures could rise even further to 43C (109F) tomorrow - with trains already cancelled, GP surgeries and schools closed amid a serious warning that fit and healthy people could die.Its chief executive Penny Endersby confirmed 'we may well see the hottest day in the UK in history' today - beating the record of 38.7C (101.7F) set in Cambridge in July 2019 - but tomorrow is now expected to be even hotter.With the UK set to be hotter than the Sahara Desert today, transport links in London were already grinding to a halt due to train cancellations - while roads could melt and bosses have urged employees to work from home.Health chiefs told patients to stay away unless it is an emergency amid fears hospitals will be overwhelmed, while emergency services urged swimmers to stay away from lakes and rivers in case they face difficulties.Schools in the likes of Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire have shut while others will close early - and water providers have also warned of shortages after the hottest day of 2022 so far yesterday with 33C (91F) highs.Professor Endersby told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'We think today we may well see the hottest day in the UK in history, with the hottest temperatures in the South East, but actually the highest temperatures we expect tomorrow, and those temperatures will be further north as that warm air pushes north. 'It's tomorrow that we're really seeing the higher chance of 40C and temperatures above that. Even possibly above that... 41C isn't off the cards. We've even got some 43Cs in the model but we're hoping it won't be as high as that.'As health officials declared a 'national emergency', rail chaos was already affecting parts of London this morning - with the Overground suspended between Willesden Junction and Richmond, and Romford and Upminster.On the Underground, the District, Central, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines all had severe delays while the Hammersmith & City Line was completely axed due to 'heat related restrictions' and there was no Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate. Transport for London told all passengers in the capital to avoid non-essential travel.The scorching heat means the UK will be warmer than Nassau in the Bahamas (32C), Kingston in Jamaica (33C), Malaga in Spain (28C), Athens in Greece (35C), Albufeira in Portugal (28C) and Dakhla in the Western Sahara (24C).Temperatures had already hit 28C (82F) in London, Essex and Hampshire by 9am this morning. As Britons camped overnight at Bournemouth beach for the best spot today amid what forecasters called an 'exceptional hot spell':The Met Office urged people to do 'as little as possible' to avoid dire health risks as the 'red warning' began;Rail passengers were urged to travel only if 'necessary' and gritters were sent out to stop roads melting;Wildfires swept through parched grassland after days of dry and roasting conditions in 'tinderbox' Britain;There is now a 90 per cent chance of the all-time UK temperature record being broken today or tomorrow;Water providers including Affinity, Anglian and South East reported supply issues due to the hot weather.Professor Endersby said today that such extreme temperatures are not expected beyond tomorrow, but that the Met Office will then be monitoring the possibility of drought in the coming months. 'Well, we certainly don't see these very hot temperatures persisting past Tuesday, so we're expecting a big drop in temperature, mercifully, overnight into Wednesday - down 10 or 12 degrees on what it has been the days before. A woman stays hydrated while commuting on the Jubilee line in London this morning as people travel to work People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues Commuters wait for a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to workCommuters on London Bridge feel the heat at 8.30am this morning amid the extreme weather conditions People preparing to enter the water in Penzance, Cornwall, today Commuters cross London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures affecting the capital today A woman takes an early morning dip at the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park this morning as temperatures are set to hit 40C Commuters on board a Jubilee line train on the London Underground wait for the doors to close this morning A woman prepares to enter the water at Penzance in Cornwall this morning amid the extreme temperatures A packed platform at Victoria station in London this morning as people wait for District and Circle line trains People walk along Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues Commuters wait for a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work A jogger makes her way through a park in London this morning as temperatures are set to rise to 40C today Commuters arrive at London Victoria this morning as people endure a sweltering journey to work A sign at London Bridge station warning commuters about the 'extremely hot weather' today'We are still seeing hotter than average in our three-month outlook and also very dry, and our attention is turning, once we're past these two days, to drought and when we might see any rain, and we're not seeing any significant rain coming up.'She also said that the public should take Met Office heat warnings as seriously as those about other significant weather events such as snow or wind, as the extreme heat could cause thousands of excess deaths. Train firms urge people not to travel amid heat More than a dozen train companies are urging Britons not to travel today and tomorrow as the UK's first red extreme heat warning comes into force.A total of 21 operators - ranging from Transport for Wales and Gatwick Express to the Transpennine Express and Southern - said they will be running a slower service on Monday and Tuesday after National Rail implemented speed restrictions across its network.Speed restrictions are used by train companies during periods of hot weather to avoid any damage being made to the tracks and to prevent rails from buckling.Cancellations are also in place as temperatures are predicted to soar to highs of 38C and 40C in some parts of England. Amber and red extreme heat warnings have been implemented across the nation for the duration.Those who have to travel are being encouraged to check their journeys on the National Rail website before setting off and taking water with them to stay hydrated.Refunds are being offered to those who do not travel but have already purchased tickets.LNER has said no trains are running from south of York and south of Leeds to London Kings Cross on Tuesday.Rail chaos was already affecting parts of London this morning - with the Overground suspended between Willesden Junction and Richmond, and Romford and Upminster.On the Underground, the District, Central, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines all had severe delays while the Hammersmith & City Line was completely axed due to 'heat related restrictions' and there was no Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate. Chief operating officer of Transport for London, Andy Lord, said London's rail network would also be running a reduced service on Monday and Tuesday.He told LBC: 'We're advising all our customers to only travel if their journey is essential, to make sure that they stay hydrated and carry water with them if they do have to travel. Check before they travel because journey times will be extended. We will have reduced services across the TfL network because of the safety restrictions we need to put in place due to the heat.' Jake Kelly, spokesman for Network Rail, has warned of travel disruption across the country due to the heatwave, and has warned that services returning to normal on Wednesday 'will depend on the damage that the weather does to the infrastructure' over the course of today and tomorrow.In Scotland, speed restrictions are being put in place on key rail routes. Network Rail confirmed train speeds would be restricted between 1pm and 8pm today, which will have an impact on most routes, with a 20mph speed restriction on the stretch of rail between Hyndland and Finnieston in Glasgow, which is thought to be the busiest route in Scotland.Restrictions will be in place between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley; Dumfries and Carlisle as well as Glasgow Queen Street and Aberdeen; Inverness; Oban and Fort William and Edinburgh Waverley and North Berwick, with delays of around 10 minutes expected, according to the ScotRail website.Professor Penelope Endersby added: 'Our warnings are always impact-based, so, when we put out warnings, if they're red, that means there's a danger to life and we're expecting major infrastructure impacts, and that's true, whether it's snow, wind, rain, and it's true of this heat warning. 'We're certainly seeing people reacting a little bit differently to the heat warnings as though they think that maybe we shouldn't be telling them to worry about heat the way we tell them to worry about storm or wind.'These temperatures are unprecedented in the UK and we're not used to dealing with them. And heat undoubtedly causes many hundreds, thousands of excess deaths in heatwaves, so people do need to take care and follow the advice we've been putting out about keeping in the shade, keeping cool, keeping hydrated, and so on.'She also said that, while extreme temperatures remain 'rare', by 2100 temperatures like those expected this week could be seen in the UK as frequently as once in every three years as a result of climate change.'These temperatures are unattainable in the UK without climate change, they just don't appear in the ensembles at all. They're still rare in today's 1.1 - 1.2-degree warmed climate, but by 2100, we're expecting them to be anywhere between one in 15 and one in three years, depending on the emissions pathways we take between now and then.'She added: 'We will certainly need to make changes to our infrastructure, transport, hospitals, care, homes, all those sorts of things, as well as to our domestic building designs. So yes, we need to make short-term changes for things like cooling centres and then longer-term changes, as well as assuming the very good progress we've already made as a nation towards net zero.'Chief meteorologist at the Met Office Paul Davies warned that tonight will be very hot and it will be hard to sleep in the heat. He told Sky News: 'Tonight will be very oppressive, I mean it's actually difficult sleeping conditions.'And tomorrow is the day where we are really concerned about a good chance now of hitting 40C or 41C, and with that all the health conditions that come with those higher temperatures.'He also claimed that the rise in temperature is 'entirely consistent' with climate change and said the 'brutality' of the heat could become commonplace by the end of the century.Mr Davies told Sky News the weather charts he had seen today were 'astounding' and unlike any he had observed throughout his 30-year career.'This is entirely consistent with climate change. To get 40 degrees in the UK we need that additional boost from human-induced climate,' he said. 'Well, I've been a meteorologist for about 30 years and I've never seen the charts I've seen today. 'And the speed at which we are seeing these exceptionally high temperatures is broadly in line with what we were saying but to be honest, as a meteorologist, to see the brutality of the heat we're expecting tomorrow, is quite astounding. And it does worry me a lot and my colleagues here at the Met Office that this sort of unprecedented heat could become a regular occurrence by the end of the century.'And Mr Davies said that even colleagues in hot countries like Spain and Portugal had described the scenes in the UK as 'exceptional'.The top forecaster said a 'plume' of heat pushing across Europe was affecting Britain differently.A combination of that plume and human activity generating its own heat is contributing to the high temperatures, he said.'I was talking to my colleagues in Spain, Portugal and France over the weekend and they described this heat as exceptional too, and they've seen and observed amazing temperatures and, as I say, the brutality of that impact. Freezers lose power at Tesco as workers have to quickly take out stockStaff at a Tesco supermarket had to quickly move the fridge and freezer food amid the extreme hot weather after there was a power cut at the supermarket.They had to clear all the items in the fridge and freezer aisles after the store in Bar Hill, Cambridge, lost power late yesterday afternoon.Shoppers were unable to buy any ice cream or ice lollies or stock up on frozen burgers and sausages for their barbecues after the aisles were emptied. Freezer and chiller cabinets are quickly emptied by staff at Tesco near Cambridge after a power cut yesterday afternoon'In terms of the UK, the heat which has been affecting Spain, Portugal and France is different towards us. So it's the activity of that plume, and also us generating our own heat that's causing the particular problems for tomorrow.'Mr Davies also said temperatures will ease from next Wednesday onwards but warned another heatwave later in summer could not be ruled out.Mr Davies told Sky News: 'When we look to the future in terms of the next week, there is an easier time because in fact the temperatures start to ease back to what we describe as slightly above normal from about Wednesday onwards. 'But as we move into all this, you just can't rule out another plume.'He added that holiday-goers should also check the weather overseas because the heat is likely to be 'sustainable and pretty intense' over the course of the month.And the chief executive of the NHS Confederation said the 'crumbling' NHS estate is full of buildings that cannot adapt to the challenges of the heatwave,.Matthew Taylor told Sky News the health service will 'pull out all the stops' to keep running over the coming days but warned that ongoing 'capacity issues' will make it harder to bounce back.'We've been given advice in the NHS, we'll do all that we can, but the problem is this is about resilience, isn't it?'And the NHS has more than 2,000 vacancies, it's got an estate that is crumbling, so many are not the kind of buildings that have got the adaptability to these kinds of challenges.'We'll do our best but, as we learned during Covid, what's really important is that we have resilient public services that have the capacity to respond to problems like this, and the NHS will absolutely pull out all the stops and will do all it can, but to be truly resilient we have to address those capacity issues.'Also today, a Cabinet minister suggested people should 'just take it easy' during the heatwave, and could go to the beach to avoid the worst of the 'ferocious' heat. People walk onto Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues A woman cycles along the promenade at Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People rest in a car park next to Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues People rest in a car park next to Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues Tents on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues Chairs on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continuesChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Kit Malthouse told Sky News: 'If you are lucky enough not to be working today and you are going to the beach, obviously I know you will take lots of sun cream and water and an umbrella and all those kinds of things and be sensible. How to manage with extreme temperatures during the heatwave Health experts have shared advice on how to cope as the Met Office warns lives could be at risk during expected record-breaking hot weather.Here is everything you need to know about coping during the heatwave, from keeping your pets cool to making sure you are drinking enough water.- How can I get to sleep when my bedroom feels like a sauna?Getting to sleep during a heatwave can seem like an impossible task, particularly when you don't have access to air conditioning - but there are steps you can take to get a good night's sleep.Julie Gooderick, an 'extreme environments' expert at the University of Brighton, says it is key to set your environment before sleeping.The ideal room temperature for sleeping is around 18-21C, she says, and to avoid your bedroom becoming too hot she advises using fans, opening windows at night, and keeping curtains closed during the day.She also advises using a thin sheet instead of your regular duvet, avoiding napping during the day, and cooling your body down as much as possible - this can be done using cooling pads, a cold shower, or even putting your pyjamas in the freezer a few hours before bedtime.- How can I look after my body?Extreme hot weather poses the risk of conditions such as heatstroke and heat exhaustion, which can sometimes be fatal. Each year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sees excess deaths during periods of extreme hot weather.Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and try to avoid the sun (and physical exertion outdoors) between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is strongest.The UKHSA advises people to walk in the shade, apply sunscreen regularly, and wear a wide-brimmed hat in the heat, and to make sure fridges and freezers are working properly.- Who is most vulnerable in the heat, and how should I look out for them?Some people are more vulnerable than others in the heat, particularly those who are aged 75 or older, people with serious health conditions, and those who are unable to keep themselves cool.Ensure you check in on those who live alone, and be aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion - these can include dizziness and confusion, a headache and a high temperature.If you notice someone is experiencing the symptoms of heat exhaustion, they need to be cooled down - make sure they are drinking enough water, lie them down and move them to a cold place if possible.- How should I keep my baby cool in the hot weather?It is essential to avoid babies becoming dehydrated and overexposed to sunlight - regularly apply sunscreen with a protection factor (SPF) of at least 30, and keep their faces cool with a wide-brimmed sun hat.Babies less than six months old should be kept out of direct sunlight, the NHS says, and older babies should also be kept out of the sun as much as possible.Sleep consultant and CEO of Just Chill Mama, Rosey Davidson, advises putting bottles of frozen water in front of a fan to achieve 'a mini air con solution' to help babies sleep when it is hot outside.'You can also hang a wet towel over a chair - pre-freezing this in your freezer helps - the evaporating water cools the air,' she adds. 'If it is very hot in your baby's room they can just sleep in a vest or nappy.'- How can I keep my pets cool?Not just babies struggle with the heat - pets are also at risk in extreme temperatures.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) advises dog owners to walk their pets in the morning or evening when it is cooler, and to ensure they have enough shade and water.You can also keep them cool with pet-friendly frozen treats, and pet-safe sun cream is also available.Never leave pets alone in parked cars, and make sure you are aware of the key signs of heatstroke - symptoms in dogs and cats can include panting, diarrhoea and restlessness.- Should I exercise in the heatwave?Avoid extreme physical activity during the hottest parts of the day, but there are ways to exercise safely during the heatwave.Try to do so during the cooler hours - in the early morning or evening - and ensure you take enough water.Going for a swim can be a good way to cool down, but make sure to do so in safe, lifeguarded sites.'People will want to cool down but don't dive into open water as it's colder than it looks,' the London Fire Brigade warns.'There is the risk of cold water shock, which can cause your body to go into shock no matter how fit you are.''But we need to recognise that there are some people who will not cope well in the heat and what we want is for everybody to look out for them.'Lots of people will go about their lives perfectly normally, for example we have said that schools should stay open and kids should go to school, very often they are safer in schools and kids need to learn and schools can look after them and hydrate them and keep them nice and cool.'But we just need to be sensible, we have not seen this kind of heat before in this country.'Mr Malthouse defended the idea that people could still go to the beach: 'Some people may wish to. It will be cooler at the coast than it is at the centre of the country, particularly in the Midlands and in London.'But what we are saying to people is that they need to take responsibility for themselves, recognise that this is a really ferocious heat that we haven't seen in this country before and adapt their behaviour accordingly.'Mr Malthouse also defended Boris Johnson's decision not to attend a Cobra meeting on the heatwave and instead spend the weekend having a party at Chequers.He said: 'It's my job to chair Cobra meetings. I briefed him yesterday morning at about 8am personally.'As the broadcaster showed aerial footage of Mr Johnson with his guests at Chequers, Mr Malthouse said it was 'completely unfair' to suggest that the Prime Minister was ducking important meetings because he would be leaving the job soon.But Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy accused Mr Johnson and his ministers of having 'clocked off' during the UK's first red extreme heat warning.The shadow levelling up secretary told Sky News: 'We think the Government ought to do a number of things: first is to turn up to work.'She said the Prime Minister has 'clearly clocked off', adding: 'And so have many of his ministers in his Government.'Ms Nandy argued there should be a dedicated Cabinet Office minister to co-ordinate an emergency response and she urged Whitehall to work with local areas to ensure resilience plans are in place to end the current 'patchwork' approach.Meanwhile Mr Malthouse also urged people to 'look out for those groups who are most vulnerable to the heat' - particularly small children and the elderly.He told LBC Radio that 'people should do the neighbourly thing' and check on elderly people living nearby to 'check they are OK, they've got access to water, they are keeping themselves cool and looking after themselves'.'Hopefully we'll get through things in good shape,' he said.There was likely to be 'significant disruption' on the transport network and people should 'think about working from home' if they are able to.He defended the Government's response, saying the Cobra meetings 'make sure we are prepared and we are then able to communicate a sensible public safety message'.Mr Malthouse said France had a heatwave in 2003 and 'thousands of elderly people did die' so the UK could 'learn from that, we are not used to this kind of heat and we just need to make sure that we are sensible and moderate and take care during the next 48 hours'.It comes after Dominic Raab insisted that it was possible to stay safe and 'enjoy the sunshine'. The Deputy Prime Minister told Sky News yesterday: 'Obviously there is some common sense practical advice we are talking about.'Stay hydrated, stay out of the sun at the hottest times, wear sun cream – those sorts of things. We ought to enjoy the sunshine and actually we ought to be resilient enough through some of the pressures it will place.'His message won support from Labour's education spokesman Bridget Phillipson who said it was 'right' that children go to school this week, having missed out on learning during the pandemic.However doctors have warned that thousands of people – even those who are fit and healthy – could die during the sweltering conditions as the UK Health Security Agency issued its first-ever Level Four heat health warning.Tracey Nicholls, chief executive of the College of Paramedics, told Sky News: 'This isn't like a lovely hot day where we can put a bit of sunscreen on, go out and enjoy a swim and a meal outside.'This is serious heat that could actually, ultimately, end in people's deaths because it is so ferocious. We're just not set up for that sort of heat in this country.'Meanwhile, NHS Confederation chairman Lord Victor Adebowale said hospitals are going to be 'really, really pushed' during the heatwave.To illustrate his point, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust yesterday asked people only to attend its emergency department in a 'life-threatening emergency'.New Health Secretary Steve Barclay has urged the public to look out for vulnerable relatives and neighbours, adding everyone should take 'sensible steps in terms of water, shade and cover'.And Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates advised people to do 'as little as possible' in the heat. They should work from home if possible and 'minimise physical exertion as much as possible because even fit and healthy people could be adversely impacted by temperatures like this', he told the Daily Telegraph.Liz Williams (left), 57, from Bishops Stortford, cooled herself down with a fan as she continued her journey to Farringdon from London Liverpool Street before 8am. Sarah Leitch (right), 26, said: 'I prefer cooler weather. This is just too hot for me.' Strahila Royachka ,33, who is five months pregnant with her first child, said at Liverpool Street today: 'The heat is unforgiving' Commuters cross London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures affecting the capital today A woman takes an early morning dip at the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park this morning as temperatures are set to hit 40C Commuters on London Bridge feel the heat at 8.30am this morning as the country experiences extreme conditions Commuters wait for a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work A temperature of 30.7C is recorded on the Jubilee line platform at London Bridge station before 8am this morning Commuters wait for a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work Commuters cross London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures affecting the capital today Commuters on the Jubilee line this morning amid the hot weather as they make their way to work today Commuters wait for a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work Commuters and runners cross London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures affecting the capital today Commuters on the Jubilee line this morning amid the hot weather as they make their way to work today A jogger runs over London Bridge this morning amid the extreme temperatures affecting the capital today Commuters on the Jubilee line this morning amid the hot weather as they make their way to work today A temperature of nearly 30C is recorded on the Jubilee line this morning on the London Underground before 7am Commuters on board a Jubilee line train on the London Underground wait for the doors to close this morning Commuters on the Jubilee line this morning amid the hot weather as they make their way to work todayAfter chairing last week's third emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday, Mr Malthouse echoed the work from home advice. Water companies report heat-related problemsWater providers are experiencing supply issues due to the hot weather, with some reporting lower pressure levels and others warning of further disruption.Affinity Water said the heat is resulting in lower water pressure in areas such as London, Essex and Surrey.The company urged customers to avoid non-essential water usage and said it predicts an extra 164 million litres of water will be needed on Monday compared to normal demand.'Because of the hot weather, many of us are using much more water,' the provider said. 'This means you may notice lower pressure or no water when demand is higher in your area.'Anglian Water, which operates in the east of England, said sudden high demand due to 'extreme hot weather' is likely a contributing factor in causing interruptions to water supply in King's Lynn over the weekend.A spokesman said its teams are working to restore water supplies 'as quickly as possible' in some areas of King's Lynn following a burst water main.Similar weather-related supply issues are being seen in Bristol, with Bristol Water Foundation warning this week's heatwave might affect the pressure and taste of its water.'With the weather getting warmer, you may experience a drop in water pressure, especially during peak times,' it told customers.'As temperatures rise, water use tends to increase as we all try to cool down with showers, hoses and paddling pools, which increases the demand on our network.'It said water supplies might be temporarily redirected so customers' water comes from different treatment works or reservoirs than usual.'This may mean you notice your water tastes a little bit different to normal. Don't worry, though, this will return to normal as temperatures start to cool down again,' it said.Meanwhile, South East Water reported supply issues in the Challock and Molash area of Kent on Sunday, caused by an unprecedented amount of water usage.The company has set up a bottled water station and told customers the continuous hot weather and increased demand for water 'has put a significant pressure on our network'.South East Water said: 'Despite seeing record demands for water, we are currently seeing minimal customers' supplies interrupted due to hot weather in our water supply region of parts of Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.'We would like to thank our customers who have been listening to our water efficiency messaging and ask them to increase their efforts to reduce their water use while we move into the hottest period so far.'In the villages of Challock and Molash, we have rezoned our water network so some customers will still have a supply of water but there may be a few without so we have set up a bottled water station at Challock Village Hall, which will be open until 9pm.'He predicted significant disruption to transport and urged people not to travel unnecessarily.'The heat will affect rails, for example, so the trains have to run slower,' he said. 'There may be fewer services. People need to be on their guard for disruption.'If they don't have to travel, this may be a moment to work from home.'Asked about the advice yesterday, Mr Raab said: 'That is for employers to consider and people to decide.' But he said 'more flexible working' would 'help with this kind of thing'.And more than a dozen train companies are urging Britons not to travel today or tomorrow as the UK's first red extreme heat warning comes into force.A total of 21 operators - ranging from Transport for Wales and Gatwick Express to the Transpennine Express and Southern - said they will be running a slower service after National Rail implemented speed restrictions across its network.Speed restrictions are used by train companies during periods of hot weather to avoid any damage being made to the tracks and to prevent rails from buckling.Cancellations are also in place as temperatures are predicted to soar. Amber and red extreme heat warnings have been implemented across the nation for the duration.Those who have to travel are being encouraged to check their journeys on the National Rail website before setting off and taking water with them to stay hydrated.Refunds are being offered to those who do not travel but have already purchased tickets.Speed restrictions imposed on trains amid fears of rails buckling in the heat could more than double journey times for passengers, the chief spokesman for Network Rail said.Kevin Groves told Sky News that trips which typically take two hours could take 'more than four hours' as emergency measures have been brought in to prevent trains derailing.'Certainly later on today that (buckling) is a strong poss | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Africa's migratory birds are threatened by changing weather patterns in the center and east of the continent that have depleted natural water systems and caused a devastating drought.
Hotter and drier conditions due to climate change make it difficult for traveling species who are losing their water sources and breeding grounds, with many now endangered or forced to alter their migration patterns entirely by settling in cooler northern areas.
Roughly 10% of Africa's more than 2,000 bird species, including dozens of migratory birds, are threatened, with 28 species — such as the Madagascar fish eagle, the Taita falcon and hooded vultures — classed as “critically endangered.” Over one-third of them are especially vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather, an analysis by the environmental group BirdLife International said.
“Birds are being affected by climate change just like any other species," BirdLife policy coordinator Ken Mwathe said. “Migratory birds are affected more than other groups of birds because they must keep on moving,” which makes it more likely that a site they rely on during their journey has degraded in some way.
The African-Eurasian flyway, the flight corridor for birds that travel south through the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert for the winter, harbors over 2,600 sites for migrating birds. An estimated 87% of African sites are at risk from climate change, a greater proportion than in Europe or Asia, a study by the United Nations environment agency and conservation group Wetlands International found.
Africa is more vulnerable to climate change because it is less able to adapt, said Evans Mukolwe, a retired meteorologist and science director at the World Meteorological Organization.
“Poverty, biodiversity degradation, extreme weather events, lack of capital and access to new technologies" make it more difficult for the continent to protect habitats for wild species, Mukolwe said.
Hotter temperatures due to human-caused climate change and less rainfall shrink key wetland areas and water sources, which birds rely on during migratory journeys.
“Lake Chad is an example," Mwathe said. “Before birds cross the Sahara, they stop by Lake Chad, and then move to the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. But Lake Chad has been shrinking over the years," which compromises its ability to support birds, he said.
Parched birds mean tougher journeys, which has an impact on their ability to breed, said Paul Matiku, executive director of Nature Kenya.
Flamingoes, for example, which normally breed in Lake Natron in Tanzania are unlikely to be able to “if the migration journey is too rough," Matiku said.
He added that “not having water in those wetlands means breeding will not take place" since flamingoes need water to create mud nests that keep their eggs away from the intense heat of dry ground.
Non-migratory birds are also struggling with the changing climate. African fish eagles, found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, are now forced to travel farther in search of food. The number of South African Cape Rockjumpers and Protea canaries is severely declining.
Bird species living in the hottest and driest areas, like in the Kalahari Desert that spans Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, are approaching their “physiological limits,” the most recent assessment by the U.N.’s expert climate panel said. It added that birds are less able to find food and are losing body mass, causing large-scale deaths for those living in extreme heat.
“Forest habitats get hotter with climate change and ... dryland habitats get drier and savannah birds lack food because grass never seeds, flowers never fruit, and insects never emerge as they do when it rains,” Matiku said.
Other threats, such as the illegal wildlife trade, agriculture, the growth of urban areas and pollution are also stunting bird populations like African fish eagles and vultures, he said.
Better land management projects that help restore degraded wetlands and forests and protect areas from infrastructure, poaching or logging will help preserve the most vulnerable species, the U.N. environmental agency said.
Birds and other species would benefit from concerted efforts to improve water access and food security, especially as sea levels rise and extreme weather events are set to continue, said Amos Makarau, the Africa regional director of the U.N. weather agency.
Scientists say that curbing emissions of planet-warming gases, especially in high-emitting nations, could also limit future weather-related catastrophes. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Dozens of families across the UK are today having to come to terms with the devastating loss of their homes after they were destroyed by wildfires in yesterday's record-breaking 40C heatwave.As many as 63 homes were gutted across the UK yesterday, with 41 in London alone - including 19 homes in the village of Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London, and 14 homes and 25 vehicles in a blaze in Dagenham.Outside of London, pictures show a row of six houses devastated by wildfire in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Residents reportedly battled back the flames with hosepipes and buckets of water as they awaited the arrival of the fire brigade. Another eight properties were destroyed in Maltby, Rotherham, and three in nearby Kiveton Park, alongside another three in Clayton, West Yorkshire. Where were properties destroyed by fire yesterday? • Wennington (East London) - 19• Dagenham (East London) – 14• Chadwell Heath (East London) – 1• Kenton (North West London) - 2• Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk) - 5• Ashmanhaugh (Norfolk) - 2• Kiveton Park (South Yorkshire) - 3• Barnsley (South Yorkshire) - 6• Maltby (South Yorkshire) - 8• Clayton (South Yorkshire) – 3It comes after terrified residents in Wennington were ordered out as 100 firefighters tried to halt a lethal wall of flame spreading from home to home, fanned by warm winds. One firefighter at the scene branded it 'absolute hell'. Meanwhile, video from Dagenham shows an almost post-apocalyptic scene following a blaze which has destroyed a number of properties. A person filming the devastation, which looks similar to the types of images taken from bombed out villages in Ukraine, described the blackened area as looking 'like a warzone'. Horrific fires swept through homes last night as Britain recorded the hottest day in its history, with the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time. The London fire brigade said Tuesday was their busiest day since the end of the Second World War, with at least 110 fire trucks sent to blazes across the capital.At least 16 London firefighters were injured, including two taken to hospital with heat-exhaustion. A further four firefighters were taken to hospital as they tackled a series of incidents in South Yorkshire. They have since made a full recovery. Extremely dry ground and searing temperatures created the perfect 'tinderbox' conditions for blazes to break out across the country with major incidents declared in London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Leicestershire. Scotland and Wales also saw fires.A wildfire operations expert last night claimed that the severity of yesterday's fires was 'rare or possibly unprecedented', but said due to climate change they were likely to happen 'more and more' in the future.As firefighters battled numerous blazes, parts of the UK saw some relief from the blazing heat last night with showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the north of England and south of Scotland. The Met Office is warning of potential flooding with a yellow warning for thunderstorms in place for London and parts of the south east later today.This map shows scale of damage across the UK after wildfires tore through homes from Wennington and Dagenham to Norfolk and Barnsley leaving villages 'looking like warzones' WATTON: This is the moment another wildfire threatens to engulf a Norfolk village as firefighters desperately battle to push back the advancing inferno BRANCASTER STAITHE: Four homes in Norfolk are seen without roofs after devastating fires in the village yesterday WATTON: The blaze, which was yesterday being tackled by at least 60 firefighters, is thought to have started in a field near the homes and is believed to have spread to a number of houses WENNINGTON: An aerial view shows the rubble and destruction in a residential area following a large blaze the previous day in Wennington, Greater London WENNINGTON: Around 100 firefighters were called to an inferno in Wennington, Essex, alone, which one emergency worker described as 'absolute hell.' (Pictured: Row of destroyed homes in Wennington following Tuesday's inferno) DAGENHAM: Firefighters at the scene of a blaze in Dagenham, east London, which destroyed a number of properties and vehiclesDAGENHAM: One of the worst scenes aside from Wennington was in Dagenham, east London, where video shows an almost post-apocalyptic scene following a blaze which has destroyed a number of properties. One person filming the devastation described it as 'like a warzone' DAGENHAM: At least 14 homes and 25 vehicles are believed to have been destroyed in a blaze in Dagenham, east London BRANCASTER STAITHE: A completely gutted home is seen in the Norfolk village after wildfire advanced on properties near Watton BARNSLEY: A row of homes destroyed by fire in Woodland Drive, Barnsley stand as empty shells following a devastating wildfire yesterday BARNSLEY: The remains of a property in Barnsley after a fire broke out in a back garden and spread to homes - destroying four properties MALTBY: An aerial view shows the burn out remains of homes after a wildfire ripped through properties in South Yorkshire yesterday MALTBY: An aerial view shows the burn out remains of homes after a wild fire in Maltby yesterday, as fires broke out across the country amid a record 40C heatwave BRANCASTER STAITHE: Another destroyed property seen as tens of homes were destroyed leaving families homeless in the wildfires DARTFORD: A view from a drone of Bob Dunn Way Area, close to the former site of Joyce Green Hospital, where a wildfire nearly spread to homes DARTFORD: The fire was contained to a large area of heathland. The fire was the other side over the river to the Wennington fire which destroyed at least 19 houses How London Fire Brigade had resources stretched by multiple fires in yesterday's record-breaking 40C heatwave Yesterday London Fire Brigade declared a 'major emergency' after a number of fires broke out across the Greater London area.Among the largest incidents in the capital, there were: Thirty fire engines dealing with a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster.Fifteen fire engines tackling a fire on The Green in Wennington.Twelve fire engines tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner.Ten fire engines tackling a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate.Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon.Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham.Eight fire engines tackling a fire on The Broadway in Wembley.Six fire engines tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon.Four fire engines tackling a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon.Four fire engines tackling a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that Tuesday was the busiest day for London Fire Brigade since the Second World War, with the service experiencing more than seven times the usual volume of calls.He told old Sky News: 'Yesterday was the busiest day for the fire service in London since the Second World War.'On a normal day the fire service receives - roughly speaking - 350 calls, and on a busy day 500 calls.'Yesterday they received more than 2,600 calls - more than a dozen simultaneous fires requiring 30 engines, a couple requiring 15, and some requiring 12.'I'm afraid the bad news is 41 properties were destroyed in London.'He added that on Wednesday fire engines are expected to arrive at properties on average around six minutes after a call is made, but yesterday it took firefighters 20 minutes due to the increased demand.Amid the scramble to evacuate in Wennington, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was 'digging a trench' around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes. Local councillor Susan Ospreay had been 'devastated'.The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.But they fought in vain to stop it rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field.The heartbreaking village blaze was the most dramatic example of how the country was struggling to cope as the mercury reached unprecedented levels. One resident described the wrecked village as looking like 'a scene from the Blitz'.Resident John Bishop claims he saw the fire from his back window as it started to spread. He told the Telegraph: 'I saw a compost heap which went up in flames and I'm wondering if that was the source of this fire.'The fire became an inferno incredibly quickly. I really don't know about my home, I've been keeping an eye on it on the news via the helicopter pictures.'Another local, Ray Smith, 55, told the Sun: 'I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I got in my car and got out of there. People were scared. It's heartbreaking. I think I've lost everything.' Tim Stock, whose own house was destroyed, said he and his son saw the fire in his neighbour's garden but had been unable to stop it spreading.The 66-year-old, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise.He said: 'I lost everything. The house, the garden, we had two beehives, there was no going back. My son took some stuff and went round to his mate's house but about 10 minutes later that burnt down so he has got nothing either.'I've been a gravedigger for 50 years. My truck has blown up, that belonged to the council. I didn't have time to get it out. 'Last night I stayed in Thurrock Hotel. The council was trying to put us up in people's houses but we've got two dogs and my tortoise Malty.' Speaking about how the fire started, he said: 'The fire started across the cornfield, at one point I got stuck behind the cordon and the field was burning so I couldn't get out that way.'We opened up the church because I have the keys, we got everyone in, people were covered in soot, they were having a drink of water, but then that started filling up with smoke so we had to get everyone out again. I'm surprised it didn't burn down as well to be honest. ' More than a dozen firefighters injured battling blazes in London A total of 16 fire fighters were injured tackling the series of fires that ripped through London, Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Smith of the London Fire Brigade said today.In unprecedented scenes, hundreds of firefighters tackled 15 fires in 40 degree temperatures as he warned that climate change would bring more of the same in the future.Speaking to reporters from the village of Wennington he said: 'We have never faced anything like what we saw across London yesterday. We have never had firefighters operating in 40-degree heat.'We had 2,600 calls come through to our control room and we responded to well over 1,000 incidents.'What we have to do to bring fires in the open back under control is extremely labour intensive. It is very physically draining, dragging hoses across fields.'That's why we have had 16 firefighters injured altogether, all of whom have fully recovered.'Describing the scene after yesterday's blaze, he replied: 'It was like a warzone. Down the actual main road, all the windows had exploded out, all the roofs have caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz really.'It's heartbreaking really. I mean, I've been there 41 years but my granddad was there before me, so we've been there 60-odd years, he told BBC Radio 5 Live.'And to see it all fall apart yesterday, it's really sad. But as I said, we'll get the site cleared, fit up a kind of mobile home there, and we'll start again.'Another resident, Carole Stopp, 69, who has lived in Wennington Green for more than 35 years, also rescued her tortoise Cleo - who is 60 years old in human years - from the blaze.She told the Telegraph: 'Thick black smoke started rising at about 1pm. 'I said: 'Oh my god' and looked out the window. Our neighbour Tim's front garden was on fire. We rang to see if he was ok. Tim was trying to put the fire out himself with a hose.'Then we heard some large bangs - we think it must have been windows imploding because of the heat. We just grabbed the tortoise and left.'Meanwhile, Gary Ruel, 63, a lorry driver who also was evacuated from his home, told the paper: 'I'm really worried about my house.'I might have lost three cats, I got the dog out, but didn't have time for the cats.'Neighbour Kia Meadows described how quickly things went ablaze. She told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: 'I was sunbathing in my garden when a massive black cloud's come across, I looked up and that side of Wennington was on fire and within an hour it had spread to our house. 'A lot of this land is built on a lot of rubbish and as soon as the heat comes, this area goes on fire straight away but never did I believe it would come that close.' BRANCASTER STAITHE: A tractor also destroyed in the devastation after the inferno swept towards the village in Norfolk WENNINGTON: Residents and emergency services are assessing the damage this morning after Britain's hottest day on record sparked a string of devastating wild fires which destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. (Pictured: Aftermath in Wennington, Essex) BRANCASTER STAITHE: In the village people revealed how they rescued their pets, while others attempted to dig trenches in a desperate bid to stop the advancing wall of fire WENNINGTON: Burned out cars are among the wreckage left by a fierce wildfire in Wennington, Essex, sparked by record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday WENNINGTON: Firefighters are pictured dampening the flames in Wennington early on Wednesday morning, as warnings for fires remained in place due to the dry conditions WENNINGTON: A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters tackled a fire on Tuesday WENNINGTON: Burnt grass surrounds St Mary and St Peter's Church in the village of Wennington, as historic place of worship miraculously remains largely untouched by the inferno WENNINGTON: Two rows of terraced houses, four other homes, 12 stables and five cars were destroyed by the inferno in Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London. Pictured: A sliding image showing the devastation after the fire (left) and the village before the fire (right) DAGENHAM: Pictures show an almost post-apocalyptic scene with a number of properties and vehicles destroyed in a blaze in Dagenham, east London DAGENHAM: Pictures show the scale of destruction caused by a grassland fire that tore through a residential area of Dagenham DAGENHAM: More than 130 people had to be evacuated from their homes yesterday when a wildfire broke out in Beam Parklands and spread to nearby residential roads (damage pictured) BRANCASTER STAITHE: The blackened ground is seen advancing towards the hollowed out properties further down in the village DAGENHAM: The fire tore through buildings and what appears to be a car storage area. As many as 14 homes and 25 vehicles are believed to have been damaged WENNINGTON: A row of burnt out houses and gardens is seen in the village of Wennington east of London after yesterday's record temperatures. Pictured: Slide across to see a satellite image of the properties before the blaze WENNINGTON: A compost heap on the edge of Wennington village is believed by some to be the source of the inferno after it reportedly burst into flames before spreading to nearby grass and undergrowth and eventually reaching homes (destroyed properties pictured) BRANCASTER STAITHE: A line of tape cordons off the row of homes destroyed in the fire in Norfolk WENNINGTON: The fire took place near to a fire station. Firefighters battled to contain the inferno is it swept across the village, and towards the fire station itself WENNINGTON: The chard remains of homes in the village of Wennington following the devastating fire which swept through yesterday as Britain hit 40C for the first time WENNINGTON: A Union flag remains undamaged amid the devastation following the huge wildfire which ripped through the village of Wennington in east LondonWENNINGTON: The charred remains of a house in Wennington, Greater London, following a devastating wildfire which ripped through the village on Tuesday WENNINGTON: The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene WENNINGTON: Firefighters fought in vain to stop the fire rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding fieldSome disruption is still expected on railway services this morning but timetables are set to improve throughout the day. Wennington resident says she fled her home with just a photo album, her cat and her dead father's ashesA woman fled her burning home in scorched Wennington with just her photo album, a cat and her dead father's ashes, it emerged today.Two of her cats are still missing following the massive fire which she said might have started in a compost bin next door to her.The story emerged as a friend, who would not give his name, returned to the village to look for her cats.He said he was looking after two people who had lost their homes.He said: 'I just came down to look for the cats of two friends who are staying at mine in Upminster.'I heard the scrapyard was looking after pets but I haven't seen the cats and the police aren't letting anyone through.'The fire, it was next door to their house, and she seems to think it came from a compost bin. She said it enveloped the treeline.'She tried to get her cats out, one jumped out of her hand, the other she got in a box and the other ran off.'It scratched her hand it was so frightened.'She was evacuated to the Windmill pub but luckily I'm local so I phoned them up when I heard and they came to stay with me in Upminster.'They are more concerned about the cats than the rest of it. They're in shock but there are little bits coming back to them.'She lost her father last year and she picked up her photo albums on the way out and his ashes.'Otherwise it's all gone, everything. They've got two vehicles and they are not even letting them go in to get them, a van on The Green and a Porsche outside someone's house.'At least if they get them they are mobile.'Wennington is still cordoned off as emergency services remain on site to assess the damage. At least 40 hectares of grassland and farm buildings were affected and many houses and 12 stables were destroyed, while at least 90 properties were evacuated. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, a number of residents reported seeing a fire start in someone's garden. Warnings are still in place across the country today due to the very dry ground but temperatures are expected to drop significantly while some showers are predicted.Elsewhere in the country hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people and a children's nursery was destroyed along with most of a street in Yorkshire amid police fears some of the fires could have been deliberate. Officers and fire chiefs also think deliberate blazes were set on scrubland, trees, fields, rubbish, buildings on a residential street and at a nature reserve during the heatwave, which began on Saturday. Yesterday, temperature records were shattered as sweltering Britons turned to beaches lakes and even fountains in Trafalgar Square in a desperate bid to cool off. Heathrow was first to reach the 40C barrier – breaking the old record of 38.7C (102F) measured in Cambridge in 2019. But hottest of all yesterday was Coningsby in Lincolnshire, which recorded 40.3C (104.5F). At least 34 parts of the country broke the UK's previous national record of 38.7C, the Met Office said stretching from West Yorkshire to Surrey. Staggeringly, meteorologists calculated that Britain was hotter than 98.9 per cent of the Earth's surface yesterday.Scotland also recorded its hottest day ever as temperatures climbed to 34.8C (94.64) at Charterhall and Wales set its record yesterday of 37.1C in Hawarden, Flintshire.But a band of thunderstorms moving across England and Wales from the Isles of Scilly spelt the end of the punishing temperatures for some.The 'extreme heat' also led to almost 15,000 homes in the North East being left without power at about 2pm as electrical equipment overheated during the record temperatures. Roads were also closed as fires broke out alongside major motorways including the M25 and M1.Emergency call centres were hit with tens of thousands of pleas for help. Greater Manchester Police said four fires were deliberate on moorland at Dovestone Reservoir near Oldham. Superintendent Phil Hutchinson said: 'This is being as arson which, following conviction, can result in a lengthy prison sentence.'The UK is also being warned these temperatures could soon be the 'new normal' as Britain starts to see wildfires, extreme heat and pressure on the water supply which has long plagued Europe.One expert, a specialist in wildfire operations, last night told the Telegraph that the severity of fires seen yesterday was 'rare, or possibly unprecedented' in the UK. Steve Gibson said: 'It's difficult to find a previous time when so much of the country has been affected.' A major incident was declared due to a fire surge near Twickenham Golf Course between Feltham, Teddington, Richmond and Hounslow in West London on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Police arrived, along with London Fire Brigades, arrived at the scene and started evacuating residents. Temperatures reached more than 40C for the first time This pictures show how the dramatic fire in the village of Wennington engulfed a row of homes as the blaze spread from the grass A row of houses on fire in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday afternoon as temperatures soar again tod Families now homeless in Wennington, where the worst of the wildfires has been seen, were at first sent to a Premier Inn before that lost power and they were directed to go to Hornchurch Sport Centre to sleep on air mattresses as their 'worst nightmare' came true Maggie Stock, Tim Stock, Vicky Schafer and Alfie Stock who have lost everything after the fire started next door to them in Wennington The chard remains the Stocks's home in the village of Wennington, following yesterday's blaze which started amid yesterday's 40C heatwave Shocking pictures show a huge bush fire raging on the Dartford marshes, Kent on Tuesday Geographic information system software Esri shows on this map where wildfires have broken out and in red where there has been strong thermal hotspots for serious blazes. In this picture you can see most are in England and the south with a few in the very north of England In this aerial view, smoke from fires in a residential area being fought by fire services are seen on Tuesday in Wennington Hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people and a children's nursery was destroyed along with most of a street in Yorkshire. Pictured: A fire at Hatch End on Tuesday afternoon. A fire burns the Kiddi Caru nursery in the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes down to the ground as blazes take hold of areas across England The fire at Wennington is shown yesterday (left) and the area is also pictured before the blaze (right, file picture) This picture shows homes on fire as a huge heath fire ravaged at least three houses near Rotherham, South Yorkshire Fires sparked by lightning at Zennor Head, West Cornwall pictured burning on Tuesday evening Around 100 firefighters tackled blaze in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday amid the 40C heatwave People remove gas canisters from Lennards pub as firefighters tackle a blaze in the village of Wennington yesterday afternoon A huge black smoke cloud erupts during a blaze in the village of Wennington yesterday afternoon Around 100 firefighters tackled a blaze in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday that destroyed a number of homes A man attempts to damp down the smouldering field with a hose pipe as fire services tackle a large blaze in WenningtonThe remains of a fire near Dartford Heath on the A2 coastbound, Crayford is seen as smoke spreads throughout the area Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon Firefighters attend a blaze on Dartford Marshes in Kent after temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record Residents of Yorkshire queued for more than two hours to gain entry into Ilkley Lido The Dartford fire is seen raging yesterday as firefighters rushed to tackle the flames A thunderstorm is seen to rage in Thanet, Kent (left) while a major incident has been declared due to a fire surge near Twickenham Golf Course (right) between Feltham, Teddington, Richmond and Hounslow in West London Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon A firefighter tackles a grass fire in a park in New Brighton in Merseyside yesterday afternoon amid the heatwave Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service issued this picture of firefighters attend to a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington The area surrounding Twickenham Golf Course was filled full of smoke as a fire raged and creeped closer to a Shell garage A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Drone footage of the aftermath of a field fire by Cheshunt Park in Hertfordshire pictured yesterday A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes A wild fire in Upminster, Essex, yesterday, seen from the M25 motorway, as the temperature hit 40C amid a series of extreme weather warnings The burnt out remains of Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham yesterday morning where fire crews are still on the sceneFamilies now homeless in Wennington, where the worst of the wildfires has been seen, were at first sent to a Premier Inn before that lost power and they were directed to go to Hornchurch Sport Centre to sleep on air mattresses as their 'worst nightmare' came true. How to claim on insurance if your home is damaged in a fire Claiming on your insurance can be a daunting task at the best of times, let alone after your home has been damaged or destroyed in a fire. Here is a step-by-step guide by loss assessors Morgan Clark on what you should do if tragedy strikes.1. Notify the insurance companyYou'll need to tell your insurer immediately. Many of these have a specific emergency number you can ring that is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 2. Secure the buildingAfter the fire brigade has done its job, the home owner is the person responsible for making sure there is no further damage or loss. They should do their best to keep people from entering the house and making sure it is structurally safe - the latter of which may require hiring a qualified surveyor. You must also have your house checked by a qualified electrician to make sure wiring isn't compromised. 3. Find temporary accommodationThis will often be the main priority immediately after a fire. You can stay with family or friends, or your insurer can provide you with accommodation such as a nearby hotel, until you find somewhere long-term.4. Meet a Loss AdjusterThe insurance company will appoint, and pay for, a Loss Adjuster. This person is responsible for all investigations and negotiations. They will look into the damage, and will ask questions about the fire including what caused it. It might be helpful to hire a professional Loss Assessor to represent yourself in this.5. Loss Adjuster's initial reportThe Loss Adjuster will submit a report to the insurance company. This will detail the circumstances of the fire and recommend whether or not the insurer should accept the claim. It will also state whether they think your insurance policy is sufficient for what has taken place. If you have hired a Loss Assessor, they will discuss with you where you can go from here. 6. Appoint emergency contractorsThese contractors will deal with securing and weather-proofing the property, as well as storing any items. They will also check for asbestos and make the property safe. The insurer might not pay for this until they have accepted liability for your claim, so you might have to pay for it in the meantime. 7. Appoint a qualified SurveyorThis person will assess the damage to the property and put together a detailed scope of works for rebuilding your home.8. Claim for your contentsAt this stage you (or the Loss Assessor if you've appointed one) will now start to prepare a claim for lost or damaged contents. This must be as detailed as possible, with accurate replacement values. For items such as designer clothes or electronic equipment, there will need to be proof of make, model or design.9. Emergency accommodation/costs claimA claim for emergency costs should now be compiled, such as money spent on emergency accommodation.10. Find long-term alternative accommodationYou can choose to stay with friends or family, but you can also move into more permanent rented accommodation. If you have a Loss Assessor they can guide you through your options.11. Negotiations with the Loss AdjusterThere should now be another meeting with the Loss Adjuster to discuss the entire claim, including how much work is needed on the house, and the claims you have submitted for contents and emergency costs.12. Move into long-term alternative accommodationOnce this has been approved by the insurer, you are free to move into your temporary new home. 13. Tender ProcessThe Surveyor will put re-building works out to tender, with contractors submitting their bids. They will then make a decision on the successful bids and works will take place.14. Contents claimWhile the tender process is taking place, negotiations will continue about the contents claim. This should be fully agreed and all payments made or replacement items secured before the work is completed on the home. 15. Return HomeOnce works are completed, you will be able to move back into your home.16. Final claim settlementAfter all this is done, you will be able to submit the final part of your claim, which covers all your expenses as a result of the incident. Source: Morgan Clark Amid the scramble to evacuate people from Wennington yesterday, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was 'digging a trench' around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes.Local councillor Susan Ospreay said: 'Wennington Village has been completely devastated by fire.' The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.But they fought in vain to stop it rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field.Lorry driver Gary Rouel, 64, told how he raced back from work after a phone call from his wife Debbie, 64, saying: 'She just said, 'The house has gone up in flames.'Mrs Rouel, a dinner lady, tried to round up the couple's three cats and their dog as firefighters ordered her to evacuate.Mr Rouel said: 'It's terrible. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A state of emergency is declared as severe flooding affects Nelson, New Zealand, August 18, 2022. REUTERS/Tatsiana Chypsanava Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAug 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand retained a state of emergency in parts of its flood-battered South Island on Sunday as authorities weighed damage in the region hardest hit by four days of torrential rain.Last week's rains in northern and central areas forced more than 500 people from their homes, making some uninhabitable.The South Island city of Nelson has been worst affected, but towns in the North Island have also been cut off by floods that swamped roads and homes.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAuthorities in the region around Nelson said there had been no serious weather incidents or evacuations overnight, however."We are working as quickly as we can to get people home safely," emergency management officials said, adding that while they had looked at about half the affected properties, detailed inspections could need days, depending on the weather."We have a big task, and inspecting for land instability is more complex than for flooding."While the extreme weather has eased, warnings against heavy rain stay in western Tasman and Fiordland on the South Island, forecaster Metservice said on its website.A state of emergency continues in the regions of Marlborough, West Coast and Nelson-Tasman, national emergency officials have said."Listen to local authorities and follow any instructions to evacuate," the agency said on its website. "If you feel unsafe, you should self-evacuate."On Saturday, Kieran McAnulty, the emergency management minister, thanked rescuers but added that recovery would be a "long and difficult" process. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Sam McKeith; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The forecast is “absolutely unprecedented,” a senior British meteorologist said. “Our lifestyles and infrastructure are not adapted to what is coming.”July 18, 2022, 11:24 AM UTCLONDON — Britain was bracing for what could be its hottest day on record Monday or Tuesday, with forecasters warning the 105-degree temperatures risked deaths and crippled infrastructure.Meanwhile, wildfires continued to rage across continental Europe, with authorities battling to control blazes across France, Greece, Italy and elsewhere. In Spain and Portugal, more than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to their brutal, week-long heatwave.While wildfires have become depressingly familiar in some parts of the world, most of Britain is just waking up to the reality of extreme weather that’s exacerbated by manmade climate change.The Meteorological Office, the United Kingdom’s national weather service, has issued its first ever “Red Warning” for extreme heat, urging people to avoid exercise, travel or even going outside if possible. There was a 50% chance the U.K. could record its hottest temperature to date, currently 101.6 Fahrenheit in July 2019, it said.The Met Office, Britain's national weather service, issued an extreme heat warning for the very first time this week. Met OfficeMeanwhile, the U.K. Health Security Agency announced its first “Level 4” heat warning — the highest possible — which it describes as a “national emergency.” Government ministers discussed contingency plans at a special interdepartmental meeting last week.“The extreme heat we are forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented,” Met Office boss Penny Endersby said in a rare public service broadcast last week. “Here in the U.K., we are used to treating a hot spell as a chance to go and play in the sun — this is not that sort of weather. Our lifestyles and infrastructure are not adapted to what is coming.”Authorities are urging drivers to stay off the roads in the middle of the day, while some local governments are deploying gritting trucks to spray sand on the asphalt to try to stop it melting.A man uses a newspaper as a fan whilst travelling on the Bakerloo line in central London on Monday.Yui Mok / PA via Getty ImagesNetwork Rail, which manages the country's train infrastructure, asked people not to travel, warning the heat could buckle the tracks meaning speed restrictions were in place.Utilities companies said they were monitoring for potential blackouts and water shortages.The U.K. has had warm weather before, but scientists say these blistering temperatures are becoming more common because of greenhouse gases humans are pumping in the atmosphere.And while these are not uncommon levels of heat in other parts of the world, including regions of the United States, much of Britain is not materially, culturally nor psychologically equipped to cope.Many houses were built in the 1800s and have thick brick walls that soak up heat in the day and retain it at night. Air conditioning is uncommon outside of offices and other public spaces. And rarely does the temperature reach 90 degrees on this grey and drizzly north Atlantic rock, whose most southern mainland point is on the same latitude as Winnipeg, Canada.A police officer givers water to a British soldier wearing a traditional bearskin hat, on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace on Monday. Matt Dunham / APSome public health experts have predicted that hundreds if not thousands of people could die in the U.K. before temperatures cool into the high 70s Wednesday. During a heatwave in 2003, some 2,000 people died from heat in the U.K. and 15,000 in France.“Even as a climate scientist who studies this stuff, this is scary,” Professor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher at the University of Reading, told NBC News’ British partner Sky News on Monday. “This feels real. At the start of the week I was worried about my goldfish getting too hot. Now I’m worried about the survival of my family and my neighbors.” In an attempt to avoid the same, the government has advised people to stay indoors, close windows and curtains, and look out for elderly or vulnerable neighbors. Newspapers published "heatwave hacks," which told people to cover their windows in tin foil and put ice by their cooling fans.Some schools will close early, and children will be allowed a day off from their starchy, buttoned-up uniforms that are common here.Strong winds and hot, dry weather are frustrating firefighters' efforts to contain a huge wildfire in the France's Bordeaux region.APMeanwhile France's southwestern region of Gironde is among a litany of European regions currently on fire. The wildfires there have spread to 27,000 acres — more than half the size of Washington, D.C. — and 14,000 people have fled their homes.In Portugal, another place where wildfires are raging, more than 650 people died as temperature topped 116 degrees.Fire officials in Greece said Saturday that 71 fires had broken out in the past 24 hours.A study published in June in the journal "Environmental Research: Climate" concluded it was highly probable that climate change was making heatwaves worse, according to Reuters.Alexander Smith is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.Reuters contributed. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
River levels are at 30 per cent of normal levels, farmers are using a third more water and Britons have been told to take shorter showers after the lowest rainfall in more than a quarter of a century in parts of the UK.Farmers have warned of a 'significant challenge' posed by the extremely dry weather as they try to keep crops fully watered in the face of rising fuel, electricity and fertiliser costs during the heatwave gripping Britain.East Anglia is particularly parched this summer after it saw just two thirds of its normal rainfall in the first half of 2022, making it the region's driest six-month period since 1996 and the 11th driest since records began in 1836.Some rivers in the area are drying out – such as the River Waveney which is at only 30 per cent of its normal flow - while millions of households in Yorkshire have been urged to cut water use or face the prospect of a hosepipe ban.The Environment Agency has classified the Waveney's flow rate as 'exceptionally low', while the River Great Ouse in Ely, Cambridgeshire; the River Yare in Norfolk; and the Little Ouse in Thetford are all now labelled 'notably low'.Yorkshire Water has said it cannot rule out a hosepipe ban and is urging residents to spend at least one minute less having a shower - suggesting singing Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer to reduce their time to four minutes. One farmer on the Norfolk/Suffolk border said he would normally budget £80,000 for electricity to pump water around his crop fields, and this had already gone up to £250,000 this season. But this is now set to increase to £300,000 because of an extra 25 to 30 per cent of water that he is having to pump due to the very dry weather.It comes as the Met Office extended its extreme heat warning to last from Sunday until the end of next Tuesday for most of England and Wales amid warnings of chaos on transport networks and in the NHS and other services. But there will be some temporary respite, with today set to be the first day since July 9 that temperatures have not got to at least 30C (86F) in the UK, with highs of 27C (81F) to 29C (84F) expected between today and Saturday.However the amber warning then begins at midnight on Saturday night, with highs of 31C (88F) forecast on Sunday before the peak of the heat on Monday and Tuesday when up to 38C (100F) is expected in London.Some workers are looking forward to some bonus time off - with David Davies, the owner of drinks exporter Sovereign Beverage Company in Blackburn, Lancashire, giving all staff the day off next Monday to enjoy the heat. Meanwhile all steam locomotives have been suspended on the Severn Valley Railway between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster until at least next Tuesday because the hot and dry weather 'poses a significant risk of fires being started by cinders escaping from the engines' - with services instead being hauled by heritage diesel locomotives.Despite the heat, June 17 still stands as the hottest day of 2022 so far when 32.7C (90.9F) was recorded in London. The UK's highest ever temperature was 38.7C (101.6F) in Cambridge on July 15, 2019 - and the Met Office said there is a 20 per cent chance this will be broken, but that is down from a figure of 30 per cent given earlier this week. An aerial view of the drying out bed and receded water levels at Lindley Wood Reservoir in Otley, West Yorkshire, yesterday An Environment Agency map of the river levels for June across East Anglia - with the Waveney at just 30 per cent of normal Low water levels are seen on Tuesday on the Carew River in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, which runs alongside Carew Castle An aerial view taken yesterday of low levels at Scammonden Water, a reservoir that supplies Huddersfield in West Yorkshire An aerial view taken on Tuesday of what is left of crops that were on fire on Monday during a blaze in Ripon, North YorkshireAndrew Blenkiron, director of the Euston Estate near Thetford and chairman of the National Farmers Union in Suffolk, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'We grow winter cereals here – so that's wheat and barley, we grow sugar beet for a British Sugar factory just down at Bury St Edmonds.'And we grow about 1,200 acres of irrigated root crops – so that's parsnips, potatoes, carrots and onions, and that's where our significant challenge has arisen at the moment to try and keep those crops fully watered to ensure that they meet market specifications and indeed generate a yield. What are the potential impacts of extreme heat during amber warning?The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat for the whole on Sunday, covering most of England and some of Wales. The extreme heat warning system ranges from yellow to red and indicates how likely and how much of an impact the weather will have on public life. An amber warning states that temperatures are likely to have a high impact.The warning for Sunday states: 'Some exceptionally high temperatures are possible during Sunday and could lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure'.Forecasters say the heatwave could impact the health of everyone – not only the vulnerable – while it could also impact electricity, gas and water supplies. Here is how it could impact different parts of daily life:RAIL TRAVELThe Met Office says that delays and cancellations to rail travel are possible with 'potential for significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays'. Network Rail has warned that services across the UK may be subject to speed restrictions to avoid tracks buckling, with South Western Railway and Heathrow Express among the operators warning of potential disruption. West Midlands Trains imposed a 20mph limits yesterday on the route between Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa and Kidderminster.ROADS The Met Office says that delays on roads and road closures are possible during the heat alert period. The RAC has urged motorists to 'think carefully before they drive, and do everything they can to avoid a breakdown'. It says motorists should check the coolant and oil levels under the bonnet when the engine is cold. It added: 'If temperatures were to go as high as around 40c as some are predicting, then people should question their decision to drive in the first place.'Hampshire County Council is preparing to deploy gritters in response to melting roads, saying that the machines will be spreading light dustings of sand which 'acts like a sponge to soak up excess bitumen'.Motorists who find tar stuck to their tyres are advised to wash it off with warm soapy water.AIRPORTSThe Met Office has warned that air travel could also be disruption during the heat. This is because planes can become too heavy to take off in very hot weather due to reduced air density resulting in a lack of lift.This happened during a heatwave in summer 2018 at London City Airport when some passengers had to be removed so the services become light enough to take off on the relatively short runway.UTILITIESThe Met Office has warned that a failure of 'heat-sensitive systems and equipment' is possible. This could result in a loss of power and other essential services, such as water, electricity and gas. Hot weather can lead to high demand on the power network because people are turning on fans and air conditioning - and the heat can also lead to a drop in the efficiency of overhead power cables and transformers.WORKPLACESThe Met Office says that 'changes in working practices and daily routines will be required' in the extreme heat. There is no specific law for a maximum working temperature, or when it is too hot to work.But employers are expected to ensure that in offices or similar environments, the temperature in workplaces must be 'reasonable'. Companies must follow follow health and safety laws which include keeping the temperature at a comfortable level, known as 'thermal comfort'; and providing clean and fresh air.The Trades Union Congress says that during heatwaves staff should be allowed to start work earlier, or stay later, leave jackets and ties in the wardrobe and have regular breaks. It is also calling for an absolute maximum indoor temperature of 30C (86F) - or 27C (81F) for strenuous jobs - to legally indicate when work should stop.HEALTH The Met Office has said that adverse health effects could be 'experienced by all, not just limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to serious illness or danger to life' during the amber warning. In addition, charity Asthma and Lung UK has warned up to three million asthma sufferers could be affected by high pollen levels, so should use their inhalers. SCHOOLS Plans to cope with the heat, created by the NHS and UKHSA, say children should not do 'vigorous physical activity' when temperatures rise above 30C (86F).Some sports days have been cancelled this week, while official advice suggests moving school start, end and break times to avoid the hottest points in the day.Official word from the Government on how schools should respond to the heat could be sent later this week - but it may be left to headteachers to decide.'We started irrigating our crops here very early this year in the beginning of April - but it's been this last two week period where evapotranspiration rates have been so incredibly intense that water has just poured through the crops.'He said there are three main cost increases - those being the doubling of fuel costs for the tractors to plant the crop, harvest the crop and look after it; the tripling of fertiliser costs; and the trebling of the electricity cost associated with pumping all of that water around.As for electricity costs, Mr Blenkiron said: 'A usual season we budget about £80,000 for that. This season I've had to budget £250,000 – that three-fold increase. 'But because of this extra 25 to 30 per cent water that we're having to pump round at the moment, that electric bill is going to run to well over £300,000 which is the challenge that's occupying my mind.'He added that supermarkets are 'not that enthusiastic to increase their prices', particularly for the root crops - and the contracts for those were agreed before Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the recent surge in gas prices.Mr Blenkiron also said he hoped farmers would have the power to put prices up when contracts are renegotiated in autumn, adding: 'What's going to happen this next season if we don't see some reasonably strong increases in our prices that people just won't plant those crops next year.'They'll turn to another crop, a winter cereal or something like that – so considerably less investment per acre and considerably less risk.'Meanwhile, water bosses said customers should take shorter showers and avoid leaving taps running.Water shortages are said to be worst in Yorkshire, where five million people have been given urgent advice to cut down on how much they use. Neil Dewis, from Yorkshire Water, said the amount stored in reservoirs had dwindled to levels last seen in 1995 - when supplies ended up being brought to the area by hundreds of tankers.He said restrictions such as a hosepipe ban could not be ruled out, describing them as 'just one of the tools' the company could use.Customers in London were also urged to cut down on use by Thames Water, with tips including taking shorter showers and using watering cans instead of hosepipes to keep gardens green.'While we're not currently expecting to introduce restrictions on water use this summer, it's important that households remain responsible with their usage and help us to limit the pressure on our resources,' said its demand reduction manager, Andrew Tucker.Households in England and Wales have not seen a ban on using hosepipes enforced for ten years, but South East Water did urge customers to stop using them during a 2020 heatwave.However its head of water resources, Lee Dance, yesterday insisted reservoir and groundwater stores remained healthy.But with domestic usage 50 per cent higher than normal during the hot spell, he urged customers to 'play their part by using water wisely, so that we can continue to keep water flowing to everyone'.Temperatures topped 30C (86F) yesterday for the fourth day running, peaking at 30.1C (86.2F) in Gosport, Hampshire.The prolonged hot spell has seen highs of 31.7C (89.1F) in Surrey on Tuesday after 32C (90F) in London on Monday, 30.1C (86.2F) last Sunday, 27.5C (81.5F) last Saturday, and 29.3C (84.7F) last Friday. Wildlife continued to wilt in the heat, with reports of swift chicks dropping to the ground, while donkeys at a sanctuary in Devon were given grass frozen into blocks of ice.Sleep is likely to be difficult again from Sunday onwards, with a string of 'tropical nights' where temperatures fail to drop below 20C (68F). Both Monday night and Tuesday night both fell within this category in parts of England.'We're looking at a prolonged spell of hot weather and very hot nights,' Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said.'Where we've got the extreme heat warning, as well as the hot daytime temperatures it will likely be warm at night, which brings trouble sleeping.'It doesn't look like it will just be one night, it's the cumulative effect of some uncomfortable nights in a row, which no-one will enjoy.'In response, unions have urged firms to allow staff to work from home or leave the office early to avoid overheating at their desks or on their daily commute - sparking accusations of 'Snowflake Britain'.The Met Office and UK Health Security Agency have both issued 'danger to life' alerts in advance of predicted soaring temperatures.Events already cancelled as a result include a cheese market in Chiswick, West London, a dog show in Bude, Cornwall, a school fair in Steeple Bumpstead, Essex, and a carnival in Hungerford, Berkshire.Meanwhile London Mayor Sadiq Khan triggered a severe weather emergency response typically activated when temperatures fall to freezing in the winter in order to provide support for people sleeping rough.And ministers and officials are drawing up plans with the NHS and councils to safeguard against the heatwave, with ambulance trusts already on high alert.A health minister said that ambulance services are facing 'the sort of pressures we would normally expect to see in winter', insisting the Government is 'making sure that all NHS trusts are prepared' for the heatwave. A tall ship meanders along the River Avon and underneath the Clifton Suspension bridge in Bristol this morning A tall ship approaches a lock along the River Avon at Cumberland Basin in Bristol today ahead of the weekend harbour festival A hot air balloon passes over Cumberland Basin in the City of Bristol during fine and calm weather in the West Country today People play Canoe Polo, which is actually played in kayaks, in the water at Cumberland Basin in Bristol this morning A tall ship approaches a lock along the River Avon at Cumberland Basin in Bristol today ahead of the weekend harbour festival People play Canoe Polo, which is actually played in kayaks, in the water at Cumberland Basin in Bristol this morning A tall ship meanders along the River Avon and underneath the Clifton Suspension bridge in Bristol this morning The full Buck Supermoon sets behind St Michael's Tower on Glastonbury Tor in Somerset early this morningHealth minister Maria Caulfield told the Commons yesterday that 'it's extremely concerning for the months ahead', adding she would be 'meeting all 11 ambulance trusts over the coming days to make sure that they have the capacity and resilience they need'. What are Britain's ten hottest days on record? 1) 38.7C - July 25, 20192) 38.5C - August 10, 20033) 37.8C - July 31, 20204) 37.1C - August 3, 1990=5) 36.7C - July 1, 2015=5) 36.7C - August 9, 19117) 36.6C - August 2, 19908) 36.5C - July 19, 2006=9) 36.4C - August 7, 2020=9) 36.4C - August 6, 2003Answering an urgent question from Labour about ambulance services and the declaration of a national heatwave emergency, she added: 'In terms of urgency, we have procured a contract for an auxiliary ambulance service with a total value of £30million which will provide national surge capacity if needed to support the ambulance response during periods of increased pressure. So, that is there should we need it.'Shadow healthy secretary Wes Streeting said 'extreme weather' is putting further pressure on emergency services 'but it is 12 years of Conservative underfunding that has left them unable to cope'.Responding to a question from Labour's Steve McCabe about the 'terrible situation', Ms Caulfield said: 'He's absolutely right, they are at record pressures.'These are the sort of pressures we would normally expect to see in winter and we're seeing them in the summer months, which is usually their down time and it's extremely concerning for the months ahead as we do head into winter.Labour's Naz Shah noted: '24 hours in A&E used to be a (reality) TV programme, now it's Government policy.'Ms Caulfield said: 'I will be meeting all 11 ambulance trusts over the coming days to make sure that they have the capacity and resilience they need not just to deal with the pressures now, not just to deal with the pressures with the warm weather, but to prepare for the winter pressures that we know will be inevitable and forthcoming.'She said she has set out a heatwave plan for England, published earlier this year, adding: 'We are making sure that all NHS trusts are prepared.'In Kent, residents on the Isle of Sheppey can expect their water supply to return today after burst pipes left thousands without water during the hottest week of the year.Two main pipes to the island off the Kent coast burst on Tuesday, affecting 24,000 homes and shutting 12 schools. Bottled water points were set up by Southern Water and tankers were brought in to supply Sheppey Community Hospital.Southern Water issued a statement this morning saying the supply should return by noon - though residents were told to expect cloudy water and low pressure. Bottled water stations will stay open throughout today.A spokesman said: 'We're pleased to confirm that customers on the Isle of Sheppey should now be seeing their water supply returning. This will happen gradually over the morning depending on where you are located and which reservoir provides your supply.'Demand is obviously extremely high so customers will continue to see low pressure as the situation returns to normal. Discoloured water from your taps is normal after a supply interruption. 'This is usually temporary and disappears once the network settles. If the water is cloudy and white, try leaving it in a glass for a few minutes to see if it clears. This will be air trapped in the water as the pipes refilled.'If the water has a brown or black colour, run your tap for few minutes and it should clear. If this doesn't work, turn the tap off, wait 20 minutes and try again. It's fine to use your water as normal when your water runs clear. 'When your tap water is discoloured brown or black, avoid running hot water taps or using dishwashers, washing machines or any other appliances which use water. It's OK to flush the loo.'Sometimes, after a network has been emptied, air locks can occur either in our pipes or customers' - running taps for a short while can help bring water through.' | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
MoneyWatch August 15, 2022 / 12:16 AM / MoneyWatch Climate change boosts risk of extreme weather Climate change elevating risk of dangerous weather 04:31 Intense heat this summer has set records in the U.S., with some regions topping 110 degrees. Utah residents suffered through 16 straight days of triple-digit heat — the longest such stretch in the 125 years that records have been kept. Around the world, extreme temperatures have killed thousands in Asia and Europe.Despite this alarming picture of the present, it is likely just the beginning. By mid-century, nearly one-third of U.S. adults are likely to live in counties that experience hazardous heat, according to a new analysis from the First Street Foundation, which predicts a "heat belt" stretching from the Gulf Coast to Chicago.The nonprofit research firm gathered surface temperature data using a peer-reviewed method that taps publicly available data from satellites and weather stations. It then modeled projected temperatures under a global warming scenario referred to as RCP 4.5, under which fossil-fuel emissions peak around 2040 and then decline. "Lethal heat temperatures"Today, about 50 counties around the U.S. experience one day per year with a heat index above 125 degrees, which is considered extremely dangerous by the National Weather Service. In 30 years, more than a thousand counties — a geographic area encompassing 107 million people — will be in the danger zone, First Street concludes."We were surprised at the emergence of that heat belt — these are lethal heat temperatures if there's prolonged exposure," Jeremy Porter, First Street Foundation's chief research officer, told CBS MoneyWatch. "At 125 degrees, heat stroke is likely." The summertime humidity that often builds up in the middle of the continent is a major reason for hazardous heat-index temperatures. When it's humid, it's harder to cool off by sweating because the rate of evaporation from the body slows. That's why the heat index, or how hot a day "feels," relies on a combination of temperature and humidity. As the climate continues to heat up, the humidity increases because warm air can hold more moisture. For every 1 degree Celsius the temperature rises, the air holds about 7% more water vapor. The geography of the industrial Midwest, located inland east of the Rocky Mountains, makes it especially vulnerable to a buildup of hot air. "That area in particular isn't close to water — it's not getting any protection from wind running over the water and cooling. And because it's at a low elevation, the humidity is trapped," Porter said.The danger zone stretches to Chicago and includes major cities like Louisville, Kentucky; Kansas City, Kansas; Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cities also suffer from a "heat island effect," with urban temperatures getting much hotter than surrounding areas due to a lack of plants and the heat-trapping effects of building materials, such as concrete, dark pavement and rooftops.The Inflation Reduction Act that passed the House last week promises to bring the U.S. close, though not all the way, to its goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Even so, lowering global temperatures will take a long time because much of the effects of climate change are "baked in" thanks to historic fossil-fuel emissions. To be sure, humans can adapt and acclimate to hotter weather. But doing so will require many communities and governments that haven't dealt with severe heat — already the leading cause of weather-related deaths — to consider and plan for it. This more extreme future will likely demand physical adaptation — planting more trees and cooling roofs to lower the temperature, for instance, — as well as planning for emergency heat events, such as checking on residents, creating cooling centers and ensuring people can reach them. "There's so much that can be done — there's many hot-weather warning systems around the world, " Kristie Ebi, a public-health expert at the University of Washington, told CBS MoneyWatch. "You don't have to start from scratch, but it would be helpful if we had our city and state agencies making it that much easier." In: Climate Change Heat Wave Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
World August 28, 2022 / 6:08 PM / AP Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan topped 1,000 since mid-June, officials said Sunday, as the country's climate minister called the deadly monsoon season "a serious climate catastrophe."Flash flooding from the heavy rains has washed away villages and crops as soldiers and rescue workers evacuated stranded residents to the safety of relief camps and provided food to thousands of displaced Pakistanis.Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority reported the death toll since the monsoon season began earlier than normal this year — in mid- June — reached 1,061 people after new fatalities were reported across different provinces. Sherry Rehman, a Pakistani senator and the country's top climate official, said in a video posted on Twitter that Pakistan is experiencing a "serious climate catastrophe, one of the hardest in the decade.""We are at the moment at the ground zero of the front line of extreme weather events, in an unrelenting cascade of heatwaves, forest fires, flash floods, multiple glacial lake outbursts, flood events and now the monster monsoon of the decade is wreaking non-stop havoc throughout the country," she said. The on-camera statement was retweeted by the country's ambassador to the European Union. A view of submerged houses following flash flood in the Tando Muhammad Khan district southern Sindh province Pakistan on August 28, 2022. Pakistan's death toll from the floods surpassed 1,000 deaths on Sunday. Shakeel Ahmed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Flooding from the Swat River overnight affected northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where tens of thousands of people — especially in the Charsadda and Nowshehra districts — have been evacuated from their homes to relief camps set up in government buildings. Many have also taken shelter on roadsides, said Kamran Bangash, a spokesperson for the provincial government. Bangash said some 180,000 people have been evacuated from Charsadda and 150,000 from Nowshehra district villages.Khaista Rehman, 55, no relation to the climate minister, took shelter with his wife and three children on the side of the Islamabad-Peshawar highway after his home in Charsadda was submerged overnight."Thank God we are safe now on this road quite high from the flooded area," he said. "Our crops are gone and our home is destroyed but I am grateful to Allah that we are alive and I will restart life with my sons."The unprecedented monsoon season has affected all four of the country's provinces. Nearly 300,000 homes have been destroyed, numerous roads rendered impassable and electricity outages have been widespread, affecting millions of people. Pope Francis on Sunday said he wanted to assure his "closeness to the populations of Pakistan struck by flooding of disastrous proportions." Speaking during a pilgrimage to the Italian town of L'Aquila, which was hit by a deadly earthquake in 2009, Francis said he was praying "for the many victims, for the injured and the evacuated, and so that international solidarity will be prompt and generous." People try to leave flooded areas after a flash flood hit the Charsadda district in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan on August 28, 2022. Record monsoon rains were causing "catastrophe on large scale" as Pakistan has called for international assistance and help in dealing with floods that have killed more than 900 people since June. Hussain Ali/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Rehman told Turkish news outlet TRT World that by the time the rains recede, "we could well have one fourth or one third of Pakistan under water.""This is something that is a global crisis and of course we will need better planning and sustainable development on the ground. ... We'll need to have climate resilient crops as well as structures," she said.In May, Rehman told BBC Newshour that both the country's north and south were witnessing extreme weather events because of rising temperatures. "So in north actually just now we are ... experiencing what is known as glacial lake outburst floods which we have many of because Pakistan is home to the highest number of glaciers outside the polar region."The government has deployed soldiers to help civilian authorities in rescue and relief operations across the country. The Pakistani army also said in a statement it airlifted a 22 tourists trapped in a valley in the country's north to safety.Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif visited flooding victims in city of Jafferabad in Baluchistan. He vowed the government would provide housing to all those who lost their homes. In: Pakistan Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Media caption, At least 16 people have died in the Kentucky floodsAt least 16 people have died due to historic flash flooding caused by torrential rains in eastern Kentucky, the US state's governor has said.Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said that he expects the death toll to continue to rise. President Biden declared the floods "a major disaster" on Friday and ordered federal aid to help with local recovery efforts. Among the dead are six children, including a one-year-old. More than 23,000 people are also without power in the state. After an aerial tour with the National Guard, Mr Beshear said the flood "is by far the worst" he has seen. Parts of cities are submerged under water, and some areas are impassable, he said.The flash flooding came after heavy rains earlier this week. Hundreds of homes in Kentucky have been wiped out because of the floods, the governor said. Image source, ReutersImage caption, A car is submerged in flood waters along Right Beaver Creek, following a day of heavy rain in in Garrett, Kentucky, U.S. July 28, 2022.Some areas reported receiving more than eight inches, or 20 centimetres, of rain in a 24-hour period.Flood warnings remained in effect as of midday Friday in eastern Kentucky, as well as for parts of Tennessee and West Virginia. Rivers in the region are expected to crest throughout the weekend, and a risk of more dangerous flash flooding remained possible throughout Friday, the US National Weather Service said. More rainfall is expected early next week, Mr Beshear said, urging people to have a safety plan in place.Representatives from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived Friday morning to assist local rescue efforts. Mr Beshear said it's unclear yet exactly how many people are affected or missing. Some areas have been difficult to reach due to damaged portions on 28 state roadways. On Friday afternoon, the governor confirmed that the bodies of four young siblings were among those who were found - the oldest an eight-year-old and the youngest a one-year-old.The children's cousin - Brittany Trejo - told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the children and their parents sought shelter at a tree after their home flooded on Thursday."They managed to get to a tree and ... held the children a few hours before a big tide came and wash them all away at the same time," Ms Trejo told the paper. She added the mother and father, who survived, were stranded at the tree for eight hours before help arrived.Around 50 air rescue operations were conducted on Thursday, along with more than 100 boat rescues. Nearly 300 people have been rescued across the state, with search and rescue efforts ongoing."It's going to be a tough couple of days, it's going to be a long rebuild," Mr Beshear said. Kentucky, like other parts of the world, has seen the impact of more frequent extreme weather events. The state has seen more inches of rain outside the historical average in the last 10 years, according to date from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Bill Haneberg, a climate expert and the state's geologist, said this rainfall event is "extraordinary" for Kentucky. "It is virtually unprecedented in the Appalachians," he said.He added the increases in the amount of rainfall over the years are consistent with what experts have predicted for the region - that Kentucky's climate will become hotter and wetter due to climate change.The historic flooding comes as the state recovers from the deadliest tornados in its history, which killed more than 70 in December 2021. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Government health officials today insisted there was no reason for schools or workplaces to close during next week's unprecedented 41C (106F) heatwave, saying that such buildings could actually be cooler than homes.Bosses have also shot down the idea of Britons working from home to protect themselves - but many will face major disruption on their commute, with Network Rail advising passengers to 'only travel if absolutely necessary'.It comes as some schools said they would close early or shut altogether, one hospital cancelled all routine outpatient appointments or surgery and the UK faced a 'national emergency' ahead of the hottest day on record.The Met Office today issued a first-ever red warning for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday next week. And the UK Health Security Agency in turn issued a Level Four heat-health alert covering the whole of England for both days, which warns: 'Illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.'Also today, a sombre Met Office chief executive Penny Endersby released a dramatic video warning Britons are 'not adapted to what is coming' as she warned of 'absolutely unprecedented' conditions for the UK.Health officials told Britons to 'look out for others, especially older people, young children and babies and those with underlying health conditions' – and transport bosses warned of major rail disruption. Operators advised passengers against non-essential travel next Monday and Tuesday, with speed restrictions likely.A blanket speed limit is expected to be imposed on all trains across South East England including London, with main line and high-speed services expected be allowed to run at only 60mph on Monday and Tuesday. Avanti West Coast has suspended ticket sales on its London-Glasgow route for Monday and Tuesday 'to minimise the number of people disrupted' while c2c, which runs from Essex to London, is 'advising customers not to travel'. Meteorologists said there is now an 80 per cent chance of breaking the all-time UK record of 38.7C (101.6F) set in Cambridge on July 15, 2019 - a probability that is up from 60 per cent earlier today, and 30 per cent on Monday.Parts of London are now set to hit 41C (106F) both next Monday and Tuesday, according to BBC Weather – and either would break the record, which itself overtook a previous high of 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent on August 10, 2003.Ms Endersby said: 'The extreme heat we're forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented. We've seen when climate change has driven such unprecedented severe weather events all around the world it can be difficult for people to make the best decisions in these situations because nothing in their life experience has led them to know what to expect. Here in the UK we're used to treating a hot spell as a chance to go and play in the sun. 'This is not that sort of weather. Our lifestyles and our infrastructure are not adapted to what is coming. Please treat the warnings we are putting out as seriously as you would a red or amber warning from us for wind or snow and follow the advice. Stay out of the sun, keep your home cool, think about adjusting your plans.'Forecasters had already this week issued an 'amber' heat warning - for only the third time ever - from Sunday to Tuesday for most of England and Wales. But today this was extended to all of England and Wales and southern Scotland - and upgraded to an unprecedented 'red' for parts of central and southern England, including London.It comes as schools are preparing to send pupils home early or close altogether, scrapping PE lessons and banning children from playing outside in a series of measures being considered as the UK braces for the heat. Confirming the new alert this morning, Met Office meteorologist Grahame Madge said: 'We've just issued a red warning for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday which is the first such warning ever issued. The warning covers an area from London up to Manchester and then up to the Vale of York. This is potentially a very serious situation.'And England's chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty said: 'The Met Office has issued an extreme heat warning for next week. Please remember the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke especially for older and medically vulnerable people. Early intervention to cool people down and rehydrate them can be lifesaving.' The Met Office said the hot weather is being caused by high pressure over the UK, with a southerly air flow from the continent developing over the weekend to allow very high temperatures to start spreading northwards. The warmth is coming up from Spain and Portugal which have also had a record heatwave with 47C (117F) highs. TUESDAY: The Met Office expects temperatures to hit 40C (104F) in London next Tuesday, which would be unprecedented NEXT WEEK: The Met Office has issued this forecast map to accompany the extreme heat warning next Monday and Tuesday The Met Office had already this week issued an 'amber' heat warning - for only the third time ever - from Sunday to Tuesday for most of England and Wales. But today this was extended to all of England and Wales and southern Scotland - and upgraded to an unprecedented 'red' for parts of central and southern England, including London, on Monday and Tuesday 'National emergency': The UK Health Security Agency issued a Level Four heat-health alert today covering the whole of England for both days, which warns: 'Illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups' A group of young people enjoy the hot weather at Bournemouth this morning as they go for a dip in the sea People on Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon as the UK continues to enjoy the warm weather Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England People on Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon as the UK continues to enjoy the warm weather A steam train travels past beach huts and sunbathers at Goodrington Sands in Paignton, Devon, this afternoon Two women sunbathe on Bournemouth beach in Dorset today on what is another hot day at the seasideThe red alert issued this morning warns of 'an exceptional hot spell on Monday and Tuesday leading to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure', adding that 'population-wide adverse health effects' will be 'not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to serious illness or danger to life'. The warning also says 'government advice is that 999 services should be used in emergencies only; seek advice from 111 if you need non-emergency health advice' and 'substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required'. How Met Office chief was previously part of MoD's secretive research unitBY JAMES ROBINSON FOR MAILONLINEProfessor Penny Endersby, who issued the sombre video about the heatwave shared online today, is the Met Office's first female chief.She took up the role in December 2018, taking over from Rob Varley who dramatically quit the agency following reports of a row with government chiefs.Professor Endersby, who studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge, joined the Met Office from the Ministry of Defence's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).DSTL is the executive agency which runs the highly secretive Porton Down research facility in Wiltshire. There, Professor Endersby led the cyber and information systems division.She was also acting chief technical officer, as well as a non-executive director of Ploughshare Innovations, the Ministry of Defence's technology transfer organisation.At the time of her appointment, the Met Office said Professor Endersby had wide-ranging experience with high performance computing, complex modelling and simulation, space systems and weather, geospatial intelligence and analytics, and - ultimately - delivering life-saving science for defence and security users.Met Office chair Rob Woodward said at the time he was 'delighted' she would be at the helm of the organisation.He said: 'I and the rest of the board are very much looking forward to working with her as we build on the outstanding reputation of the Met Office and continue the important transformation which will enable the Met Office to remain a world class organisation'.Speaking about her appointment in 2018, she said: 'Throughout my career my leadership ethos centres on creating the conditions wherein scientists and scientific excellence can thrive, while maintaining a keen focus on business delivery to customers. I look forward immensely to working with such a talented workforce.'At the time of her appointment, the Met Office chief executive job was advertised with a salary range of £88,000 to £162,500. Mr Varley's salary band was £120,000 to £125,000 according to the agency's annual report at the time he stepped down.Outside of her work, Professor Endersby is a mother-of-two and an expert choir singer. She is said to have an interest in wildlife and is a trustee of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.There will also be a 'high risk of failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment, potentially leading to localised loss of power and other essential services, such as water or mobile phone services'. The alert adds: 'Significantly more people visiting coastal areas, lakes and rivers, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents.'Bookmaker Ladbrokes is now making it odds on at 1/2 that the UK's hottest day on record will come next week. The Met Office has also warned of travel chaos, saying: 'Delays on roads and road closures, along with delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, with significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays.'A meeting of London's Strategic Communication Group was called today, and Transport for London warned commuters of a 'reduced service' on three Overground lines – Richmond to Stratford; Watford to Euston; and Romford to Upminster - 'due to the hot weather', with London Mayor Sadiq Khan warning of an 'impact on travel'.Mr Khan said: 'The Met Office has now issued a red warning for extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday. This is potentially dangerous and a very serious consequence of climate change. This warning is not limited to the most vulnerable and means that substantial changes in all our daily routines will be required, and there is likely to be an impact on travel. 'All of the capital's key agencies and emergency services are working closely together to ensure London is prepared for the extreme heat that is forecast and will continue to provide advice for Londoners ahead of Monday. I urge Londoners to be very careful and to look after each other in the comings days.'Employment lawyer Liam Entwistle, of Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP in Scotland, said workers could be legally entitled to leave the office next week if temperatures become too hot to work. He said: 'Bosses should be sensible and ensure their staff members aren't carrying out highly strenuous work when temperatures soar, in order to avoid complaints from disgruntled employees. If it gets too hot to work, employees could have the right to take the day off work, especially if employers don't put effective cooling measures in place.'Mr Madge added that computer modelling had been 'firming up around just how intense the heat will be for Monday and Tuesday, with the emphasis on Tuesday'. He added: 'It's now considered 80 per cent chance we will see the all-time UK record broken. There's stronger indications now of 50 per cent chance of seeing 40C (104F) being observed somewhere in the UK, and most likely that would be within the red warning area for extreme heat.'Probably the most likely areas to look at would be north of London and up to Lincolnshire, inland. Somewhere like Peterborough, Grantham, Sandy, Stevenage... A1 corridor. If we get to 40C, that's a very iconic threshold and shows that climate change is with us now. This is made much more likely because of climate change.'Mr Madge warned that if people have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, 'now is the time to make sure they're putting suitable measures in place to be able to cope with the heat'. He added: 'Because if the forecast is as we think it will be in the red warning area, then people's lives are at risk. This is a very serious situation.'Meanwhile, the heat has led to Hammersmith Bridge being wrapped in silver insulation foil to reflect the sun. Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England Sunbathers make the most of the hot weather on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England A group of women walk along the sand at Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they enjoy the hot weather Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England Two women in the water off Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they enjoy the hot weather Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England A group of women set up a tent on Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they enjoy the hot weather Two men enjoy a drink on Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they make the most of the hot weather Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England A zip wire across Bournemouth beach is used today as sunseekers flock to the Dorset coast Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England Two people enjoy an ice cream on Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they make the most of the hot weather Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England A group of people walk along the sand at Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they enjoy the hot weather Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as they enjoy the continuing hot weather for England People in the sea at Brighton Beach in East Sussex today as the warm weather continues for England Visitors enjoy the hot weather on Brighton beach in East Sussex today as the heatwave continues across England People in the sea at Brighton Beach in East Sussex today as the warm weather continues for England A woman sunbathes on Brighton beach in East Sussex this morning as England continues to experience very hot weather People enjoy the sunshine on the beach in Brighton today as the Met Office issued a red extreme heat warning for next week People in the sea and on the pebbles at Brighton Beach in East Sussex today as the warm weather continues for England Beachgoers enjoy the weather at Goodrington Sands in Paignton, Devon, this afternoon A locomotive train on the Dartmouth Steam Railway travels past beach huts at Goodrington Sands in Paignton today Beachgoers enjoy the weather at Goodrington Sands in Paignton, Devon, this afternoon A locomotive train on the Dartmouth Steam Railway travels past beach huts at Goodrington Sands in Paignton today Beachgoers enjoy the weather at Goodrington Sands in Paignton, Devon, this afternoonMet Office chief executive Penny Endersby said in a sombre video online that the forecast is 'absolutely unprecedented', while Network Rail warned people to 'only travel in England and Wales if absolutely necessary' next Monday and TuesdayThe Grade II*-listed bridge in West London has had a £420,000 'temperature control system' fitted to reduce stress on its cast-iron pedestals, on which fractures widened in an August 2020 heatwave and forced it to be shut. What are the potential impacts of extreme heat in amber & red warning?The Met Office has issued an unprecedented red weather warning for 'extreme heat' for Monday and Tuesday for parts of central and southern England. This comes on top of an amber warning for some of England on Sunday - and for all of England and Wales and southern Scotland on Monday and Tuesday. The extreme heat warning system ranges from yellow to red and indicates how likely and how much of an impact the weather will have on public life. The alerts warn of 'widespread impacts on people and infrastructure'.Forecasters say the heatwave could impact the health of everyone – not only the vulnerable – while it could also impact electricity, gas and water supplies. Here is how it could impact different parts of daily life:RAIL TRAVELThe Met Office says that delays and cancellations to rail travel are possible with 'potential for significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays'. And Network Rail has warned people to travel only if absolutely necessary amid the high temperatures, with speed restrictions and disruption likely.Jake Kelly, Network Rail's System Operator group director, said: 'Rail passengers in England and Wales should only travel if necessary on Monday and Tuesday as there will be delays and cancellations to train services due to the unprecedented heat we're expecting.'The wellbeing of our passengers is our first priority so we're asking all passengers who decide to travel to take time to prepare before leaving the house.'Network Rail has warned that services across the UK may be subject to the speed restrictions to avoid tracks buckling, with Avanti West Coast, South Western Railway and Heathrow Express among the operators warning of potential disruption. West Midlands Trains and London Northwestern Railway have already imposed limits on sections of their network this week.ROADS The Met Office says that delays on roads and road closures are possible during the heat alert period. The RAC has urged motorists to 'think carefully before they drive, and do everything they can to avoid a breakdown'. It says motorists should check the coolant and oil levels under the bonnet when the engine is cold. It added: 'If temperatures were to go as high as around 40C as some are predicting, then people should question their decision to drive in the first place.'Hampshire County Council is preparing to deploy gritters in response to melting roads, saying that the machines will be spreading light dustings of sand which 'acts like a sponge to soak up excess bitumen'.Motorists who find tar stuck to their tyres are advised to wash it off with warm soapy water.AIRPORTSThe Met Office has warned that air travel could also be disruption during the heat. This is because planes can become too heavy to take off in very hot weather due to reduced air density resulting in a lack of lift.This happened during a heatwave in summer 2018 at London City Airport when some passengers had to be removed so the services become light enough to take off on the relatively short runway.UTILITIESThe Met Office has warned that a failure of 'heat-sensitive systems and equipment' is possible. This could result in a loss of power and other essential services, such as water, electricity and gas. Hot weather can lead to high demand on the power network because people are turning on fans and air conditioning - and the heat can also lead to a drop in the efficiency of overhead power cables and transformers.WORKPLACESThe Met Office says that 'changes in working practices and daily routines will be required' in the extreme heat. There is no specific law for a maximum working temperature, or when it is too hot to work.But employers are expected to ensure that in offices or similar environments, the temperature in workplaces must be 'reasonable'. Companies must follow follow health and safety laws which include keeping the temperature at a comfortable level, known as 'thermal comfort'; and providing clean and fresh air.The Trades Union Congress says that during heatwaves staff should be allowed to start work earlier, or stay later, leave jackets and ties in the wardrobe and have regular breaks. It is also calling for an absolute maximum indoor temperature of 30C (86F) - or 27C (81F) for strenuous jobs - to legally indicate when work should stop.HEALTH The Met Office has said that adverse health effects could be 'experienced by all, not just limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to serious illness or danger to life' during the warning period. In addition, charity Asthma and Lung UK has warned up to three million asthma sufferers could be affected by high pollen levels, so should use their inhalers. SCHOOLS Plans to cope with the heat, created by the NHS and UKHSA, say children should not do 'vigorous physical activity' when temperatures rise above 30C (86F).Some sports days have been cancelled this week, while official advice suggests moving school start, end and break times to avoid the hottest points in the day.The bridge - which was reopened to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic in July 2021 - now has what the council labelled as a 'giant air conditioning unit on each of the four pedestal chains', which are anchored to the river bed and regulated to be kept under 13C (55F) in the summer. If any of them reach 18C (64F), the bridge will be shut.The cooling system is now being run through the night and parts of the chains that are above the water level on the 135-year-old bridge over the River Thames are being wrapped in silver insulation foil which reflects the sun.Meanwhile students at three primary schools in Herefordshire have already been told they will not be allowed to play outside. Schools are also encouraging pupils to wear a T-shirt and shorts instead of normal clothes.The Hereford Academy is allowing secondary school pupils to start early next week and finish at 2pm to allow them to be 'away for the hottest part of the day'. The academy said it would also bring its sports day forward to avoid the high temperatures next week.And parents at Marlbrook, Little Dewchurch and St Martin's primary schools were told PE lessons will be scrapped and pupils will not be allowed outside to play. A letter added: 'We are also giving parents the option to keep children at home on Monday.' Crestwood Community School in Eastleigh, Hampshire, is among the schools to cancel sports day, saying that 'we do not feel that it is safe for students to be out in the heat all day, taking part in physical activity.'In East London, the headteacher of Clapton Girls' Academy warned of an early finish at 12.30pm amid fears school facilities will be unable to cope with the heat. Anna Feltham told parents: 'Already, many classrooms are very hot, even with fans, and students are struggling to keep cool, drink enough water and maintain concentration in lessons.'Next week's heatwave will make many teaching rooms unbearably hot by lesson two and five. We have reviewed a number of options but do not have sufficient 'cool' rooms to re-room lessons into.'St John's CE Middle School Academy in Bromsgrove has said pupils 'can come to school wearing non-uniform to enable children to wear loose, light-coloured clothing that will help keep them as cool as possible'. The school said it would sell ice pops to pupils in aid of Cancer Research, and that pupils would be encouraged not to run during playtimes to prevent heat exhaustion.At the Co-op Academy Swinton in Greater Manchester, pupils are being permitted to wear their PE kit rather than uniform on Monday and Tuesday, as a 'temporary adjustment to the requirements for uniform'.Arnold Hill Spencer Academy in Nottingham said pupils will have the option to wear their PE kit instead of their normal uniform, while pupils preferring to wear uniform will not need to wear a blazer or tie on Monday or Tuesday.Great Dunham Primary in Norfolk also advised that all pupils should 'wear PE kits rather than uniform on Monday and Tuesday'. The school added: 'Please ensure they have a sunhat, lotion and water bottles. We will not be going out at lunchtime, instead the children will eat and do activities in class. Stay safe.'Abercarn Primary School in Newport also said that pupils should apply sunscreen, wear a cap or hat and bring a water bottle to school, while pupils can wear non-uniform from Monday to Wednesday next week.Andy Byers, headteacher of Framwellgate School Durham, said he would be encouraging pupils to drink water and wear sunscreen and pupils would come to school in PE kit. We've got a sports day, we're going ahead with it, but we're making sure that we've got measures in place, risk assessments in place to do it.'In an update to schools, the Government signposted heatwave guidance for teachers and other early years professionals, noting that children sweat less than adults and cannot regulate their body temperature as well, which puts them at risk of heat stress and exhaustion.During heatwaves, teachers are advised to encourage pupils to wear loose clothing and sunhats 'with wide brims'. Staff should open windows as early as possible before pupils arrive in the morning to improve ventilation and should keep the use of electric light and equipment to a minimum. Mechanical fans can be used when temperatures are below 35C but not at higher temperatures as they can make dehydration worse.And Red Hall Primary School in Darlington has banned children from playing outside in the scorching heat unless they wear a hat, saying it was a 'real concern' that many pupils were attending school without one this week.Health chiefs fear the NHS will be overwhelmed by a number of heat-related casualties if the mercury does indeed rise to levels only usually seen at Death Valley in California, which is the world's hottest place.The chief executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital said routine outpatient appointments and surgery would not go ahead on Monday and Tuesday following the warning over extreme heat.Joe Harrison said on Twitter: 'It has been extremely busy @MKHospital over the past week, with more patients than usual needing emergency care and significant pressure on our staff. As we go into the weekend, temperatures are forecast to rise up to 39C on Monday and Tuesday.'We have taken the decision to stand down routine outpatient appointments and surgery on Monday and Tuesday because many of patients travelling to these appointments are frail and at increased risk, and due to the unpredictable nature of very high temperatures on demand for emergency care and on care environment. Beachgoers flock to the seaside resort of Lyme Regis to soak up the sun on another day of scorching hot sunshine today Sunbathers on the beach enjoying the scorching hot sunshine at the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset today People enjoy the warm weather while sat on deckchairs at the Somerset seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare today People enjoy the weather in London this morning as they make the most of the conditions in a park A woman sunbathes on parched grass in London today as people make the most of the hot weather in the capital A woman uses an umbrella to shelter from the sun near Hammersmith in West London today People walk along Whitehall in Westminster today as they take a look at Downing Street in the sunshine Partially suntanned rowers travel on the River Thames near Hammersmith in West London in the sunny weather today A woman sunbathes on parched grass in London today as people make the most of the hot weather in the capital A man enjoys the sun on his boat on the River Thames near Hammersmith in West London today People enjoy the weather in London this morning as they make the most of the conditions in a park People enjoy the sunny weather on the banks of the River Thames near Hammersmith in West London today A woman sits in a park in London today as people enjoy the warm weather across the country Rowers enjoy the sunny weather on the River Thames near Hammersmith in West London today Empty deckchairs sit in a parched Hyde Park in London today as temperatures continue to rise and visitors stay in the shade People enjoy the weather in London this morning as they make the most of the conditions in a park A woman walks her dog through a parched Hyde Park in London this afternoon as temperatures continue to rise A woman uses an umbrella to shelter from the sun near Hammersmith in West London this afternoon People make the most of the conditions in a park in London today as the warm weather continues'We will do all we can to keep wards and departments as cool as possible, but we know this will be a challenge given the very high outside temperature.' What are Britain's ten hottest days on record? 1) 38.7C - July 25, 20192) 38.5C - August 10, 20033) 37.8C - July 31, 20204) 37.1C - August 3, 1990=5) 36.7C - July 1, 2015=5) 36.7C - August 9, 19117) 36.6C - August 2, 19908) 36.5C - July 19, 2006=9) 36.4C - August 7, 2020=9) 36.4C - August 6, 2003North Wales Police said today that a paddleboarder had died after getting into difficulty in water off Conwy Morfa. The force said it was called to reports of three people in trouble at 10.14pm yesterday.In a statement, the police said: 'Officers attended alongside colleagues from HM Coastguard, RNLI and Welsh Ambulance, who attended to three casualties.'Two of the casualties were taken by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd but, sadly, despite the best efforts of all involved, one person passed away in hospital.'The local coroner has been informed and specialist officers will be supporting the family of the deceased.'The Met Office warning from Sunday to Tuesday - which was issued earlier this week - said the weather could cause health problems across the population, not just among people vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to potentially serious illness or danger to life.Rail firm Avanti West Coast has warned passengers who wish to use services between London Euston and Scotland to plan ahead due to the impact of the heat on rail lines. The company said that weekend services may be cancelled at short notice while journeys on Monday and Tuesday will be subject to amended timetables.Jake Kelly, Network Rail's System Operator group director, said: 'Rail passengers in England and Wales should only travel if necessary on Monday and Tuesday as there will be delays and cancellations to train services due to the unprecedented heat we're expecting. 'The wellbeing of our passengers is our first priority so we're asking all passengers who decide to travel to take time to prepare before leaving the house.Twitter users have claimed some schools and nurseries are closing next Monday and Tuesday because of the hot weather'Remember to bring a water bottle with you, along with whatever else you need to keep yourself well in the heat. Water bottles can be refilled for free at most Network Rail's managed stations. Hammersmith Bridge is given air conditioning unit to stop it overheatingHammersmith Bridge has been wrapped in silver insulation foil to reflect the sun during the heatwave as forecasters confirmed parts of England are now on course to hit a record-breaking 104F (40C) next week.The Grade II*-listed bridge in West London has had a £420,000 'temperature control system' fitted to reduce stress on its cast-iron pedestals, on which fractures widened in an August 2020 heatwave and forced it to be shut. Hammersmith Bridge has been wrapped in silver insulation foil and fitted with a £420,000 'temperature control system'The bridge - which was reopened to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic in July 2021 - now has what the council labelled as a 'giant air conditioning unit on each of the four pedestal chains', which are anchored to the river bed and regulated to be kept under 13C (55F) in the summer. If any of them reach 18C (64F), the bridge will be shut.The cooling system is now being run through the night and parts of the chains that are above the water level on the 135-year-old bridge over the River Thames are being wrapped in silver insulation foil which reflects the sun.Project manager Sebastian Springer said: 'The safety of the public is our first priority. The temperature control system allows us to track weather spikes and maintain a constant temperature. As we deal with the current extreme heat, we are also coming up with innovative solutions to keep the temperature within the threshold.' 'Journeys will take significantly longer and delays are likely as speed restrictions are introduced to keep passengers and railway staff safe, so make sure to allow considerably more time to complete your journey and be prepared for very hot conditions.'Network Rail said response teams will be deployed to mitigate the impact of the extreme heat where possible, but passengers are likely to experience disruption if current forecasts are realised.Steel rails absorb heat easily and tend to be around 20 degrees above the surrounding air te | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
There are growing fears for people living in communities in Pakistan cut off by devastating flooding caused by unusually strong monsoon rains, as damage to major roads hampers the military-led relief effort.On a visit to a badly flooded area in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, described the rains as “unprecedented in the last 30 years”. “I have never seen such devastation in my life,” he said, vowing that his government “won’t disappoint” flood victims.The chief minister of the southern province of Balochistan said more help was needed from the federal government immediately. “We are facing a lack of financial resources, tents and other relief goods and connectivity as all major highways are badly damaged … hampering our relief efforts,” Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo said, adding that his province had sustained more than 200bn rupees ($900m) of damage.Nationwide, the initial economic losses could be at least $10bn, said the planning minister, Ahsan Iqbal. “I think it is going to be huge. So far, [a] very early, preliminary estimate is that it is big, it is higher than $10bn,” he told Reuters.Flash floods fuelled by climate change have affected more than 33 million people, officials have said. “It’s all one big ocean, there’s no dry land to pump the water out,” the climate change minister, Sherry Rehman, said on Monday, as the official death rose from 1,033 to 1,136. That figure is expected to increase markedly once emergency teams access the many communities that have been cut off.Khairpur by boat. Most of Sindh is under water.The crops are gone,lives ruined, livelihoods wiped out, roads swept away, houses destroyed or barely standing. The Navy is also deployed in inland Sindh and Balochistan.Where to pump/drain the water? There’s water everywhere. 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/CuaIaP6hNH— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) August 29, 2022
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said almost 1m homes had been damaged since the heavy rains began in mid-June, as well as 3,451km (2,144 miles) of roads and 149 bridges. About 719,000 livestock animals have been lost.Sharif has requested help from the international community, and on Monday the first shipments were arriving on flights from Turkey and UAE.More than 75% of Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and most impoverished province, has been damaged by floods, and much of neighbouring Sindh province is under water. Water levels at Manchar lake had risen to just over 120ft, the Sindh chief minister told local media, approaching what he described as the “danger” level.In the south-eastern city of Shikarpur in Sindh, not far from the Indus River, Rehan Ali, a 24-year-old labourer, said he could not rebuild his collapsed house without government help and could not work now because of the turmoil. “I don’t even have anything to feed my family,” he told Associated Press. “I lost everything. I don’t know where to go. God help me.”MapZuhaib Ahmed Pirzada, a climate activist from Sindh province, shared a video on social media showing water flowing towards the town of Khairpur Nathan Shah. “Rangers [a paramilitary force] have asked the population to leave, and people who had cars have already done so,” he said. “[But] transport costs have increased and the poor can’t afford that.”Mukesh Meghwar, another activist, said there had been a breach near Jhuddo, in his home district of Badin, on Sunday and more than 3,000 families had fled their homes. More than half of the town was under water, he said. “Sindh and federal governments and the international community should come ahead and help. This is a huge disaster.”Umar Rashid, a programmes manager for the British charity Muslim Hands who returned on Sunday from DG Khan district in south-western Punjab, described his shock at the scale of the flood damage. “The river has overflown, and it’s gone into a lot of the communities and villages which reside right next to the river,” Rashid said. “It’s absolutely destroyed everything there.”He said people in one village he visited to distribute aid described water up to their necks. “The water within that area is slowly starting to recede,” he said. “But there’s nothing in terms of infrastructure there. Because of the temperature being over 40 degrees, because of the humidity, it’s now a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and waterborne diseases. We expect more flooding to happen. We sadly are expecting more people to lose their lives. That’s just the immediate risks and dangers.”On Sunday Rehman said the warming climate was causing glaciers in mountainous northern regions to melt faster than normal, exacerbating the impact of the heavy rain.Pakistan has more glaciers – 7,532 – than anywhere else outside the polar regions. It makes Pakistan one of the countries most exposed to climate change-related weather extremes, said Simon Bradshaw, of the Climate Council of Australia.He said extreme weather, which has also affected China, Europe and the US in the northern hemisphere summer, was becoming harder to predict as the warming atmosphere produced more volatile events.It was important for developed countries to do more to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels, Bradshaw said. “Typically, countries that contribute the least to the problem of warming such as Pakistan are the ones that pay the biggest price in terms of weather disasters.”The flooding comes at a time when Pakistan faces one of its worst economic crises, narrowly avoiding a default. On Monday the International Monetary Fund’s executive board was expected to approve the release of a much-awaited $1.7bn for Pakistan.Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A Kentucky Army National Guard helicopter crew surveys disaster areas due to flooding during a media flight around eastern Kentucky, U.S. July 30, 2022. U.S Army/Spc. Danielle Sturgill/Handout via REUTERS Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comLEXINGTON, Ky, Aug 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in eastern Kentucky on Monday to survey damage from severe flooding that swept away houses and vehicles, and killed at least 37 people last week.Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit families affected by the disaster along with Governor Andy Beshear, the White House said, before participating in a briefing on the emergency response efforts in Lost Creek, Kentucky.The couple will also visit with affected families after the briefing and then Biden will deliver remarks.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAfter days of torrential rain, extreme hot weather descended on the region as families struggled to recover from the flooding.The arduous task of cleaning up and rebuilding got under way last Wednesday as waters receded and remote areas became more accessible. Mountains of muddy debris, upended vehicles and homes dislodged from their foundations were common sights.Survivors, gathered at temporary shelters in the stricken region, described the harrowing experience of escaping the fast-rising water with little more than their lives.About 400 members of the Kentucky National Guard fanned out to deliver hundreds of cases of water and assisting in the recovery effort, Beshear said last week.The U.S. president approved a major disaster declaration for Kentucky last week, freeing up federal funds for emergency work."The floods in Kentucky and extreme weather all around the country are yet another reminder of the intensifying and accelerate impacts of climate change and the urgent need to invest in making our communities more resilient to it," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One.Biden scored a major victory on Sunday when the U.S. Senate passed sweeping $430 billion bill that includes a clean energy package intended to fight climate change. read more The legislation is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and shifting consumers to green energy.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Nandita Bose; Writing by Doina Chiacu;
Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
This is the moment another wildfire threatens to engulf a Norfolk village as firefighters desperately battle to push back the advancing inferno.The astonishing drone footage shows rising plumes of smoke and clusters of bright flames - many in gardens and just metres away from people's homes - in a housing estate in Watton, near Norwich.The blaze, which was yesterday being tackled by at least 60 firefighters, is thought to have started in a field near to the estate. It is believed to have spread to a number of houses.It comes as many as 41 homes were destroyed across London yesterday. Up to 19 homes were destroyed yesterday in the village of Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London, along with 14 homes and 25 vehicles in a blaze in Dagenham.Outside of London, pictures show a row of six houses devastated by wildfire in Barnsley. Residents reportedly battled back the flames with hosepipes and buckets of water as they awaited the arrival of the fire brigade. Terrified residents in Wennington were ordered out as 100 firefighters tried to halt a lethal wall of flame spreading from home to home, fanned by warm winds. One firefighter at the scene branded it 'absolute hell'. Meanwhile, video from Dagenham shows an almost post-apocalyptic scene following a blaze which has destroyed a number of properties. A person filming the devastation, which looks similar to the types of images taken from bombed out villages in Ukraine, described the blackened area as looking 'like a warzone'. Horrific fires swept through homes last night as Britain recorded the hottest day in its history, with the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time. The London fire brigade said Tuesday was their busiest day since the end of the Second World War, with at least 110 fire trucks sent to blazes across the capital.At least 16 London firefighters were injured, including two taken to hospital with heat-exhaustion. A further four firefighters were taken to hospital as they tackled a series of incidents in South Yorkshire. They have since made a full recovery. Extremely dry ground and searing temperatures created the perfect 'tinderbox' conditions for blazes to break out across the country with major incidents declared in London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Leicestershire. Scotland and Wales also saw fires.A wildfire operations expert last night claimed that the severity of yesterday's fires was 'rare or possibly unprecedented', but said due to climate change they were likely to happen 'more and more' in the future.As firefighters battled numerous blazes, parts of the UK saw some relief from the blazing heat last night with showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the north of England and south of Scotland. The Met Office is warning of potential flooding with a yellow warning for thunderstorms in place for London and parts of the south east later today. WATTON: This is the moment another wildfire threatens to engulf a Norfolk village as firefighters desperately battle to push back the advancing inferno WATTON: The blaze, which was yesterday being tackled by at least 60 firefighters, is thought to have started in a field near the homes and is believed to have spread to a number of houses WENNINGTON: An aerial view shows the rubble and destruction in a residential area following a large blaze the previous day in Wennington, Greater London WENNINGTON: Around 100 firefighters were called to an inferno in Wennington, Essex, alone, which one emergency worker described as 'absolute hell.' (Pictured: Row of destroyed homes in Wennington following Tuesday's inferno) DAGENHAM: Firefighters at the scene of a blaze in Dagenham, east London, which destroyed a number of properties and vehiclesDAGENHAM: One of the worst scenes aside from Wennington was in Dagenham, east London, where video shows an almost post-apocalyptic scene following a blaze which has destroyed a number of properties. One person filming the devastation described it as 'like a warzone' BARNSLEY: A row of homes destroyed by fire in Woodland Drive, Barnsley stand as empty shells following a devastating wildfire yesterday BARNSLEY: The remains of a property in Barnsley after a fire broke out in a back garden and spread to homes - destroying four properties DARTFORD: A view from a drone of Bob Dunn Way Area, close to the former site of Joyce Green Hospital, where a wildfire nearly spread to homes DARTFORD: The fire was contained to a large area of heathland. The fire was the other side over the river to the Wennington fire which destroyed at least 19 housesAmid the scramble to evacuate in Wennington, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was 'digging a trench' around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes. Local councillor Susan Ospreay had been 'devastated'.The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene. How London Fire Brigade had resources stretched by multiple fires in yesterday's record-breaking 40C heatwave Yesterday London Fire Brigade declared a 'major emergency' after a number of fires broke out across the Greater London area.Among the largest incidents in the capital, there were: Thirty fire engines dealing with a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster.Fifteen fire engines tackling a fire on The Green in Wennington.Twelve fire engines tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner.Ten fire engines tackling a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate.Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon.Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham.Eight fire engines tackling a fire on The Broadway in Wembley.Six fire engines tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon.Four fire engines tackling a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon.Four fire engines tackling a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that Tuesday was the busiest day for London Fire Brigade since the Second World War, with the service experiencing more than seven times the usual volume of calls.He told old Sky News: 'Yesterday was the busiest day for the fire service in London since the Second World War.'On a normal day the fire service receives - roughly speaking - 350 calls, and on a busy day 500 calls.'Yesterday they received more than 2,600 calls - more than a dozen simultaneous fires requiring 30 engines, a couple requiring 15, and some requiring 12.'I'm afraid the bad news is 41 properties were destroyed in London.'He added that on Wednesday fire engines are expected to arrive at properties on average around six minutes after a call is made, but yesterday it took firefighters 20 minutes due to the increased demand.But they fought in vain to stop it rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field.The heartbreaking village blaze was the most dramatic example of how the country was struggling to cope as the mercury reached unprecedented levels. One resident described the wrecked village as looking like 'a scene from the Blitz'.Resident John Bishop claims he saw the fire from his back window as it started to spread. He told the Telegraph: 'I saw a compost heap which went up in flames and I'm wondering if that was the source of this fire.'The fire became an inferno incredibly quickly. I really don't know about my home, I've been keeping an eye on it on the news via the helicopter pictures.'Another local, Ray Smith, 55, told the Sun: 'I've never seen anything like it before in my life. I got in my car and got out of there. People were scared. It's heartbreaking. I think I've lost everything.' Tim Stock, whose own house was destroyed, said he and his son saw the fire in his neighbour's garden but had been unable to stop it spreading.The 66-year-old, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise.He said: 'I lost everything. The house, the garden, we had two beehives, there was no going back. My son took some stuff and went round to his mate's house but about 10 minutes later that burnt down so he has got nothing either.'I've been a gravedigger for 50 years. My truck has blown up, that belonged to the council. I didn't have time to get it out. 'Last night I stayed in Thurrock Hotel. The council was trying to put us up in people's houses but we've got two dogs and my tortoise Malty.' Speaking about how the fire started, he said: 'The fire started across the cornfield, at one point I got stuck behind the cordon and the field was burning so I couldn't get out that way.'We opened up the church because I have the keys, we got everyone in, people were covered in soot, they were having a drink of water, but then that started filling up with smoke so we had to get everyone out again. I'm surprised it didn't burn down as well to be honest. 'Describing the scene after yesterday's blaze, he replied: 'It was like a warzone. Down the actual main road, all the windows had exploded out, all the roofs have caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz really.'It's heartbreaking really. I mean, I've been there 41 years but my granddad was there before me, so we've been there 60-odd years, he told BBC Radio 5 Live.'And to see it all fall apart yesterday, it's really sad. But as I said, we'll get the site cleared, fit up a kind of mobile home there, and we'll start again.'Another resident, Carole Stopp, 69, who has lived in Wennington Green for more than 35 years, also rescued her tortoise Cleo - who is 60 years old in human years - from the blaze.She told the Telegraph: 'Thick black smoke started rising at about 1pm. 'I said: 'Oh my god' and looked out the window. Our neighbour Tim's front garden was on fire. We rang to see if he was ok. Tim was trying to put the fire out himself with a hose.'Then we heard some large bangs - we think it must have been windows imploding because of the heat. We just grabbed the tortoise and left.'Meanwhile, Gary Ruel, 63, a lorry driver who also was evacuated from his home, told the paper: 'I'm really worried about my house. I might have lost three cats, I got the dog out, but didn't have time for the cats.' Residents and emergency services are assessing the damage this morning after Britain's hottest day on record sparked a string of devastating wild fires which destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. (Pictured: Aftermath in Wennington, Essex) Burned out cars are among the wreckage left by a fierce wildfire in Wennington, Essex, sparked by record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday Firefighters are pictured dampening the flames in Wennington early on Wednesday morning, as warnings for fires remained in place due to the dry conditions A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters tackled a fire on Tuesday Burnt grass surrounds St Mary and St Peter's Church in the village of Wennington, as historic place of worship miraculously remains largely untouched by the inferno Two rows of terraced houses, four other homes, 12 stables and five cars were destroyed by the inferno in Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London. Pictured: A sliding image showing the devastation after the fire (left) and the village before the fire (right) DAGENHAM: Pictures show an almost post-apocalyptic scene with a number of properties and vehicles destroyed in a blaze in Dagenham, east London A row of burnt out houses and gardens is seen in the village of Wennington east of London after yesterday's record temperatures. Pictured: Slide across to see a satellite image of the properties before the blaze A compost heap on the edge of Wennington village is believed by some to be the source of the inferno after it reportedly burst into flames before spreading to nearby grass and undergrowth and eventually reaching homes (destroyed properties pictured) The fire took place near to a fire station. Firefighters battled to contain the inferno is it swept across the village, and towards the fire station itself The chard remains of homes in the village of Wennington following the devastating fire which swept through yesterday as Britain hit 40C for the first time A Union flag remains undamaged amid the devastation following the huge wildfire which ripped through the village of Wennington in east LondonThe charred remains of a house in Wennington, Greater London, following a devastating wildfire which ripped through the village on Tuesday The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene Firefighters fought in vain to stop the fire rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding fieldNeighbour Kia Meadows described how quickly things went ablaze. She told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: 'I was sunbathing in my garden when a massive black cloud's come across, I looked up and that side of Wennington was on fire and within an hour it had spread to our house. Wennington resident says she fled her home with just a photo album, her cat and her dead father's ashesA woman fled her burning home in scorched Wennington with just her photo album, a cat and her dead father's ashes, it emerged today.Two of her cats are still missing following the massive fire which she said might have started in a compost bin next door to her.The story emerged as a friend, who would not give his name, returned to the village to look for her cats.He said he was looking after two people who had lost their homes.He said: 'I just came down to look for the cats of two friends who are staying at mine in Upminster.'I heard the scrapyard was looking after pets but I haven't seen the cats and the police aren't letting anyone through.'The fire, it was next door to their house, and she seems to think it came from a compost bin. She said it enveloped the treeline.'She tried to get her cats out, one jumped out of her hand, the other she got in a box and the other ran off.'It scratched her hand it was so frightened.'She was evacuated to the Windmill pub but luckily I'm local so I phoned them up when I heard and they came to stay with me in Upminster.'They are more concerned about the cats than the rest of it. They're in shock but there are little bits coming back to them.'She lost her father last year and she picked up her photo albums on the way out and his ashes.'Otherwise it's all gone, everything. They've got two vehicles and they are not even letting them go in to get them, a van on The Green and a Porsche outside someone's house.'At least if they get them they are mobile.''A lot of this land is built on a lot of rubbish and as soon as the heat comes, this area goes on fire straight away but never did I believe it would come that close.'Some disruption is still expected on railway services this morning but timetables are set to improve throughout the day.Wennington is still cordoned off as emergency services remain on site to assess the damage. At least 40 hectares of grassland and farm buildings were affected and many houses and 12 stables were destroyed, while at least 90 properties were evacuated. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, a number of residents reported seeing a fire start in someone's garden. Warnings are still in place across the country today due to the very dry ground but temperatures are expected to drop significantly while some showers are predicted.Elsewhere in the country hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people and a children's nursery was destroyed along with most of a street in Yorkshire amid police fears some of the fires could have been deliberate. Officers and fire chiefs also think deliberate blazes were set on scrubland, trees, fields, rubbish, buildings on a residential street and at a nature reserve during the heatwave, which began on Saturday. Yesterday, temperature records were shattered as sweltering Britons turned to beaches lakes and even fountains in Trafalgar Square in a desperate bid to cool off. Heathrow was first to reach the 40C barrier – breaking the old record of 38.7C (102F) measured in Cambridge in 2019. But hottest of all yesterday was Coningsby in Lincolnshire, which recorded 40.3C (104.5F). At least 34 parts of the country broke the UK's previous national record of 38.7C, the Met Office said stretching from West Yorkshire to Surrey. Staggeringly, meteorologists calculated that Britain was hotter than 98.9 per cent of the Earth's surface yesterday.Scotland also recorded its hottest day ever as temperatures climbed to 34.8C (94.64) at Charterhall and Wales set its record yesterday of 37.1C in Hawarden, Flintshire.But a band of thunderstorms moving across England and Wales from the Isles of Scilly spelt the end of the punishing temperatures for some.The 'extreme heat' also led to almost 15,000 homes in the North East being left without power at about 2pm as electrical equipment overheated during the record temperatures. Roads were also closed as fires broke out alongside major motorways including the M25 and M1.Emergency call centres were hit with tens of thousands of pleas for help. A major incident was declared due to a fire surge near Twickenham Golf Course between Feltham, Teddington, Richmond and Hounslow in West London on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Police arrived, along with London Fire Brigades, arrived at the scene and started evacuating residents. Temperatures reached more than 40C for the first time This pictures show how the dramatic fire in the village of Wennington engulfed a row of homes as the blaze spread from the grass A row of houses on fire in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday afternoon as temperatures soar again tod Families now homeless in Wennington, where the worst of the wildfires has been seen, were at first sent to a Premier Inn before that lost power and they were directed to go to Hornchurch Sport Centre to sleep on air mattresses as their 'worst nightmare' came true Maggie Stock, Tim Stock, Vicky Schafer and Alfie Stock who have lost everything after the fire started next door to them in Wennington The chard remains the Stocks's home in the village of Wennington, following yesterday's blaze which started amid yesterday's 40C heatwave Shocking pictures show a huge bush fire raging on the Dartford marshes, Kent on Tuesday Geographic information system software Esri shows on this map where wildfires have broken out and in red where there has been strong thermal hotspots for serious blazes. In this picture you can see most are in England and the south with a few in the very north of England In this aerial view, smoke from fires in a residential area being fought by fire services are seen on Tuesday in Wennington Hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people and a children's nursery was destroyed along with most of a street in Yorkshire. Pictured: A fire at Hatch End on Tuesday afternoon. A fire burns the Kiddi Caru nursery in the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes down to the ground as blazes take hold of areas across England The fire at Wennington is shown yesterday (left) and the area is also pictured before the blaze (right, file picture) This picture shows homes on fire as a huge heath fire ravaged at least three houses near Rotherham, South Yorkshire Fires sparked by lightning at Zennor Head, West Cornwall pictured burning on Tuesday evening Around 100 firefighters tackled blaze in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday amid the 40C heatwave People remove gas canisters from Lennards pub as firefighters tackle a blaze in the village of Wennington yesterday afternoon A huge black smoke cloud erupts during a blaze in the village of Wennington yesterday afternoon Around 100 firefighters tackled a blaze in the village of Wennington in East London yesterday that destroyed a number of homes A man attempts to damp down the smouldering field with a hose pipe as fire services tackle a large blaze in WenningtonThe remains of a fire near Dartford Heath on the A2 coastbound, Crayford is seen as smoke spreads throughout the area Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon Firefighters attend a blaze on Dartford Marshes in Kent after temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record Residents of Yorkshire queued for more than two hours to gain entry into Ilkley Lido The Dartford fire is seen raging yesterday as firefighters rushed to tackle the flames A thunderstorm is seen to rage in Thanet, Kent (left) while a major incident has been declared due to a fire surge near Twickenham Golf Course (right) between Feltham, Teddington, Richmond and Hounslow in West London Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon A firefighter tackles a grass fire in a park in New Brighton in Merseyside yesterday afternoon amid the heatwave Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service issued this picture of firefighters attend to a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington The area surrounding Twickenham Golf Course was filled full of smoke as a fire raged and creeped closer to a Shell garage A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Drone footage of the aftermath of a field fire by Cheshunt Park in Hertfordshire pictured yesterday A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall yesterday afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, yesterday morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes A wild fire in Upminster, Essex, yesterday, seen from the M25 motorway, as the temperature hit 40C amid a series of extreme weather warnings The burnt out remains of Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham yesterday morning where fire crews are still on the sceneGreater Manchester Police said four fires were deliberate on moorland at Dovestone Reservoir near Oldham. Superintendent Phil Hutchinson said: 'This is being as arson which, following conviction, can result in a lengthy prison sentence.' How to claim on insurance if your home is damaged in a fire Claiming on your insurance can be a daunting task at the best of times, let alone after your home has been damaged or destroyed in a fire. Here is a step-by-step guide by loss assessors Morgan Clark on what you should do if tragedy strikes.1. Notify the insurance companyYou'll need to tell your insurer immediately. Many of these have a specific emergency number you can ring that is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year. 2. Secure the buildingAfter the fire brigade has done its job, the home owner is the person responsible for making sure there is no further damage or loss. They should do their best to keep people from entering the house and making sure it is structurally safe - the latter of which may require hiring a qualified surveyor. You must also have your house checked by a qualified electrician to make sure wiring isn't compromised. 3. Find temporary accommodationThis will often be the main priority immediately after a fire. You can stay with family or friends, or your insurer can provide you with accommodation such as a nearby hotel, until you find somewhere long-term.4. Meet a Loss AdjusterThe insurance company will appoint, and pay for, a Loss Adjuster. This person is responsible for all investigations and negotiations. They will look into the damage, and will ask questions about the fire including what caused it. It might be helpful to hire a professional Loss Assessor to represent yourself in this.5. Loss Adjuster's initial reportThe Loss Adjuster will submit a report to the insurance company. This will detail the circumstances of the fire and recommend whether or not the insurer should accept the claim. It will also state whether they think your insurance policy is sufficient for what has taken place. If you have hired a Loss Assessor, they will discuss with you where you can go from here. 6. Appoint emergency contractorsThese contractors will deal with securing and weather-proofing the property, as well as storing any items. They will also check for asbestos and make the property safe. The insurer might not pay for this until they have accepted liability for your claim, so you might have to pay for it in the meantime. 7. Appoint a qualified SurveyorThis person will assess the damage to the property and put together a detailed scope of works for rebuilding your home.8. Claim for your contentsAt this stage you (or the Loss Assessor if you've appointed one) will now start to prepare a claim for lost or damaged contents. This must be as detailed as possible, with accurate replacement values. For items such as designer clothes or electronic equipment, there will need to be proof of make, model or design.9. Emergency accommodation/costs claimA claim for emergency costs should now be compiled, such as money spent on emergency accommodation.10. Find long-term alternative accommodationYou can choose to stay with friends or family, but you can also move into more permanent rented accommodation. If you have a Loss Assessor they can guide you through your options.11. Negotiations with the Loss AdjusterThere should now be another meeting with the Loss Adjuster to discuss the entire claim, including how much work is needed on the house, and the claims you have submitted for contents and emergency costs.12. Move into long-term alternative accommodationOnce this has been approved by the insurer, you are free to move into your temporary new home. 13. Tender ProcessThe Surveyor will put re-building works out to tender, with contractors submitting their bids. They will then make a decision on the successful bids and works will take place.14. Contents claimWhile the tender process is taking place, negotiations will continue about the contents claim. This should be fully agreed and all payments made or replacement items secured before the work is completed on the home. 15. Return HomeOnce works are completed, you will be able to move back into your home.16. Final claim settlementAfter all this is done, you will be able to submit the final part of your claim, which covers all your expenses as a result of the incident. Source: Morgan Clark The UK is also being warned these temperatures could soon be the 'new normal' as Britain starts to see wildfires, extreme heat and pressure on the water supply which has long plagued Europe.One expert, a specialist in wildfire operations, last night told the Telegraph that the severity of fires seen yesterday was 'rare, or possibly unprecedented' in the UK. Steve Gibson said: 'It's difficult to find a previous time when so much of the country has been affected.' Families now homeless in Wennington, where the worst of the wildfires has been seen, were at first sent to a Premier Inn before that lost power and they were directed to go to Hornchurch Sport Centre to sleep on air mattresses as their 'worst nightmare' came true. Amid the scramble to evacuate people from Wennington yesterday, one woman said her uncle was trapped – and was 'digging a trench' around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes.Local councillor Susan Ospreay said: 'Wennington Village has been completely devastated by fire.' The inferno appears to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station – which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.But they fought in vain to stop it rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field.Lorry driver Gary Rouel, 64, told how he raced back from work after a phone call from his wife Debbie, 64, saying: 'She just said, 'The house has gone up in flames.'Mrs Rouel, a dinner lady, tried to round up the couple's three cats and their dog as firefighters ordered her to evacuate.Mr Rouel said: 'It's terrible. I've just finished paying off the mortgage two months ago. It's heartbreaking. My wife has [the lung condition] COPD and the fireman was just telling her 'Get out, get out!'.'The couple's son William, 33, who lives in Halstead, Essex said: 'My mum sent me a picture of the fire outside the home from the bathroom. She was still in there when it was coming up to the house.'It started in the field, then came into the garden, then it was up to the decking and the conservatory. We think the neighbour's house has gone too. It's awful, I watched on TV as the house went up in flames.' Distressed residents could be seen carrying buckets of water to the Lennards Arms pub where the community had gathered. Others were hurriedly removing gas canisters from the pub.Others were hurriedly removing gas canisters from the pub. As the blaze drew nearer, police evacuated the building. Landlord Walter Martin, 60, said: 'I've never seen anything like it. It's awful. People are devastated.' Pensioner Lynn Sabberton said: 'The police came to our house and told us to get what we could.' Brian Brazier, 75, added: 'The fire has burnt my stables out. It started as a little fire around the back of the houses and if someone had been there to put it out we wouldn't have had all this trouble.' Resident Janet Hickey, 70, who has terminal pancreatic cancer, said she was forced to leave all her cancer drugs behind as they were evacuated. She said: 'I've got all my cancer drugs in the fridge.' As buildings surrounding the Grade II-listed medieval St Mary and St Peter's Church caught fire, vicar Rev Elise Peterson called for people to pray for the community.Meanwhile, a firefighter at the scene, asked by the PA news agency what conditions were like, replied: 'absolute hell', while those affected by the blaze said it had been spreading 'fast'.Lizzie Pittman, from Aveley in Essex, who works at some stables by the roundabout, said she was looking after the five horses who had been removed from their stables in Wennington, which had burnt down. Ms Pittman said: 'This is your worst nightmare. You can see it getting closer and closer.'People are losing their houses but that's bricks and mortar. People are losing their livestock.'Elsewhere, black smoke billowed across traffic on the A2 near Dartford, Kent, as bone dry heathland next to the busy route led to a series of fierce blazes. Flames up to 30ft high spread to create a half-mile-long sheet of fire, which came within yards of Spirits Rest, a horse and animal sanctuary. Owner Christine Bates, 63, said: 'I was just terrified for the animals. We got the horses into the back field, and local residents have now got chickens in their gardens and other people are looking after our kittens. The fire brigade were here so quickly and fought it back maybe four times – but it just kept springing up again.' A huge blaze also broke out on heathland just across the Thames near a housing estate in Dartford. Kent Fire and Rescue Service said 12 fire engines and 100 firefighters were called in to battle the inferno near a housing development on the site of the former Joyce Green Hospital. A technical rescue unit were in attendance, and crews were working to extinguish the flames. There have been no | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The Turow coal-fired power plant is seen behind the Turow open-pit coal mine operated by the company PGE in Bogatynia, Poland, June 15, 2021. Picture taken June 15, 2021. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJuly 29 (Reuters) - Heavy rainfalls, withering droughts and other extreme weather patterns across the globe are denting miners' profits and crimping supply of iron ore, copper and other widely-used minerals as climate change roils yet another industry.It is an unusual situation for companies that have experience operating anywhere in the world, include miles underground and at the tops of mountains and in places where temperatures often range from 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38°C) to 0F (minus 18°C).But the first part of 2022 saw the mining industry - parts of which have long faced criticism for how coal production affects climate patterns - contend with a raft of weather-related incidents entirely outside its playbook. Executives detailed their weather-related troubles in earnings reports this week and warned they are likely to continue.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"We are reviewing a few different scenarios to adjust to the likelihood that there are further strange weather patterns," said Lundin Mining Corp (LUN.TO) Chief Executive Peter Rockandel.Lundin cut its 2022 copper production forecast after heavy rains dented production at its Chapada mine in Brazil, a facility that as recently as 2019 was contending with drought.Anglo American Plc (AAL.L)slashed its dividend after torrid rains hurt its iron ore production in Brazil during the first half of the year, coal mining in Australia and platinum mining in South Africa."The extremes that we saw in quarter one of this year outpaced all reasonable forecasting ability that we had," said Anglo CEO Duncan Wanbald.Rio Tinto Ltd's (RIO.L)(RIO.AX) iron ore shipments from Australia's Pilbara region fell 2% in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2021, partly due to "significantly higher than average rainfall in May."Rio also said titanium dioxide production slipped in Madagascar amid one of the worst cyclone seasons in that country since 2008.With inflation and high energy costs already biting into companies' cash reserves, the disruptions caused by extreme weather are even more evident."When markets are tight, these things just become a lot more material ... but there is not a lot you can do," analyst Ben Davis at broker Liberum said.The cost of weather extremes is also measured in human lives. In Burkina Faso, unexpectedly heavy rains during the dry season caused flash floods at Trevali Mining Corp's (TV.TO)zinc mine in April, killing eight miners who were trapped underground.Brazil's Vale SA (VALE3.SA), one of the world's largest iron ore miners, said its output of the steel-producing mineral dropped in the first three months of the year due to torrential rains. Glencore (GLEN.L)warned that flooding could dent its Australian coal production this year.Sibanye Stillwater Ltd (SSWJ.J) shuttered its Montana platinum mines last month after mountain snow rapidly melted amid unusually warm weather, causing runoff that took out several key roads and bridges.ArcelorMittal SA (MT.LU) said steel production at its South Africa's unit (ACLJ.J) fell nearly a third during the first half after severe flooding in the KwaZulu-Natal province damaged rail lines.DROUGHTIn Chile, the world's largest copper producer, miners have faced an ongoing water crisis due to historic drought that has lasted more than a decade and only grown worse this year. Antofagasta Plc (ANTO.L), one of the country's largest copper miners, expects its production of the red metal to fall this year due to that drought.Water is essential in copper production, used abundantly to separate the mineral from its ore and in subsequent steps. To counter water shortages, many mining companies desalinate ocean water and use it in their processes.Earthworks, an environmental group that tracks the mining industry, said mining companies must do more to fund infrastructure improvements amid the changing climate."Mining companies have been prioritizing their bottom line over investing in safety and resiliency for too long," said Jan Morrill of Earthworks.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Clara Denina, Helen Reid, Nelson Banya, Gabriel Araujo, Ernest Scheyder and Praveen Menon; writing by Ernest Scheyder
Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A British woman is among the 13 dead after violent thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds ripped across France, Italy and Austria.The tourist, who was in her 60s, was swept away by raging torrents in front of her husband while kayaking on Thursday morning.He managed to find shelter, but his wife's lifeless body was seen floating in water close to the city of Bastia that afternoon.'She was declared dead after emergency services tried to rescue her,' said an investigating source.The extreme weather produced 140mph gusts, leaving 45,000 households without power on the French island, where five others were killed including a teenage girl crushed by a tree and an elderly woman smacked by a beach hut roof.Rescue crews found the bodies of a 62-year-old fisherman and an unidentified kayaker off Corsica's west and east coasts, according to the French maritime authority for the Mediterranean. It said both died as a result of the sudden storm and that more than 100 grounded, wrecked or stranded ships in the area have called for emergency help. A 46-year-old man died in a campsite in the town of Calvi and a sixth victim was reported late Thursday. Two people were killed in separate incidents in Tuscany when trees were ripped up by storms Thursday, one near the city of Lucca and another near Carrara. Another four people were injured by falling trees at a campground near Carrara. In Austria, two girls, aged four and eight, were killed when sudden strong winds toppled trees at a lake in Lavant Valley, near the southern city of Graz. Corsica has been hit by a very violent storm which left at least six dead, dozens injured, and wreaked havoc across the island Brenches and fallen trees are seen near Lake St. Andraer after a severe storm hit in Lavanttal, southern Austria, where five have been killed A parasol lies on the ground on the terrace of the Eden bar at Piazza San Marco in Venice amid the violent storms across Europe A 13-year-old girl was killed in a camping site (pictured) when a tree fell in Sagone on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica Witnesses of the storm, which wrecked campsites, delayed trains and uprooted trees, said they had never seen anything like it on the islandOfficials said 13 people were injured, two of them seriously.Many of the victims were tourists visiting the popular tourist region.Austrian President Alexander Van Der Bellen called the children's deaths 'an unfathomable tragedy'.The mayor of the nearby town of Wolfsberg, Hannes Primus, said the area looked 'like a battlefield'.In Lower Austria, three women were killed when lightning struck a tree near the central town of Gaming, causing it to fall over.French President Emmanuel Macron said he had called an emergency government meeting by video conference on Thursday evening to respond to the crisis.Visiting Corsica, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that at one point about 350 people had been reported missing as pleasure boats had capsized or been thrown adrift, but he added they had now all been found alive and well. Heavy rain and winds lash the Mediterranean island of Corsica during a deadly storm in Calvi French President Emmanuel Macron said he had called an emergency government meeting by video conference on Thursday evening to respond to the crisis The storm raged as many areas of France - which has been hit by heatwaves and severe drought - saw more rain in a few hours than in recent months combinedWitnesses of the storm, which wrecked campsites, delayed trains and uprooted trees, said they had never seen anything like it on the island.'We have never seen such huge storms as this, you would think it was a tropical storm,' said Cedric Boell, manager of the restaurant Les Gones Corses in northern Corsica, who saw two pleasure boats tossed on to nearby rocks.Yolhan Niveau, 24, a wildlife photographer staying at a campsite near San-Nicolao in the northeast of the island, said the storm had torn through the site, uprooting trees and damaging mobile homes.'There was no warning... I don't feel scared just stupefaction. No one expected this,' Niveau said.The storm raged as many areas of France - which has been hit by heatwaves and severe drought - saw more rain in a few hours than in recent months combined.Meteo France, which said that the exact location of storms was hard to predict, had not given advance warning. It issued an alert with 'immediate effect' as strong winds began to hit the island.In Marseille, streets were flooded and streams of water ran down steps in the port city, videos shared on social media showed'I was woken around 7:30 am by a very huge storm' that knocked out both electricity and mobile phone networks, said Benjamin Roux, a 26-year-old tourist, at the beach near where the woman was killed.He had been planning to go scuba diving, but instead helped the passengers of a boat who were sleeping aboard when it was suddenly thrown onto the shore by the waves.'They managed to get out without injuries, but they're just devastated,' he told AFP.On France's mainland, households were left without power after a storm hit the southern Loire and Ain departments, while in Marseille, streets were flooded and streams of water ran down steps in the port city, videos shared on social media showed.Further north, drought has left the river Loire, famous for the chateaux along its banks, so shallow that even flat-bottomed tourist barges could barely navigate it. In Lower Austria, three women were killed when lightning struck a tree near the central town of Gaming, causing it to fall over Brenches and fallen trees are seen near Lake St. Andraer after a severe storm hit in Lavanttal In Austria, two girls, aged four and eight, were killed when sudden strong winds toppled trees at a lake in Lavant Valley, near the southern city of GrazThe Italian regions of Tuscany and Veneto both declared a state of emergency, as the violent storms in the north contrasted with temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius in southern Italy.In Venice, high winds detached pieces of brick from St. Mark's bell tower, which stands in front of the famed cathedral. Tourists were evacuated from the structure, which was cordoned off. The storm upended chairs and tables in St. Mark's Square and elsewhere, and swept away beach chairs on the nearby Lido.Winds rose suddenly and were calmed within five minutes, said Carlo Alberto Tesserin, the caretaker of the Basilica and bell tower. 'These were not usual winds for us,' Tesserin told The Associated Press.In northern Italy, an overnight storm forced the closures of a train line southeast of Genoa after high winds carried beach structures onto the tracks, damaging the electrical circuitry.The storm struck during Italy's busiest beach vacation week. The mayor of Sestri Levanti, Valentina Ghio, warned that whirlwinds were possible and appealed to visitors to stay away from beaches until the severe weather had passed. Two municipal police officers guard the exit from the bell tower of San Marco, from where fragments of the bricks of the tower broke off due to the storm Street vendors on the shore of San Marco collect the goods from the stalls damaged by the storm that hit Venice Police officers stand by a cordoned off area at the bottom of the Bell Tower at St. Mark's place in Venice after the wind knocked pieces from the roof Firefighters recover a souvenir stall run by a man from Bangladesh (back right), that ended up in the Grand Canal in VeniceHail the size of walnuts pummelled Italy's Liguria region with enough force to break the windows of homes and damage orchards and gardens.While northern Italy has suffered its worst drought in decades this year, heavy rains in recent days that brought scattered hailstorms, whirlwinds and flooding have damaged or destroyed entire crops of fruits and vegetables along with vineyards and olive orchards, according to the Italian agricultural lobby Coldiretti.The fierce rains come amid a summer of of drought, heat waves and forest fires across Europe.Yet to the east, on Hungary's Southern Great Plain, shepherd Sandor Kalman can only dream of rainfall. He grazes sheep on lands desiccated by intense heat and low rainfall. As he walks on his pastures, the grass -- splotched by broad patches of dry dust and sand - crunches beneath his boots.'In this heat wave, this clay soil actually burns the sheep's feet, it's so hot,' he said, adding that his herding dogs also find it difficult to walk on the parched earth. 'I'm 57 years old, but I've never seen a drought this big.'Hungarian meteorological data this year shows the most severe lack of rainfall since 1901.Water levels of the Danube River, one of Europe's largest waterways, have dropped by five feet in three weeks near Budapest, leading the regional water company to warn that the supply of drinking water could be threatened. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Historic flooding in Pakistan has now killed 1,100 people and caused $10 billion in damage since mid-June. At least 33 million people have been impacted and one-third of the country is submerged. Sara Hayat, a lawyer specializing in climate change and adjunct professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan, joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the growing disaster. Amna Nawaz: We return to Pakistan now, which is reeling from the devastating floods caused by monsoon rains. Pakistani officials estimate that one in seven people in the country have been impacted. At least 1,000 people have been killed since June. UNICEF says one third of them were children.Across Pakistan, communities have been reduced to this: skeletal remains of buildings washed away by historic flooding since mid-June.In the southeastern Sindh province, Rehan Ali and his family are among the millions digging through the debris of what was once their home. Rehan Ali, Flood Victim (through translator): I don't know how to rebuild my destroyed house. I don't have anything to feed my family. I lost everything. I don't know where to go. God help me. Amna Nawaz: More than 33 million people have been affected by flooding this summer alone, leaving one-third of the country submerged.Higher-than-normal rainfall inundated spots along the Indus River, running the length of the country from the Tarbela Dam in the north to the riverside city of Kotri in the south. Over the weekend, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was seen dropping supplies from a helicopter, part of a military relief mission in the hard-hit Balochistan province.He also announced a new relief package. Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistani Prime Minister (through translator): From the central government, I announced a grant of 10 billion rupees for the Balochistan province. The National Disaster Management Authority, along with provincial government, will plan relief works. Amna Nawaz: But even with more funding on its way, many people are feeling abandoned by their government. Ghaus Ahmad, Flood Victim (through translator): We are looking towards the government to provide some sort of relief to us. We don't have food to eat. We don't have shelter to sleep in, no clean drinking water. I urge the world to come save us. Amna Nawaz: Nearly 300,000 homes have been destroyed in the deluge so far, leaving millions scrambling for shelter.Half-a-million people have piled into relief camps set up in government buildings. Others have taken to staying on roadsides. The flooding is being fueled by a relentless monsoon season, with rainfall measurements coming in at three times higher than the 30-year nationwide average. These extreme weather events are exacerbated by rising temperatures in the country.Pakistan's top climate official is referring to the events as a — quote — "serious climate catastrophe" and warning about the road ahead. And the climate emergency's impact reaches further than just property, causing large-scale damage to crops and infrastructure.Economic losses could top $10 billion, the country's planning minister said today. That includes this date farmer, Abdul Lateef Jagirani, whose harvest is a total loss. Abdul Lateef Jagirani, Orchard Owner (through translator): The date crop is harvested once a year. We worked very hard and spent a lot of money on the farm this year and hoped for a very good crop and to earn a good profit from it, but these rains ruined all our hopes. Nothing could be saved. Amna Nawaz: Roads and highways across the country have been rendered impassable too. Nawaz Khan, Pakistani National Highway Authority: This flood devastated our network at many locations. Now our strategy is that, initially, we have to temporarily restore the traffic flow, and then, after that, its permanent rehabilitation will take time. Amna Nawaz: Pakistan is calling for international support. Countries, including Turkey, have sent rescue teams.Meanwhile, Pope Francis addressed the suffering during a sermon in Italy over the weekend.Pope Francis, Leader of Catholic Church (through translator): I pray for the many victims, for the injured and the evacuated, and so that international solidarity will be prompt and generous. Amna Nawaz: For more on the floods in Pakistan, I spoke earlier today with Sara Hayat, a lawyer specializing in climate change and an adjunct professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.I began by asking her who in Pakistan is hardest hit.Sara Hayat, Lahore University of Management Sciences: Well, pretty much all provinces are hit at some level or the other, and the country itself, all of Pakistan, really.One in seven Pakistanis are sleeping out in the open these days. That is the scale of devastation, really. So, in 2010, Pakistan was what we hit was hit with what we call the super floods. At that point, 20 million people were left homeless. The kind of destruction that we faced was unprecedented.But these floods are worse than those, in terms of scale and the kind of the devastation they are posing. Amna Nawaz: Sara, what can you tell us about the government response or any kind of aid? Has that been able to make its way to anyone in the country? Sara Hayat: Pakistan has made calls for aid. And we have responses. The United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates have all offered aid and are sending it.Turkey has sent relief workers. They are on the ground in Pakistan right now working with the government and the army. Everybody is donating whatever they can, organizations, companies. And the idea is to collect it and get it into trucks to deliver on the ground.The problem there, though, is that, because of these floods, we have lost thousands of kilometers of road, submerged entirely underwater. We have lost a lot of bridges. So, some parts of the country are literally severed. We cannot access them. Amna Nawaz: Sara, when so many people have been impacted, to the degree they have, one out of every seven people, as you said, now sleeping out in the open, give us a sense of the need.What is it like there on the ground for people right now? Sara Hayat: There has been some coverage of food packets being thrown from helicopters.This is very inequitable, because, when people are hustling to get to these packets, they trip, they fall, they hurt themselves. They fight amongst themselves. And when food and aid is distributed from — thrown from trucks, women never get them.So, it's a very gender-sensitive issue. We need medicines on the ground. There are reports of waterborne diseases, diarrheal infections that are coming from relief camps. We need basic necessities. These people have lost everything, everything. All they have is the wet clothes that they're wearing that are sticking to their bodies, pretty much.And hygiene products for women, those are becoming a problem. And women are in desperate need of those as well. Amna Nawaz: We should mention too it is not just Pakistan that has seen devastating floods so far this year, right? We have seen floods in Bangladesh and in India as well.What, broadly speaking, is going on, on the subcontinent? Sara Hayat: It is scary, really. It is what we are seeing and what it is doing to people.Climate change is definitely one of the driving forces behind the kind of floods that we received in Pakistan this time. And the temperature rise in the global south, especially in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, this region, is higher than the rest of the world.And unless we control or curb climate change or global warming at this point, the temperature increase will be much — right now, it is 1.2 degrees higher. By the end of the century, we are expecting this part of the of the planet to be about 1.5 degrees warmer than global average.Pakistan gets monsoon rains every year. And they are devastating. But we get about three to four monsoon cycles annually. This time, we have eight cycles already. We've had those. And we're expecting more cycles.In the last 30 years — the average rainfall this year is about 400 percent more than the last 30-year average. So, I mean, you get a sense of what has happened.The second is glacial melt. As you know, that this part of the world holds the third largest glacial ice mass on the planet, nearly 8,000 glaciers in this part of the world. Those glaciers are receding because of climate change and global warming. And what that is doing is, it is causing flash floods. It is causing glacial lake outburst floods.And all that water is coming downstream. Amna Nawaz: Based on the trends you have seen, based on the action or inaction you have seen, do you see more floods, more flooding, more damage like this ahead? Sara Hayat: Pakistan is the 10th — is always — or is almost always in the in one of the top 10 most impacted countries by climate change.And so we are. And because this region is going to be very hot also and is getting very hot, I think it's fair to assume that we will be seeing more floods and more natural disasters themselves.But, that said, I do want to put it out there that Pakistan is not responsible for climate change. The global greenhouse gas emissions of the — from the country less than 0.8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. That's negligible. That's nothing.The only problem is that we aren't contributing to it, but we're facing the brunt of it because of our own vulnerability. And we need — we need the developed world to step up. Amna Nawaz: Sara Hayat, joining us tonight from Lahore, Pakistan, thank you so much for your time. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
August DELUGE! Thunderstorms bring a month's worth of rain in less than two hours as roads are left underwater amid warning heavy downpours will spark floodingEast Anglia and London are badly hit by rain today with Essex seeing 55.2mm (2.2in) between 4am and 6am Met Office issues thunderstorm warning from midnight until 3pm today for southern and eastern England Forecasters say driving conditions could be affected by spray, standing water and even hail throughout day And Environment Agency has issued six alerts for parts of South London where 'flooding is possible' today Published: 03:16 EDT, 25 August 2022 | Updated: 03:46 EDT, 25 August 2022 Advertisement Parts of England were hit by thunderstorms and flash flooding today as up to a month's worth of rain fell in just two hours and commuters faced a miserable journey to work.East Anglia and London were particularly badly hit by the downpours, with Andrewsfield in Essex seeing 55.2mm (2.2in) of rain between 4am and 6am today - almost exactly the monthly average for the county of 55mm. Suffolk was also badly hit with 62.8mm (2.5in) of rain falling over Bury St Edmunds in three hours this morning.Flooding affected three London Underground stations today - with Dagenham Heathway shut; Paddington made exit only on the Bakerloo side; and trains not stopping at Tooting Bec northbound. In Kent, heavy rain flooded the railway at Northfleet - meaning Southeastern trains had to run non-stop between Gravesend and Swanscombe.The Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm weather warning from midnight until 3pm today for southern and eastern England – an area that is, ironically, partially covered by a hosepipe ban following the very dry summer.Forecasters said driving conditions across the South East could be affected by spray, standing water and even hail throughout today - and there could be delays to train services, power cuts, flooding and lightning strikes.The Environment Agency issued six alerts for parts of South London where 'flooding is possible', adding: 'Heavy rain and thunderstorms, bringing the potential for locally intense rainfall, are forecast to affect the London area. Commuters shelter under umbrellas as they cross London Bridge in the heavy rain and thunderstorms this morning A commuter covers his head with a newspaper as he rushes over London Bridge on a very wet morning today A Mercedes E220 car drives through floodwater at Hyde Park Corner in London this morning following heavy rain People walk over London Bridge in the heavy rain this morning as southern England faces thunderstorms throughout today A taxi driver makes their way along a flooded road during heavy rain at Greenwich in South East London this morning A commuter waits for a train in South East London this morning during thunderstorms and heavy rain A cyclist makes their way over London Bridge this morning as the Met Office put southern England under a thunderstorm alert A Land Rover Defender makes its way through floodwater at Hyde Park Corner in Central London this morning People walk over London Bridge in the heavy rain this morning as southern England faces thunderstorms throughout today Floodwater on previously dry grass at Tooting Common in South London this morning as heavy rain falls over England 'While uncertainty remains around exact timings and which areas will experience the heaviest rain, there is a possibility that rivers could respond quickly and overtop their banks. 'Flooding to low-lying land, roads and riverside gardens is possible. Surface water flooding may also affect low-lying areas.' Lidl to take 'stunted' fruit and veg to help farmers through drought Lidl says it will sell 'stunted' fruit and vegetables affected by the drought to support farmers and ensure food does not go to waste.The discount supermarket wrote to its British fresh produce suppliers in the face of the record heat and the driest summer for half a century to ask how it could help.Where possible, the chain will now accommodate products hit by the drought, including those which are a different size than shoppers are used to.Lidl GB's chief executive Ryan McDonnell called on other supermarkets to follow suit. He said: 'Farmers across the country are facing a big challenge this year due to the extreme weather conditions experienced over the summer months.'Whilst the crop coming out may look and feel a bit different to what we're all used to, it's still the same great British quality. We therefore want to show support for our suppliers by working with them to find solutions to help.' But while the downpours over the past week make it unlikely this summer - June, July and August - will see record dryness, forecasters warn there needs to be a period of above average rainfall to ease the drought.So far this month the UK as a whole has had only 46 per cent of the average total rainfall for August, the Met Office said.Much of the country has seen even drier conditions, with only 35 per cent of the total expected rainfall for the month so far in England, 34 per cent in Wales and 39 per cent in Northern Ireland.And in southern England there has been just 29 per cent of the month's average from 1991 to 2020.Bedfordshire has had only 13 per cent of its average August rainfall so far, recording just 7.7mm (0.3 inches) this month.The ongoing dry weather has seen drought declared across swathes of England, with parched grass and struggling crops, streams drying up and river, reservoir and aquifer levels low, and hosepipe bans brought in for millions as heatwaves pushed up demand for water.But the bank holiday is expected to be largely dry with warm sunny spells, though possibly wetter in the North West.Temperatures could climb to 30C (86F) or into the mid-20Cs (mid-70Fs) depending on how the high pressure builds, the Met Office said.Its spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'We've definitely switched from the hot and dry regime to something that has rain in the forecast.'There's some heavy rain for the next 24 to 36 hours, providing some relief to gardeners more than helping to top up long-term resources.'While the forecast rain for this week will mean this month will 'catch up a bit' with rainfall totals, he said: 'It's certainly going to be a dry August for the whole of the UK.'And he said some areas had gone without any significant rainfall from the middle of June until last week.'We've had below average rainfall for such a long time, it's going to take a period of above average rain to make it up,' he warned.Whether that period of above average rainfall is looming remains to be seen, with the Met Office set to bring out its seasonal forecast for the likely conditions over the next few months next week.It is possible for the weather to turn around: the severely dry summer of 1976 was followed by rain that meant that rainfall levels had caught up with the average by the end of autumn.But scientists warn that climate change is making weather extremes more likely, increasing heatwaves, droughts and heavy rain events that can lead to flash floods. 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Parts of England were hit by thunderstorms and flash flooding today as up to a month's worth of rain fell in just two hours and commuters faced a miserable journey to work with several stations inaccessible due to downpours.East Anglia and London were particularly badly hit by the wet weather, with Andrewsfield in Essex seeing 55.2mm (2.2in) of rain between 4am and 6am today - almost exactly the monthly average for the county of 55mm. Suffolk also saw 62.8mm (2.5in) of rain falling over Bury St Edmunds in just three hours this morning.Flooding affected four London Underground stations today - with Dagenham Heathway and two exits at Charing Cross shut; Paddington made exit only on the Bakerloo side; and trains not stopping at Tooting Bec northbound. Train cancellations also caused delays to early morning services on the Circle, District and Jubilee lines.In Kent, heavy rain flooded the underground path and the railway at Northfleet - prompting fresh travel hell for commuters as Southeastern trains had to run non-stop between Gravesend and Swanscombe.Meteorologists said that parts of East Anglia and South East England had already been lashed by around 5,000 lightning strikes between midnight and 8.00am this morning. Multiple flood warnings have been put in place across the capital while the Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm weather warning from midnight until 3pm today for southern and eastern England – an area that is, ironically, partially covered by a hosepipe ban following the very dry summer.Forecasters warned driving conditions across the South East could be affected by spray, standing water and even hail throughout today - and there could be delays to train services, power cuts and flooding. A commuter covers her head with her coat near London Bridge as she and millions more brave the wet weather to get into work on Thursday Commuters shelter under umbrellas as they cross London Bridge in the heavy rain and thunderstorms this morning A woman walks with an umbrella on a waterlogged Wimbledon Common, south west London on Thursday during heavy rainfall after prolonged period of dry weather Commuters attempting to access the platform at Northfleet station in Kent were met with fresh headaches on Thursday after parts of the station were submerged following the heavy downpours A commuter covers his head with a newspaper as he rushes over London Bridge on a very wet morning today A Mercedes E220 car drives through floodwater at Hyde Park Corner in London this morning following heavy rain Motorists battle through treacherous driving conditions on the A14 near Cambridge on Thursday morning People walk over London Bridge in the heavy rain this morning as southern England faces thunderstorms throughout todaySuffolk was badly hit by the downpours with 62.8mm (2.5in) of rain falling over Bury St Edmunds (pictured above) in three hours this morning Forecasters said driving conditions across the South East could be affected by spray, standing water and even hail throughout today - and there could be delays to train services, power cuts, flooding and lightning strikes A wet start to Thursday morning for people making their work in Cambridge Pictured: A flooded underpass on Euston Road in the capital as workers faced a challenging commute this morning owing to the wet weather A winding queue of traffic waits outside a flooded underpass on Euston Road, London on Thursday A taxi driver makes their way along a flooded road during heavy rain at Greenwich in South East London this morning A commuter waits for a train in South East London this morning during thunderstorms and heavy rain A cyclist makes their way over London Bridge this morning as the Met Office put southern England under a thunderstorm alert A Land Rover Defender makes its way through floodwater at Hyde Park Corner in Central London this morning Morning commuters battle through the wet conditions as they walk along Wembley Way, north west London on Thursday People walk over London Bridge in the heavy rain this morning as southern England faces thunderstorms throughout today Floodwater on previously dry grass at Tooting Common in South London this morning as heavy rain falls over England Early arrivals to this weekend's Reading Festival in Berkshire were also waking up to wet tents and soggy shoes amid the deluge of morning rainThe Environment Agency issued six alerts for parts of South London where 'flooding is possible', adding: 'Heavy rain and thunderstorms, bringing the potential for locally intense rainfall, are forecast to affect the London area.'While uncertainty remains around exact timings and which areas will experience the heaviest rain, there is a possibility that rivers could respond quickly and overtop their banks. 'Flooding to low-lying land, roads and riverside gardens is possible. Surface water flooding may also affect low-lying areas.'Early arrivals to this weekend's Reading Festival in Berkshire were also waking up to wet tents and soggy shoes amid the deluge of morning rain. The Met Office said today: 'Outbreaks of heavy, thundery rain are likely to develop and move across east and southeast England from the early hours of Thursday.'Ten to 20mm of rain is likely over quite a large area but with some embedded thunderstorms some sites are likely to see 30 to 40mm in two to three hours and perhaps 5mm or more over six hours.'Lightning will be an additional hazard. The area of rain is expected to ease from the southwest before clearing into the North Sea during Thursday afternoon.' Lidl to take 'stunted' fruit and veg to help farmers through drought Lidl says it will sell 'stunted' fruit and vegetables affected by the drought to support farmers and ensure food does not go to waste.The discount supermarket wrote to its British fresh produce suppliers in the face of the record heat and the driest summer for half a century to ask how it could help.Where possible, the chain will now accommodate products hit by the drought, including those which are a different size than shoppers are used to.Lidl GB's chief executive Ryan McDonnell called on other supermarkets to follow suit. He said: 'Farmers across the country are facing a big challenge this year due to the extreme weather conditions experienced over the summer months.'Whilst the crop coming out may look and feel a bit different to what we're all used to, it's still the same great British quality. We therefore want to show support for our suppliers by working with them to find solutions to help.' But while the downpours over the past week make it unlikely this summer - June, July and August - will see record dryness, forecasters warn there needs to be a period of above average rainfall to ease the drought.So far this month the UK as a whole has had only 46 per cent of the average total rainfall for August, the Met Office said.Much of the country has seen even drier conditions, with only 35 per cent of the total expected rainfall for the month so far in England, 34 per cent in Wales and 39 per cent in Northern Ireland.And in southern England there has been just 29 per cent of the month's average from 1991 to 2020.Bedfordshire has had only 13 per cent of its average August rainfall so far, recording just 7.7mm (0.3 inches) this month.The ongoing dry weather has seen drought declared across swathes of England, with parched grass and struggling crops, streams drying up and river, reservoir and aquifer levels low, and hosepipe bans brought in for millions as heatwaves pushed up demand for water.But the bank holiday is expected to be largely dry with warm sunny spells, though possibly wetter in the North West.Temperatures could climb to 30C (86F) or into the mid-20Cs (mid-70Fs) depending on how the high pressure builds, the Met Office said.Its spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'We've definitely switched from the hot and dry regime to something that has rain in the forecast.'There's some heavy rain for the next 24 to 36 hours, providing some relief to gardeners more than helping to top up long-term resources.'While the forecast rain for this week will mean this month will 'catch up a bit' with rainfall totals, he said: 'It's certainly going to be a dry August for the whole of the UK.'And he said some areas had gone without any significant rainfall from the middle of June until last week.'We've had below average rainfall for such a long time, it's going to take a period of above average rain to make it up,' he warned.Whether that period of above average rainfall is looming remains to be seen, with the Met Office set to bring out its seasonal forecast for the likely conditions over the next few months next week.It is possible for the weather to turn around: the severely dry summer of 1976 was followed by rain that meant that rainfall levels had caught up with the average by the end of autumn.But scientists warn that climate change is making weather extremes more likely, increasing heatwaves, droughts and heavy rain events that can lead to flash floods. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A general view shows Tianjin Port, in northern China February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jason LeeRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBEIJING, July 5 (Reuters) - Heatwaves are predicted to sweep through northern China in the next two weeks, with more than 250 million people expected to grapple with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions.For four to six days, the regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, and the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Gansu and Shaanxi, will see temperatures of more than 40°C, said Fang Xiang, deputy head of the National Meteorological Center (NMC).China has faced extreme weather contrasts this summer, with heatwaves in the north and heavy rain and floods in the south. The government has blamed climate change, which it says will increasingly affect the economy and society. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comIn June, heatwaves affected nearly half of China's population. Part of northern China's power grid load saw new highs last month, affecting energy supply, Fang said."The lasting high temperatures will cause a marked impact on production and life, such as increased pressure on power supply," Fang said.The risk of forest fires and harm to the stable growth of crops such as rice, cotton, and corn can also be expected, he said at a news conference.Drought-like conditions are expected to affect crops in Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu, Fang warned.In June, China's average temperature was the highest since 1961, Wang Yawei, a weather official, said at the news conference.It was also 0.9 degree Celsius higher compared with the same period in previous years, he said.Last month, the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu, which have a combined population of more than 180 million, set new daily power usage records. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Albee Zhang, Ella Cao and Ryan Woo. Editing by Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
“We are not ready on this at all,” said Ed Miliband, member of Parliament, who covers climate change for the opposition Labour Party. “Not by a long shot.”July 19, 2022, 10:54 AM UTC / Updated July 19, 2022, 1:22 PM UTCLONDON — The London Fire Brigade declared a major incident in response to a huge surge in fires across the capital Tuesday, hours after Britain hit the highest temperature ever documented, shattering records. "This is critical: @LondonFire is under immense pressure," Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote in a tweet. "Please be safe."A temperature of 104.3 Fahrenheit was provisionally recorded at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday at around 12:50 p.m. local time (7:50 a.m. ET), the Meteorological Office said. Earlier in the day, a temperature of 102.4 F had been provisionally recorded at Charlwood, Surrey, already breaking records.Earlier, the Met Office said on its website that the ongoing heat wave was the first time it had forecast temperatures of 104 F. The previous high of 101.6 F was set in Cambridge Botanic Garden on July 25, 2019.The record-breaking heat marks “an exceptional historic day, really, for the U.K.,” Craig Snell, a meteorologist for the Met Office, told NBC News in a phone interview. “It’s certainly going to be going down in the record books.” And, Snell said, “it’s likely that the temperature may well continue to rise,” with a peak expected at around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. local time. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that (104.3) goes up a little bit more.” Firefighters were battling several “significant fires” as of Tuesday afternoon, local time.In Wennington, 15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters were dealing with a blaze on The Green. Firefighters were also tackling two simultaneous grass fires in Croydon on Oaks Road and Chapel View on Tuesday, the London Fire Brigade said.Khan urged locals to avoid barbecuing on grass or balconies, to not leave broken bottles or glass on grass as it can start fires and to dispose of cigarettes safely. As the United Kingdom grapples with the extreme heat and fires, neighboring France’s southwestern region of Gironde continues to see wildfires spreading to 27,000 acres, forcing thousands to flee their homes. And in Portugal, where wildfires are also raging, more than 650 have died amid soaring temperatures. The Met office had said that parts of the U.K. could experience temperatures of more than 104 F on Tuesday when it issued a "red" warning for extreme heat for much of central, northern and southeast England.On Monday, Wales recorded its hottest day on record at 98.7 F, while a high of 100.5 F was hit in Suffolk on Monday, just shy of the U.K. record.The Met Office said parts of the country had "provisionally" experienced the warmest night on record in Britain overnight, as well as the "highest daily minimum temperature."Two women dip their heads into the fountain to cool off in London's Trafalgar Square on Tuesday.Dan Kitwood / Getty Images"Temperatures didn’t fall below 25 C (77 F) in places, exceeding the previous highest daily minimum record of 23.9 C (75.02 F), recorded in Brighton on 3rd August 1990," it said in a tweet.The Met Office warned that Tuesday's extreme heat could lead to "serious illness or danger to life." As a result, it has said that "substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required." It also warned of a "high risk of failure" of heat-sensitive systems and equipment, which could lead to localized losses of power and other essential services, including water or cellphone services.The soaring temperatures have already had a major impact on travel, with London Luton Airport on Monday forced to temporarily suspend flights to allow for a runway repair after it said high surface temperatures "caused a small section of the runway to lift." The issue was fixed and the runway was fully operational within hours.In the capital, London’s busy Oxford Circus station was evacuated Tuesday morning following reports of smoke from an escalator machine room.The London Fire Brigade said the smoke was due to escalator brake pads overheating. Network Rail, which runs most of the railway network in Britain, issued a "do not travel warning" for services traveling through the "red zone" Tuesday. Meanwhile, other rail and train services have been canceled or reduced due to the extreme heat warning.The rail network also recorded its "hottest rail," which clocked in at 144 F.While the U.K. has experienced warm weather before, scientists have said these soaring temperatures are becoming increasingly common due to climate change propelled by the greenhouse gases that humans are pumping into the atmosphere.Snell noted that this week's hot weather came after scientists for decades predicted increasing heat waves and other extreme weather due to climate change."We can't directly link everything to climate change, but what we can probably say is that this heat wave has probably been enhanced by climate change," he said.In Britain, many homes and businesses are not equipped to deal with high temperatures, with air conditioning uncommon outside of offices and public spaces, while many homes were built in the 1800s and have thick brick walls that absorb heat in the day and retain it at night.Politicians and government advisers have increasingly warned that homes and essential services in the U.K. must be adapted to prepare for rising temperatures in the years to come.Swimmers on Moulleau beach in southwestern France watch as smoke rises from a forest fire at La Teste-de-Buch on Monday. Thibaud Moritz / AFP - Getty Images"The planet is hotter than it's been for 125,000 years. We've got 1 degree of warming so far, but I don't want to be a doom-monger, but we're going to get more than 1 degree of warming, that's the average, and that will mean more extreme heat ... and we are not ready as a country," Ed Miliband, Britain's shadow climate change secretary, told Sky News, which is owned by NBC News' parent company, Comcast.In the U.K., the "shadow cabinet" consists of opposition members who scrutinize the policies and practices of their corresponding government ministers and propose alternatives."We are not ready on this at all," Miliband said. "Not by a long shot."In Spain, shocking video emerged this week of a man in the northwestern town of Tábara forced to jump from an excavator after trying to dig a trench to safeguard his town from a wildfire.As the blaze closed in and started to engulf the digger, Angel Martin Arjona was forced to jump out and run for his life, Reuters reported.Chantal Da SilvaChantal Da Silva is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based in London. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Media caption, The Royal Welsh Show finds ways to keep animals safe during the heatwavePigs will be lathered with sunscreen as crowds flock to the UK's biggest agricultural show on what is expected to be Wales' hottest day on record.Extreme heat warnings are in force for the next two days with temperatures predicted to hit 38C (100F) on Monday.A national emergency has been declared across the UK due to the hot weather.Commuters have been warned only to travel if essential and some schools have told pupils to wear cooler clothing.Some trains have been cancelled as temperatures soar, with Network Rail saying in serious cases railway tracks could buckle in extreme heat.Image caption, Temperatures will reach as high as 38C on Monday in WalesFor the first time, a red extreme heat warning has been issued by the Met Office for the UK - covering large parts of England including London, Manchester, Birmingham and York on Monday and Tuesday - with predictions that temperatures could hit 41C (106F).The Met Office's amber extreme heat alerts, which cover the whole of Wales, will also run until Tuesday night.Will Wales break its record temperature?Wales' record temperature of 35.2C was set to in Hawarden in Flintshire on 2 August 1990, which is a few degrees cooler than the UK record of 38.7C set in Cambridge in 2019.But forecasters say this heatwave could push the mercury to record levels either on Monday or Tuesday in both Wales and across the UK.Wales was the hottest part of the UK on Sunday as the temperature rose to 32C (90F) in Hawarden, making it the hottest day of the year.In England, 31.2C (88.2F) was reached in Nantwich, Cheshire, and also in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.Meanwhile, Northern Ireland also had its hottest day of the year so far, with 27.4C (81.3F) recorded in Derrylin, County Fermanagh, and in Scotland the highs were around 26C (79F).UK-wide temperatures have not yet broken this year's record high of 32.7C (90.8F) at London's Heathrow Airport on 17 June.But with the heatwave set to get even hotter, people have been warned about the risk of extreme heat by the Welsh government.Health officials said the Met Office's amber extreme heat warning "needed to be taken seriously" as it could be mean a danger to life or potential serious illness from the scorching temperatures.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, An aerial view during low tide in the Carew River which runs alongside Carew CastleWales' deputy chief medical officer Chris Jones told BBC Radio Wales people may need to "change some of their plans" in the coming days.Health officials have told schools that children should avoid vigorous physical activity in extreme heat and "maximise shade and ventilation" while pupils should wear loose, light-coloured clothing if possible, wear hats outdoors and drink plenty of water.'Use sunscreen that was bought this year'People who may be temped to cool off in rivers and lakes are being warned to be careful of the dangers of open water while burn specialists have stressed the importance of using sunscreen that has been bought this year.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Experts recommend children have very high SPF sunscreen like factor 50The Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery in Swansea are already seeing an increase in children being treated or refereed to the specialist unit at Morriston Hospital with severe sunburn."Burning your skin causes increases your risk of skin cancer later on in life," said paediatric specialist nurse Louise Scannell."And once you've reached the age of 18, if you've had a significant sunburn then the damage is done and could increase your risk of skin cancer in later life. So it's really important to apply sun cream."She also warned sunscreen is less effective if it was opened last year and was beyond its best before date."People are bringing out sun creams from last year which, once they are opened, should be disposed of and not used the following year," added Ms Scannell.How will the heat affect animals?More than 50,000 people are expected every day at the four-day Royal Welsh Show - one of Europe's biggest agricultural events - and organisers have been told by public health bodies to prepare for the extreme heat.Image caption, The Royal Welsh Show is a significant date in Wales' cultural calendarThe Royal Welsh's chief vet Dafydd Jones admitted the forecast for the show near Builth Wells in Powys was "worrying"."Animals suffer like people - if not worse - in extreme heat and with so many animals there, it is very worrying that animals will find it difficult to cope with the heat," he told BBC Radio Cymru.Organisers have spent more than £50,000 on extra fans and ventilation in livestock sheds to keep the approximate 8,000 animals as cool as possible while extra water will be available.Image caption, The show's chief vet Dafydd Jones said the weather is a concern but steps are being taken to mitigate its effectsHead of operations Mared Jones said organisers had "risen to the occasion" in tackling the expected heat, adding: "Please come prepared, and wear appropriate clothing, that would be my message to visitors."We've got extra water stations, and extra ventilation in the livestock sheds for the animals."We also have a team of vets here to make sure animal welfare is at the forefront." Sunscreen on a pigSome pig owners will lather their animals in sunscreen to protect their animals from getting sunburnt while award-winning pig farmer Ela Mair will be covering her six entrants - including five pedigree Welsh pigs - in cold wet towels to keep them cool.Image caption, Some pigs at the four-day Royal Welsh Show that starts on Monday will be lathered in sunscreen"Pigs don't let out the heat as well as other animals so it is difficult to keep them cool," said the 45-year-old who has a farm near Pwllheli in Gwynedd."We put cold wet towels over them but we need to be careful that the heat doesn't dry the towels too quickly so it can reheat them."So we'll be keeping them in the shade as much as possible and keeping the fans on them as much as we can."Image caption, Geraint and Sue Richards are expecting their ice creams to be in high demandSue and Geraint Richards, who run Basil and Rusty's ice cream parlour in Machen, Caerphilly, are hoping to keep people cool at the show. "After three years away (because of Covid), it feels like you're coming home again, it's massively important, the show is one big family," Mr Richards told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.Media caption, Why is it so hot (in under 60 seconds)?Chief executive Steve Hughson has asked people to "be careful, wear sun cream and hats and use the shade" when visiting the 150-acre Llanelwedd site.Animal charity RSPCA have warned pet-owners to take extra precautions to keep their animals safe in the hot weather, having access to fresh water, ventilation and shade from direct sunlight.British Veterinary Association President Justine Shotton said owners need to stop their pets overheating, including "making sure pets aren't walked or exercised in the middle of a hot day or left inside a hot car or conservatory for even a little while, as not long can prove fatal".The Met Office said the hot weather is being caused by high pressure over the UK and hot air flowing from southern Europe and a heatwave spreading across Europe has fuelled wildfires in Portugal, France and Spain.Commuters have been been advised to only use public transport unless absolutely necessary during the extreme heat warnings.The speed limit on lines across Wales and England has been reduced, with trains mostly limited to 90mph (145km/h), where it would usually be up to 125mph (200km/h), meaning journeys will take longer. Transport for Wales (TfW) has even cancelled trains on routes within the areas covered by the Met Office red weather warning.Media caption, BBC colleagues from hot countries give their tips for staying coolServices between Shrewsbury and Birmingham, Chester and Liverpool, Chester and Manchester, Chester and Crewe, Crewe and Manchester and the Conwy Valley Line will be cancelled.TfW has warned services to Wales' coastal resorts, along the Heart of Wales Line to the Royal Welsh Show and in south Wales due to university graduations in Cardiff and Swansea "will be very busy".The train operator has said "conditions onboard are likely to be very uncomfortable in the extreme weather" but are "working to provide additional capacity to avoid overcrowding".Network Rail said the need for speed restrictions and longer journey times was because steel rails absorb heat easily and "tend to be around 20 degrees above air temperature". "When steel becomes very hot it expands and rails can bend, flex and, in serious cases, buckle," it said.Related TopicsMet OfficeConwyWrexhamBuilth WellsMerthyr TydfilWales businessSwanseaCardiffRail travelPwllheliWelsh governmentNewportUK heatwavesTransport for WalesCreweClimate changeMorristonHawardenSevere weatherHeatwaves | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
LONDON (AP) — Britain shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered Tuesday amid a heat wave that has seized swaths of Europe — and the national weather forecaster predicted it would get hotter still in a country ill prepared for such extremes.The typically temperate nation was just the latest to be walloped by unusually hot, dry weather that has gripped the continent since last week, triggering wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans and leading to hundreds of heat-related deaths. Images of flames racing toward a French beachand Britons sweltering — even at the seaside — have driven home concerns about climate change.The U.K. Met Office registered a provisional reading of 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport — breaking the record set just an hour earlier. Before Tuesday, the highest temperature recorded in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019.The nation watched the mercury rise with a combination of horror and fascination. With several hours of intense sunlight ahead, the record could go even higher.“Temperatures are likely to rise further through today,” the forecaster said after the first record fell.The sweltering weather has disrupted travel, health care and schools in a country not prepared for such extremes. A huge chunk of England, from London in the south to Manchester and Leeds in the north, remained under the country’s first “red” warning for extreme heat Tuesday, meaning there is danger of death even for healthy people.London streets saw less traffic, as many heeded advice to stay out of the sun, and trains ran at low speed out of concern rails could buckle, or did not run at all. The British Museum — which has a glass-roofed atrium — planned to shut its doors early. And the Supreme Court closed to visitors after a problem with the air conditioning forced it to move hearings online.Many public buildings, including hospitals, don’t even have air conditioning, a reflection of how unusual such extreme heat is in the country better known for rain and mild temperatures.The capital’s Hyde Park, normally busy with walkers, was eerily quiet — except for the long lines to take a dip in the park’s Serpentine lake.“I’m going to my office because it is nice and cool,” said geologist Tom Elliott, 31, after taking a swim. “I’m cycling around instead of taking the Tube.’’London’s King’s Cross Station, one of the country’s busiest rail hubs, was empty on Tuesday, with no trains on the typically bustling east coast line connecting the capital to the north and Scotland. London’s Luton Airport closed its runway for several hours Monday because of heat damage.Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Britain’s transport infrastructure, some of it dating from Victorian times, “just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature — and it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could.”The dangers of extreme heat were on display in Britain and around Europe. At least six people were reported to have drowned across the U.K. in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off. Meanwhile, nearly 750 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain and neighboring Portugal in the heat wave there.The highest temperature previously recorded in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019. Tuesday’s reading was provisional, which means they are produced as near to real time as possible with final readings issued after data quality-control, the Met Office said.Climate experts warn that global warming has increased the frequency of extreme weather events, with studies showing that the likelihood of temperatures in the U.K. reaching 40 C (104 F) is now 10 times higher than in the pre-industrial era. In fact, that once unthinkable mark looked possible — even likely — Tuesday.“This record temperature is a harbinger of things to come,” said Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. “The increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves and other extreme weather events is the result of climate change, and these impacts will continue to grow” unless the world drastically reduces emissions.Drought and heat waves tied to climate change have also made wildfires harder to fight.In the Gironde region of southwestern France, ferocious wildfires continued to spread through tinder-dry pines forests, frustrating firefighting efforts by more than 2,000 firefighters and water-bombing planes.More than 37,000 people have been evacuated from homes and summer vacation spots since the fires broke out July 12 and burned through 190 square kilometers (more than 70 square miles) of forests and vegetation, Gironde authorities said.A smaller third fire broke out late Monday in the Medoc wine region north of Bordeaux, further taxing firefighting resources. Five camping sites went up in flames in the Atlantic coast beach zone where blazes raged, around the Arcachon maritime basin famous for its oysters and resorts.But weather forecasts offered some consolation, with heat-wave temperatures expected to ease along the Atlantic seaboard Tuesday and the possibility of rains rolling in late in the day | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A police officer gives water to a British soldier on guard duty outside Buckingham Palace in London on Monday. (Matt Dunham / Associated Press)Millions of people in Britain stayed home or sought shade Monday under the country's first-ever extreme heat warning, as hot, dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the last week moved north, disrupting travel, healthcare and education.The red heat alert covers a big chunk of England and is due to last through Tuesday, when temperatures may reach 104 degrees for the first time, posing a risk of serious illness and even death among healthy people, according to the Met Office, Britain's weather service.The highest temperature ever logged in Britain is 101.7 degrees, a record set in 2019. The country is not at all prepared to handle such heat — most homes, schools and small businesses in Britain do not have air conditioning.London’s Kew Gardens hit 99.5 degrees by 3 p.m., and Wales provisionally recorded its highest-ever temperature, the Met Office said, with 95.5 degrees at Gogerddan on the west coast.At least four people were reported to have drowned across Britain in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off.While Monday is likely to bring record highs to southeastern England, temperatures are expected to rise further as warm air moves north Tuesday, Met Office CEO Penelope Endersby said. The extreme heat warning stretches from London in the south to Manchester and Leeds in the north.“So it’s tomorrow that we’re really seeing the higher chance of [104] degrees and temperatures above that,’’ Endersby told the BBC. Temperatures of nearly 110 degrees aren't “off the cards ... but we’re hoping it won’t be as high as that.”Hot weather has gripped southern Europe since last week, triggering wildfires in Spain, Portugal and France. Almost 600 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain and Portugal, where temperatures reached 117 degrees last week.Climate experts warn that global warming has increased the frequency of extreme weather events, with studies showing that the likelihood of temperatures in Britain reaching 104 degrees is now 10 times higher than in the pre-industrial era. Drought and heat waves tied to climate change have also made wildfires harder to fight.Officials in southern France’s Gironde region announced plans to evacuate an additional 3,500 people from towns threatened by the raging flames. More than 1,500 firefighters and water-bombing planes are trying to douse the flames in the region’s tinder-dry pine forests.In Britain, train operators are asking customers not to travel unless absolutely necessary because the heat is likely to warp rails and disrupt power supplies, leading to severe delays. Some routes were running at reduced speed or shutting down entirely from mid-afternoon, when temperatures were expected to peak.Some medical appointments have been canceled to relieve strain on the health service. While some schools have closed, others are setting up wading pools and water sprays to help children cool off. Most British schools have not yet closed for the summer.The extreme heat even led Parliament to loosen its strict dress code. The speaker of the House of Commons said male lawmakers could dispense with jackets and ties for the week.The high temperatures are even more of a shock since Britain usually has very moderate summer temperatures. Average July temperatures range from a daily high of 70 degrees to a low of 53.Nightfall will bring little relief, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures of 84 degrees at midnight in London.Monday night will be “very oppressive,” and it will be difficult to sleep, chief meteorologist Paul Davies said.“Tomorrow is the day where we are really concerned about a good chance" of hitting 104 to 106 degrees, and, "with that, all the health conditions that come with those higher temperatures,” Davies said.This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
CNN — The sweltering heat did little to stop 53-year-old Eileen Hilton from topping up her tan last Tuesday as the UK recorded its highest temperature in history. As the sun beat down on her back garden in Dagenham, east London, the smell of smoke filled the air. Hilton passed it off as her neighbor lighting a bonfire, she told CNN. What played out in the hours to come was far worse. As temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the capital, grass fires are believed to have started in a nearby park before engulfing neighboring homes, and crossing onto the street where Hilton lives. “The police were everywhere, banging on people’s doors, screaming: ‘Get out! Get out!’” Hilton said of the chaos that ensued. The blaze destroyed 14 houses and damaged six more in the area, according to local officials, turning Hilton’s suburban neighborhood into the latest victim of extreme weather. The blaze was one of hundreds that broke out last week across London, a city ill-equipped for high temperatures and unaccustomed to wildfires, which have historically hit more remote areas of the UK – like heath and moorland. Fires around the capital destroyed dozens of shops and houses. London Fire Brigade described last Tuesday as its busiest day since World War Two, saying in a statement that the blazes were yet another example of how “we are increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes.” The searing summer weather is part of a wider regional trend, climate scientists say. Heat waves have become more frequent and intense across Europe over the last four decades, according to a study published in early July. Global warming has contributed to the pattern, as it has elsewhere in the world – the average global temperature has risen at least 1.1 degrees Celsius since the late 19th century, due to a surge in carbon dioxide emissions and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Changes to the jet stream, atmosphere and sea-surface temperatures may also be fueling hotter temperatures in the region, according to the report. On Sunday, fire services declared a major incident in Surrey, a county southwest of London, and local officials called on Londoners to cancel barbecues as firefighters continued to tackle blazes in and around the capital. “We simply can’t cope with the number of fires across our city directly attributable to the heat wave we’re experiencing,” London mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News. Parts of Dagenham resembled a war-zone when CNN visited last week after the fire had been extinguished there. Cars had melted down to their metal frames, homes were gutted, their windows blackened, and lumps of plastic were all that remained of garbage bins. Around 200 residents were evacuated from the area last Tuesday, and sent to hotels and emergency shelters around the area, Darren Rodwell, council leader for Barking and Dagenham borough, told CNN. In The Leys park, which residents suspect was ground zero of last week’s fire, Rodwell’s anxiety about the future was palpable. Looking out over a burned, ash-colored field, he warned that extreme weather events could become the norm for the borough’s residents. “We’ve already seen in the last two years mass flooding, which we have never seen before … we had about 20 floods in one day. That’s global warming,” he said. “We’ve just had the hottest day the country has ever seen. Again, linked to global warming.” After a month of little rain, much of the land is so dry that the capital is also at risk of surface water flooding, London Fire Brigade has warned. Rodwell, from the opposition Labour Party, worries that Barking and Dagenham is not prepared for what’s to come. “We’ve always had quite mild weather, whether it’s summer or winter, but now we have these extremes and we need to prepare for it,” he said. “The borough’s infrastructure is around 100 years old now. We need proper investment into 21st-century infrastructure,” he explained. Buildings in the UK have long been designed to retain heat to cope with cold winters. But with summers getting warmer, some homes are becoming uncomfortable or even dangerous. Compared to cities such as New York, air conditioning systems are rarely seen aside from in newer office buildings and some public centers. British firefighters have also warned of being unprepared for higher temperatures. The Fire Brigades Union says more than a decade of underfunding has affected the service’s ability to respond. “Firefighters are at the forefront of the climate emergency,” it wrote. “The demands of the job are increasing but … 11,500 firefighter jobs have been slashed since 2010.” Barking and Dagenham, which is among the poorest areas in London, has more green space by proportion than any other borough, according to the local council. But those expanses of grass turned into kindling during the heat wave. July’s dry, hot weather caused multiple fires in The Leys park. “It was controlled and didn’t approach the houses,” but what happened last Tuesday was “absolutely shocking,” resident Zoya Shumanska, 32, told CNN. When Shumanska’s husband, Lyuben Velov, approached their home after dropping her and their two sons at the airport last Tuesday, he noticed the roads were closed, and could see smoke and fire coming from the park. “I went behind my house and started shouting to the police and firemen that my dog was in the house, and would they be able to save it,” Velov said, adding that they did not hear him, so he “decided to jump in when no one was looking.” Velov said two firemen followed him over the fence and helped him break down the door. “If they didn’t help me, I wouldn’t have been able to save our dog … I would like to thank them.” Their cats are still unaccounted for, he said. The 34-year-old is now staying with a cousin, but said he regularly visits the area to look for them, as do his neighbors. Shumanska heard the news that their home had burned down as she waited to catch a flight to Bulgaria. The shock caused her to leave her bags in the terminal, but she later managed to make her flight, bags in hand, with a few minutes to spare – crying only when she got on the plane. “I loved this house,” Shumanska told CNN with tears in her eyes on a video call from Bulgaria. “I was 21 years old when we bought it, and everyone told me: ‘You can’t buy a house because they wouldn’t give you a mortgage.’” Shumanska and Velov defied others’ expectations and bought the two-story property around a decade ago. “This house is one really big achievement for me, so we want to rebuild it” with help from the insurance, she said. “This is (because of) climate change,” Shumanska said, explaining how her friends living in hotter countries told her that it was cooler where they were than it was in London – a city famed for its mild and wet weather. But even after losing their home, Shumanska and her family are “trying to be positive.” “We lost everything, but we are safe,” she said. “We’ve lost all this material stuff – absolutely everything – but we are alive.” Before the school holidays began, Shumanska said that one of her sons had learned about the Great Fire of London, which destroyed parts of the capital in 1666. When their home burned down, “He (asked) me: ‘Mummy, is this the Great Fire of London?’” she said with a laugh. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Flash floods in southwest and northwest China have left at least a dozen dead and put thousands of others in harm's way, state media reported Sunday.
In the southwestern province of Sichuan, at least six people have died and another 12 are missing after torrential rain triggered flash floods, state-owned news outlet CGTN reported.
Some 1,300 people had been evacuated as of Saturday, the report said.
Meanwhile, in Longnan city in the northwestern province of Gansu, another six deaths were reported and 3,000 people have been evacuated, state broadcaster CCTV said. Rainfall in 1-1/2 days was as much as 98.9 millimeters (3.9 inches) in the worst affected areas, almost double the July average.
The rains come amid a heat wave in parts of the country including eastern Zhejiang province and the city of Shanghai, with temperatures soaring as high as 42 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit) last week.
Experts say such extreme weather events are becoming likelier because of climate change. Warmer air can store more water, leading to bigger cloudbursts when it's released.
The flooding adds to economic woes brought on partly by stringent "zero-COVID" measures restricting travel and disrupting supply chains.
China is not the only country experiencing extreme weather this summer. In Germany, low water levels in the Rhine due to droughts have disrupted the supply chain for commodities into the country. Heat waves have also hit the southern part of the United States, with temperatures expected to soar over 38 C (100 F) in coming days. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Fire official Ralph Lucas points to a forest burned by the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon near Holman, New Mexico, U.S., May 24, 2022. Picture taken May 24, 2022. Andrew Hay | ReutersThe U.S. Forest Service failed to account for the effects of climate change when it conducted a controlled burn in April that prompted the largest wildfire in New Mexico's history, the agency said in a report published on Tuesday.The agency depended on multiple miscalculations, poor weather data and underestimated how dry conditions were in the Southwest when crews ignited a prescribed burn that led to the ongoing Calf Canyon/Hermits Creek fire, according to the agency's 80-page review.The blaze, which has burned more than 341,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes in New Mexico, comes amid a prolonged drought and extreme temperatures in the West."The devastating impact of this fire to the communities and livelihoods of those affected in New Mexico demanded this level of review to ensure we understand how this tragic event unfolded," Forest Service chief Randy Moore said in a statement. "I cannot overstate how heartbreaking these impacts are on communities and individuals."Drought, extreme weather, wind conditions and unpredictable weather changes have become significant challenges for the Forest Service, which uses prescribed burns as a way to lower the risk of a destructive fire. Controlled burns have historically helped manage vegetation, minimize hazardous fuels and recycle nutrients back to the soil.The report found that the while the Forest Service followed its approved prescribed fire plan, the fire was set under much drier conditions than recognized. Persistent drought, limited overwinter precipitation, less than average snowpack and fuel accumulation all contributed to rising the risk of fire escape, according to the report.The review also discovered that "numerous details regarding situational awareness of weather in the fire environment were overlooked or misrepresented," and that some nearby automated weather stations weren't available."Climate change is leading to conditions on the ground we have never encountered. We know these conditions are leading to more frequent and intense wildfires," Moore said. "Fires are outpacing our models and, as the final report notes, we need to better understand how megadrought and climate change are affecting our actions on the ground."On May 20, Moore announced a 90-day pause of prescribed fire operations on National Forest lands, providing the agency time to evaluate the prescribed fire program. The Forest Service said it conducts roughly 4,500 prescribed fires every year and that 99.84% of projects go as planned."Prescribed fire must remain a tool in our toolbox to combat them," Moore said. "Unfortunately, the effects of climate change are narrowing the windows where this tool can be used safely." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A COBRA meeting will be held later to discuss the heatwave as forecasts suggest a new record UK temperature could be set early next week.Meteorologists have said there is an 80% chance the mercury will top the UK's record temperature of 38.7C (101.7F) set in Cambridge in 2019.
There is a 50% chance of temperatures reaching 40C (104F) somewhere in the UK on Tuesday, with the Met Office issuing its first-ever red warning for extreme heat.The COBRA meeting, chaired by Cabinet Office minister Kit Malthouse, will be the second held after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) increased its heat health warning from level three to level four - a national emergency.Find out the five-day forecast for where you live The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heat covering much of England and Wales from Sunday until Tuesday.
Daytime temperatures on Saturday are predicted to be around 27C (80.6F) in London, 26C (78.8F) in Cardiff, 23C (73.4F) in Belfast and 21C (69.8F) in Edinburgh. On Sunday, it could hit 30C (86F) in the capital, 27C (80.6F) in Cardiff, 24C (75.2F) in Belfast and 23C (73.4F) in Edinburgh.Temperatures are set to increase further across the nation on Tuesday and reach the mid-thirties for much of England and Wales. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Heatwave is 'national emergency' The UKHSA's level four heat health warning is reached "when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system... At this level, illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups," it said.The Met Office's red warning for Monday and Tuesday covers an area from London up to Manchester, and up to the Vale of York. Read more:Why 'tropical nights' in UK could be deadlyAreas of England that are most vulnerable to hotter weatherWhat is a national heatwave emergency and how will it impact the UK?Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: "If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, now is the time to make sure they're putting suitable measures in place to be able to cope with the heat because if the forecast is as we think it will be in the red warning area, then people's lives are at risk."This is a very serious situation."Train operators warn passengers to avoid anything but 'necessary' travelA No 10 spokesman said railway speed restrictions may be needed on "some parts of the network next week to manage the hot weather and to avoid any potential damage".Jake Kelly, of Network Rail, warned journeys will take "significantly longer and delays are likely as speed restrictions are introduced to keep passengers and railway staff safe". Train operators have warned passengers to avoid anything but "absolutely necessary" travel on Monday and Tuesday.Motorists have been advised to make their journeys out of the hottest periods of the day, particularly if they have older cars.School closuresSome schools in the south of the country may close on Monday and Tuesday due to the extreme weather, and the NEU teaching union has said it will support headteachers taking this decision.Schools choosing to close their doors have pointed to the potentially dangerous temperatures of classrooms, as well as the risk to both staff and pupils of having to work during the hottest points of day. Some schools have said they will arrange a skeleton staff to keep the buildings open for parents unable to find alternative childcare at short notice.Some southern nurseries will also be restricting their hours on the hottest days following Public Health England's guidelines for supporting children in Early Years.The majority of UK schools are set to break up for the summer holidays later in the week. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Flying into London City airport on Tuesday evening, a thickly veiled sunset gave the gunmetal sky a faintly nuclear glow. Far below, the burning fires left dusty streaks across the landscape. The flash of the fire engine lights and clusters of flames were visible even from hundreds of feet in the air.If it sounds apocalyptic, that's because it was.It was the hottest day on record in the UK, with temperatures topping out at 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) -- an incident that forecasters had predicted might be a "worst case scenario" that we wouldn't have to deal with until 2050. London's fire brigade had its busiest day since the Second World War. The heat wave engulfed Europe, bringing to the continent the extreme weather that has been afflicting countries in Asia and Africa for many years.Climate scientists and meteorologists were unequivocal in their analysis of the heat wave. It is one of the many weather events we've seen around the world over the past few years to be greatly exacerbated by human-induced climate change, which is largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels for energy.But even as Europe burned, those people who deny scientific facts set to work promoting a false counter-narrative attempting to normalize the statistically abnormal temperatures. Some insisted they were no different to the hot days they experience on vacation in destinations many latitudes south of the UK, and packed their followers off to make the most of the beach day. Meanwhile just across the English Channel, tens of thousands of people were being evacuated from coastal areas. Others resorted to discrediting and insulting the scientists and activists sounding the alarm. One Conservative politician openly called those linking the heat to the climate crisis "cowards" and "snowflakes." The right-wing Daily Mail's Dan Wootton dismissed Chloe Brimicombe, an award-winning 25-year-old climate scientist who was called upon to speak to media due to her expertise in heat wave research as "barely out of nappies." If you reacted to the news with shock and concern, one critic, a TV psychologist, called you "embarrassing." All of these reactions are examples of the distinct brand of British conservatism that prides itself on its ability to keep a stiff upper lip and hold it together through any crisis. "Keep calm and carry on," the popular aphorism goes, reminding Brits that cultural norms require them to repress anything resembling an emotion, and instead bottle it up to pass on to their children as generational trauma. What might seem like a plea for resilience is in fact a demand that we maintain the status quo at all costs.In this environment, anyone who attempts to raise the alarm or express any kind of heightened emotion in reaction to a particular situation is easily painted as a hysterical radical, intent on introducing unnecessary drama and upset into people's daily lives.But it's definitely time to get radical in our thinking. According to a recent report from Yale, much of the UK does believe that climate change is real and that it's caused by humans. But in this environment, it's far from surprising that a chunk British media and the population's response to the climate crisis — as it was for COVID and for Brexit — is that we'll muddle through it just as we always do. But that isn't going to cut it anymore. Every moment we waste on muddling rather than aggressively following the recommendations of science is a moment we lose to slow an escalating problem. As climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted this week, temperatures of 40-plus degrees are not the new normal because temperatures are going to continue to rise everywhere.It's easy to empathize with those who feel the climate crisis is simply too big and frightening to engage with. But those who blindly deny the science, which is definitive, while playing Pied Piper are encouraging people to sleepwalk their way into a living nightmare. Mocking those dedicating their lives to pursuing the scientific truth or the necessary system change that accompanies it will not alter facts."Unlike other weather hazards (drought, flooding, storms, wildfires) heat waves do and can occur anywhere across our world," Brimicombe told me over email. "Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves and this means they have greater impacts. They are also the deadliest weather hazard."Brimicombe and her fellow scientists are not telling you that people are dying for the clicks or for the clout. (This is among the least effective tactics for scoring either of these things.) They are asking for your solidarity, your vote and at the very least your willingness to believe that what science is telling us is true. And they are asking for it in the hope that future generations may know the pleasures of a balmy beach day rather than unbearably blistering summers just like the one we've had a taste of this week. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
U.S. Updated on: July 16, 2022 / 7:25 PM / CBS/AP 6 killed in massive Montana pileup Montana dust storm causes massive pileup, leaves 6 dead 00:15 Two children are among the six people who died in a Montana pileup after a Friday evening dust storm caused blackout conditions on Interstate 90, a major route in both Montana and the Western U.S.Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson said investigators so far have found no other factors that contributed to the pileup that also sent eight other injured people to hospitals."Everything is indicative of an isolated extreme weather event," Nelson said of the investigation, calling the crash among the worst he'd seen in 24 years with the state. "What could people do? It really was just panic." The pileup was just west of Hardin, with additional ambulances called in from Billings to help. The identities of the dead and conditions of the survivors are not yet being released.The crash was reported around 4:30 p.m., as 21 vehicles, including six commercial semi-trucks, lost control in the dust storm that was fueled by gusts topping 60 mph (97 kph), authorities said. Nelson said there was zero visibility for a mile-long stretch during a peak summer traffic hour for those commuting home from work or traveling for outdoor recreation.It took more than six hours to fully reopen the road."We had a lot of debris and complete chaos," Nelson said.Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Twitter: "I'm deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin. Please join me in prayer to lift up the victims and their loved ones. We're grateful to our first responders for their service." I'm deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin. Please join me in prayer to lift up the victims and their loved ones. We're grateful to our first responders for their service.— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) July 16, 2022 Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who oversees the highway patrol, said in a statement that the Montana Highway Patrol, which he oversees, was investigating. "We will release more information as it becomes available and is appropriate out of respect of the lives lost and their loved ones. A video from The Billings Gazette showed hundreds of tractor-trailers, campers and cars backed up for miles along the two eastbound lanes of the interstate.Before the pileup, storms popped up in central southern Montana between 1 and 2 p.m. and slowly began moving east, said Nick Vertz, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Billings.Those storms prompted a severe thunderstorm watch that covered Hardin and other parts of Montana from mid-afternoon until 9 p.m. Friday. Meteorologists forecasted the potential for isolated hail the size of a quarter, scattered gusts up to 75 mph (121 kph) and frequent lightning.A so-called outflow — or a surge of wind that's produced by storms — flew about 30 miles (48 kilometers) ahead of the storms, Vertz said.Winds picked up quickly around the time of the crash, according to readings at nearby Big Horn County Airport. A 40 mph gust (64 kph) was recorded about 15 minutes before the crash was reported and in less than an hour another burst of wind hit 64 (103 kph).The wind easily picked up dust — a product of recent temperatures into the 90s and triple digits over the last week — and reduced visibility to less than 1/4 mile (0.4 kilometers)."If they looked up in the sky while they're in Hardin, they probably didn't see much of what you'd think of for a thunderstorm cloud, maybe not even much at all," Vertz said. "It was just a surge of wind that kind of appeared out of nowhere." In: Montana Fatal Car Crash Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Young people leave the Medusa music festival after high winds caused part of a stage to collapse, in Cullera, near Valencia, Spain, August 13, 2022. REUTERS/Eva ManezRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comCULLERA, Spain, Aug 13 (Reuters) - One person was killed and dozens were injured when high winds caused part of the main stage to collapse at a dance music festival near the Spanish city of Valencia early on Saturday, emergency services said.Other infrastructure was also damaged when gusts battered the Medusa Festival, a huge electronic music festival held over six days in the east coast town of Cullera.Thirty-two people were taken to hospital and three remained there on Saturday afternoon, regional health authorities said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comOrganisers said they were cancelling the rest of the festival for the safety of attendees."We are completely devastated and saddened at what happened this morning," organisers said earlier on the festival's Facebook page, adding that "extreme" weather conditions had caused damage to various infrastructure on the festival site."At around four in the morning unexpected and violent strong winds destroyed certain areas of the festival, forcing management to make the immediate decision to vacate the concert area to guarantee the safety of attendees, workers and artists," organisers said.The festival, where French DJ David Guetta was due to play on Saturday, had DJs scheduled to play throughout the night on Friday across five stages. DJ Miguel Serna was on the main stage for his 3 a.m. to 4 a.m set when the incident occurred."It was a tense few minutes, I've never experienced anything like it before," he wrote on Instagram."The tragedy happened just at the end of my session on the main stage, just below it, which was the most affected (area). It was a few moments of horror, I am still in shock."National weather agency AEMET said there had been "strong gusts of wind and a sudden rise in temperatures" during the night, with gusts of 82 kph (51 mph) recorded at Alicante airport in the Valencia region."Suddenly there was a lot of wind, very hot air, all the sand started to move, we saw tents flying," one festival attendee, named only as Laura, said."People started to come from the concerts and according to what they told us, parts of the stage, wood, were blown away, it was chaos."National broadcaster TVE showed images of strong gusts of wind battering against people's tents and festival awnings in the middle of the night, as people shielded their eyes from the sandstorm-like conditions."We are in a state of shock because we were 30 metres away (from the stage). It could have been me, it could have been anyone," Jesus Carretero, who was at the festival with his brother, told TVE.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAdditional reporting by Jessica Jones and Elena Rodriguez
Writing by Jessica Jones
Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Ros Russell and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The UK must learn to live with extreme weather, a minister has said, as the government was accused of going missing “while Britain burns”.Hundreds of firefighters battled fires across England as temperatures surged to a historic high of 40.3C on Tuesday. More than 60 homes were destroyed in wildfires, and fire services faced what was described as their busiest day since the second world war.Kit Malthouse, the Cabinet Office minister, said 13 people including seven teenage boys had died while swimming in recent weeks, as he updated MPs on the response to the heatwave.He said of the fires: “We do recognise that we are likely to experience more of these incidents and that we should not underestimate their speed, scope and severity.“Britain may be unaccustomed to such high temperatures but the UK, along with our European neighbours, must learn to live with extreme events such as these.“The government has been at the forefront of international efforts to reach net zero, but the impacts of climate change are with us now.”Kit Malthouse said ‘the government has been at the forefront of international efforts to reach net zero’.Malthouse said Britain would continue to face “acute events driven by climate change”, adding that a new national resilience strategy will be launched “at the earliest possible opportunity by the incoming administration”.But Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, hit back – saying his statement was “too late”.“It has literally taken the country to go up in flames for the minister to turn his focus on this emergency,” she said on Wednesday.“Isn’t it the truth that the prime minister and his entire government have gone missing while Britain burns?“We might have cooler temperatures today but another heatwave is inevitable as our climate heats up. Britain cannot continue to be so unprepared.”Record-breaking hot temperatures spark fires across England – videoGuy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust in London said it experienced significant disruption to its IT systems due to the heatwave and had to postpone some appointments and operations on Wednesday as a result. Meanwhile, London ambulance service said it had taken the equivalent of a call every 13 seconds on Monday and Tuesday, with a 10-fold increase in incidents related to heat exposure compared with last week.Firefighters. meanwhile, warned “the recipe for disaster is still here”.Riccardo la Torre, national officer of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), said firefighters worked in “ferocious and horrific conditions” on Tuesday in the wake of staff cuts. He said 11,500 firefighter jobs have gone since 2010.“The dry conditions are still there, the recipe for disaster is still there. We’ve got a lot of exhausted, overworked, dehydrated firefighters out there and the resourcing issue still exists today, the dry conditions still exist today,” he said.“This needs serious action, and it was thanks to the hard work of firefighters and control staff yesterday that it wasn’t worse – but it was horrific.“So many accounts we’ve heard of people losing their homes and firefighters getting injured are heartbreaking and we don’t know the extent, obviously, of the exposures they [firefighters] faced.”He said injuries ranged from heat exhaustion to smoke inhalation and burns.The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the London fire brigade received more than 2,600 calls on Tuesday – seven times the usual volume.He told Sky News: “It was the busiest day for the fire service in London since the second world war.“They received more than 2,600 calls – more than a dozen simultaneous fires requiring 30 engines, a couple requiring 15, and some requiring 12.”West Yorkshire’s deputy chief fire officer, Dave Walton, described the outbreak of hundreds of fires on Tuesday as a “wake-up call”.Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTHe said the outbreaks were a “gamechanger”, and “fires were spreading much more quickly than ever before”.The Met Office’s chief scientist, Prof Stephen Belcher, warned temperatures would get more extreme in the future. It would be “virtually impossible” for the UK to have experienced temperatures reaching 40C without human-driven global warming, he added.The high of 40.3C recorded at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Tuesday was 1.6C higher than the previous 2019 high. There was also a record for Scotland, with 35.1C recorded at Floors Castle in Roxburghshire.Concerns have now been raised over the risk of flooding after the Met Office issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms across a large swath of England from noon to 10pm on Wednesday.It said that while many places would only see relatively small amounts of rain, some slow-moving torrential downpours could occur.Meteorologist Craig Snell said wildfires were still a possibility, adding: “Because the ground is so dry, the risk is going to be fairly elevated for a couple of weeks really. But thankfully we’re nowhere near in the situation that we were in on Tuesday.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
France was on high alert on Monday as the peak of a punishing heatwave gripped the country, while wildfires raging in parts of southwest Europe showed no sign of abating.
Forecasters have put 15 French departments on the highest state of alert for extreme temperatures as neighboring Britain was poised to set new heat records this coming week.
The heatwave is the second to engulf parts of southwest Europe in weeks, and blazes burning in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain have destroyed thousands of hectares of land and forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to flee.
Scientists blame climate change and predict more frequent and intense episodes of extreme weather such as heatwaves and drought. This photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region (SDIS 33) shows a wildfire near Landiras, southwestern France, Sunday July 17, 2022. In France's Landes forest, in the southwest Aquitaine region, temperatures "will be above 42 degrees Celsius" Monday forecaster Olivier Proust said.
And Brittany, which until recently has escaped the worst of the heat, could register temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius, say experts, which would be a record for the region.
In the southwestern Gironde region, firefighters over the weekend continued to fight to control forest blazes that have devoured nearly 11,000 hectares since Tuesday.
Meanwhile Spanish authorities reported around 20 wildfires still raging out of control in different parts of the country from the south to Galicia in the far northwest, where blazes have destroyed around 4,500 hectares of land.
The fires have already killed several civilians and emergency personnel since last week, most recently a fireman who died late on Sunday while battling a blaze in northwestern Spain.
A heat apocalypse' The wildfires in France forced more than 16,000 people -- residents and tourists combined -- to decamp. Seven emergency shelters have been set up for evacuees.
France's interior ministry announced it would send an extra three firefighting planes, 200 firefighters and more trucks.
"In some southwestern areas, it will be a heat apocalypse," meteorologist Francois Gourand told AFP. This photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region (SDIS 33) shows a wildfire near Landiras, southwestern France, Saturday July 16, 2022. Strong winds and hot, dry weather are frustrating French firefighters' efforts to contain a huge wildfire that raced across pine forests in the Bordeaux region. The chapel of a historic hospital in the southeastern city of Lyon, Grand Hotel Dieu, offered refuge to tourists on Sunday including Jean-Marc, 51, who was visiting from Alsace.
"We came back to admire the place, but we can't leave, it's too hot outside. We say a prayer before the fire!" he quipped.
French cyclist Mikael Cherel, taking part in the Tour de France's 15th stage between Rodez and Carcassonne in southern France on Sunday, described "very, very difficult conditions".
"I've never known such a hot day on a bike. It really was no picnic."
'Risk to life' in UK
In Spain, firefighters managed to stabilize a wildfire that ravaged 2,000 hectares of woods and bushes in the southern region of Andalusia, regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said.
The blaze started on Friday in the Mijas mountain range inland from the southern coastal city of Malaga and it spurred the evacuation of about 3,000 people.
Around 2,000 people had since returned home and now that the blaze has stabilized, Moreno said the remaining evacuees may do the same.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is due to visit the hard-hit eastern region of Extremadura on Monday where various fires have been raging for days.
In Portugal, almost the entire country remained on high alert for wildfires despite a slight drop in temperatures, after hitting 47C -- a record for the month of July -- on Thursday.
Only one major fire was burning on Sunday in the north.
The fires have killed two, injured around 60 and destroyed between 12,000 and 15,000 hectares of land in Portugal.
In the United Kingdom, the weather office issued a first-ever "red" warning for extreme heat, cautioning there was a "risk to life".
The Met Office said temperatures in southern England could exceed 40C on Monday or Tuesday for the first time, leading some schools to say they would stay closed next week.
The mercury is set to reach 38C in parts of the Netherlands on Tuesday. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
By 2050, Stamford Bridge will be underwater. As will West Ham’s London Stadium and Fulham’s Craven Cottage.
Grimsby Town’s Blundell Park will be consumed by the North Sea. Hull City’s MKM Stadium will be submerged, as will the Cardiff City Stadium. Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium will succumb to the River Itchen.
They are not alone. According to a 2020 report Playing Against the Clock: Global Sport, the Climate Emergency and the Case for Rapid Change, published by the Rapid Transition Alliance and Play the Game, in the next 30 years almost one in four of the 92 teams in the Premier League and EFL will suffer partial or total flooding of their stadiums.
In France, Bordeaux’s Matmut Atlantique stadium will be completely flooded every year. In Germany, Werder Bremen’s Weserstadion can expect to be partially flooded every year. As can Toronto FC’s BMO Field in Canada.
In the Netherlands Alkmaar, Den Haag, Groningen, Heerenveen and Utrecht will face total annual flooding with Ajax and Feyenoord partially flooded. Other grounds, such as Middlesbrough’s Riverside, may not suffer the same fate, but accessing them would require a boat.
Last week, fires raged across England on the hottest day ever recorded. The London Fire Brigade said it had its busiest day since World War II. Pre-season friendlies took place in extreme temperatures, even in the late evening. Overnight temperature records were smashed. The Met Office issued its first ever red warning for extreme heat — indicating a danger to life.
February saw Storm Eunice batter football stadiums. Eight EFL fixtures, four National league fixtures and the Scottish Championship fixture between Dunfermline and Partick Thistle were all postponed.
Storm Ciara resulted in the postponement of Manchester City’s Premier League clash with West Ham United in 2020. It led to the cancellation of five Women’s Super League fixtures, including the north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Carlisle United were forced out of their Brunton Park home for seven weeks at a cost of almost £1 million ($1.22m) in 2015 by flooding in Cumbria which studies found was 59 per cent more likely to have happened as a result of human-induced climate change. Last month’s heatwave, which saw temperatures in the UK reach 40 degrees, would have been “almost impossible” without human-induced climate change, scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said.
The world has warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial revolution around 200 years ago. Greenhouse gases have been pumped into the atmosphere by activities such as burning fuels, which have heated up Earth’s atmosphere. Last month’s heatwave is a taste of what is to come.
Without immediate and deep emissions reductions, limiting global warming to the 1.5C target agreed to by 192 counties and the European Union at COP 21 in 2015 and known as the Paris Agreement — the point at which climate change will accelerate and some aspects of it will become irreversible — is beyond reach, the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns.
Football has a significant role to play in that. The Premier League told The Athletic it is “in the process of developing an environmental sustainability strategy, which will set out plans to deliver climate action and address other priority issues including biodiversity and managing resources sustainably.”
As those fires raged in the UK, Europe and the US, almost half of the Premier League’s football clubs flew out on long-distance pre-season tours, while new signings were flying in on private jets to complete transfers.
Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Aston Villa toured Australia. Liverpool played in Thailand and Singapore, Manchester United in Thailand and Australia, Chelsea and Everton in the US, and Tottenham Hotspur travelled to South Korea.
In doing so, they emitted thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide between them. Man United’s pre-season flights alone emitted approximately 1,800 tonnes, the equivalent of around 350 homes’ electricity usage per year, or nearly 400 cars driven for a year. This accounts only for the flights, not including accommodation, food, or other factors.
If that figure was the same for all eight clubs making long-distance trips for pre-season it would be the equivalent to just over 3,000 cars driven for a year, or the electricity consumption of almost 3,000 homes for a year.
In October, Man United flew to Leicester, a journey of just 100 miles, while Leeds took a flight to Norwich City despite the home club designating the fixture as one to champion sustainability. In 2015, Arsenal chartered a flight to Norwich, taking 14 minutes. That same season Tottenham took a 20-minute flight to Bournemouth.
“It is not a good message,” David Goldblatt, author of the Rapid Transition Alliance report and chair of Football For Future — a football sustainability charity — tells The Athletic. “There are some really simple wins that can start to diminish the most egregious forms of carbon emissions.
“The movement of players and athletes is minimal, however, in the overall carbon footprint of football. Compared to the global manufacturing of football boots, not just for professional footballers, or the carbon emissions of fans going to see games and the carbon to create concrete for the stadiums. That’s much more important.”
The 2018 Russia World Cup is estimated to have emitted 2.16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of almost half a million cars driven for a year. That is likely to be a cautious estimate according to the United Nations as “these assessments often underestimate the real impact of sport’s carbon footprint, not including the impact of the construction of new stadiums, the water and energy consumed to support events and the food, plastic and other waste produced during events.”
This year’s tournament in Qatar, controversial for the reasons outlined in this article, is expected to produce 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, although the organisers have claimed it will be carbon-neutral — a statement which is disputed.
There is also the issue of football’s ‘fast fashion’, with kits changing every season, being manufactured mostly in China and Vietnam and shipped across the world.
Emissions, as Goldblatt says, come from building infrastructure, and from supporters using less sustainable methods of travel. The latter is hindered by the rescheduling of fixtures to timeslots which make public transport inaccessible or more challenging.
Many clubs are sponsored by companies that source their money from fossil fuels. Energy intensive cryptocurrency is also an increasingly common form of sponsorship.
“There is no solution to the climate crisis that does not include the end of the fossil fuel industry,” says Goldblatt. As Juventus prepared for the 2019-20 season, Sofie Junge Pedersen suddenly found it difficult to continue during pre-season training. Temperatures had reached 36 degrees celsius, and Junge Pedersen — a Denmark international — began to feel dizzy, her vision blurred by black spots. Moments later, she cut short the session and ice cubes were required to cool down. Team-mates endured a similar experience, failing to complete the session due to the extreme heat.
During Nigeria’s preparation shortly before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations began in Egypt, winger Samuel Kalu was taken to hospital after collapsing in training because of dehydration. The Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango was taken off on a stretcher after temperatures of up to 36 degrees exacerbated the effects of earlier illness.
“It’s annoying”, says Junge Pedersen of her experiences, which have included blisters from playing on particularly hot surfaces. The 30-year-old is one of a growing number of footballers signed up with Common Goal, a movement to unite the football community in tackling social challenges. Those involved pledge 1 per cent of their earnings to a collective fund which supports football charities across the world.
“It was the first training session of the new season and I was angry I couldn’t train,” she tells The Athletic. “I could see the bigger perspective that this is how it will be not just for a couple of days in July but many more days in the future. It made me sad. When I go back to Italy, I will be very motivated to do something because I will feel the heat again and it’s not nice to play.”
The headline figures, the warnings of catastrophic and irreversible climate change centre on the broader impact. But sport, and football in particular, faces an equally uncertain future as a result of human-induced climate change.
In 2019 and 2020, FIFPRO’s affiliated player associations in Colombia and Cyprus raised concerns about domestic league matches going ahead in extreme heat.
But, the United Nations notes, those examples of stadiums being underwater or damaged by high winds are only examples of the catastrophic effects of climate change on football at a professional level. At amateur level, many grassroots clubs are and will continue to suffer. It is estimated that on average, five weeks per season are lost due to climate change.
“The impact on smaller, more local events is potentially far greater,” the UN’s Addressing Climate Change Through Sport policy brief, published in February, said. “From youth leagues to collegiate teams, millions of athletes have already confronted some climate disruptions, and these will only magnify with time.”
Pitches at a grassroots level will become increasingly poor quality due to extreme weather. That impact will be felt disproportionately by those in the least developed countries.
“Climate policy failure means no one is playing football and surviving in 45-degree heat,” Tom Burke, E3G Third Generation Environmentalism co-founder and a former special advisor to three UK Environment secretaries, tells The Athletic.
“It disrupts people’s ability to enjoy football — equally kids aren’t going to be allowed out to play football if we don’t deal with this problem. There won’t be much grass to play on. Those impacts haven’t been thought through. It’s not just what sports people and fans can do to help, but what happens if organisations and governments don’t get this right.”
Even if the threat is startling, clubs, supporters and organisations are beginning to appreciate the scale of the crisis — and their role in making a difference.
“Football can engage a lot of people, then that can affect politicians,” says Junge Pedersen. “Football has a voice and a platform to make changes.”
The Premier League told The Athletic that it “recognises the need to take action on climate change and is committed to reducing its overall climate impact.”
In November 2021 it was one of several sports organisations, including FIFA and UEFA, which signed up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action Framework. This includes aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
“Clubs have demonstrated their commitment to positive change in this area and continue to play an important role in raising awareness of the issue among fans, while also working on policies to improve their environmental sustainability across their business operations,” the Premier League said.
“This includes improvements around sustainable transport options, the provision of plant-based foods, the use of renewable energy, reduction of single-use plastics, saving water, biodiversity conservation efforts and more. The League continues to work with host broadcast partners to ensure all match coverage is Albert certified, working together for a more sustainable future.” Albert is an environmental organisation that encourages the TV and film production industry to reduce waste and its carbon footprint.
In October last year the EFL launched its “EFL Green Clubs” initiative to help support clubs to improve their environmental practices.
“Sport binds people together,” says Burke. “Sport coming out with a unified voice about the importance of dealing with climate change to make sure it continues to be possible will be enormously potent. Football can play the lead role in that.
“I don’t know if the world of sport has begun to understand the impact of a changing climate on its future. On a sporting impact and economics. By the mid 2030s, if we don’t get a grip on this problem, large parts of southern Europe in the summer will not be attracting a lot of tourists.
“You can only sustain sport if you can sustain the whole infrastructure that supports it. You won’t necessarily get young people coming into the sport to sustain it. All the good things about sport get damaged by a failure to deal with climate change.”
However there is some good news.
Conversations between players, clubs and executives that were not being held 10 years ago are now far more prominent, according to Dale Vince, Forest Green Rovers owner. Forest Green Rovers’ stadium is powered entirely by renewable energy and the grass on their pitch is sustainable (Photo: Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)
“From the beginning, 10 years ago, the conversations might have been a bit wide-eyed and weary. People thought we were quirky. Today it’s about what those clubs are doing and what more they can do, asking questions.
“I had to make changes to the club and in effect had to create a green club which would be taking the message to an audience that was relatively untouched,” the environmentalist and green-energy company owner tells The Athletic.
“We have billions of sports fans and we’ve shown we can reach them with an environmental message and can make them fans of the environment as well.
“I have the same message for everyone. Focus on three things: energy, transport and food — 80 per cent of everyone’s carbon footprint is in those things which we spend money on every day.
“Companies are very good at understanding what their customers want and adapting quickly. If we change what we buy, they change what they make. Governments are less good but adapt a bit later.”
In 2017, Forest Green were designated the “greenest club in the world” by FIFA, and are certified as carbon neutral by the UN. Their stadium is powered entirely by renewable energy, the grass on their pitch is sustainable, and it is the world’s first vegan football club.
“As a younger player I can’t remember anyone being too concerned about climate change but that is changing fast,” former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata, a co-founder of Common Goal tells The Athletic. “It’s impossible to ignore the challenges facing people and the planet as they are becoming so critical.
“Many younger athletes are increasingly aware of the challenges resulting from climate change and other social issues Common Goal empowers people in football to tackle. This is at a moment in which footballers are aware of the platform they have and are motivated to use it to create value beyond performance or monetary gain.”
In the Championship, Reading recently brought the climate crisis to the forefront of people’s minds with their kit launch. “We can’t do everything, but we can’t do nothing,” the club said. Stripes on the home shirt sleeves “specifically track climate change in Reading across the full 151-year existence of Reading Football Club.” The shirt itself is made entirely of recycled plastic bottles.
Brentford did not release a new home kit this season, citing the need for football to be more sustainable as one of the reasons.
In July 2020, Manchester City, having partnered with global water technology company Xylem, released a video titled “The End Of Football”, in which Phil Foden is preparing to take charge of what could be the club’s last ever game due to a lack of water. It cites UN data estimating that almost 5 billion people globally could be living in areas of water scarcity by 2050. Their neighbours Manchester United partnered with Carbon Neutral, an Australian company, to offset the impact of those 1,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide from their pre-season flights.
Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Tottenham last September was the world’s first ever net zero-carbon elite football match. In partnership with broadcaster Sky Sports, supporters were encouraged to make sustainable choices, while reducing as many direct emissions as possible, and offsetting the remainder.
Upon signing for Brentford, defender Ben Mee acknowledged the impact of transfers on carbon footprint, explaining how he will offset the emissions from around his transfer by supporting Carbon Neutral Britain. The former Liverpool and Palace defender Martin Kelly told The Athletic in 2019 of his concerns about climate change. Ben Mee, who has now joined Brentford, will offset the emissions from around his transfer by supporting Carbon Neutral Britain (Photo: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
“We have to start making a change,” he said. “I’m just trying to do little steps at a time to try to help. We don’t realise what dangers are going to come our way in terms of what we have done for the climate. Changing now is the only thing you can do.”
In the Isthmian League this season, clubs are permitted to bring forward Saturday kick-off times to reduce energy costs, particularly those related to floodlights.
The Chelsea and England midfielder Mason Mount has worked with Football For Future (FFF) to speak about sustainability.
“We support football players to use their platform to talk about these issues,” the charity’s founder, Elliot Arthur-Worsop, tells The Athletic. “Some players are the most powerful media platforms in the world, they have more followers and more people consuming what they say than most newspapers.
“We talk about climate through the language of football to make it more relatable. This is about raising awareness, social change and attitudes.”
Through a new partnership with Common Goal, Hyundai has pledged 1 per cent of its World Cup sponsorship fee and doubled down on its commitment to reach net zero by 2045. “We want organisations to own a Common Goal,” says its co-founder Jurgen Griesbeck.
“We want a football club like Werder Bremen to own it and grow it, to make the 1 per cent approach work and do it in a way that you see it happen as fast as possible.” Despite the gloomy outlook, those involved in trying to make a difference retain hope that meaningful change can be enacted quickly enough to avoid the very worst effects of climate change.
“We were nowhere two years ago. Loads has changed,” says Goldblatt. “The pace of change is increasing every month. There’s going to be surprisingly big shifts that will change the commercial logic of many football clubs and institutions. FIFA and UEFA are drawing up the most extensive environmental policies of any football organisations. The Bundesliga has introduced environmental licensing under pressure from fans.”
Football has the power to make a difference. In all, 3.57 billion people — more than half the world aged four and over — watched the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Bringing awareness to such a vast audience of their individual agency in the fight against climate change is vital.
“For those who opposed it, the Super League was the end of football,” says Griesbeck. “Climate is the end of football in a certain way. With the Super League there was collective action to avoid something happening. Why wouldn’t we be able to gather the same strength and exercise the same pressure and power on football to do its part (in combatting climate change)?”
Arthur-Worsop uses football analogies to portray the message of hope. We are “deep into extra time”, but “everyone loves an underdog moment and football deals in miracles,” he says. “Football allows us to have that hope and believe that nothing is impossible.”
Katie Cross, founder of Pledgeball, a charity that encourages fans to make sustainable lifestyle choices in support of their team, is similarly positive. “If anything is going to do it, football is going to do it because the reach and emotional identification is huge,” she says.
“The climate crisis is coming home,” Vince adds. “We can’t act fast enough or far enough.”
(Top image: Sam Richardson/Getty Images) | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Wildfires broke out across southern England today as Britain experienced its hottest day on record with temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) amid growing rail travel chaos as schools shut again in the extreme heat.Firefighters have described blazes tearing through homes and buildings in London as 'absolute hell' - with residents evacuated after at last five houses were destroyed, two people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and a major incident declared. Elsewhere in the country hundreds of fire crews are out battling raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people and fire services declared 'major incidents' as they were hit with thousands of calls. At least 34 parts of the country broke the UK's previous national record of 38.7C today, the Met Office said with the new national record set by Coningsby, Lincolnshire which hit an unprecedented 40.3C (104.54) while London Heathrow also saw highs of 40.2C (104.4F). Scotland also recorded its hottest day ever as temperatures climbed to 34.8C (94.64) at Charterhall and Wales might beat its new record set yesterday of 37.1C in Hawarden, Flintshire.Smoke has seen the skies turn grey throughout most of the country and so far in these areas below firefighters are tackling blazes: ** Are you in Wennington or anywhere else hit by wildfires today? Please email: [email protected] ** 30 fire engines tackling a grass fire on Pea Lane in Upminster;15 fire engines tackling a fire on The Green in Wennington;12 fire engines tackling a fire involving garden fencing and trees on Uxbridge Road in Pinner;Ten fire engines tackling a restaurant fire on Green Lanes in Southgate;Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Oaks Road in Croydon;Eight fire engines tackling a grass fire on Ballards Road in Dagenham;Eight fire engines tackling a fire on The Broadway in Wembley;Six fire engines tackling a grass fire on Sunningfields Crescent in Hendon;Four fire engines tackling a grass fire on Chapel View in Croydon;Four fire engines tackling a fire on Sidcup Road in Eltham;Two fire engines tackling a field fire near Rotherham, South Yorkshire; Six fire engines tackling a farm blaze near Kelso, Scotland Six fire engines at a combine harvester fire in Hamels Lane, BuntingfordFive fire engines at an RTC on the M1 in Hertfordshire Six fire engines at a field fire in Rushden, Hertfordshire Six fire engines at a field fire in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire12 fire engines at a field fire in Codicote, HertfordshireEight fire crews at a large grass fire near Bradgate Park, LeicestershireThe extreme heat has been caused by a plume of hot air from north Africa and the Sahara and an 'Azores High' subtropical pressure system creeping further north than usual - which experts say is a result of climate change. Forecasters said an absolute maximum of 43C (109F) is possible later on - and the highs in England are equal to the warmest spots anywhere in Europe today. The UK is also hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados.The 'extreme heat' also led to thousands of homes in the North East being left without power as electrical equipment overheated during the record temperatures. Roads have also been closed as fires broke out on the major motorways including the M25 and M1 today due to wildfires and vehicle blazes. In Charlwood, Surrey, beat the previous all-time UK high of 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge in July 2019. In third place is 38.5C (101.3F) in Kent in August 2003, and 38.1C (100.6F) in Suffolk yesterday is fourth.Elsewhere in England this afternoon, by lunchtime the mercury had got up to 39.9C (103.8F) at Charlwood, 39.6C (103.3F) at Kew Gardens in West London, 39.3C (102.7F) at Wisley in Surrey, and 39.2C (102.6F) at both Chertsey in Surrey and Northolt in West London - with all of these readings also beating the all-time UK high from 2019.The UK is also being warned these temperatures could soon be the 'new normal' as Britain starts to see wildfires, extreme heat and pressure on the water supply which has long plagued Europe. A huge grass blaze broke out in Wennington, East London, this afternoon and appeared to have destroyed this house (centre) A fire burns the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes today as blazes take hold of areas across England A row of houses is on fire in the village of Wennington in East London this afternoon as temperatures soar again today The fire at Wennington is shown today (left) and the area is also pictured before the blaze (right, file picture) A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters are tackling a fire This picture shows homes on fire as a huge heath fire ravages at least three houses near Rotherham, South Yorkshire Shocking pictures show a huge bush fire raging on the Dartford marshes, Kent today Around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in the village of Wennington in East London today as the heatwave continues People remove gas canisters from Lennards pub as firefighters tackle a blaze in the village of Wennington this afternoon Another house was also destroyed in the Wennington fire this afternoon which was seen from above in this Sky News aerial The huge grass blaze has spread to houses in Wennington, East London, this afternoon amid the extreme heat Some 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade are dealing with the Wennington blaze today Around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in the village of Wennington this afternoon as the heatwave continues A fire on Dartford Heath next to the A2 in Kent this afternoon, with smoke spreading across the road Around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in the village of Wennington in East London today as the heatwave continues Around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in the village of Wennington this afternoon as the heatwave continues A fire on Peckham High Street in South London this afternoon as the heatwave continues to cause chaos in the capital The fire broke out in Wennington this afternoon and was having a major impact on local residential areas Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon Firefighters attend a blaze on Dartford Marshes in Kent today after temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon A firefighter tackles a grass fire in a park in New Brighton in Merseyside this afternoon amid the heatwave Firefighters attend a gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service issued this picture of firefighters attend to a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington, today A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes Drone footage of the aftermath of a field fire by Cheshunt Park in Hertfordshire pictured today, after it started yesterday A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon amid the very high temperatures The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes A fire in Upminster, Essex, today as the hot weather continues amid a series of extreme weather warnings The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homesA bush fire in Leytonstone, East London, resulted in roads having to close as the heatwave continues in England The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes The burnt out remains of Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham this morning where fire crews are still on the scene Maximum temperatures of at least 40C are expected in England this afternoon - but could rise even further to as high as 43C Forecasters at MetDesk produced this map revealing where the top temperatures are likely to be observed in Britain today TEN hottest places as old record is obliterated 40.3C Coningsby, Lincs40.2C Heathrow, London40.0C Waddington, Lincs40.0C Humberside40.0C Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster39.5C Northolt, London39.4C Scampton, Lincs39.3C Woburn, Beds39.2C Watnall, Notts39.2C Cranwell, Lincs---38.7C Previous UK record (Cambridge, July 2019) And smoke drifted over the M25 as almost 200 firefighters and 30 fire engines tried to extinguish a corn field blaze in Upminster. Firefighters in London said they were battling 'several significant fires' including these ten:Residents were evacuated from their homes in the village of Wennington, east London, on Tuesday afternoon, where black smoke billowed into the air, while flames destroyed buildings and ravaged nearby fields.A firefighter at the scene, asked by the PA news agency what conditions were like, replied: 'absolute hell', while those affected by the blaze said it had been spreading 'fast'.Two people were also taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation following a fire in Dagenham. London Fire Brigade (LFB) declared a major incident due to 'a huge surge' in blazes across the capital.A huge blaze also broke out on heathland just across the Thames near a housing estate in Dartford today. Kent Fire and Rescue Service said 12 fire engines and 100 firefighters were called in to battle the inferno near a housing development on the site of the former Joyce Green Hospital. A technical rescue unit were in attendance, and crews were working to extinguish the flames. There have been no reports of any damage to property in this incident.Firefighters warned people nearby to close their windows and doors as a precaution due to smoke - and drivers travelling on the A2 or surrounding roads were told to take extra care because the smoke may impact visibility.Jonathan Smith, assistant commissioner at LFB, told Sky News many of the fires are spread over wide areas and began because the ground is 'tinderbox dry'.He continued: 'So even a small fire will develop very, very quickly if it's not tackled effectively and efficiently in its early stages. We would also say to people that they don't try and tackle fires themselves.'The situation that you can see is extremely dynamic and these fires can develop very very quickly and we would not want to see members of the public exposing themselves to unnecessary risk.'Ed Miliband, Labour's shadow secretary of state for climate change, said that extreme hot weather like this will become the 'new normal' under climate change.'Reports of fires across the country are deeply distressing. We must do everything we can to support the families and communities affected. I urge everyone to stay safe and salute the courage of our fire services,' he said.'The frightening truth is that in time we will come to see today not as the hottest summer ever but the new normal. Britain is in no way prepared for this new reality because of years of neglect by this Government.' Wennington resident, Lynn Sabberton, who said she was evacuated from her home with her partner who has a lung difficulty, told Sky News: 'We thought it was one of the fields that caught alight over the back of us.'But then a neighbour rang me and said, 'oh no, it's on the green, the green has caught fire'. I saw the black smoke and the helicopters came over and more police came into our neighbourhood and it was really spreading very fast.'It just spread so quickly, I think the wind caused the fire to go our way towards the village.' A man runs along a street with a hosepipe on July 19, 2022 in Wennington, England Police were called amid concerns over public safety due to people jumping into the river and lighting portable BBQs at River Swales WaterfallsFreya Gutteridge, 23, from nearby Hornchurch - who works in marketing, told PA: 'I noticed the fire in Wennington when I went to lunch at two and since then our whole office has just been watching - everywhere we look there's a new one.'We're all really worried, the wind is strong and we're seeing on the news that loads of houses are on fire and there isn't enough fire engines.'It's crazy. Most of us in the office live really locally so we're all worried about families' houses at the moment.'Witness Pierre L'Aimable told Sky News: 'We were driving down the road and we just saw so much smoke, we could see it from Hornchurch just going into the air.'We were going to visit one of my business partners and the fire was just immense.'Mr Smith added that resources would be at the scene into the evening, warning that any spark not dealt with could risk 'reignition'.The inferno is also close to the Grade II-listed medieval St Mary and St Peter's Church which dates back to the 12th century. Police were not letting the public through the cordoned off area and were extending the danger zone.Distressed residents could be seen on the phones trying to get information, and villagers were also seen carrying buckets of water to the Lennards Arms pub where the community had gathered – but officers then evacuated the pub as the inferno rapidly approached.Briae Brazier, 75, who lives in Rainham and works with horses, was leaning on a police car topless and said: 'The fire has burnt my stables out. It started as a little fire around the back of the houses and if someone had been there to put it out we wouldn't have had all this trouble. It was a little fire out the back garden.'Walter Martin, 61, landlord of the Lennards Arms, a local pup that has escaped the flames for now, said: 'I got a phone call at about 12:50 and I saw a little smoke, I walked around and saw a small fire and then saw it just go up. I've never seen anything like it. It's awful. People are in shock. People are devastated.'Pensioner Lynn Sabberton told Sky News police came to her home and told her she and her husband who suffers from a lung condition had to evacuate. She said: 'We were told that one of the fields had caught fire. The police came to our house and told us to get what we could like personal belongings.'Lorry driver Gary Ruel, 63, who has lived in the area since 2005 was evacuated from his house today and said: 'My house is right next to the fire. All we have heard is the fire is close to the church. I live at number 19 but we can't go down there so no one knows what's going on.'No one will give us any information. I just hope everyone is safe, that's all I can say. I'm really worried about my house. I might have lost three cats, I got the dog out but didn't have time for the cats.'Kent Fire and Rescue Service said 18 fire engines were now at the scene of a grass fire near Durrell Dene, in Joyce Green, Dartford. Some 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade are dealing with the Wennington blaze in East London Homes in Wennington can be seen on fire and completely blackened by the raging wildfire amid devastating temperatures The scene of a blaze in the village of Wennington, east London. London Fire Brigade has declared a major incident due to 'a huge surge' in blazes across the capital A view near Dartford heath as fires raged throughout London today as unprecedent wildfires raged in the capital People jump and do somersaults on Brighton Beach as some try to cool off during the record breaking temperatures Shocking videos show a huge bush fire raging on the Dartford marshes, KentA spokesman said: 'Firefighters are using a fogging unit, two all-terrain vehicles and a bulk water carrier to bring the fire under control and extinguish the flames.'The technical rescue unit is also in attendance and crews are using a telehandler machine to create a fire break, to stop the fire from spreading further. No injuries have been reported.Members of KFRS' volunteer response team are on-hand to provide welfare and support. People who live or work in the affected area are advised to close their windows and doors as a precaution, due to smoke coming from fire. Drivers travelling on the surrounding roads are also asked to take extra care, as the smoke may impact visibility.One blaze at Lickey Hills Country Park near Birmingham, spread to 50,000 square metres and forced 15 people to flee their homes, while firefighters in Essex said they were receiving three times their average number of calls.There was also a fire near Stonehenge this afternoon, with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Rescue mobilising crews who used pumping appliances and water carriers to fight 'multiple seats of fire' around fields at Winterbourne Stoke.West Midlands Fire Service received 717 incident calls yesterday - a rise of 280 in the space of a week, while crews in Hereford and Worcester had 54 fires based around fields, undergrowth and woodland. In Nottinghamshire, fire crews saw a 'significant increase' in grass fires over the last month, with numbers up even more this week.Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it has had a very high volume of 999 calls today leading to crews attending more than 240 emergency incidents so far, in part due to the extreme weather. These incidents include crop fires, field fires, and road traffic collisions on major roads. Meanwhile Scotland saw a huge blaze at farm this afternoon which six crews tried to tackle assisted by farm workers.A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson told the Daily Record: 'We were alerted at 1.56pm on Tuesday 19 July to reports of a large fire in a field at Hadden Farm near Kelso.'Operations control immediately mobilised six fire appliances to the location. Farm workers assisted in creating a fire break and firefighters extinguished the fire.'Crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.'Northern Powergrid told the BBC it is trying to restore power to around 14,500 properties in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the North East. 'We worked last night and into the early hours of today to restore power after yesterday's extreme temperatures,' a spokesperson from the firm said.The Met Office has confirmed that last night was the warmest night on record in Britain, with temperatures not falling below 25C (77F) in many areas of England and Wales. The highest overnight minimum in the UK last night was 25.9C (78.6F) at Emley Moor in West Yorkshire, while it was 25.8C (78.4F) at Kenley in Croydon, South London.This smashed the previous record of 23.9C (75F) in Brighton set on August 3, 1990. It comes one day after Wales had its hottest day ever with 37.1C (99F) in Hawarden, Flintshire - beating a record set in the same village in 1990. Smoke issuing from a fire on Fields Road in Denham, several buildings were on fire which sent thick black smoke in to the air Firefighters at a fire on Fields Road in Denham, several buildings were on fire which sent thick black smoke in to the air Police are seen as crowds gather at River Swales Waterfalls, in Richmond as people enjoy the hottest day recorded in the UK Police were called amid concerns over public safety due to people jumping into the river and lighting portable BBQsIn Cambridgeshire today, the surface of the A14 at Bottisham appeared to have melted and buckled. And on the trains, Network Rail and operators upgraded their travel advice for those heading north out of London into the red warning area to 'do not travel', saying there will be no services in or out of London King's Cross all day today. The heat has brought major rail chaos for commuters around the capital, with no Thameslink or Great Northern trains running in any location north of London, from Blackfriars via St Pancras, or from King's Cross or Moorgate.There was a lineside fire in London's Harrow today, while overhead electric wires were down in Rugby, Birmingham and Carlisle, leading to a number of trains being trapped. Emergency evacuations of passengers were ongoing. Network Rail said passenger numbers today were around 40 per cent lower than during the same day last week. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told people across Britain today to 'apply common sense' and 'depending on the nature of your journey and reason for it, you might want to consider rearranging your day around it'. But the sight of parts of the UK shutting down sparked a backlash, with complaints that ministers and health chiefs were 'acting like nanny' - while holidaymakers were delayed yesterday as a part of runway at Luton Airport melted.Today, the Supreme Court in London was closed to visitors because of the heat and an air-conditioning fault. A sign was posted at the building's entrance explaining the problem, although hearings could still be viewed online. But the extreme heat is likely to end with a bang tomorrow, with the Met Office issuing a thunderstorm warning for between 1pm and 9pm across the South East amid concerns of sudden flooding, lightning strikes and power cuts. Forecasters said up to 1.2in (30mm) of rain could fall in some areas in just an hour and 2in (50mm) in three hours. Before then, with the UK's first ever red warning for extreme heat still predicted to see the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time ever this afternoon, normal life was on hold in parts of the country as:At least 171 schools closed, with teachers claiming learning was impossible in sweltering classrooms;Hospitals cancelled appointments and non-urgent operations as operating theatres turned into ovens;Royal Mail workers were told to return to sorting offices with undelivered mail amid fears they would fall ill;Experts recommended avoiding the beach and holding off exercising until the extreme heat has passed;Commuter numbers on roads and railways were down by up to a fifth, and tracks on some lines buckled;There was a spate of water-related tragedies, including a 13-year-old boy's body pulled from the River Tyne;A 50-fold increase in demand for fans alongside a boom for bottled water, ice lollies and canned cocktails;Water companies raised the prospect of hosepipe bans amid fears of a summer drought.LNER will run no trains from south of York and south of Leeds to King's Cross - and Southern, Southeastern, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway are among the operators running significantly reduced services.All trains between London Euston and Milton Keynes were suspended this afternoon as emergency services dealt with a lineside fire. The blaze was caused when 25,000 volt overhead electric cables came down in Harrow.James Dean, Network Rail's West Coast South route director, said: 'As predicted the extreme temperatures have impacted the overhead cables on the West Coast main line and all trains have had to be stopped at Harrow in North London. Please follow our 'do not travel' message today as journeys are being severely impacted. 'Once the emergency services give us the go ahead we will work as fast as we can to restore the railway lines. We're sorry to people impacted and we're working as fast as we can to get things back up and running.'All trains were also stopped at Birmingham New Street station after a power line fault. Network Rail said its rapid response team is dealing with a fault involving the overhead electric cables outside the station.Denise Wetton, Network Rail's Central route director, said: 'As predicted the extreme temperatures have impacted our overhead cables which power trains and we've had to stop all trains at Birmingham New Street station.'Please keep following our 'do not travel' message today as journeys are being severely impacted. We're sorry to people impacted and we're working as fast as we can to get things back up and running.'On the London Underground, there was no Hammersmith & City line, no Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate due to 'heat-related speed restrictions' and no Jubilee line between Waterloo and Willesden Green.There were severe delays on the Central, District and Victoria lines; severe delays on the sections of the Jubilee and Metropolitan that were in operation; and no Overground between Willesden Junction and Richmond or Romford and Upminster. There were also delays on the western and eastern sections of the Elizabeth line. Woman is seen in a bikini in Battersea Park where people are cooling off today amid scorching heat Scorching temperatures in London where people were seen cooling of in the fountain in Battersea ParkTwo women dip their heads into the fountain to cool off at Trafalgar Square in London this morning amid the extreme heat A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning The surface of the A14 at Bottisham in Cambridgeshire appears to have melted and buckled today during the heatwave A group of women walk along the pebbles of Brighton beach today as they head to the coast of East Sussex People on the beach in Bournemouth in Dorset this morning as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record A member of F Company Scots Guards swelters during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace today The burnt out remains of parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a huge grass fire came within feet of homes People on the beach in Bournemouth today as temperatures soar across England to record levels A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning A young woman in the fountains at Trafalgar Square in London today as the heatwave continues Beachgoers make the best of the scorching morning temperatures at West Bay in Dorset today Peter Dolby jumps into the water at Compton Lock in Winchester today on what is expected to be the hottest day on record Two women lay a towel on the sand at Bournemouth beach today as sunbathers flock to the Dorset coast to enjoy the heat A man and woman sit in the River Dove in Dovedale today during the heatwave as people enjoy the weather in Derbyshire Sunworshippers on Brighton beach this morning on day two of the red extreme heat warning People on the beach in Bournemouth today as temperatures soar across England to record levels Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work A woman sits by the fountains at Trafalgar Square in London today as Britons experience the hottest UK day on record Commuters struggle in the extreme heat this morning as they cross London Bridge on the way to work today People enjoy the hottest day of year at Stainforth Force in the Yorkshire Dales this afternoon as they cool off People flock to the beach and seafront at Southend-on-Sea this morning as an Essex Police officer walks past Cyclist Oonagh Thin, 24 takes a rest to enjoy the sun at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh this morning Australian cabaret and circus troupe Briefs take to the water to attempt to cool themselves during a photocall for 'Bites' outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London today Two women sunbathe on Brighton beach in East Sussex this morning on day two of the red extreme heat warning Racehorses get cooled down at trainer Sue Smith's yard near Bingley in West Yorkshire this morning People enjoy an early morning swim at the Serpentine Lido in London's Hyde Park today A member of the Household Cavalry has a fan placed next to him at Horse Guards Parade in Central London this morning People at Harpur Hill Quarry in Derbyshire - known as 'Blue Lagoon' - on what is the hottest day on record in the UK A horse at Horse Guards Parade in Westminster is given some water to cool down as the heatwave continues Siblings Joshua, Harry and Chloe jump into the water at Compton Lock in Winchester, Hampshire, this morning A member of the Household Cavalry feels the heat at Horse Guards Parade in London today as the heatwave continues The Tarmac on Crook Mill Road in East Halton, North Lincolnshire, is sizzling today due to the current heatwave People walk along the sand at Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning ahead of another very hot day at the seaside Commuters on the sweltering Jubilee line this morning as they commute to work on the London Underground Friends Isaac Pratt and Connie Dolby hold hands as they drift down the river at Compton Lock in Winchester this morning The dried out bed and reduced water levels in the Thruscross Reservoir in North Yorkshire, pictured this morning A woman enjoys the hot weather on a paddleboard at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside this morning People on the beach in Bournemouth this afternoon as Britons bake on the hottest UK day on record Police smashed the window of a £25,000 electric Hyundai to save a dog trapped inside in London's Leicester Square The UK has experienced its warmest night on record, according to provisional Met Office figures as shown in this mapIn the West End, Oxford Circus station was closed this morning while London Fire Brigade crews investigated what they said were 'reports of smoke issuing from an escalator machine room on the northbound Victoria line'. Transport for London said London's rail network will be running a reduced service throughout today due to safety restrictions put into place to deal with the heat, and Gatwick Express trains were completely suspended. Heatwave death toll soars to 13 with two missing: Man in his 20s dies in Cotswolds as search is launched for swimmer dragged out to sea in Essex and hunt continues for 14-year-old boy in River Thames A man in his 20s has become the latest to drown after attempting to cool off from the scorching temperatures by going for a swim at a water park in Wiltshire.At least 13 people have died in heatwave-related incidents since the heatwave began on July 9, bringing with it record-breaking temperatures. It comes after it was confirmed a man had died from drowning, bringing Monday's death toll alone to five.Robert Hattersley, 13, died after an incident on Sunday at Ovingham, Northumberland The 70-year-old man was pulled unconscious from the water in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. Emergency services battled for 40 minutes to save his life but he was declared dead at the scene.In Wiltshire, police confirmed the man in his 20s had died at Cotswold Water Park in Ashton Keynes. The force said the man was pulled from the water but pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6pm. Meanwhile, a boy aged 14 is feared dead in Richmond after he was declared missing when he was spotted getting into difficulty in the Thames in West London and at least one person is missing after going for a swim in Clacton, Essex, with a search operation ongoing.In Richmond, emergency services were called at 5pm yesterday to reports of a child seen in the water at Tagg's Island in Hampton and searched the area for the boy but were unsuccessful. Also yesterday, a 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in Bray Lake in Maidenhead, Berkshire. A 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in Bray Lake near Maidenhead in Berkshire yesterdayRobert Hattersley, 13, from Crawcrook, died following an incident in the River Tyne on Sunday as his family said they were 'absolutely devastated'. The 'kind and loving' teenager died after getting into difficulty in a river near Ovingham, Northumberland, over the weekend.Yesterday, police were also seen near the River Irwell in Bury at around 4pm as police parked in Jubilee Way. A man was also rescued yesterday by fire, police and ambulance services yesterday after he was seen in Erewash canal near Sandiacre, Derbyshire.A 37-year-old man died after being pulled out of the sea at Brighton beach on Saturday evening. In Scotland a 51-year-old man died after his kayak capsized on the River Spey, Moray, on Sunday. The same night, a man in his 50s died after falling from a boat and getting into difficulty in the water in Northern Ireland. Emergency services rushed to the scene at Cromane Bay, Kilorglin, at around 10pm.Also on Sunday, a 50-year-old man died at Ardsley Reservoir, West Yorkshire, it was reported, after he got into difficulty while swimming.On Saturday a 16-year-old Kalen Waugh drowned in Salford Quays on Saturday, causing Greater Manchester Police to issue a fresh warning about swimming.Two other schoolboys drowned in separate swimming accidents last week.After getting into difficulties while swimming in a quarry at Appley Bridge, Lancashire, on July 9, 16-year-old Jamie Lewin died. The promising boxer who 'loved life' and was 'was one in a million' was the third teenager in just seven years to lose his life at the quarry.Just two d | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Britons are being urged to do the "neighbourly thing" and check on people who may be more vulnerable as the UK braces for potentially record-breaking temperatures.The advice comes after the government's COBRA meeting on Saturday and less than 48 hours away from forecast highs that could nudge 40C (104F).
It's the second emergency summit held since the UK Health Security Agency increased its heat health warning from level three to level four - a national emergency.Cabinet Office minister Kit Malthouse, who chaired the meeting, said older people and babies were "particularly vulnerable groups, who will need us all to look out for them"."[People] should take precautions themselves - stay in the shade, drink lots of water, stay hydrated," he said. "But in particular, they should look out for those two groups and do the neighbourly thing… knock on an elderly neighbour's door, make sure they are okay, that they've got access to water.
"If you've got a tiny baby, make sure it's kept cool, possibly in a colder bath or chilled in some way." More on Uk Weather Heatwave disruption: Schools close, hospitals cancel appointments and events are scrapped as UK braces for record temperatures UK heatwave: COBRA meeting held as national emergency declared over soaring temperatures Extreme weather: Britain's cities need radical design overhaul - or they will become unliveable There's now an 80% chance that temperatures will top the UK's record of 38.7C (101.7F), set in Cambridge in 2019, according to forecasters, with a 50% chance of 40C on Tuesday.The hottest area - under a Met Office "extreme heat" alert on Monday and Tuesday - covers all the way from London in the south, through the Midlands and as far north as Greater Manchester and York.The rest of England and Wales is under an amber warning, while Scotland and Northern Ireland will be much cooler, with temperatures in the mid to late 20s.Find out the five-day forecast for where you live Image: Broadstairs, Kent, on Saturday Railways and schools brace for extreme heatTrain companies have warned of disruption and cancellations when the heat peaks due to factors such as reduced speed limits.Network Rail said people should only to travel if necessary."Services are going to be significantly affected. The heat will impact rails, for example, so the trains have to run slower. There may be fewer services. People need to be on their guard for disruption," said Mr Malthouse."If they don't have to travel, this may be a moment to work from home," he added.Drivers have also been advised to make their journeys out of the hottest periods of the day, particularly if they have older cars.Read more:Why 'tropical nights' in UK could be deadlyAreas of England that are most vulnerable to hotter weatherWhat is a national heatwave emergency and how will it impact the UK? Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player What is urban heat island effect? Some schools are also planning to shut due to risks such as dangerously hot classrooms. The NEU teaching union has said it will support headteachers taking this decision.The government is not imposing closures and has said it's up to school leaders to decide what action to take.Some schools have said they will arrange a skeleton staff to keep the buildings open for parents unable to find alternative childcare at short notice.Nurseries in some locations will also be restricting their hours following Public Health England's guidelines for supporting children in Early Years.The majority of UK schools are set to break up for the summer holidays later in the week. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAug 22 (Reuters) - Flooding and heavy rains hit the Dallas, Texas area on Monday, leaving at least one person dead after their vehicle was swept away by rising water, authorities said.The body of a 60-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was recovered from her car after floodwaters receded Monday afternoon in an area of east Dallas, according to Clay Jenkins, the top elected official in Dallas County.Rainfall over a 24-hour period ending Monday night exceeded forecasts, with one area in east Dallas experiencing more than 15 inches (38cm) of rain, according to Dallas water utility's floodway operations.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe National Weather Service (NWS) said flood warnings in some parts of Dallas were in effect until at least Wednesday morning, with risks of thunderstorms and brief periods of heavy rainfall possible for Tuesday and Wednesday.The heavy rains in the Dallas area and across the Southern Plains were the latest example of extreme weather to hit the United States as a result of climate change, which has recently caused dangerous flooding, tornadoes, wildfires and heat waves.A car drives through a flooded street in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. in this screen grab obtained from a social media video on August 22, 2022. Fernando Garcia/via REUTERS Video footage from local media showed motorists getting out of their submerged vehicles and swimming for safety in the dark overnight Monday. After daybreak, a video from a local ABC affiliate showed firefighters slowly walking a resident away from a flooded home in a strong downpour."There is literally no meeting or place to be that is worth risking your life or anyone else on the road. Please STAY HOME if at all possible," Dallas Councilmen Adam Bazaldua wrote on Twitter.Numerous roads remained closed on Monday afternoon due to flooding, the Dallas Police Department said on Twitter, warning motorists to avoid driving in high waters.The NWS also issued flood advisories for parts of Southern Oklahoma, Northern Louisiana and Central Mississippi until Tuesday night."A multi-day heavy rainfall event is in progress over parts of the southern Plains that may produce instances of flash flooding in urban areas and places with poor drainage," the weather service said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bernadette Baum and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The Southwest's dangerous flooding Monday overwhelmed the Old West town of Duncan, prompting "mass evacuation" and a local state of emergency.The "mass evacuation of flood prone areas in Duncan" was declared early Monday by the Duncan Valley Rural Fire District, which listed more than a dozen streets in the 712-person town as subject to the order.Mayor Anne Thurman declared the state of emergency shortly after noon. She cited rainfall since Aug. 15, dangerous flooding and "extreme peril to life and property," according to the declaration.Thurman formally asked the state for first responder resources.People drive over a bridge in Duncan, Ariz., after floods.Stan EllisThe Gila River, which runs through town on its journey from Gila National Forest in New Mexico to the Colorado River in Yuma, crested after 7 a.m. at 2.5 feet above what's considered its flood state, federal forecasters said.Images obtained by NBC News showed the river encroaching on the town as floodwaters took over some streets and a gas station, where the ground was covered in a shallow layer of still water. No injuries have been reported.Flash flooding isn’t unusual in the Southwest at this time of year, when summer heat rapidly sends evaporated humidity into thunderous, towering clouds. They return the favor with rain and monsoonal weather that can feel almost tropical. Brief, powerful showers cover desert floors, create brief moments of pooling and revive the driest creeks. Monday's weather was different.It sent sustained precipitation from north of Duncan into major waterways like the Gila, which will remain overflowing for hours, if not days, as floodwaters continue to swell its tributaries.The railroad town, officially placed on the U.S. Postal Service map in 1883, when it was called Purdy, is 5 miles from New Mexico and inseparable from the river."Duncan belongs to the Gila," the town's website says.Rob Howlett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Tucson office, said the Duncan area hasn't seen flooding like this for more than 15 years."There’s been a lot of rainfall at the headwaters of the Gila River in New Mexico," he said. "It's coming downstream in our area."Although the worst might be behind it, the Gila could display higher, wider waters along its path for days, he said, as thunderstorm activity was forecast for the area anew.A warning from the National Weather Service said moderate flooding was likely for the Gila through Duncan overnight."Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas," the agency said. "Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks."A front that stalled over Texas was typical of the weather that has produced a torrent of rain in Dallas, where nearly 8 inches fell in three hours overnight, Howlett said.Authorities at Zion National Park in Utah, just north of the Arizona state line, continued to search for missing visitor Jetal Agnihotri of Tucson after flash flooding swept some park-goers off their feet Friday. All were accounted for except Agnihotri, last seen near the Virgin River Narrows.Climate change hasn't been blamed for the specific events in Dallas, Duncan and elsewhere in the Southwest, but the extreme weather is consistent with earth scientists' contention that a warming planet will bring more frequent and more intense storm activity.Showers will continue on and off for the next few days from eastern Arizona to Texas and beyond, federal forecasters said.The remnants of a tropical storm system in northern Mexico moved into the Gulf of California and supplied the Southwest with a spigot of precipitation, Howlett said.Thunderstorms continued to develop over Duncan on Monday afternoon.Dennis RomeroDennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. Ali Gostanian and Erick Mendoza contributed. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
By Reality Check teamBBC NewsImage source, Getty ImagesPeople on social media have been comparing the high temperatures in much of the UK with the heatwave of 1976, suggesting that the severity of the current hot weather is being exaggerated. So, what does the evidence show? How hot was the summer of 1976?The peak that year was 35.9C. That has already been beaten by the current temperatures and on Tuesday it could go as high as 41C. The heatwave of 1976 started in June and lasted for two months. There was a lack of rainfall and a significant drought, with the government enforcing water rationing. The heatwave was rare for that decade. The average maximum temperature in July in the 1970s was 18.7C. In the 2010s, it was more than 20C.The UK has been slowly getting warmer since the 19th Century, and this has sped up. In the past three decades the country has become 0.9C warmer on average, according to the UK State of the Climate report in 2020. Nine out of ten of the hottest days ever recorded in the UK have been since 1990, according to the Met Office. 1976 ranks 12th in the list of the hottest UK days on record (some of these, not shown in the chart above, have occurred in the same year)."1976 was indeed a heatwave and we have had heatwaves before, but the point is they're happening more often and they're becoming more intense," says Prof Hannah Cloke, a climate scientist at the University of Reading.There is also the scale of the heatwaves to consider, when comparing temperatures to those in 1976.That summer, the UK and France were among a handful of countries experiencing high temperatures. But if you look at the heat maps (produced by NASA) for June 2022, it shows many more countries affected."We can easily see how much warmer the global climate has become - with very few areas actually colder than normal," says BBC Weather presenter, Matt Taylor.Who's spreading the misleading comparison?Suggestions that there is nothing unusual about this heatwave appear to have found a willing audience among climate change sceptics.Hundreds of people have shared their experiences of the 1976 heatwave on social media, with some making the misleading suggestion that the current heatwave is "no different".Others have accused the Met Office and the media of spreading "alarmism" and "hysteria". Some have suggested people need to "toughen up", describing those complaining about the heat as "snowflakes".But even in the 1976 heatwave - which saw lower temperatures - excess deaths in parts of the country were up 30%. Last week, the UK Health Security Agency issued its highest level four heat alert, warning illness and death could occur "among the fit and healthy".The comparison with the 1976 heatwave has also proven popular among users sharing conspiracy theories - including unfounded claims that a "climate lockdown" is about to be imposed. How is the current heatwave linked to climate change?The Met Office estimates that this heatwave has been made ten times more likely because of climate change.The overwhelming majority of scientists agree greenhouse gases - which trap the sun's heat - are causing a rise in global temperatures and climate change. This has brought more extreme weather. Periods of intense heat do occur within natural weather patterns, but they are becoming more frequent around the world, more intense and are lasting longer as a result of global warming."We should expect more and longer heatwaves in the future," says Prof Nigel Arnell, a climate scientist at Reading University. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
With temperatures in parts of the UK set to hit 100F (37C) this week, the heatwave is already causing chaos for many Britons.The Met Office has extended its amber 'extreme heat' warning to include all of next Tuesday, having previously issued it for Sunday and Monday.Forecasters said the 'emphasis on the peak of the hot spell' had now shifted from Sunday to Monday and Tuesday - but that the risk of 'widespread impacts on people and infrastructure' remained.Now, scientists have claimed that the UK should name heatwaves in the same way as storms, as part of an effective early warning system to protect the most vulnerable.Professor Mike Tipton from The Physiological Society said: 'As part of raising awareness of the threat from heatwaves in the UK, heatwaves should be named in the same was as we name storms.'It makes the risk to health clear and that people can't expect to continue as normal during the heatwave.' An 'amber' extreme heat Met Office warning covering much of England and Wales on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday says there could be a danger to life or potential serious illness, with adverse health effects not just limited to the most vulnerable Forecasters said the 'emphasis on the peak of the hot spell' had now shifted from Sunday to Monday and Tuesday - but that the risk of 'widespread impacts on people and infrastructure' remained Britain's 10 hottest days on record 1) 38.7C - July 25, 20192) 38.5C - August 10, 20033) 37.8C - July 31, 20204) 37.1C - August 3, 1990=5) 36.7C - July 1, 2015=5) 36.7C - August 9, 19117) 36.6C - August 2, 19908) 36.5C - July 19, 2006=9) 36.4C - August 7, 2020=9) 36.4C - August 6, 2003The Physiological Society - the largest group of physiologists in Europe – is calling for an improved early warning system for heatwaves in a new report set to be released today.It claims that the UK Met Office should name heatwaves in the same way as storms.On its website, the Met Office explains: 'The naming of storms using a single authoritative system should aid the communication of approaching severe weather through media partners and other government agencies.'In this way the public will be better placed to keep themselves, their property and businesses safe.'The report uses Seville as an example, which has recently started naming heatwaves as excessively hot weather becomes more frequent.'This week could potentially see record breaking temperatures here in the UK. Just like preparing for a storm in winter, people need to take action to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,' Professor Tipton said.'Extreme heat isn't just a problem on your summer holidays, due to climate change we are increasingly seeing very hot weather here in the UK. The Met Office has extended its amber 'extreme heat' warning to include all of next Tuesday, having previously issued it for Sunday and Monday'Even one day of very hot weather can present a risk, but consecutive days of high temperatures triggers a heatwave that requires specific actions to keep people safe.'The Physiological Society hopes that naming heatwaves will 'aid communication' about heatwaves.'This will aid the communication of approaching heatwaves through the media and government agencies,' Professor Tipton explained.'This is especially helpful for those who don't have as ready access to the internet or weather apps on smartphones.'The Physiological Society is focused on understanding how the body works, including how the body copes in response to heat and extreme weather.'As the science of how the body works, physiology explains the impact of hot weather on our health,' Professor Tipton added.'We can use this knowledge to advise on ways to keep the body cool and design early warning systems that provide tailored advice to the most vulnerable or those who have to work in the heat.'This will enable people to better plan ahead and take measures that could save lives.'Such knowledge can also assist in smart building design and urban development, both of which will amongst the developments needed going into a hotter future.' The potential impacts of extreme heat during amber warningThe Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat for the whole on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, covering most of England and some of Wales. The extreme heat warning system ranges from yellow to red and indicates how likely and how much of an impact the weather will have on public life. An amber warning states that temperatures are likely to have a high impact.The warning for Sunday states: 'Some exceptionally high temperatures are possible during Sunday and could lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure'.Forecasters say the heatwave could impact the health of everyone – not only the vulnerable – while it could also impact electricity, gas and water supplies. Here is how it could impact different parts of daily life:RAIL TRAVELThe Met Office says that delays and cancellations to rail travel are possible with 'potential for significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays'. Network Rail has warned that services across the UK may be subject to speed restrictions to avoid tracks buckling, with South Western Railway and Heathrow Express among the operators warning of potential disruption. West Midlands Trains imposed a 20mph limits yesterday on the route between Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa and Kidderminster.ROADS The Met Office says that delays on roads and road closures are possible during the heat alert period. The RAC has urged motorists to 'think carefully before they drive, and do everything they can to avoid a breakdown'. It says motorists should check the coolant and oil levels under the bonnet when the engine is cold. It added: 'If temperatures were to go as high as around 40c as some are predicting, then people should question their decision to drive in the first place.'Hampshire County Council is preparing to deploy gritters in response to melting roads, saying that the machines will be spreading light dustings of sand which 'acts like a sponge to soak up excess bitumen'.Motorists who find tar stuck to their tyres are advised to wash it off with warm soapy water.AIRPORTSThe Met Office has warned that air travel could also be disruption during the heat. This is because planes can become too heavy to take off in very hot weather due to reduced air density resulting in a lack of lift.This happened during a heatwave in summer 2018 at London City Airport when some passengers had to be removed so the services become light enough to take off on the relatively short runway.UTILITIESThe Met Office has warned that a failure of 'heat-sensitive systems and equipment' is possible. This could result in a loss of power and other essential services, such as water, electricity and gas. Hot weather can lead to high demand on the power network because people are turning on fans and air conditioning - and the heat can also lead to a drop in the efficiency of overhead power cables and transformers.WORKPLACESThe Met Office says that 'changes in working practices and daily routines will be required' in the extreme heat. There is no specific law for a maximum working temperature, or when it is too hot to work.But employers are expected to ensure that in offices or similar environments, the temperature in workplaces must be 'reasonable'. Companies must follow follow health and safety laws which include keeping the temperature at a comfortable level, known as 'thermal comfort'; and providing clean and fresh air.The Trades Union Congress says that during heatwaves staff should be allowed to start work earlier, or stay later, leave jackets and ties in the wardrobe and have regular breaks. It is also calling for an absolute maximum indoor temperature of 30C (86F) - or 27C (81F) for strenuous jobs - to legally indicate when work should stop.HEALTH The Met Office has said that adverse health effects could be 'experienced by all, not just limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to serious illness or danger to life' during the amber warning. In addition, charity Asthma and Lung UK has warned up to three million asthma sufferers could be affected by high pollen levels, so should use their inhalers. SCHOOLS Plans to cope with the heat, created by the NHS and UKHSA, say children should not do 'vigorous physical activity' when temperatures rise above 30C (86F).Some sports days have been cancelled this week, while official advice suggests moving school start, end and break times to avoid the hottest points in the day.Official word from the Government on how schools should respond to the heat could be sent later this week - but it may be left to headteachers to decide. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
An entire building and roads washed away by raging waters in Yellowstone. People desperately swimming from their homes in St Louis. Dozens dead after torrential downpours in Kentucky. The summer of 2022 has been one of extreme floods in the US, with scientists warning the climate crisis is worsening the devastation.The deadliest of the recent barrage of floods, in Kentucky, was described as “heartbreaking” by Joe Biden as he surveyed ruined houses and inundated cars on Monday. At least 37 people died after five days of pounding record rain washed down mountainsides and drowned entire towns, an event that scientists say is a once in 1,000 year occurrence.A map of US regions showing the observed change in heavy precipitation for the period between 1958-2916. Northeast, at 55% has seen the most rise in intense precipitation, followed by the Midwest and Northern Great Plains.Such extremes are no longer such outliers, however, with St Louis breaking its one-day rainfall record by 8am on 26 July, swamping city streets and houses, a disaster quickly followed by a similarly severe storm that hit Illinois. On Friday, Death Valley in California, a place known for its searing dry heat, got a year’s worth of rain in just three hours, causing huge sheets of flooding that washed away and damaged hundreds of miles of roads.In an 11-day span, the US experienced at least four flooding events that would each normally be expected once every 1,000 years, or have a 0.1% chance of happening in any given year. Scientists say extreme rainfall spurred by climate breakdown is rendering many of these historical norms obsolete.“We are going to have to change the labeling because these are not one-in-1,000-years events any more,” said Andreas Prein, an expert in climate extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. “It’s shocking to see all of this flood damage but it follows a pattern. These rare events are becoming more and more common and our infrastructure is just not keeping up.”America’s summer of flooding has thrown up extraordinary spectacles, such as a large building being wrenched from its foundations and carried away by surging flood water in Yellowstone in June. The main road entrances to the national park were severed by what officials called “unprecedented” flooding and took a month to fully reopen.This week, a dozen motorists had to be rescued from the windows of their cars after intense rainfall caused roads in Denver to become more like swimming pools.Although flooding has always occurred in the US, the climate crisis is worsening such events, as well as making them more frequent. The federal government’s most recent national climate assessment found that heavy precipitation events have increased in the north-east US by 55% since the 1950s, with such events growing by 27% in the south-east, including Kentucky. The midwest, scene of the record St Louis flooding, has seen a 42% increase in extreme rainfall in this time.A road ends where flood waters washed away a house in Gardiner, Montana, in June. Photograph: David Goldman/APAs the Earth’s atmosphere heats up due to the burning of fossil fuels, it holds more water vapor that can be unleashed in huge downpours. Climate change is also causing broader shifts in weather patterns, some of which are still to be fully understood, said Prein.“Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of flooding and it will likely get worse with further warming,” he said. “We are also seeing these repeated storms hit the same area, like Kentucky, again and again in a short period of time, which isn’t well understood. But we know the hot temperatures, like the eastern US has just had, has helped build the water in the atmosphere.”Some places have suffered a disconcerting whiplash between severe drought and severe flooding. Heavy rain on parched, drought-ridden land can cause flash flooding and even deadly mudslides.Las Vegas, in the grip of the worst drought in centuries and a record low level of its main water supply in nearby Lake Mead, saw its streets turn into rivers and its casinos become inundated after flooding rains on 29 July.“This is a city that is tearing out ornamental grass to save water and then gets flooded like this,” said Prein. “It shows there is an intensification of the hydrological cycle, instead of having an afternoon shower for a couple of days and then fine weather you get these bigger, clustered events that dump a lot of rain very quickly.”An aerial view of houses submerged under flood waters in Jackson, Kentucky. Photograph: Leandro Lozada/AFP/Getty ImagesThe connection between these increasingly disastrous floods and the climate crisis is often unclear to many Americans, including Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky, who said after the recent disaster in the east of the state, “I wish I could tell you why we keep getting hit here in Kentucky … I cannot give you the why, but I know what we do in response. The answer is, everything we can.”Kentucky was hit by large floods last year, too, and finds itself at a “crux” of extreme weather, according to Megan Schargorodski, the interim state climatologist. The state is now routinely subjected to scorching heat, drought and tornadoes, as well as floods.“People here were hit by tornadoes in December and were still emotionally recharging from that when this new tragic event happened,” Schargorodski said. “It’s barely enough time to recover – we are being bombarded by one significant weather event after another.“We are a very conservative state so we stray away from explicitly mentioning climate change because some people stop listening. But we can talk about the trends and the need to adapt. If you’re not prepared in securing your home and ensuring your exit routes, you’re going to face a lot more risks. So preparedness is what we need to focus on.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummaryCompaniesChina announces 11th consecutive heat 'red alert'Sichuan extends industrial power use curbs until Aug. 25Chongqing cuts working hours of commercial venuesShortages could affect TeslaSHANGHAI, Aug 22 (Reuters) - China's scorched southwestern regions extended curbs on power consumption on Monday as they deal with dwindling hydropower output and surging household electricity demand during a long drought and heatwave.State weather forecasters issued a heat "red alert" for the 11th consecutive day on Monday, as extreme weather continues to play havoc with power supplies and damage crops. They also raised the national drought alert to "orange" - the second-highest level.The drought has already "severely affected" mid-season rice and summer corn in some southern regions, the ministry of agriculture said on Sunday.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe National Meteorological Center said as many as 62 weather stations, from Sichuan in the southwest to Fujian on the southeastern coast, recorded record temperatures on Sunday. The situation could improve starting Wednesday as a cold front moves into China via Xinjiang.The region of Chongqing, which hit temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) late last week, announced that opening hours at more than 500 malls and other commercial venues would be shortened starting Monday to ease power demand.Two malls on the list contacted by Reuters on Monday confirmed that they had received the government notice and would abide by the new opening hours. Two hotels on the list said they were still operating normally but were restricting air conditioner use.In neighbouring Sichuan province, a major hydropower generator, authorities also extended existing curbs on industrial power consumers until Aug. 25, financial news service Caixin said on Sunday. Power generation in Sichuan is at just half the normal level.It cited firms in the battery industry as saying that industrial power users in the cities of Yibin and Suining had been told to remain closed until Thursday.A Sichuan-based pesticide producer, Lier Chemical Co Ltd (002258.SZ), confirmed in a notice on Monday that output restrictions at two of its production bases in the province would continue until Aug. 25.People walk on a dried-up bed of a reservoir, amid hot temperatures, while many regions from southwest to east of the country along the Yangtze river have been experiencing weeks of record-breaking heatwave in Changxing, Zhejiang province, China, August 20, 2022. REUTERS/Aly SongToyota Motor Corp (7203.T) gradually resumed operations at its Sichuan plant in China on Monday using a power generator after suspending operations last week, the company's spokesperson said.Other regions have also sent 50 emergency power generating vehicles to Sichuan since last Thursday to help alleviate shortages, the Global Times newspaper said.Several plants in Sichuan and Chongqing, including those of top battery maker CATL (300750.SZ) and the electric vehicle giant BYD (002594.SZ), have been only able to partially operate in recent weeks because of power shortages.A source familiar with the matter said that CATL's Yibin plant makes battery cells for Tesla (TSLA.O), and that there were concerns that continued disruptions could eventually affect the U.S. automaker.However, a second source said there was no sign of an impact so far, with production at Tesla's Shanghai plant unchanged. CATL and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Shanghai, which was criticised on China's Twitter-like Weibo service for its use of electricity generated in Sichuan, imposed its own consumption restrictions on Monday, turning off decorative lighting on the riverside Bund area and parts of the financial centre of Lujiazui for two days.Firms will be encouraged to "stagger" power consumption to reduce peak loads. Some outdoor construction projects will be suspended, the official Shanghai Daily said.Important agricultural regions have also been warning of the impact on crops, with Henan province saying more than a million hectares of land have been affected by drought so far.About 2.2 million hectares across the Yangtze basin have been affected, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by David Stanway and Zhang Yan in Shanghai, Martin Quin Pollard in Beijing; Additional reporting by the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Kim Coghill and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
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