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KENTUCKY -- At least 15 people are dead following flooding in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear told CNN. That number is expected to double, he said, and will include children.Swollen floodwaters washed out bridges, wiped out power and sent some residents scrambling to their rooftops as water gushed into their homes. Some families' houses and cars were submerged or swept away completely by the flooding, which has been exacerbated by creeks and grounds already soaked from ongoing rainfall."We are currently experiencing one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky's history," Gov. Beshear said during a news conference Thursday morning.Beshear later warned that the destruction is far from over as more rainfall is expected Friday. Eastern Kentucky has a slight to moderate risk of flash flooding through Friday evening as an additional 1 to 3 inches is possible throughout the day, according to the Weather Prediction Center.An elderly man and woman died after being swept from their homes in the Oneida Community near Manchester, Kentucky, according to Clay County Coroner Jarrod Becknell. The man was 76 years old and the woman was in her late 60s or early 70s, Deputy Coroner Joe Crockett said.It is not clear whether the two deaths are included in the statewide toll of eight deaths that Beshear announced earlier Thursday.RELATED | 1 dead in flooding as St. Louis breaks 100-year-old rainfall recordOn Thursday evening, Kentucky officials recommended that people evacuate the homes and businesses in the floodplain of Panbowl Lake in Jackson, citing the Kentucky River's rising water level and a "muddy discharge" seen near the lake's dam. A portion of Kentucky Route 15 was also closed Thursday night.Parts of West Virginia and western Virginia also experienced severe flooding Thursday and are expected to receive more rainfall Friday. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a statewide emergency declaration, and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency for Fayette, Greenbrier, Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties, according to news releases from the governors' offices.Much of West Virginia is in the moderate risk for flash flooding on Friday, according to the Weather Prediction Center. The southwest region of Virginia is also at risk of flooding Friday with between one and two inches of rain possible, and potentially more in some local areas, according to the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia.In a White House briefing Thursday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Deanne Criswell, the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will travel to Kentucky Friday to survey the damage and report back to President Joe Biden.FEMA has also sent rescue personnel and an incident management assistance team to aid in the state's rescue efforts, she said.Beshear sent a direct request to Biden requesting federal assistance for eastern Kentucky, the governor said in a tweet.Rescues complicated by widespread water, power outagesAs floodwaters rose to dangerous levels, some Kentuckians quickly became trapped and were unable to safely escape. As many as 30 people were air rescued by the National Guard on Thursday, Beshear said.In Floyd County, approximately 80 people have been rescued since heavy rains began in the area Tuesday, county Judge-Executive Robbie Williams told CNN."I've never seen this much water before," Williams said. "I mean it just absolutely poured and we've got, you know, some small towns that are completely underwater."Widespread water and power outages in the region are hindering recovery efforts, Beshear said Thursday. He noted that the flooding is making it difficult for utility workers to access areas needed to restore power.More that 23,000 customers were without power across the state as of early Friday, according to PowerOutage.us.The state also has a limited number of helicopters that are capable of hoisting people into the air, the governor said. In an effort to assist the state's recovery efforts, both West Virginia and Tennessee sent helicopters with hoisting abilities to Kentucky.West Virginia has also deployed National Guard troops to aid its neighboring state, Gov. Justice announced.Communities also jumped into action to help their neighbors, including residents in the town of Whitesburg."We took kayaks, jet skis, boats, chainsaws and hatchets to every place that we could," resident Zach Caudill told CNN. Caudill's home only suffered from a few inches of flooding, but he said several of his neighbors lost their homes completely.Caudill grabbed bandages, gauze, medicine, menstrual supplies, food, water, and blankets from his home to take to others, he said."Everyone was there trying to lend a hand and help. That's how tight-knit our community is," Caudill said. "When one of us hurts, we all hurt."Kentucky State Police are asking residents of at least eight counties to call them if they have missing family members and to provide information on their loved ones. The counties include Wolfe, Owsley, Breathitt, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Pike and Perry.Climate crisis drives more intense floodingKentucky was one of several states, including Missouri and Arizona, that experienced severe flooding on Thursday amid increasingly extreme weather events that are amplified by the climate crisis.In St. Louis, record-breaking rainfall at the beginning of the week triggered dangerous flash floods that have continued for days and left at least one person dead.As global temperatures climb, the atmosphere is able to hold more and more water, making water vapor more abundantly available to fall as rain.Rainfall over land has become more intense since the 1980s, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report's authors say human influence is the main driver.Human-caused fossil fuel emissions have warmed the planet a little more than 1 degree Celsius, on average, with more intense warming over land areas. Scientists are increasingly confident in the role that the climate crisis plays in extreme weather, and have warned that these events will become more intense and more dangerous with every fraction of a degree of warming.The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Firefighters have made significant progress battling the ferocious Oak fire burning in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Yosemite national park, achieving 45% containment by Friday morning. The blazehas consumed more than 19,200 acres, fueled through the dry, overgrown vegetation coating the hillsides and favorable fire conditions that spurred erratic and extreme behavior.Many have still been kept from their homes as the fire continues to spread since igniting last week, as residents await word on whether theirs was one of the 162 structures reported destroyed. That number could go up as damage assessment crews work to investigate the destruction, and hundreds of houses still lie in the fire’s path.“If the fire intensifies it could reach those areas,” said a Cal Fire public information officer, Hector Vasquez, noting that warmer and drier conditions are expected in the coming days and that the steep, rocky terrain where the fire is burning has hindered efforts to corral it. Homes will remain at risk until the blaze has been completely extinguished. “But the number [of homes at risk] has gone down significantly in the last few days,” he added.The Oak fire is one of many disasters raging across the US, as scorching temperatures baked the Pacific north-west, the west remained parched in record drought, and severe storms sent flash floods surging across several states. At least four people have died due to the extreme heat in Oregon, according to the state medical examiner, while the death toll mounts in Kentucky, where 16 people have been reported killed in historic flooding.“We may have even lost entire families,” said Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, speaking in an update posted on YouTube.The climate crisis has turned up the dial on disasters and, as temperatures continue to climb, extreme events are expected to increase and overlap, testing resilience and hampering recovery. Although the ways that individual events are linked to climate change must be studied to be confirmed, the trends tell a troubling story of what’s to come.“Instead of random extreme weather events, we’re seeing these large-scale anomalies,” said climate scientist Karen McKinnon, who studies climate variability at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also noted the scale of the continent-wide heatwave.“Most evidence pointed to the extreme 120F temperatures in the Pacific north-west last year as being largely a freak event,” she said. “But if we see it again, that’s a huge signal that something about the underlying physics of the system is changing. If you see two freak events in a row, then you know you need to re-examine your conceptual system.”As for fires, California – which experienced record-breaking blazes in recent years – has had a milder start to its high-risk season, even with the destructive Oak fire.“This time last year we had multiple fires burning throughout the state,” Vasquez said, adding that the lack of competition for resources played a big part in enabling crews to attack the fire quickly. “We had so many personnel and they got here quickly because we had a wide range of personnel not assigned to other incidents.”Still, with months left before the state sees wetting rains that reduce the risks, this could just be the beginning of another fire-filled season. Fires are important to maintaining the health of California’s landscapes, and can improve resilience and ecosystem recovery, especially in forests that are adapted to flames. But high-intensity conditions and an over-abundance of dried fuel have changed fire behavior, resulting in more destructive blazes.Overgrown parched vegetation across the state is baking in summer heat. Many regions are primed to burn.“There have been several fires started since the Oak incident started,” Vasquez said, “and that could be a strong indicator of what lies ahead of us.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
More research is needed into climate change leading to societal collapse or human extinction, researchers have said, warning such potentially catastrophic results are "dangerously unexplored".A team of international experts led by Cambridge University said not enough research had gone into the possible worst case scenario, despite "ample reasons to suspect that climate change could result in a global catastrophe".
Writing in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they said analysing extreme consequences of climate change could "galvanise action, improve resilience and inform policy".They have called on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to dedicate a future report to catastrophic climate change.Lead author Dr Luke Kemp, from Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, said: "There are plenty of reasons to believe climate change could become catastrophic, even at modest levels of warming. "Climate change has played a role in every mass extinction event.
"It has helped fell empires and shaped history. More on Climate Change Bills must rise to pay for water security and avoid emergency supply handouts, infrastructure chief warns Vicious California wildfire swells a staggering 62 times in size overnight, torching vehicles and homes UK heatwave was made 10 times more likely by climate change and hundreds may have died - study "Even the modern world seems adapted to a particular climate niche."Paths to disaster are not limited to the direct impacts of high temperatures, such as extreme weather events."Knock-on effects such as financial crises, conflict, and new disease outbreaks could trigger other calamities, and impede recovery from potential disasters such as nuclear war."Read more:Why is it so hard to get people to care about climate change?Where is our water from and what happens during a drought? Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player How climate change makes wildfires worse The 'four horsemen' of the climate endgameThe researchers argue that the consequences of 3C warming and its extreme risks are under-examined.They have proposed a research agenda which includes what they call the "four horsemen" of the climate endgame: famine and malnutrition, extreme weather, conflict and vector-borne diseases.Co-author Prof Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said: "The more we learn about how our planet functions, the greater the reason for concern."We increasingly understand that our planet is a more sophisticated and fragile organism."We must do the math of disaster in order to avoid it."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 |
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 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 an extreme fire risk.In El Pont de Vilomara in Catalonia, evacuees gathered outside a civic centre, among them retiree Onofre Munoz, 69, who said that his home and van had been completely destroyed."We bought the van when I retired and now it's totally scorched. We have nothing," he said.Our house had quite a few windows, they exploded, and a powerful flame came inside. We knew it yesterday afternoon because we got some pictures in which we saw everything had burned."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.The EU said it was monitoring closely wildfires raging in southern member states on Monday, sending a firefighting plane to Slovenia over the weekend adding to recent deployments to France and Portugal."We continue of course to monitor the situation during this unprecedented heatwave and will continue to mobilise support as needed," spokesperson Balazs Ujvari told a briefing.The EU was also providing satellite imagery to France, he added. Separately, the Commission announced in a report that almost half the territory of the bloc was currently at risk of drought.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 the Gironde region in southwestern France, the fires had destroyed 14,800 hectares (37,000 acres), local authorities said on Monday. More than 14,000 people have been evacuated from the area. France has 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.The Swiss government issued a heat wave advisory, citing considerable danger across much of the country with temperatures in some parts reaching 36C (96.8F).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 |
MANCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) — Since its debut on a rural Tennessee farm two decades ago, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival strived to be one of the country’s greenest music festivals, investing in recycling, composting, solar energy and other improvements.But last August Tennessee received the highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded in a non-coastal state, resulting in deadly flash flooding that killed 20 people. Additional rains leftover from Hurricane Ida dumped more water on the area in subsequent days. The Bonnaroo campgrounds were waterlogged and roads impassable, forcing organizers to cancel. Climate experts say festivals like Bonnaroo and similar outdoor live events are more vulnerable than ever to unpredictable and extreme weather. Preparing for those events remains a huge challenge.While man-made climate change has only slightly increased Tennessee’s weather, experts predict that the state will experience historically unprecedented warming in this century. Warmer air contains more water and heavy rainfall is one of the hallmarks of climate change.Bonnaroo organizers have had to adapt to changing climate and extreme weather in recent years, but sustainable measures to reduce their environmental footprint and impact remain a core mission since it started in 2002.“We were the first festival to have a permanent solar array on site and a permanent compost pad on site,” says Kelsey Dewald, with the Bonnaroo Works Fund, the charitable arm of the festival that operates several community and social programs.The four-day festival is held on a 700-acre site that has capacity for 85,000 fans, many of whom travel from out of state and set up camp. There is a shuttle service to the festival from Nashville, about 70 miles away, for those without vehicles, although most attendees drive. “The reality is that this is a not insignificantly sized city,” said Anna Borofsky, co-founder of Clean Vibes, a company that manages waste at festivals and events across the country, including Bonnaroo. “We are basically the public works department for a temporary city.”While thousands of fans were jamming out to headliners like Stevie Nicks, J. Cole, Tool and The Chicks at this year’s festival, Borofsky’s crew of “trash police” are combing through very smelly and disgusting piles of waste, separating what can be thrown into the giant compost piles, what can be recycled and even picking out the tiniest of cigarette butts.Food waste that ends up in landfills emits methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to warming temperatures.Clean Vibes’ goal is to keep at least 50% of the festival’s waste out of landfills and between 2002 and 2019, more than 4,000 tons of waste and excess food from the festival has been diverted. Food vendors are restricted to compostable plates and utensils or recyclable and reusable cups. Clean Vibes crew members stood beside the bins and instructed people where to toss their leftovers.Bonnaroo, which is owned by C3 Presents, is unique in that the organizers of the festival bought the farmland several years ago and made permanent changes to the site to improve sustainability and efficiency and make it more adaptable to weather.After flooding last year, they expanded and paved some roads as well as started working on drainage. Some campgrounds and parking lots were relocated.“In 2021, Mother Nature delivered an unprecedented amount of rain in the week leading up to the festival, and the hurricane arrived just hours prior to load in time for campers,” organizers said in a statement. “The Farm does not generally flood, but when given significant precipitation, it may take longer to drain or dry out. Given its timing, the hurricane created a situation we could not overcome.”Janey Camp, a research professor in civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University, said more intense short-duration rainfall can cause huge flooding problems because much of Middle Tennessee has a limestone bedrock and hilly terrain.“We’re seeing these more intense precipitation events, and they don’t align with the historic data,” said Camp, who is also the associate director of the Vanderbilt Engineering Center for Transportation and Operational Resiliency. “And the Corps of Engineers and FEMA and others have been working to update some of the flood maps.”This year the festival stayed dry, but got extreme heat with several days of highs in the upper 90s leading up to the festival. The Tennessee Valley Authority, the federal utility that serves Tennessee and parts of six surrounding states, set two records for power demand in June, the same week as Bonnaroo.In response, TVA and local utilities asked residents to conserve power especially during peak times during the day. Clean Vibes started in 2000, after Borofsky realized that they could add value to a festival by taking over waste management in an environmentally friendly way.“That was really consumer driven,” said Borofsky. “The patrons of these events, if they didn’t have the opportunity to recycle or, of course, if the event was messy, that was a real deterrent to them.”Campers are also rewarded if they clean up after themselves. Jordan Alvernia, from Orlando, brought a bag full of recyclables that he collected at his campsite to a Clean Vibes trading post, where he got a voucher for free food.“It’s not just for the incentives of course,” Alvernia said, who has been coming to Bonnaroo and collecting trash for vouchers and other merchandise each year. “I do it because I love all things Earth,” he said, showing off a “Save the Animals” tattoo on his arm.Nearby a half a dozen campers were sitting, and dozing, in the afternoon sun while charging their cell phones through a solar panel. At a fundraising dinner, festival-goers got a locally sourced four-course meal prepared by chefs using a solar-powered kitchen. Music from a solar-powered stage played in the background as fans chowed down on fresh pickled vegetables, grits and banana cream pie.When Bonnaroo’s solar array was installed in 2013, the panels were estimated to provide about 20% of the festival’s energy. And the panels help power the farm throughout the year.“Having that option to be less on the grid is a better choice for us,” said Dewald.The Bonnaroo Works Fund also pays for energy improvements in low-income housing in the city of Manchester, where the festival is located. Volunteers go into people’s homes and replace light bulbs and pipe fittings, upgrade faucets and do other weatherization projects.But Tennessee needs higher quality weather data to help prepare for extreme and damaging storms, drought and heat, says Andrew Joyner, the Tennessee state climatologist.“If you had 6 inches over one day, that’s a lot of rain,” said Joyner. “If all those 6 inches fell in one hour, you’re going to have campsites flooded. You’re going to have people in danger.”That kind of data would help cities, counties, emergency management offices and big outdoor live events like Bonnaroo, CMA Fest in Nashville and NASCAR races in Bristol, Tennessee, plan and react to unpredictable weather.“It’s hard to say whether Bonnaroo is going to be more affected going into the future by extreme flood events,” said Joyner. “It’s definitely vulnerable to it. I think that’s something that’s pretty well recognized.”Music festivals can’t totally eliminate their impact on the environment. But as Bonnaroo and others are seeing climate change land on their doorstep, the risks — and their response to it — has become all the more important.“Obviously, what we’re doing at this one event for one weekend isn’t changing the world. We don’t have any delusions about that,” said Borofsky. “But proving that we can provide such a comprehensive waste diversion system here is evidence that it can be done on a larger scale and in other applications.”__ Online: https://www.bonnaroo.com/__Follow Kristin M. Hall at https://Twitter.com/kmhall__For more of AP’s climate coverage, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/climate | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
British COP26 President Alok Sharma attends a news conference during the meeting of the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers during the German G7 Presidency at the EUREF-Campus in Berlin, Germany May 27, 2022. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/FilesRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSept 1 (Reuters) - Some of the world's major economies are "backsliding" on their emissions commitments, Britain's climate delegate Alok Sharma said on Thursday, a day after a meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) nations failed to adopt a joint communique at climate talks.Objections to language on climate targets and the war in Ukraine prevented a joint communique from being issued at the G20 ministerial meeting in Bali on Wednesday, diplomatic sources said. read more Sharma, president of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) and head of the British delegation in Bali, told Reuters the response from the G20 that accounts for 80% of global emissions was "incredibly worrying".Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"It is certainly the case that what we did see was a number of countries backsliding on the commitments that they made in Paris and in Glasgow," he said in an interview."Unless the G20 are willing to act on the commitments they have made in Glasgow I am afraid the prospect of keeping 1.5 degrees within reach is going to slip away very, very fast."Sharma did not single out any countries, but sources on Wednesday said some members, including China, had objected to previously agreed upon language in COP26 and past G20 agreements on efforts to limit global temperature rises from reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius.China's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the issue.G20 climate ministers met on the Indonesian resort island for the talks as extreme weather events - fires, floods and heat waves - pummel several parts of the world, including unprecedented flooding in Pakistan that has killed at least 1,000 people.Scientists say most such extreme weather events are attributable to human-caused climate change and will only increase in severity and frequency as the globe edges closer to the warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.In comments ahead of November's COP27 in Egypt, Sharma said the position some countries had taken in Bali was unacceptable."The big emitters absolutely need to look these climate vulnerable countries in the eye and say they are doing absolutely everything they can to deliver on the commitments they have made," he said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Kate Lamb; Editing by Ed DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A forest fire burns in the Sierra Mountains, Topaz Lake, Calif. Peter Starman/Getty Images You’d have to be Rip Van Winkle to be unaware of the suffering and costs from this summer’s heat waves, wildfires, and severe weather events. Fortunately, the financial and retirement industries are galvanizing to help address and mitigate the financial and health consequences for everybody—and seniors and retirees are particularly vulnerable. Consider these conclusions from diverse and respected sources warning of the risk of climate change “Climate Change and You” was the cover story of the June 2021 issue of the AARP Bulletin. It summarized the challenges that climate change poses for older Americans and shared tips for protecting their lives and finances. The Bulletin is read by more than 30 million people and is in the top two of readership in the U.S. along with its sister publication, AARP Magazine. “Climate risk is investment risk” was a large heading in Larry Fink’s 2022 letter to CEOs of Blackrock clients. He is the CEO of Blackrock, the world’s largest investment management firm with more than $10 trillion in assets under management, including the nation’s largest 401(k) plans. His letter goes on to say that cities and countries that don’t plan for a carbon-free future risked being left behind. “The combination of age, chronic conditions and disability in an extreme weather event can be lethal” is the warning of an article written by Joe Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab. His article appeared in the July 2022 issue of Generations magazine published by the American Society on Aging. His story cites a forecast that “…portends more extreme weather events affecting everyone, but likely putting the well-being and economic security of older adults at greatest risk.” An October 2021 article from giant insurance company Swiss Re states, “It is clear that climate change is no longer some distant future threat but that it is here today.” The article headline? “It’s time to take action on climate change.” “Climate change poses the biggest long-term threat of our time, impacting not only how we live but also how we invest,” according to a recent report titled Investing in Times of Climate Change 2022. This report was published by Morningstar, the influential financial services firms that many financial advisors rely on to analyze mutual funds, ETFs, and individual stocks. Morningstar presents evidence that investment returns of corporations with the highest ESG ratings (measuring environmental, social, and governance factors) outperformed the general stock market by more than 8% in 2021, in a report titled Why Sustainable Strategies Outperformed in 2021. Moving beyond the financial and retirement industries, the United Nations 2022 report on the climate issued a clear warning: “It’s ‘now or never’ to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.” And let’s not forget Pope Francis, who has called on world leaders to provide "effective responses" to the environment emergency and offer "concrete hope" to future generations. What can you do?
It might be natural to wonder what seniors and retirees can do about these disturbing conclusions. Well, there’s a lot you can do. You can investigate how to adapt your life to climate risks and severe weather events with respect to your home, community, transportation, nutrition, and buying habits. You can review your investments and financial resources to determine if you need to reposition your finances to be more resilient to climate change. And some of you might pursue activism to help your children and grandchildren inherit a better world. With the climate and retirement challenges we face, we’ll need all hands on deck. It’s reassuring to know that the establishment is getting on board.
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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 heatwaves, 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 poor and indigenous populations the most.Francis said rich countries have an "ecological debt" because it is they who have 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 one of the fastest-warming parts 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.At a news conference presenting the message, Cardinal Michael Czerny, head of the Vatican's development office, said "enough is enough," and called for an immediate end tonew exploration and production of coal, oil, and gas and the phasing out of the production of fossil fuels.He also backed the Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty initiative, a movement to end new development of such fuels.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Philip Pullella
Editing by Mark Heinrich and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
There will be a 'danger to life' caused by fast-flowing and deep floodwater, the Met Office said today as Britain faces more thunderstorms and flash flooding. Yellow and amber warnings have been put out for huge parts of England and Wales. Torrential showers across swathes of the country have already left roads swamped, drains deluged and people desperately battling to keep floodwaters at bay - and more is expected as thunderstorms hit.The Met Office has issued an amber alert for thunderstorms on Wednesday covering parts of England from Chichester to Ipswich and including London, Brighton, Essex and all of Kent.There could be as much as 30-50mm (one to two inches) of rain falling in the region in less than an hour, causing 'flooding and disruption'. Storm and flooding stories Do you have any photos or stories of flooding and storms? Send them to [email protected] The yellow weather warning includes the whole of the south of England and reaches as far away as Leicester and Cardiff, where flooding and travel chaos is also highly likely. A hospital has even urged patients have even been urged to avoid an A&E department after its building was flooded. Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, said that heavy rainfall meant 'water was able to get into a few parts of the building'.The hospital said in a Facebook post that colleagues were 'hard at work' fixing the problem. Hospital staff said: 'Please note, we continue to ask local people in Worksop to only attend the Emergency Department at Bassetlaw Hospital if your need is urgent or life-threatening.'Due to the rain yesterday, water was able to get into a few parts of the building which colleagues are hard at work fixing - work we hope to finish soon.'In the South West, parts of Cornwall and Devon have been hit hard, with dramatic scenes of torrential showers and flash flooding on roads in Newquay, Cornwall, Bishop's Tawton, Devon, and Haywards Heath in West Sussex.In Dorset people used buckets and makeshift containers to try to divert flash floodwater away from a restaurant in West Bay, while workers in Winchester were yesterday seen clearing a drain grid on a swamped road.Streets were flooded in Port Talbot, Wales and in Loughborough, the Morrisons supermarket car park was flooded.Volunteers rushed to save books from being ruined after a Waterstones bookshop was flooded in Swansea. Bookshelves were soaked when storms hit the store in in a torrential downpour.Staff videoed rain pouring through the ceiling - with empty shelves and dozens of wet books on the floor.In a Twitter post, they said: 'With sincere apologies, we are now closed.'A lovely moment amongst the carnage - loads of customers rushing over to help us save the books (which we had to refuse for safety reasons, but thank you!) Normal service will (hopefully) be resumed soon.'However experts have warned that it would take 'weeks' of heavy rainfall to help parts of the country recover from the driest July on record and the driest first half of the year since 1976, as the ground will struggle to absorb the water and surface run-off causes flooding.This means wildfires are still a possibility on the 'tinderbox dry' land Britain has been left with.Authorities moved Yorkshire to official drought status on Tuesday, following parts of the South West, southern and central England and the East of England last week.Last night a huge fire ripped through a field near Buckley Hill Road in Bootle, Merseyside, with fire crews from Buckley Hill and Kirkby called at at 9.35pm to reports of a 'major wildfire', with witnesses worried about the Shy Lowen Horse and Pony Sanctuary, the Liverpool Echo said.Scotland was hit by travel disruption across rail networks and on roads after torrential overnight rain, including flooding at Perth station.In Combe Florey, between Minehead and Taunton in Somerset, the A358 remained closed yesterday afternoon after a mudslide on Monday night. Workmen removed more than 100 tons of mud and potatoes sliding in from nearby fields. The Met Office warned of severe flooding in parts of England and Wales, particularly in the south-east of England A cyclist is soaked as she braves the torrential rain in Sheffield as thunderstorms and flash floods batter Britain Massive waves crash into the seafront at Sunderland as the extreme weather rages across the UK DORSET: A dogwalker gets a soaking in Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain from a thunderstorm which caused flash flooding LONDON: A man runs across the Millennium Bridge in London on Tuesday after getting court in a sudden downpour of rain WINCHESTER: A man tries to clear a drain grid during flooding in Winchester yesterday as parts of the country are hit by heavy rain SOMERSET: Workers have had to remove more than 50 tonnes of mud and potatoes yesterday following the mudslide on the A358 in Somerset DORSET: Locals and visitors join together to try to clear floodwater away from Seagulls restaurant at West Bay in Dorset yesterday NORTH WALES: Thomas Davies stepped into his back garden to test out his phone's camera during thunderstorms near his home in Rhyl, north Wales, on Sunday evening CORNWALL: A downstairs deluge cascades down steps at St Mabyn in Cornwall during torrential downpours of rain on Tuesday Bassetlaw Hospital in Nottinghamshire asked people to stay away from its A&E if possible after the building flooded Storm clouds gather over Peterborough in Cambridgeshire as the UK braces itself for more thunderstorms this week CORNWALL: The wet weather helped form a waterspout alongside the south coast of Cornwall over a tour boat in Fowey Harbour, creating a vortex (pictured on Tuesday)The Met Office warning reads: 'Whilst some places will miss them, thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely on Wednesday across central, southern and eastern parts of England and southeast Wales.'20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 60 mm in less than three hours.'A few spots could see more rainfall than this still, whilst hail and lightning may be additional hazards.' The Environment Agency had issued 29 flood alerts by Tuesday night.The heaviest downpours on Tuesday were at Spadeadam in Cumbria, with 25.4mm of rain, and in Trengwainton House, Cornwall, with 18.4mm, the Met Office said.Footage and photos shared to social media showed torrential rain and floodwater sweeping through towns across southern England and Wales, including Newquay in Cornwall, Bishop's Tawton in Devon, Haywards Heath in West Sussex, Port Talbot in south-west Wales, and Bridport in Dorset.Amid the weather warnings, Britons have been urged to prepare a 'grab bag' of essentials in case of flooding as torrential rain and thunderstorms hammer parts of the country today, causing mudslides while deluging rail lines and streets.Firefighters said people should prepare a flood kit, with those living in basement flats or low-lying properties particularly at risk as the heatwave ends with a bang - and up to two inches of rain falling in three hours today.The National Flood Forum said a flooding 'grab bag' should contain insurance and other important documents, mobile phones and chargers, emergency cash and credit cards, and any medication or prescription forms.The London Fire Brigade said people should be 'prepared and know what to do should a flood occur' and 'use sandbags to limit the water flow and move belongings to a higher level'. The Met Office said people living in 'low-lying properties' should make sure their valuable items are 'ready to go', or 'on a higher level of your house'.After weeks of sweltering weather the Met Office's yellow thunderstorm warning for Wednesday forecasts conditions in which '20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour' Last night a huge fire ripped through a field near Buckley Hill Road in Bootle, Merseyside, with fire crews from Buckley Hill and Kirkby called at at 9.35pm to reports of a 'major wildfire' (pictured) A driveway has completely flooded outside of a home in Port Talbot, Wales as heavy rain continues to pour downThe guidance will apply to millions of people - with Environment Agency the estimating that 5.2million homes in England, or one in six properties, are at risk of flooding. This includes 2.4million at risk from rivers and the sea, 1million of these also susceptible to surface water flooding and a further 2.8million at risk of surface water alone. One Twitter user shared a video of floodwater in Newquay, writing: 'I've never seen rain like this. Our road is flooding £Newquay.'Another Twitter user in Bishop's Tawton, north Devon, said: '(F)lash flooding causing use of sandbags to prevent water in house, despite recent flood work by @EnvAgency urgent need for solutions.'ScotRail imposed speed restrictions on some routes on Tuesday, while in Perth, Network Rail said it dealt with flooding at the station.Wednesday is the fourth day in a row of thunderstorm warnings in the UK and it leaves communities in areas like Sussex, Kent and Hampshire braced for possible heavy downpours.Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said that 'heavy thundery showers could develop in warm muggy air' and 'there could be some high totals (of rainfall), particularly if you see some heavy thunderstorms come in one after another'.People in northern regions should be able to enjoy a day that feels fresher, a little cooler and is mostly dry - with some sunny spells.Mr Partridge said: 'The ground has been so baked dry because of the heat and the lack of rain for a number of days. When the rain has come, it has been hitting ground that is completely dry and baked dry like concrete.'It is running off than more traditionally. If there is some moisture in the ground, it is a lot easier for it to soak up the rain that hits it. We have probably a higher run-off rate for the rainfall than we would normally have.'It is almost like all the fields have been tarmacked because the water has been running off them as there has been so little of it that has gone into the ground.' Vehicles drive along the very wet M25 near Swanley in Kent yesterday as heavy rain creates surface spray and reduces visibility Locals and visitors join together to try to clear floodwater away from Seagulls restaurant at West Bay in Dorset on Tuesday The A358 in Somerset has been closed at Combe Florey on Tuesday after a huge mudslide that has caused chaos for local motoristsMet office spokesman Stephen Dixon said parts of the country could see up to 50mm of rain within three hours: 'We have got thundery showers possibly for a lot of people in the UK. Within the warning area, it is important to note that thunderstorms could pop up anywhere. That being said, some areas could miss the rain altogether.'That risk of thunderstorms will move to southern areas of the UK as the day goes on.' Mr Dixon said this risk will continue throughout Wednesday.'Early on Thursday morning, the main risk that we are looking at is for the South East. The risk then decreases as the day goes on.'And the National Flood Forum charity warned that the UK remains 'reactive and not proactive' about flood risk even though flooding had become a regular pattern for the country.Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, Heather Shepherd, the charity's flood recovery specialist, said: 'Flooding has definitely increased. We see it now as a regular pattern every year.'I still think we are quite reactive and not proactive. As soon as flodding's not in the headlines we tend to be a bit too laid back.'Miss Shepherd also said that 'building like mad everywhere' was increasing the risk of floods, as 'a lot of [building] is on places where water had space and it no longer has. It overwhelms our drainage infrastructure.'Meanwhile, swimmers have been urged to stay out of Cumbria's Lake Windermere because of a potentially toxic algae covering the water's surface.While the heatwave has now technically ended after eight days on Tuesday, it remains very warm in much of the UK with highs of 22C (71.6F) in London, Brighton and Exeter yesterday, 25C (77F) across the south on Thursday and 23C (73.4F) on Friday, A fireman from Dorset and Wiltshire fire crew help pump some of the water out of the road with their fire engine after torrential rain and thunderstorms caused flash flooding on Tuesday The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue crew were successful in removing some of the flooding, allowing motorists to use the junction (pictured on Tuesday) Vehicles drive along the very wet M25 near Swanley in Kent yesterday as heavy rain creates surface spray and reduces visibility Tourists walk along the South Bank in London during heavy rain in the capital yesterday as the heatwave comes to an end A couple go for a walk in the sea under an umbrella off the almost deserted beach of Weymouth in Dorset yesterday morning Commuters walk over London Bridge on Tuesday morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwave People queue up outside Westminster Abbey during heavy rain in London yesterday as thunderstorms hit the capital Two young women shelter under an umbrella as they walk over Millennium Bridge in London during heavy rain yesterday afternoon A vehicle drives through a large puddle during heavy rain at Greenwich in South East London on Tuesday morning Three people take a selfie under umbrellas as they stand on Millennium Bridge in London during heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon People walk over London Bridge yesterday morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwavePeople walk through London in the rain yesterday - and while some of them came prepared with umbrellas, others did not Flooding on rail lines near Perth in Scotland yesterday, where speed restrictions have been imposed on routes due to heavy rain A bride and groom shelter from the rain under an umbrella during their wedding photos in Central London yesterday afternoon Tourists wearing rain ponchos walk through Westminster yesterday during heavy rain after the prolonged dry spell Authorities moved Yorkshire to official drought status on Tuesday, following parts of the South West, southern and central England and the East of England last week. Christine Colvin, from the Rivers Trust, warned there is a risk that people will not take the drought seriously in the coming days, adding: 'We want people to keep this rainfall event in context and as part of the bigger picture.'The bigger picture is that we've actually still had an incredibly dry year as well as a dry summer and it's going to take sustained rainfall to replenish our supplies. Just because it rains, it doesn't mean the drought is over.' 'Devastating' incident as body of girl, 14, is recovered from water The body of a 14-year-old girl has been recovered from water in Greater Manchester after a 'devastating' incident, prompting police to urge people to keep safe while enjoying the warm weather.Emergency services were called to reports of a person getting into difficulty in the water in Stalybridge, Tameside, shortly before 6.30pm yesterday.Yesterday, Greater Manchester Police announced that her body had been recovered overnight. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service also attended the scene. The teenager has been formally identified and her family are being supported by specially trained officers, GMP said. The scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, yesterday, after the body of a 14-year-old girl was recovered from the water overnight Inquiries continue, but officers from Tameside Criminal Investigation Department said at this stage they are confident there are no suspicious circumstances, and a file is being prepared for the coroner.Detective Inspector Steven Horton said: 'Yesterday evening's events are nothing short of devastating and my thoughts are with the friends and family of the young girl who lost her life in such awful circumstances. Flowers at the scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, yesterday'We are doing all we can to support the girl's family at this incredibly difficult time, and we are focused on ensuring they get the answers they deserve as to how this tragedy occurred.'From our inquiries so far, we are confident that there are no suspicious circumstances and that this is such a sad reminder of the dangers of entering open water, whatever the weather. 'We remind the public to avoid being tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds. 'We all want to enjoy the warm weather - please make sure you do so in a safe way. Think of your family, look out for your friends.' Fire crews at the scene in Stalybridge yesterday eveningShe added: 'It's going to take sustained rain to replenish the supplies we actually use, which are the aquifers and the managed storage in our reservoirs.'The heavy downpours over a short period will not soak into the earth – baked almost as hard as concrete by the heat – and are instead flooding streets in towns and cities. The Met Office warned that people who live in 'low-lying properties' should make sure their valuable items are 'ready to go', or 'on a higher level of your house', due to the current high flood risk.Speaking to Sky News this morning, Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: 'For low-lying properties, which perhaps have been built on a floodplain, yes, there is a risk of flooding in properties.'Get all your documents, whether it's your mobile phone, your passport, etc, all those things you don't want to be damaged by floodwater and make sure they're ready to go or on a higher level of your house'.She added that the downpours overnight and into this morning are 'the wrong kind of rain which we need for the ground', as the ground is too hard to absorb it.'What we're looking for is sort of continuous rain, moderate rain, rather than this incredibly intense burst, which currently is moving up across more southern areas of England. So we're not out of the woods yet.'Patrick Goulbourne, the London Fire Brigade's Assistant Commissioner, said of those living in the capital: 'It is really important that Londoners – particularly those living in basement properties – are prepared and know what to do should a flood occur.'Pay attention to weather alerts and prepare a flood kit or grab bag. People can use sandbags to limit the water flow and move belongings to a higher level.'A flooding 'grab bag' should contain insurance and other important documents, mobile phones and chargers, emergency cash, and any medication, according to the National Flood Forum charity.For parents with young children, it should also include nappies, a favourite toy, clothing, wipes, milk and baby food.Last week a drought was declared in eight areas of England including Devon and Cornwall, Kent and south London.Several water firms – including Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water – have already imposed hosepipe bans to tackle the shortage.South West Water was the latest company to announce restrictions in Cornwall which will kick in on August 23.Yorkshire Water's ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water has said it is planning one but has not confirmed the date.A £1,000 fine could be imposed on anyone who breaks the ban but water companies have not said if they have pressed for prosecutions in the past. Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said that thunderstorms and heavy rain is likely to hit parts of Scotland as well as areas of the South West and East of England.He added that up to two inches of rainfall – almost a month's worth of rain – could fall in just three hours in some parts.He added: 'That being said, it is quite hard to pinpoint exactly where these thunderstorms will crop up. Some areas will miss the showers completely.'But, where they do come down, there could be some impacts like surface water flooding – with the rain obviously hitting dry land –travel disruption and power cuts affecting homes and businesses.'And Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: 'Temperatures will be lower, looking at highs of around 27C as a maximum temperature, but it will still be on the humid side (yesterday).'Thundery showers across central and southern parts of England on Wednesday and temperatures will be around 26C as a maximum.'Mr Dewhurst warned that the bad weather conditions could pose difficulties for those hoping to travel and urged people to stay up to date with developments in their local area.'We'll see some very heavy showers develop over the coming days, hail, frequent lightning, some flash flooding is possible like we've seen in places yesterday so our advice is to stay tuned to latest forecasts and local radio stations as well, to get the latest information,' he said.'It is worth being aware that there could be disruptions or delays to travel.' A Morrisons car park in Loughborough was submerged in flood water after the torrential rain and storms A man leaps over a puddle as shoppers rush through a heavy downpour in London yesterday afternoon A car drives through floodwater on the B3157 coast road at Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain yesterday Cars on a flooded road in Winchester yesterday as thunderstorms hit the country this week after the recent heatwave A car drives through floodwater on the B3157 coast road at Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain yesterday A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset yesterday after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last night A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset yesterday after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last night Emergency services workers at the scene of the A358 mudslide in Somerset yesterday amid the torrential rain and thunderstorms ) Pedestrians shelter under umbrellas in Westminster during heavy rain this afternoon following the prolonged dry spell A woman looks across to the Houses of Parliament while shielding under an umbrella during a rain shower in London yesterday People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain yesterday morning as the capital is hit by downpours Two people look at Tower Bridge in the rain under an umbrella yesterday morning as downpours return to the capital People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain yesterday morning as the capital is hit by downpours An autumnal feel to Hyde Park in London yesterday morning as the heatwave finally ends with a series of thunderstormsHe added: 'It will be in turns fairly breezy as we end the week, with some showery rain, particularly across the north of the UK, so temperatures generally around average for many but could possibly be a bit above for the far south, which is the mid-20s. Now London is set for a hosepipe ban: Thames Water will tell 15million people not to water gardens or wash their cars in days - bringing UK total to 24million The year's biggest hosepipe ban yet is set to be confirmed for London and the Thames Valley later this week, before coming into force from next week – affecting 15million people across the Thames Water region.Thames Water had already warned last week that it was planning a ban in the 'coming weeks', and this is now set to be confirmed by the end of this week. It will be the year's biggest temporary usage ban so far in population size.Meanwhile another hosepipe ban was announced yesterday, with Cornwall and parts of Devon becoming the next area of the UK to face temporary restrictions when South West Water brings in the policy in a week's time.Four water companies – Manx Water, Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water - have already imposed bans, while Yorkshire Water said one will start on August 26. It comes after a drought was declared for parts of England following the driest summer for 50 years that has almost completely deprived some areas of rainfall.The hosepipe bans will soon cover a total of more than 24million people - including 5million in Yorkshire (Yorkshire Water) 2.2million in Kent and Sussex (South East Water), around 1million in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Southern Water), another 1million in Cornwall and part of Devon (South West Water), 200,000 in Pembrokeshire and a small part of Carmarthenshire (Welsh Water) and 80,000 on the Isle of Man (Manx Water). South West Water announced on Monday that it will be imposing its own 'temporary use ban' restrictions from midnight on August 23, with bosses saying this will be the firm's first ban in more than a quarter of a century.The ban means customers cannot use any hosepipe including sprinklers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation systems for watering the garden or plants; cleaning a car, walls, paths or patios; or filling a pool, pond or fountain.However they can still do any of these activities if they use mains water from a bucket or watering can, or use water that is not sourced from the mains such as greywater or rainwater from a water butt through a hosepipe.'It looks probably most likely from late Wednesday to Thursday onwards it will become fresher for everyone.'Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology at the University of Reading, warned that the parched soil increased the risk of 'dangerous' flooding.She said: 'The ground is really dry and when it is so dry it acts a little bit like concrete and that water can't get in so it drains straight off. There is the damage to homes and businesses these floods can cause, and inconvenience with transport disruptions –but if it is very heavy in one place it can also be very dangerous.'On how it could affect cities like London, she said: 'If you get heavy rain in a city, the drainage system can cope up to a point. But if there is really heavy rain it can overwhelm the system – the rain cannot run away quick enough.'Water tends to find the lowest pathway – that is why it is so dangerous for cities with these surface area floods. That is why it is of concern to the Tube and underground car parks and things like that.''If we are in London and the parks are really, really dry, there is nowhere for the water to run so it is exacerbating the risks we already have in cities.'In rural areas, Professor Cloke said flooding often hits low points in roads and under bridges.Also yesterday, Ofwat chief executive David Black has defended targets set for water companies as 'challenging but achievable'.Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme and asked if the targets set for leaks are tough enough, Mr Black said: 'Yes, we set challenging but achievable targets for water companies, leakage being one of them.'So at the last price review we challenged the sector to reduce leakage by 16 per cent and the latest information we have shows that 13 out of 17 companies (are) on track to deliver that in the first two years.'He added: 'I can point elsewhere in the (targets) regime where fewer companies are succeeding, so for example on pollution incidence less companies are successful.'So we have set challenging targets and in fact at the last price review four out of 17 companies appealed our determination. So they thought the determination was too tough, and one of their contentions was that the targets were too challenging.'Mr Black also said that overall, the water supplier sector 'has underperformed against the price review'.He told the BBC: 'Where companies are falling short on leakage they will incur penalties on that. It may be that they are outperforming the regime elsewhere. But overall the sector as a whole has underperformed against the price review thus far into the period.'Mr Black added: 'So far to date the sector hasn't succeeded in earning the - if you like - these standard rates of return.'He said: 'We certainly agree that customers should get better service and expect better service and that's why we have set performance targets that aim in every case to drive better performance from companies.'There are some companies like Thames Water which have been repeated poor performers and we have taken action against them and other companies.'Asked if he thinks there is nothing wrong with the system, Mr Black said: 'No, I think that companies like Thames and Southern really need to up their game. I think it's very concerning that other companies that may be performing better in the sector it casts a long shadow when we see poor performance.' | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
CBS Mornings July 20, 2022 / 7:56 AM / CBS News U.S., Europe swelter under historic heatwave U.S., Europe swelter under historic heatwave; Britain sees record-high temperatures 08:47 London — Some European nations were still battling their worst wildfires in decades Wednesday as the U.K. woke up to relief after its hottest day on record. As CBS News correspondent Ramy Inocencio reports, flames have torn through tinder dry brush in an area covering thousands of miles from Greece to Portugal. The widespread heat wave that fueled those flames stretched all the way up to Scotland on Tuesday, delivering record-high temperatures in towns and cities across Britain and leaving Londoners shocked to see their town hit by the same kind of bushfires they've grown accustomed to watching on the news.Charred ground and gutted homes in the British capital were testament to the fact that even the stereotypically damp and dreary U.K., where umbrellas and overcoats are more commonplace than air-conditioners, cannot escape the consequences of a rapidly warming climate. Houses destroyed in a major fire in Wennington, Greater London, England, are seen on July 20, 2022. Fires broke out across London amid record-breaking heat the previous day. Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty Rare wildfires burned and billowed across London on Tuesday as much of England endured 100-plus-degree heat. A new temperature record was set in the town of Coningsby, in eastern England, at 40.3 Celsius, which is over 104 degrees Fahrenheit. As much of the country has gone a month or more with barely a drop of rain, the scorching temperatures were all it took to ignite matchstick-dry grass and brush in back yards and along highways.The London Fire Brigade worked its busiest day since World War II, with firefighters responding to more than 2,600 calls and fighting 12 fires simultaneously at one point, according to Mayor Sadiq Khan. At least 41 properties were destroyed by the fires in London, the mayor said, and 16 firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation or other injuries. Firefighters at the scene of a blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, as the London Fire Brigade declared a major incident due to "a huge surge" in blazes across the capital, July 19, 2022. Yui Mok/PA Images/Getty Dee Ncube and her family fled their burning neighborhood in the capital, leaving everything behind. She told Inocencio the only time she'd seen anything like it was in movies or on TV.But while many Londoners were shocked, people who study the Earth's changing climate were not."This is it, right? This is the climate change that we've been promised by scientists," Dr. Michal Nachmany, a climate policy expert at the London School of Economics, told CBS News. "This level of extreme weather is life threatening, and we really want to make sure that people are not under any illusion that this is serious, and this is here to stay." Climate campaigners were also keen to stress Tuesday's extremes as a warning of danger ahead, and a call to action. Demonstrators from a protest group called "Just Stop Oil" climbed onto metal framework for signs over the M25, one of Britain's busiest highways, which encircles London, causing a long traffic backup Wednesday morning. All time temperature records are being obliterated, thousands of people are expected to die from heatstroke and @UKParliament are too busy fighting among themselves to even care. DO NOT BE A BYSTANDER! Step up into action. WE MUST ACT QUICKLY. WE MUST #JUSTSTOPOIL. pic.twitter.com/qn2RDa1btd— JustStopOil (@JustStop_Oil) July 20, 2022 The group said it was sorry about the disruption for morning commuters, but it declared the M25 "a site of civil resistance," and warned there would be more protests in the coming days. "This is the moment when climate inaction is truly revealed in all its murderous glory for everyone to see: as an elite-driven death project that will extinguish all life if we let it," the group said in a statement, announcing its action and demand that the U.K. government stop investing in fossil fuel extraction.Other countries further south were still battling major blazes on Wednesday that erupted last week. Thousands have died and tens of thousands have been evacuated. Scorching summer temps and wildfires roast Europe 03:30 Firefighters in southwest France were still battling twin blazes that cover ground twice the size of Paris for a ninth straight day on Wednesday, but weather conditions improved there overnight, too, and officials said they were gaining control."Our assessment is generally positive. The situation improved overnight," local fire service spokesman Arnaud Mendousse told reporters, according to The Associated Press. President Emmanuel Macron was set to visit the hard-hit Gironde region on Wednesday, where the fires have driven about 37,000 people from their homes. Spain and Portugal were still recording new deaths from the extreme heat and fires, with the toll already well over 1,000. Further to the west, police in Greece ran door to door, shouting at residents to flee just north of Athens as a fire approached. A wildfire burns near a house in Ntrafi, Athens, Greece, July 19, 2022. COSTAS BALTAS/REUTERS Evacuations continued in Italy, also, where fires were still growing and temperatures haven't yet started to ease.While the worst of the heat wave appeared to be over for much of Western Europe, with temperatures dropping dramatically overnight from the north of Britain to the south of France, climate experts and campaigners were desperate to get the point across that while this week has been an exception, these exceptions are expected to become more common — and get even hotter. In: Italy Wildfire Fire Spain Heat Wave France European Union United Kingdom london 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 |
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations and Pakistan issued an appeal Tuesday for $160 million in emergency funding to help millions affected by record-breaking floods that have killed more than 1,150 people since mid-June.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres said Pakistan’s flooding, caused by weeks of unprecedented monsoon rains, were a signal to the world to step up action against climate change.
READ MORE: Over a 1,000 dead in Pakistan flooding, monsoon season ‘climate catastrophe’
“Let’s stop sleepwalking toward the destruction of our planet by climate change,” he said in a video message to an Islamabad ceremony launching the funding appeal. “Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”
More than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis, have been affected by the catastrophic flooding, which has devastated a country already trying to revive a struggling economy. More than 1 million homes have been damaged or destroyed in the past two and half months, displacing millions of people. Around a half million of those displaced are living in organized camps, while others have had to find their own shelter.
According to initial government estimates, the devastation caused $10 billion in damage to the economy.
“It is a preliminary estimate likely to be far greater,” Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal told The Associated Press. More than 160 bridges and more than 3,400 kilometers (2,100 miles) of road have been damaged.
WATCH: Death toll in Pakistan passes 1,110 as monsoon floods reach historic levels
Although rains stopped three days ago, large swaths of the country remain underwater, and the main rivers, the Indus and the Swat, are still swollen. The National Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday warned emergency services to be on maximum alert, saying flood waters over the next 24 hours could cause further damage.
Rescuers continued to evacuate stranded people from inundated villages to safer ground. Makeshift tent camps have sprung up along highways.
Meteorologists have warned of more rains in coming weeks.
“The situation is likely to deteriorate even further as heavy rains continue over areas already inundated by more than two months of storms and flooding. For us, this is no less than a national emergency,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Tuesday, urging the international community to give generously to the U.N. appeal.
“Since mid-June, in fact, Pakistan has been battling one of the most severe, totally anomalous cycles of torrential monsoon weather,” he said. Rainfall during that time was three times the average, and up to six times higher in some areas, he said.
The U.N. flash appeal for $160 million will provide food, water, sanitation, health and other forms of aid to some 5.2 million people, Gutteres said.
“The scale of needs is rising like the flood waters. It requires the world’s collective and prioritized attention,” he said.
A day earlier, the International Monetary Fund’s executive board approved the release of a much awaited $1.17 billion for Pakistan.
The funds are part of a $6 billion bailout agreed on in 2019. The latest tranche had been on hold since earlier this year, when the IMF expressed concern about Pakistan’s compliance with the deal’s terms under the government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Khan was ousted through a no-confidence vote in the parliament in April.
Pakistan has risked default as its reserves dwindle and inflation has spiraled, and to get the IMF bailout, the government has had to agree to austerity measures.
READ: IMF reaches preliminary deal with Pakistan on $6 billion bailout
The flooding catastrophe, however, adds new burdens to the cash-strapped government. It also reflects how poorer countries often pay the price for climate change largely caused by more industrialized nations. Since 1959, Pakistan is responsible for only 0.4% of the world’s historic CO2 emissions. The U.S. is responsible for 21.5%, China for 16.5% and the EU 15%.
Several scientists say the record-breaking flooding has all the hallmarks of being affected by climate change.
“This year, Pakistan has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades,” 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.”
Pakistan saw similar flooding and devastation in 2010 that killed nearly 2,000 people. But the government didn’t implement plans to prevent future flooding by preventing construction and homes in flood prone areas and river beds, said Suleri.
Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten contributed to this story from Geneva. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
July 21 (Reuters) - Brutal heatwaves are gripping both Europe and the United States this week and are forecast to dump searing heat on much of China into late August.In addition to temperatures spiking above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), wildfires are raging across southern Europe with evacuations in towns in Italy and Greece. read more The searing heat is part of a global pattern of rising temperatures, attributed by scientists to human activity. 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. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comHOTTER, MORE FREQUENT HEATWAVESClimate change makes heatwaves hotter and more frequent. This is the case for most land regions, and has been confirmed by the U.N.'s global panel of climate scientists (IPCC).Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have heated the planet by about 1.2 Celsius since pre-industrial times. That warmer baseline means higher temperatures can be reached during extreme heat events."Every heatwave that we are experiencing today has been made hotter and more frequent because of climate change," said Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London who also co-leads the World Weather Attribution research collaboration.But other conditions affect heatwaves too. In Europe, atmospheric circulation is an important factor.A study in the journal Nature this month found that heatwaves in Europe have increased three-to-four times faster than in other northern mid-latitudes such as the United States. The authors linked this to changes in the jet stream - a fast west-to-east air current in the northern hemisphere.FINGERPRINTS OF CLIMATE CHANGETo find out exactly how much climate change affected a specific heatwave, scientists conduct "attribution studies". Since 2004, more than 400 such studies have been done for extreme weather events, including heat, floods and drought - calculating how much of a role climate change played in each.This involves simulating the modern climate hundreds of times and comparing it to simulations of a climate without human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.For example, scientists with World Weather Attribution determined that a record-breaking heatwave in western Europe in June 2019 was 100 times more likely to occur now in France and the Netherlands than if humans had not changed the climate.HEATWAVES WILL STILL GET WORSEThe global average temperature is around 1.2C warmer than in pre-industrial times. That is already driving extreme heat events."On average on land, heat extremes that would have happened once every 10 years without human influence on the climate are now three times more frequent," said ETH Zurich climate scientist Sonia Seneviratne.A firefighter works to extinguish a forest fire, during a heatwave, near Thiendorf, north of Dresden, Germany, July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Matthias RietschelTemperatures will only cease rising if humans stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Until then, heatwaves are set to worsen. A failure to tackle climate change would see heat extremes escalate even more dangerously.Countries agreed under the global 2015 Paris Agreement to cut emissions fast enough to limit global warming to 2°C and aim for 1.5°C, to avoid its most dangerous impacts. Current policies would not cut emissions fast enough to meet either goal.A heatwave that occurred once per decade in the pre-industrial era would happen 4.1 times a decade at 1.5°C of warming, and 5.6 times at 2°C, the IPCC says.Letting warming pass 1.5°C means that most years "will be affected by hot extremes in the future," Seneviratne said.CLIMATE CHANGE DRIVES WILDFIRESClimate change increases hot and dry conditions that help fires spread faster, burn longer and rage more intensely.In the Mediterranean, that has contributed to the fire season starting earlier and burning more land. Last year more than half a million hectares burned in the European Union, making it the bloc’s second-worst forest fire season on record after 2017.Hotter weather also saps moisture from vegetation, turning it into dry fuel that helps fires to spread."The hotter, drier conditions right now, it just makes [fires] far more dangerous," Copernicus senior scientist Mark Parrington said.Countries such as Portugal and Greece experience fires most summers, and have infrastructure to try to manage them - though both have received emergency EU help this summer. But hotter temperatures are also pushing wildfires into regions not used to them, and thus less prepared to cope.CLIMATE CHANGE ISN'T THE ONLY FACTOR IN FIRESForest management and ignition sources are also important factors. In Europe, more than nine out of 10 fires are ignited by human activities, like arson, disposable barbeques, electricity lines, or littered glass, according to EU data.Countries, including Spain, face the challenge of shrinking populations in rural areas, as people move to cities, leaving smaller workforces to clear vegetation and avoid "fuel" for forest fires building up.Some actions can help to limit severe blazes, such as setting controlled fires that mimic the low-intensity fires in natural ecosystem cycles, or introducing gaps within forests to stop blazes rapidly spreading over large areas.But scientists concur that without steep cuts to the greenhouse gases causing climate change, heatwaves, wildfires, flooding and drought will significantly worsen."When we look back on the current fire season in one or two decades' time, it will probably seem mild by comparison," said Victor Resco de Dios, professor of forest engineering at Spain's Lleida University.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels; Additional reporting by Gloria Dickie; Editing by Katy Daigle, Barbara Lewis and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | 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 1,033 people after new fatalities were reported in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Sindh 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 |
The Yellowstone National Park area's weather forecast the morning of June 12 seemed fairly tame: warmer temperatures and rain showers would accelerate mountain snow melt and could produce "minor flooding." A National Weather Service bulletin recommended moving livestock from low-lying areas but made no mention of danger to people. By nightfall, after several inches of rain fell on a deep spring snowpack, there were record-shattering floods. Torrents of water poured off the mountains. Swollen rivers carrying boulders and trees smashed through Montana towns over the next several days. The flooding swept away houses, wiped out bridges and forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 tourists, park employees and residents near the park. As a cleanup expected to last months grinds on, climate experts and meteorologists say the gap between the destruction and what was forecast underscores a troublesome aspect of climate change: Models used to predict storm impacts do not always keep up with increasingly devastating rainstorms, hurricanes, heat waves and other events. "Those rivers had never reached those levels. We literally were flying blind not even knowing what the impacts would be," said Arin Peters, a senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service. FILE - A bridge washed out from flooding at Rescue Creek in Yellowstone National Park, Mont., on June 13, 2022, is seen in this photo provided by the National Park Service. Hydrologic models used to predict flooding are based on long-term, historical records. But they do not reflect changes to the climate that emerged over the past decade, said meteorologist and Weather Underground founder Jeff Masters. "Those models are going to be inadequate to deal with a new climate," Masters said. Another extreme weather event where the models came up short was Hurricane Ida, which slammed Louisiana last summer and then stalled over the Eastern Seaboard — deluging parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York with unprecedented rainfall that caused massive flooding. The weather service had warned of a "serious situation" that could turn "catastrophic," but the predicted of 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain for New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania was far short of the 9 to 10 inches (23 to 25 centimeters) that fell. The deadly June 2021 heat wave that scorched the Pacific Northwest offered another example. Warmer weather had been expected, but not temperatures of up to 116 degrees (47C degrees) that toppled previous records and killed an estimated 600 or more people in Oregon, Washington state and western Canada. The surprise Yellowstone floods prompted a nighttime scramble to close off roads and bridges getting swept away by the water, plus rushed evacuations that missed some people. No one died, somewhat miraculously, as more than 400 homes were damaged or destroyed. FILE - An entrance to Yellowstone National Park, a major tourist attraction, sits closed due to the historic floodwaters, in Gardiner, Mont., on June 15, 2022. As rockslides caused by the rainfall started happening in Yellowstone, park rangers closed a heavily used road between the town of Gardiner and the park headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming. The road was later washed out in numerous places. The rain and snowmelt was "too much too fast and you just try to stay out of the way," Yellowstone Deputy Chief Ranger Tim Townsend said. If the road hadn't been closed, "we probably would have had fatalities, unquestionably" park Superintendent Cam Sholly said. "The road looks totally fine and then it's like an 80-foot drop right into the river," Sholly said. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was scheduled to visit Yellowstone on Friday to survey the damage and ongoing repairs. Within a matter of hours on June 12, Rock Creek, which runs through the city of Red Lodge and normally is placid and sometimes just ankle deep, became a raging river. When the weather service issued a flood warning for the creek, the water already had surged over its banks and begun to knock down bridges. By the time the warning was sent, "we already knew it was too late," said Scott Williams, a commissioner for Carbon County, Montana, which borders Yellowstone. Red Lodge resident Pam Smith was alerted to the floods by something knocking around in her basement before dawn. It was her clothes dryer, floating in water pouring through the windows. Smith says her partner keeps track of the weather on his computer and they were aware rain was coming and that the creek was running high. But they were not aware of flooding threat when they went to bed the night before, she said. FILE - Pam Smith is seen in front of a trailer filled with her belongings that were ruined in flooding, in Red Lodge, Mont., on June 16, 2022. In a scramble to save belongings including her violins, the music teacher slipped on the wet kitchen floor and fell, shattering a bone in her arm. Smith recalls biting back tears and trudging through floodwaters with her partner and 15-year-old granddaughter to reach their pickup truck and drive to safety. "I went blank," Smith said. "I was angry and like, 'Why didn't anybody warn us? Why was there no knock on the door? Why didn't the police come around and say there's flooding, you need to get out?'" Local authorities say sheriff's deputies and others knocked on doors in Red Lodge and a second community that flooded. But they acknowledged not everyone was reached as numerous rivers and streams overflowed, swamping areas never known previously to flood. While no single weather event can be conclusively tied to climate change, scientists said the Yellowstone flooding was consistent with changes already documented around the park as temperatures warm. Those changes include less snowfall in mid-winter and more spring precipitation — setting the stage for flash floods when rains fall on the snow, said Montana State University climate scientist Cathy Whitlock. Warming trends mean spring floods will increase in frequency — even as the region suffers from long-term drought that keeps much of the rest of the year dry, she said. Masters and other experts noted that computer modeling of storms has become more sophisticated and is generally more accurate than ever. But extreme weather by its nature is hard to predict, and as such events happen more frequently there will be many more chances for forecasters to get it wrong. The rate of the most extreme rainstorms in some areas has increased up to a factor of five, Masters said. So an event with a 1% chance of happening in any given year — commonly referred to as a "one in 100-year" event — would have an approximately 5% chance of happening, he said. "We are literally re-writing our weather history book," said University of Oklahoma Meteorology Professor Jason Furtado. That has widespread implications for local authorities and emergency officials who rely on weather bulletins to guide their disaster response approaches. If they're not warned, they can't act. FILE - A road ends where floodwaters washed away a house in Gardiner, Mont., on June 16, 2022. But the National Weather Service also strives to avoid undue alarm and maintain public trust. So if the service's models show only a slim chance of disaster, that information can get left out of the forecast. Weather service officials said the agency's actions with the Yellowstone flooding will be analyzed to determine if changes are needed. They said early warnings that river levels were rising did help officials prepare and prevent loss of life, even if their advisories failed to predict the severity. Computer-based forecasting models are regularly updated to account for new meteorological trends due to climate change, Peters said. Even with those refinements, events like the Yellowstone flooding still are considered low-probability and so often won't make it into forecasts based on what the models say is most likely to occur. "It's really difficult to balance that feeling that you've got that this could get really bad, but the likelihood of it getting really bad is so small," Peters said. He added that the dramatic swing from drought to flood was hard even for meteorologists to reconcile and called it "weather whiplash." To better communicate the potential for extreme weather, some experts say the weather service needs to change its forecasts to inform the public about low probability hazardous events. That could be accomplished through more detailed daily forecasts or some kind of color-coded system for alerts. "We've been slow to provide that information," North Carolina State University atmospheric scientist Gary Lackmann said. "You put it on people's radars and they could think about that and it could save lives." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will reveal a "shocking" five-year report which found Australia's ecosystems will deteriorate and at risk of collapse if climate change is not addressed collaboratively.Australia's environment is in a "poor" condition and at risk of deteriorating further under the pressures of climate change, a five-year study found.The State of Environment Report, which was held back by the former Morrison government till after the Federal Election, details the condition of the country from what the nation has faced and the impacts of climate change in the last five years.The 274-page research was completed by a team of scientists in 2021 and they found at least 19 Australian ecosystem showed signs of collapse or near collapse.Stream more news on climate change with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022It blamed climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and mining for accelerating the disintegration of the environment.Research was also conducted on extreme weather events, Indigenous impacts, water temperatures, high emissions, poor land and water management and rising sea levels.The review found an increase in animal and plant species being listed as threatened (202 in total) and fears there will be an increase in coming years after the devastating 2019-2020 Australian bushfires that killed 1 billion to 3 billion animals.Australia's temperature has also warmed since the 1950s "by a means of 1.4C on land and 1.1C in the oceans" and marine heatwaves had led to mass coral bleaching events in the Great Barrier Reef in 2016, 2017 and 2020.Rising sea levels, higher than the global average of 3 to 3.5mm, have impacted low-lying areas, such as the Kakadu wetlands and waterways, beaches and shorelines near populated regions were in "poor condition". Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek - who will release the report on Tuesday before she will deliver a speech - described the review as "shocking" and "tells a story of crisis"."I look forward to outlining the report and our government’s plans," she said."I won’t be putting my head in the sand – under Labor, the environment is back on the priority list. Now is the time to read this report and take action."The study calls for more action to be taken to reduce carbon emissions, for more engagement from the Indigenous and more coordinated data and holistic legislation.Greens spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said the report showed a "litany of environmental wreckage fuelled by climate change and years of denial and neglect".She warned it was time to take action and consider the impact of government projects before they are approved.“If the minister is really alarmed by this report, then she will take immediate action to ensure no more critical habitat is cleared and polluting projects that are fuelling the climate crisis are stopped," Senator Hanson-Young added.A lack of funding and coordination between states and territories to address the issues was one of the criticisms in the report.It stressed the importance of a collaboration between federal, state and local governments to find funding and improve monitoring and reporting of ecosystems. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Parts of Australia’s largest city have been inundated by four major floods since March last year, leaving weary victims questioning how many times they can rebuild.The latest disaster follows Sydney’s wettest-ever start to a year with dams overflowing and a sodden landscape incapable of absorbing more rain that must instead run into swollen waterways.Here are the climate, geographic and demographic factors behind the scale of Sydney’s latest flooding emergency.___LEADERS BLAME CLIMATE CHANGENew South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet said government and communities need to adapt to major flooding becoming more common across Australia’s most populous state.“To see what we’re seeing right across Sydney, there’s no doubt these events are becoming more common,” Perrottet said on Monday.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the fourth major flood event across Sydney following devastating wildfires in the same region during the 2019-2020 Southern Hemisphere summer were evidence of the need for climate action.“What we know is that Australia has always been subject of floods, of bushfires, but we know that the science told us that if we continued to not take action globally on climate change, then … extreme weather events would be more often and more intense,” Albanese said on Wednesday.“What we’re seeing, unfortunately, is that play out,” Albanese added.___LA NINA OUT, OTHER WEATHER PATTERNS INTwo La Niña weather patterns brought above-average rainfall across Australia’s east coast in 2021 and this year. The second was declared over last month, but the Bureau of Meteorology forecast a wetter than usual Southern Hemisphere winter for Sydney and a 50-50 chance of La Niña returning this year.The bureau says two climate drivers led to Sydney’s flooding since Saturday.The flooding was influenced by the Indian Ocean Dipole, which refers to the difference in sea surface temperatures between the western and eastern Indian Ocean. In the negative phase, warmer waters concentrate near Australia, leading to above-average Southern Hemisphere winter–spring rainfall as more moisture is available to weather systems crossing the continent. The IOD has repeatedly dipped into its rain-bearing negative phase in the past month and is expected to stay negative within months.A second influence was the positive Southern Annular Mode. The SAM refers to the non-seasonal, north-south movement of the strong westerly winds that blow almost continuously in the mid to high latitudes of the southern hemisphere. In the positive phase, the SAM directs more moisture-filled air than usual into eastern Australia, driving above-average rainfall and more east coast lows in winter.During the latest rainfall event, extraordinarily warm waters off the Australian coast, 21 to 23 degrees Celsius (70 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit), provided extra energy and moisture to a deep trough and east coast low, concentrating heavy rainfall to one 24-hour period that started at 9 a.m. Saturday. Several rain gauges in Sydney and its surrounding area set July or all-time records.___GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY Much of Sydney’s rain drains into a river system prone to spilling over, but economic interests have largely blocked moves to mitigate flooding.A 22,000-square kilometer (8,500-square mile) rain catchment covering the Blue Mountains on Sydney’s western fringe and the city of 5 million’s western suburbs drain into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system, which is the epicenter of some of the worst flooding.The river system faces an extreme flood risk because gorges restrict the rivers’ seaward flow, often causing water to rapidly back up and spill across the floodplain after heavy rain, said Jamie Pittock, Australian National University professor of environment and society.The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley was home to 134,000 people and that population was projected to double by 2050 as Sydney’s population and real estate prices grow, he said.“The potential economic returns from property development are a key driver for the lack of effective action to reduce flood risk,” Pittock said.The state government wants to raise the wall of the Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s main reservoir, to reduce flooding in the valley. But some argue that raising the wall would control only half the floodwater and won’t prevent major flooding delivered by other rivers in the region, said Dale Dominey-Howes, Sydney University’s professor of hazards and disaster risk sciences. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
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.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. On Tuesday, Scotland and England could see their hottest day on record. 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. Experts also major wildfires will tear through the countryside tomorrow. While the National Grid has issued an alert calling for more power plants tonight, the Times has said, and predicted very high demand tonight as the country has turned on their fans and aircon on to try and stay cool. 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. 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. 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 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.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 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.Meanwhile, Ireland has recorded its hottest temperature in more than a century as parts of Dublin reached 33C, according to Met Eireann. A status yellow high temperature warning remains in place across the country as it faces another day of high heat.Data from Met Eireann shows that temperatures soared to 33C at Phoenix Park in the capital on Monday, making it provisionally the hottest day ever recorded in July. It also breaks the high temperature record for the 21st and 20th century.Phil Hewitt of energy specialist, EnAppSys, said 'the [energy] system is in quite a lot of trouble' as we import more energy from the Netherlands. Pizza outlet Beerd, in Bristol, has closed for Monday and Tuesday because of the heat which is expected to reach 38 degrees in the city Swan Uppers rowing near Sunbury Lock Cut in Middlesex, during the ancient tradition of Swan Upping, the annual census of the swan population on the River Thames A family paddle at the fountains of Trafalgar Square in London this afternoon A packed Brighton beach today after the UK's first ever red extreme heat warning was issued A group of friends jump into the pool as people enjoy the hot weather at Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge today Sunbathers take to the sea at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today amid the extreme heat A busy Bournemouth Beach this morning as the country endures very hot weather The search for shade as a family shelter under a beach umbrella on Gylllyngvase Beach today in Falmouth, England Jerome Yates and Orla Tagg make use of the shade in London's Regents Park during the heatwave today A man enjoys the heat as he contemplates going into Dovestone reservoir in Greater Manchester today People out in the sun at Trafalgar Square in London today as the UK endures the hottest day of the year so far Sunbathers on Bournemouth beach this morning as the UK heatwave continues A young woman stands under a water sprinkler outside Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London this afternoon People go for a dip at Hampstead swimming ponds in North West London during the heatwave today People out enjoying the hot weather at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside this morning A busy Bournemouth Beach this morning as the country endures very hot weather People out enjoying the hot weather at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside this morning Richard and Laura Frostman from the US under an umbrella in London's Regents Park during the heatwave today A very busy Bournemouth beach in Dorset this afternoon on the hottest day of the year so far Two women in the sea off Bournemouth Beach this morning as the country endures very hot weather Two women enjoy sunbathing at Hampstead Heath in North West London during the heatwave today Two women walk along a busy Bournemouth beach in Dorset today on the hottest day of the year so far An aerial view shows people swimming outside in the sun at Hathersage Swimming Pool in Derbyshire today A busy Bournemouth Beach this morning as the country is hit by extreme temperaturesTwo women sunbathe at Clapham Common in South West London today amid the extreme conditions A woman stays hydrated while commuting on the Jubilee line in London this morning as people travel to work People shelter from the sun underneath a map during the hot weather outside Buckingham Palace in London today People enjoy the beach in Folkestone, Kent, during the hot weather this afternoon People leap into the River Cam as the temperatures rises in Cambridge this afternoon A person sunbathing outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster this afternoon A woman enjoys a dip in the sea off Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as people flock to the seaside Eddie, a four year old golden retriever, travels on a District Line train in central London during the heatwave today A very busy Bournemouth beach in Dorset this afternoon on the hottest day of the year so far Charles relaxes as he enjoys the hot weather at Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge today A near empty Dowry Reservoir near Oldham today as the heatwave in the UK continues A man sunbathes at Clapham Common in South West London today amid the extreme conditions A group of people on Bournemouth Beach this morning as the country endures very hot weather A woman sunbathing in London's Regents Park during the heatwave this afternoon A man uses a stand-up paddleboard on the River Thames during the hot weather at Shepperton near Windsor today Commuters use umbrellas on London Bridge today as they feel the heat this morning amid the extreme weather conditions A very busy Bournemouth beach in Dorset this afternoon on the hottest day of the year so far People sunbathe at Clapham Common in South West London today amid the extreme conditions A group of men walk along Bournemouth beach today as people flock to the seaside to enjoy the very hot weather Commuters wait for a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work Sunseekers | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
There are growing concerns people's lives could be at risk as the Met Office indicated it is likely a new UK record 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.
The heatwave is set to peak on Tuesday, with temperatures climbing over the weekend.The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heat covering much of England and Wales from Sunday until Tuesday.Find out the five-day forecast for where you live 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.There is a 50% chance of temperatures reaching 40C (104F) somewhere in the UK, with the Met Office issuing its first-ever red warning for extreme heat.The UK Health Security Agency increased its heat health warning from level three to level four - a "national emergency". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Heatwave is 'national emergency' Level four 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 |
BEMPOSTA, Portugal (AP) — More than 3,000 firefighters battled alongside ordinary Portuguese citizens desperate to save their homes from several wildfires that raged across the European country on Thursday, fanned by extreme temperatures and drought conditions linked to climate change.The central part of the country has been particularly hard hit by a spate of blazes this week. In the village of Bemposta, residents used garden hoses to spray down their lawns and the roofs of their houses in hope that they could save them from the raging wall of red flames that approached through the wooden hills late on Wednesday.“It began spreading towards that way (the right), the wind was blowing that way towards the mountain,” said 88-year-old Antonio Carmo Pereira, while pointing to the flames on the outskirts of his village. “I could see the view, but in a few minutes I couldn’t see anything, just smoke.“(It’s) dangerous, yes. It’s surrounding all the houses,” he said. “I am afraid, but where can I go? Jump into a water tank? Let me stay here and look.”More than 800 firefighters still fought on in the Leiria district, where Bemposta is located, on Thursday morning.Temperatures in the interior of the Atlantic country were forecast to hit 44 C (111 F) during the day as the mass of hot and dry air blown up from Africa continues to linger over the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula. In June, 96% of Portugal was classified as being in either in “extreme” or “severe” drought. The hot air and parched ground, combined with winds, has created the perfect cocktail of severe fires.Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa said Thursday that with temperatures expected to remain unusually high for the coming days his government plans to extend a state of alert for wildfires until Sunday. The week-long alert was originally declared to run until Friday. The government has temporarily barred public access to forests deemed to be at special risk, banned the use of farm machinery and outlawed fireworks.Costa said that firefighters had to respond to 200 different blazes on Wednesday and pleaded for his fellow citizens to take extra care when in the countryside.“More than ever, we are the ones who must be extremely careful,” Costa said. “From a small act of carelessness a great tragedy can be born.”About 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) have been scorched this week in Portugal, according to the Civil Protection Agency. About 865 people had been forced to evacuated their homes over the past week, although many had returned by Thursday. More than 30 homes and other types of buildings had been damaged.Civil Protection commander André Fernandes said that 160 people, including at least 70 firefighters, have been injured so far, but that there are no confirmed fatalities from the fires. Four people, including two firefighters, were seriously injured. Portugal has improved its fire safety since wildfires killed more than 100 people.The European Union has urged member states to prepare for wildfires this summer as the continent faces another extreme weather shift that scientists say is being triggered by climate change.Neighboring Spain was still combating a fire started by a lightning strike on Monday in the west-central Las Hurdes area that has consumed about 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres).Temperatures in many parts of Spain have been topping the 40 C (104 F) mark for several days and are expected to continue to do so through to next week.In France, two fires raged out of control in the region around Bordeaux in southwest France for a third consecutive day, despite the efforts of 1,000 firefighters and water-dumping planes to contain them.The fires have destroyed more than 3,850 hectares (9,500 acres) of forest and grassland in the region, the regional emergency said. It said firefighters struggled to contain the fire because of high winds and difficulty accessing the heart of the fires. More than 6,000 people were evacuated from campgrounds and villages in recent days.The EU’s concerns about combustible land reached its eastern edge in Hungary, where firefighters discovered a body in a rural area where a small forest fire had burned overnight. The body was found Thursday morning among the ruins of a burnt farmhouse buried under a collapsed roof, the country’s disaster management authority said. ___Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Angela Charlton in Paris, Ciarán Giles in Madrid, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.___Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Britain shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered Tuesday, with a provisional reading of 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the country’s weather office — and the heat was only expected to rise.The highest temperature previously recorded in Britain was 101.7 F, a record set in 2019. Tuesday’s record was in Charlwood, England.“Temperatures are likely to rise further through today,’’ the forecaster said.The high Tuesday came as the country sweltered in heat that also scorched mainland Europe for the past week. Travel, health care and schools were disrupted 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 warning of “extreme” heat Tuesday, meaning there is danger of death even for healthy people.Britain’s Supreme Court closed to visitors after a problem with the air conditioning forced it to move hearings online. The British Museum planned to close early. Many public buildings, including hospitals don’t have air conditioning, a reflection of how unusual such extreme heat is in the country better known for rain and mild temperatures.Unusually hot, dry weather has gripped large swaths of 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.’s Met Office weather agency also reported that provisional figures showed the temperature remained above 77 F overnight in parts of the country for the first time.Many people coped with the heat wave by staying put. Road traffic was down from its usual levels on Monday. Trains ran at low speed out of concern rails could buckle, or did not run at all. London’s Kings Cross Station, one of the country’s busiest rail hubs, was empty on Tuesday, with no trains on the busy east coast line connecting the capital to the north and Scotland. London’s Luton Airport had to close its runway 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.”At least five people were reported to have drowned across the U.K. in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off.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 104 F 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.The dangers of extreme heat were on display in southern Europe. At least 748 heat-related deaths have been reported in the heat wave in Spain and neighboring Portugal, where temperatures reached 117 F earlier this month.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 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 |
Firefighters have urged people to stop using barbecues and remove rubbish in open areas to help prevent fires in hot weather - as yet more blazes have broken out.At least eight hectares of land were affected by a fire declared a major incident on Sunday, at Hankley Common, near Farnham in Surrey, which has previously been used to film part of the James Bond blockbuster Skyfall.
Crews are expected to remain at the scene through Monday.And fire crews in London had also been battling wildfires - with blazes in Rammey Marsh in Enfield, Cranford Park in Hayes and Thamesmead, all described as "weather related".Read more:Mum-of-three has nearly nothing left after fire destroys home on UK's hottest dayEyewitness: UK heatwave: Families left counting cost of 'devastating' house fires in Wennington Appealing to the public for help, London Fire Brigade urged people to cancel all planned barbecues, remove rubbish, especially glass, from grassland and dispose of cigarettes properly.
The service tweeted: "Please help us prevent further fires by cancelling all planned BBQs, removing rubbish especially glass from grassland & disposing cigarettes correctly. Our firefighters & control officers are doing a fantastic job in challenging conditions. Your co-operation will help us greatly." More on Extreme Weather Why a 40C day in the UK is deadlier than a 40C day in other countries Heat exhaustion and heatstroke - what are the signs and symptoms and what's the difference? 'Ferocious heat' could lead to deaths as UK braces for unprecedented temperatures Surrey Fire Service joined the call. It said: "Speak to young relatives about safety outdoors, pack a picnic instead of a BBQ, dispose of cigarettes and litter correctly."Temperatures across the southeast of England reached 29C (84F) on Sunday, according to the Met Office. Image: A fire at Rammey Marsh was the size of four football pitches. Pic: London Fire Brigade Images of blackened ground were tweeted by the fire service after the Enfield grass fire at Rammey Marsh over an area of 20 hectares was brought under control.Some 70 firefighters were sent to the grass fire in Cranford Park, Hayes, where around five hectares of grass and shrubland were alight and smoke spread across west London.Big Jet TV, which live commentates on planes landing at Heathrow, said visibility was reduced at the airport, sharing a picture of a smoke covered runway from the nearby fire. Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this. Open Privacy Options Meanwhile, in Thamesmead around 65 firefighters and the fire boat dealt with a grass fire on Defence Close.The UK has been experiencing a heatwave with a record-breaking high of 40.3C, in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on Tuesday.Why a 40C day in the UK is deadlier than a 40C day in other countriesThat day the fire service saw its busiest day since the Second World War as a result of the extreme temperatures with crews attending 1,146 incidents on that day alone. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Human-caused climate change made last week’s deadly heat wave in England and Wales at least 10 times more likely and added a few degrees to how brutally hot it got, a study said.A team of international scientists found that the heat wave that set a new national record high at 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit was made stronger and more likely by the buildup of heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. They said Thursday that temperatures were 3.6 to 7.2 degrees warmer in the heat wave than they would have been without climate change, depending on which method scientists used.The study has not been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal yet but follows scientifically accepted techniques, and past such studies have been published months later.“We would not have seen temperatures above 104 degrees in the U.K. without climate change,” study senior author Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College of London, said in an interview. “The fingerprint is super strong.”World Weather Attribution, a collection of scientists across the globe who do real-time studies of extreme weather to see if climate change played a role in an extreme weather event and if so how much of one, looked at two-day average temperatures for July 18 and 19 in much of England and Wales and the highest temperature reached in that time.A woman fans herself during a heat wave in London earlier this month.Rasid Necati Aslim / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images fileThe daily highest temperatures were the most unusual, a one-in-1,000-year event in the current warmer world, but “almost impossible in a world without climate change,” the study said. Last week’s heat smashed the old national record by 2.9 degrees . The average over two hot days and nights is a once a century event now but is “nearly impossible” without climate change.When the scientists used the long history of temperatures in England to determine the impact of global warming, they saw a stronger climate change influence than when they used simulations from climate models. For some reason that scientists aren’t quite certain about, climate models have long underestimated extreme weather signals in the summer in Western Europe, Otto said.With climate models, the scientists simulate a world without the 2.2 degrees of warming since pre-industrial times and see how likely this heat would have been in that cooler world without fossil fuel-charged warming. With observations they look at history and calculate the chances of such a heat wave that way.“The methodology seems sound, but candidly, I didn’t need a study to tell me this was climate change,” said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd, who wasn’t on this study team but was on a U.S. National Academy of Sciences panel that said these types of studies are scientifically valid. “This new era of heat is particularly dangerous because most homes are not equipped for it there.”The World Weather Attribution study refers to another analysis that estimates a heat wave like this would kill at least 800 people in England and Wales, where there is less air conditioning than in warmer climates.Otto, who had to sleep and work in the basement because of the heat, said as the world warms, these record-smashing heat waves will continue to come more frequently and hotter.In addition to spurring people to cut greenhouse gas emissions, study co-author Gabe Vecchi, said, “this heat wave and heat waves like it should be a reminder that we have to adapt to a warmer world. We are not living in our parents’ world anymore.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
More than 300 damaging storm reports came from Maine to Arkansas, as severe storms moved through.More than 100,000 people in Virginia and Maryland were left without power on Tuesday night, as storm damage left its mark on homes, power lines and cars. Particularly, fallen trees were captured smashing into cars and parts of homes.Heavy rains, up to 4 inches in some areas, caused flooding into Wednesday morning in the Dollywood theme park area in Tennessee.Officials reported that over a dozen people were rescued Tuesday night after flash flooding in Greenbrier Campground in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.Utility poles lead to downtown Dallas during a heat advisory due to scorching weather in Dallas, Texas, July 12, 2022.Shelby Tauber/ReutersThe Gatlinburg Fire Department responded to a call just before 11 p.m. that 14 people were trapped at the campground due to flooding, officials said.Throughout the night, the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency continued to monitor the situation, first posting at 11:10 p.m. that anyone in the Greenbrier Island area and anyone downstream of Pigeon River should seek high ground, due to rapidly rising water with recent heavy thunderstorms.As reports emerged of displaced people in the area, a temporary evacuation shelter was opened at Pittman Center Elementary School around midnight, SCEMA said.At 2 a.m., SCEMA said that the water was continuing to recede, but that roads and low-lying areas were expected to remain submerged for the next several hours.Farther south and out West, this summer’s extreme weather continues to manifest in dry, scorching heat.Texas cities including Austin, San Antonio and Tyler, saw record-high temperatures on Tuesday, coming in at 109, 105 and 106 degrees, respectively.For Wednesday, Austin is set for a heat index of 110 degrees.According to the National Weather Service, the heat isn’t going anywhere, and will likely spread to the Midwest, the Great Lakes and parts of the East by next week.For Phoenix, the heat will also stay steady through the end of the week, forecasted at 112 and 113 degrees for the end of the week.Heat alerts have been issued for Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Montana.Heat advisories have been issued for much of Texas, as well as in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Colorado and parts of Montana.An excessive heat warning has been enacted in the Salt Lake City area.Out West, the extreme heat coupled with dry weather, maintains the region's fire risk.Storm clouds roll in over the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, July 12, 2022.Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via APThe Washburn Fire continues to burn in southern Yosemite National Park as it reaches 3,516 acres burned and is 17% contained.Hot and dry weather will continue in the area.Red flag warnings have been issued for dry lightning and gusty winds, making the perfect circumstances for fire, from northern California to Nevada, including parts of southern Colorado.To add to the eastern floods, southern heat and western fire, the Gulf Coast may be hit with tropical moisture and heavy rain.Flash flooding from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, may come as rains could reach half a foot in a short period of time on Wednesday.As the weather across the U.S. remains extreme, remember to stay safe in life-threatening situations such as high temperatures. Learn more about hot weather safety here. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A large semi trailer is flipped over and pushed against a building in Bowling Green, Kentucky by a tornado in December 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage and killed workers in a candle factory, Amazon warehouse, and a nursing home. Dylan T. Lovan/AP Facts matter: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter. Support our nonprofit reporting. Subscribe to our print magazine.At 5:30 p.m., December 10 of last year, they heard the unmistakable wail of tornado sirens. Some of the workers crafting cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and vanilla candles asked to go home: Western Kentucky’s Mayfield Consumer Products plant, with its vulnerable wide-span roof, was the kind of building to avoid in a storm.
Staff were first told to shelter in a hallway. But they were soon ordered back to the factory floor to finish their ten-hour shifts. Leave, managers warned, and you’re fired. The threat worked.
Just after 9 p.m., the sirens wailed again. The tornado obliterated the Mayfield plant. Eight workers died.
Mayfield’s management, according to a survivors’ class-action suit, was aware of the danger—forecasters had been predicting major tornadoes all week—and had rejected a request by floor supervisors to stop work for the day. But the firm’s other plant, just six miles away, did shut down for the storm. The difference? The first factory was working overtime to ship candles for the lucrative Christmas rush.
The company now faces a state investigation, but it doesn’t have much reason to worry: thanks to weak state and federal worker protections, companies responsible for on-the-job deaths pay an average fine of $12,000. That’s if the laws are enforced—a 2019 federal audit found that Kentucky “failed to properly investigate nearly every single worksite death” in a two-year period, and its safety record’s far from the worst.
In theory, federal laws demand a “safe and healthful” workplace, with a rulebook to cover the details: Too windy? Your boss can’t make you work on tall scaffolding. Handling live wires? You’re entitled to good safety gear. But no rule or law kept Mayfield from packing the factory floor throughout what Gov. Andy Beshear called the “strongest set of tornadoes” in Kentucky’s history.
Those workers weren’t alone in risking their lives for their jobs—far from it. Runaway climate change is making extreme weather more common and deadly, bringing new dangers to work we’ve thought of as safe. Twisters are striking in new territory and throughout more of the year, especially in the Midwest and Southeast. That’s also true for flood-level rains, which adds hazards to ordinary commutes, let alone trucking or car-based gig work. Full-time drivers have to weigh those risks against hungry kids or the threat of eviction—a section missing from the DoorDash manual. Further west, wildfires are driving extreme air pollution, a killer for the millions of Americans who work outdoors. And for workers everywhere from Big Ag to Amazon, longer, hotter summers are already costing lives.
That’s where the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the country’s chronically underfunded workplace watchdog, is supposed to come in. OSHA writes, enforces, and (ideally) revises that nationwide job-safety rulebook. But since its inception in 1971, it’s been subjected to right-wing legislative, fiscal, and PR assaults, with workers’ lives in the balance. It has fewer than 1,000 inspectors to monitor some 10 million worksites. Its new rules need Congress’ approval, making them easy to gut or kill and keeping it far behind the times. And, crucially, the agency was chartered almost 20 years before the first Congressional hearing on climate change. Deeply unequipped for an age of climate disaster, OSHA is leaving workers to ride out the storm on their own.
Tornadoes, immediate and terrifying, tend to make the news. But for the typical worker, climate chaos’ most likely—and insidious—threat is harder to see: heat. The past seven years have each been the hottest on record, and recent summer heat waves have broken records as well. It’s especially dire in regions less used to extreme heat, like the Pacific Northwest, where last year’s unprecedented hot spells claimed hundreds of lives. In its current state, OSHA is particularly badly prepared for a long-term uptick in heat. In fact, the agency doesn’t have heat regulations. Companies aren’t required to provide extra breaks or accommodations for extreme heat (although there is a water standard). As death tolls soar—three decades ago, heat was half as likely to be the reason for an on-the-job death—the agency has actually cut down on excessive heat investigations.
In fairness, after summer 2021’s heat waves caused a record number of deaths, President Biden’s OSHA started on a federal heat standard—though it could take years to craft and would unquestionably die in a Republican Congress. Under another Biden initiative, the agency must now prioritize workplace inspections when daily temperatures exceed 80 degrees.
In a statement, OSHA assistant secretary Doug Parker said the agency is “taking several measures to protect workers better in hot environments and reduce the dangers of exposure to ambient heat,” calling heat safety a “top priority.” Parker pointed to an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards and a variety of advisory campaigns, such as one appealing to employers to “engage their workers, listen to their ideas.” The heat rule in the works, Parker says, would provide a “longer-term solution,” providing “additional tools to enforce requirements,” albeit within the strict limits current law imposes on new work-safety rules.
Other problems still plague the agency. In 2020, with Covid pushing OSHA complaints to record highs, the agency counted 862 investigators—fewer than it had in 1975, when it dealt with a third of its current workload. In 2019, late in the Trump administration, the number hit an all-time low: 752 inspectors for 130 million workers.
That makes inspections rare and compliance tough to enforce, especially when OSHA faces high-powered corporate appeals and objections. Penalties are often bargained down by employers who promise to remedy the situation or take a work-safety class. That’s been true since before OSHA existed: near the end of the Congressional fight over the bill that established the agency, the Senate passed a version that could have saved the Mayfield workers and countless others. OSHA, via the Labor Department, would have been able to shut down facilities where workers were in imminent danger. A factory forcing overtime amid massive tornadoes would have been an obvious target. But an eleventh-hour push by House conservatives stripped that power from the final bill, denying millions of workers a lifeline. There’s no better example of what OSHA could have been—and could become. Even if the agency had an army of inspectors, serious violations, like failing to report a string of injuries, cost companies less than $15,000. Only “willful or repeated” violations hit six figures, capping at just over $145,000. Congress also bars OSHA from raising its penalties by more than 50 percent per year, making it practically impossible to ever set fines that would worry corporations like Amazon. Those are amounts, says National Employment Law Project analyst Anastasia Christman, that “bigger businesses can simply put into the calculations as a cost of business.”
In Mayfield’s case, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting found that the company had been charged with seven serious safety violations in 2019 alone. The company contested them all. And while OSHA has tornado recommendations, they’re just that—recommendations, like its heat guidelines.
As Covid-19 rippled across the country, OSHA again gave employers non-binding safety suggestions, though it could have issued six-month emergency rules. A federal audit found that OSHA conducted half as many investigations in 2020 as in 2019, despite spiking complaints of inadequate PPE, zero social distancing, and major virus outbreaks at job sites. When OSHA did order inspections, the audit found, they weren’t conducted onsite—raising concerns that major hazards, Covid-related or not, were going undetected. All that as Covid killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, from meatpacking workers and their families to fruit pickers to postal workers. We don’t know how many people an agency with better protections, support, and staffing could have saved. But we do know that climate change won’t be any gentler.
And as with Covid, it’s low-wage workers, often workers of color, who bear the brunt. On the typical Amazon warehouse floor, three out of four workers are nonwhite. In 2019, when wildfires threatened tony Brentwood, Los Angeles—where the average house runs more than $2,000,000—numerous homeowners evacuated without a word to housekeepers and gardeners, many of whom still showed up to work. (85 percent of Brentwood homeowners are white; most of their household workers hail from Mexico and Guatemala.) In the last decade, a third of workers killed by heat were Latino, twice their proportion of the workforce. And at wages of $8 to $11 an hour, few Mayfield workers could have stayed home as long as the plant stayed open.
Last year, for a moment, OSHA’s future looked brighter. Adding workplace inspectors was a Biden campaign promise, and its 2022 budget rose by just over 10 percent—not enough for a real overhaul, but a start. (Congress, to its credit, also stymied Donald Trump’s attempts to slash that budget.) And the House version of Democrats’ Build Back Better Act promised the agency a 20 percent funding boost over five years, with which it could update standards, recruit inspectors, and manage whistleblower investigations. It would also have significantly raised penalties for major safety breaches: $70,000 for a serious violation, and more than 10 times that for serious and repeated ones. But the bill is now dead, and OSHA remains defanged.
Workers like Mayfield’s are invisible from Capitol Hill, where climate change and labor law feel less like issues of life and death. One survivor of the storm, 21-year-old McKayla Emery, had come in early for her night shift that Friday; she was pushing to hit Mayfield’s Christmastime minimum of 50 hours per week. When the tornado decimated the building, Emery spent six and a half hours pinned beneath rubble, comforting a dying friend the whole time. Scars and deep nerve damage now run along her whole body.
Like many at the plant, Emery was a temp. She’d started less than three weeks before the disaster, putting her worker’s compensation at $270 a week—hardly enough to pay the bills. For some survivors, she says, it’s even less. Each new treatment puts her through an arduous process with her insurer. Many involve a 5-hour round trip to specialists in Nashville.
“I’m really just struggling financially, on top of the mental and physical,” she told me. She says she’s grateful for community members’ support—rides to the doctor, help paying her bills—despite their own devastating losses. I asked whether her former employer could have done anything to help. “Girl,” she said, “they could have just told us not to come in to work.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
MADRID (AP) — A wildfire burning out of control in Spain’s eastern province of Valencia has become one of the country’s biggest fires this year, and 35 aircraft were deployed to fight it as the blaze entered its fifth day, authorities said Friday.
The wildfire has already scorched more than 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres) along a 137-kilometer (85-mile) perimeter. Efforts to bring it under control Thursday failed and strong winds have made the fire “very aggressive,” the Valencian regional government said.
In neighboring Portugal, the government on Friday announced a nationwide three-day state of alert beginning Sunday. Portugal is in the grip of a severe drought and has also seen devastating wildfires this summer.
WATCH MORE:Europe and China endure extreme weather from heat and floods
The measure, which grants authorities special, temporary powers such as barring people from woodlands, is a response to forecasts of inland temps above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) beginning Sunday in what could be the country’s third heat wave this summer.
Portuguese Interior Minister José Luís Carneiro said the armed forces would provide extra forest patrols on those days. He also announced that the Civil Protection Agency will get additional funding to hire another 500 firefighters.
In Spain’s Valencia, meanwhile, four people were still hospitalized after suffering severe burns Wednesday when several passengers tried to jump off a train that had stopped and tried to go back amid surrounding flames. The train had inadvertently headed into the fast-spreading wildfire.
Regional government head Ximo Puig has requested a report from the firefighting services to clarify why the train was allowed to proceed through an area that was burning.
READ MORE:Wildfires scorch France, Spain as Europe contends with extreme heat wave
Spain has been hit harder than any other European country by forest fires this year, according to the European Commission’s Copernicus Earth observation program. This year, wildfires in Spain have burned four times more land than they did during the last decade.
Up to early August, 43 large wildfires — those affecting at least 500 hectares (1,235 acres) — were recorded in the Mediterranean country, while the average in previous years was 11.
The European Forest Fire Information System estimates Spain has seen 284,764 hectares (704,000 acres) burn this year — four times higher than the average since records began in 2006. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A church is pictured during sunset as a heat wave hits Europe, in Oisy-le-Verger, France, July 14, 2022. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummaryWMO issues warning on air quality in towns and citiesUK declares first red heat warning for Monday, TuesdayWildfires ablaze in France, Spain and PortugalLEIRIA, Portugal/LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - Hundreds more people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires blistered land in France, Spain and Portugal on Friday, and officials in Europe issued health warnings for the heatwave in coming days.More than 1,000 firefighters, supported by water-bomber aircraft, have battled since Tuesday to control two blazes in southwestern France that have been fanned by scorching heat, tinder-box conditions and strong winds.While temperatures dipped a little in Portugal, they were still expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places, with five districts on red alert for extreme weather and more than 1,000 firefighters tackling 13 wildfires, authorities said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comIn Spain, the Environment Ministry said it was helping tackle 17 wildfires across the country.Officials are worried about the effects on people's health and on healthcare systems already challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic as the searing heat hits the continent, with warnings issued for worse to come in Britain in particular.The World Meteorological Organization said on Friday the heatwave would trap atmospheric pollutants, degrading the air quality, especially in towns and cities."The stable and stagnant atmosphere acts as a lid to trap atmospheric pollutants, including particulate matter," Lorenzo Labrador, WMO scientific officer, told a Geneva press briefing."These result in a degradation of air quality and adverse health effects, particularly for vulnerable people."From July 7 to July 13, Portugal registered 238 excess deaths due to the heatwave, the country's DGS health authority said."In this specific case, the excess can be attributed to the heatwave. In the last few days we have had very high, extreme temperatures ... and for a very long period," DGS chief Graça Freitas told Lusa news agency.Health Minister Marta Temido said on Thursday the health system faced a "particularly worrying" week due to the heatwave and said some hospitals were overwhelmed.UK WARNINGBritain's weather forecaster issued its first red "extreme heat" warning for parts of England on Monday and Tuesday when temperatures are forecast to reach record highs. read more "Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures are likely early next week," Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said."Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban areas," he said. "This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure."The highest recorded temperature in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F) recorded in Cambridge on July 25, 2019.Hannah Cloke, climate expert at Britain's University of Reading, said the heatwave showed climate change is here and there is an urgent need to adapt."We are seeing these problems now and they are going to get worse. We need to do something now," she told Reuters."It's harder to cope with these types of temperatures in the UK because we're just not used to them."In Portugal, the highest temperature on Thursday was recorded in the northern town of Pinhao at 47 C (116.6 F), just below the record.In France's southwestern Gironde region, 11,300 people have been evacuated since the wildfires broke out around Dune du Pilat and Landiras. Some 7,350 hectares (18,000 acres) of land have been burnt, and authorities said the fires had not yet been stabilised.In Spain, the wildfires that have been burning in parts of Extremadura, which borders Portugal, and the central Castille and Leon region forced the evacuation of four more small villages late on Thursday and on Friday.The flames are now threatening a 16th century monastery and a national park. Several hundred people have been evacuated since the fires started and 7,500 hectares of forest have been destroyed in the two regions.In Catalonia in the northeast, authorities suspended camping and sporting activities around 275 towns and villages to prevent fire risks and restricted farm work involving machinery.Areas of Galicia and Extremadura remained on extreme alert for temperatures expected to touch 44 C (111 F).Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAdditional reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten in Paris, Emma Pinedo and Christina Thykjaer in Madrid, William James in London and Emma Farge in Geneva
Writing by Alison Williams
Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
By Bernd Debusmann JrBBC News, WashingtonMedia caption, President Joe Biden says climate crisis is clear and present dangerUS President Joe Biden has announced a $2.3bn (£1.9bn) investment to help build infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and natural disasters. But the announcement stopped short of formally declaring a climate emergency, which would grant him further powers.Mr Biden spoke in Massachusetts as a heatwave brings extreme weather to Europe and North America. Tens of millions of people in the US, across more than two dozen states, are living under heat warnings this week."Climate change is literally an existential threat to our nation and to the world," the president said in Wednesday's speech, which was delivered outside a former coal-fired power plant in the town of Somerset. "The health of our citizens and our communities is... at stake. So we have to act."He said the new funding would go to expanding flood control, shoring up utilities, retrofitting buildings, and helping low-income families pay for heating and cooling costs. It includes $385m to help states fund air conditioning units in homes and community cooling centres. The administration also plans to provide additional support for offshore wind and energy development in the Gulf of Mexico, and enforce new workplace standards to help protect workers from extreme weather. Media caption, Watch: This graphic shows how global temperatures are changingWhile Mr Biden said that he will treat extreme climate conditions as "an emergency", he stopped short of formally declaring a federal emergency.The president has been under mounting pressure from fellow Democrats and environmental groups to do so after West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin - a conservative Democrat - last week said that he would not support legislation aimed at addressing climate change, dealing a significant blow to Mr Biden's agenda. Mr Manchin raised concerns about inflation.The president said on Wednesday that since Congress "is not acting as it should", he plans to announce additional executive actions in the coming weeks. "Our children and grandchildren are counting on us," he said. "If we don't keep [climate change] below 1.5C, we lose it all. We don't get to turn it around." Analysis by Esme Stallard, BBC climate reporterPresident Biden entered office promising to restore US credibility on climate action and overturn the "rollbacks" of President Trump's environmental policy. On his first day, he signed an executive order for the US to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords. In April last year he pledged to slash US greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030.But the path to turn these promises into action has been anything but straightforward for Mr Biden. This latest round of executive orders demonstrates the troubles he has faced in getting climate policy through the normal routes. Ahead of the Glasgow climate conference, Mr Biden promised the US would provide $11.4bn a year in climate finance by 2024 - to help developing countries tackle and prepare for climate change. But in March he managed to secure just $1bn of that from Congress - only a third more than the Trump-era spending. Wednesday's executive orders do demonstrate Mr Biden is determined in his efforts. But he is perhaps also wary of pushing too far in using this type of presidential powers.Just last month the Environmental Protection Agency lost some of its power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court - following a case bought by 19 coal-producing states worried about job losses. It is clear the battle lines have been drawn in the US on climate action - and time will tell how far Biden will get in his presidency in delivering his ambitions. | 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 UTC / Updated July 18, 2022, 1:39 PM UTCLONDON — Residents told not to venture outside. Salt trucks spraying sand on roads to stop them melting. Doctors pausing medical operations. Rail authorities warning tracks could buckle. Experts saying hundreds or thousands could die in the heat.This is not the intro to a dystopian sci-fi novel but present-day Britain. The country descended into a dangerous heatwave Monday, with forecasts of 105 degrees that would make it hotter than 98% of the planet's surface.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.The Met Office, Britain's national weather service, issued an extreme heat warning for the very first time this week. Met OfficeWhile these fires 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.If it does hit 105, that would make it hotter than all but 2% of the world, including some areas of the American Plains, the Middle East and China, according to NBC News meteorologist Kathryn Prociv.Meanwhile, 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.”A man uses a newspaper as a fan whilst travelling on the Bakerloo line in central London on Monday.Yui Mok / PA via Getty ImagesThe U.K. has had warm weather before, but scientists say these blistering temperatures are becoming more common because of greenhouse gases humans are pumping into the atmosphere.These aren't uncommon levels of heat in other parts of the world — including the United States where 50 million people were expected to experience 100 degrees or above Monday. But Britain is simply not materially, culturally or 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."I'm afraid the excess deaths on Monday and Tuesday have got to be anticipated" in the range of "thousands of deaths," Sir David King, the British government's former chief scientist told LBC radio. He said this could be "up to 10,000" deaths.“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.” The publicly funded National Health Service, already under strain with Covid-19 and longstanding capacity issues, is reporting that some operating theaters have paused surgery until the temperature is under control, Miriam Deakin, deputy chief executive of the membership organization NHS Providers, told Sky News.The extreme heat meant that “the NHS is planning for, and is seeing, increased demand for urgent and emergency care services to make room for that,” Deakin said.In an attempt to avoid mass casualties, 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.Authorities are urging drivers to stay off the roads in the middle of the day, while some local governments are deploying salt trucks to spray sand on the asphalt to try to stop it melting.Strong winds and hot, dry weather are frustrating firefighters' efforts to contain a huge wildfire in the France's Bordeaux region.APNetwork Rail, which manages the country’s train infrastructure, asked people not to travel, warning the heat could buckle the tracks and announcing that speed restrictions were in place.Elsewhere, utilities companies said they were monitoring for potential blackouts and water shortages.Some schools will close early, and children will be allowed a day off from their starchy, buttoned-up uniforms that are common here.Meanwhile 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.“This is not ‘just summer,’ French senator Mélanie Vogel tweeted. It is “just hell” and will pretty soon become ‘just the end of human life’ if we continue with our climate inaction.”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 |
Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan have passed 1,000 since mid-June, officials have said, as a minister called the country’s 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 said the death toll from the monsoon rains had reached 1,033, with 119 killed in the previous 24 hours. It said this year’s floods were comparable to 2010 – the worst on record – when more than 2,000 people died and nearly a fifth of the country was under water.Sherry Rehman, a Pakistani senator and the country’s top climate official, said in a video posted on Twitter that Pakistan was experiencing a “serious climate catastrophe, one of the hardest in the decade”.“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,” she said. The on-camera statement was retweeted by the country’s ambassador to the European Union.The unprecedented monsoon season has affected more than 33 million people – one in seven Pakistanis – across all four of the country’s provinces. Nearly 300,000 homes have been destroyed, numerous roads rendered impassable and electricity outages have been widespread.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”.She added: “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.”Flooding from the Swat River overnight affected north-western 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.Officials warned torrents of water are expected to reach the southern Sindh province in the next few days, adding misery to millions already affected by the floods, with a fresh deluge from swollen rivers in the north.The mighty Indus River that courses through Pakistan’s second-most populous region is fed by dozens of mountain tributaries to the north, but many have burst their banks after record rains and glacier melt.“Right now, Indus is in high flood,” said Aziz Soomro, the supervisor of a barrage that regulates the river’s flow near Sukkur.The annual monsoon is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but it also brings destruction.Thousands of people living near flood-swollen rivers in Pakistan’s north were ordered to evacuate from danger zones, but army helicopters and rescuers were still plucking stranded residents to safety.“People were informed around three or four o’clock in the morning to evacuate their houses,” rescue worker Umar Rafiq told AFP. “When the flood water hit the area we had to rescue children and women.”Many rivers in the area – a picturesque tourist destination of rugged mountains and valleys – have burst their banks, demolishing scores of buildings including a 150-room hotel that crumbled into a raging torrent.Guest house owner Nasir Khan, whose business was badly hit by the 2010 flooding, said he had lost everything. “It has washed away the remaining part of the hotel,” he said.In parts of Sindh, the only dry land are the elevated roads and rail tracks, alongside which tens of thousands of poor rural people have taken shelter with their livestock.Near Sukkur, a row of tents stretched for 2km, with people still arriving by boats loaded with wooden charpoy beds and pots and pans – the only possessions they could salvage.The flooding could not come at a worse time for Pakistan, where the economy is in freefall and the former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April.Officials say Pakistan is unfairly bearing the consequences of irresponsible environmental practices elsewhere in the world. The country is eighth on NGO Germanwatch’s global climate risk index, a list of countries deemed most vulnerable to extreme weather caused by climate change.Corruption, poor planning and the flouting of local regulations mean thousands of buildings have been erected in areas prone to seasonal flooding.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.”Agence France-Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Thunderstorms and torrential rain have hit the south east of England this afternoon with London Victoria station already starting to flood, amid warnings of a 'danger to life' caused by fast-flowing and deep floodwater. Yellow and amber warnings have been put out for huge parts of England and Wales by the Met Office. Torrential showers across swathes of the country have already left roads swamped, drains deluged and people desperately battling to keep floodwaters at bay - and more is expected as thunderstorms hit.The Met Office has issued an amber alert for thunderstorms on Wednesday covering parts of England from Chichester to Ipswich and including London, Brighton, Essex and all of Kent.There could be as much as 30-50mm (one to two inches) of rain falling in the region in less than an hour, causing 'flooding and disruption'. The BBC reports that Holbeach in Lincolnshire received 146.2mm of rain in the 24 hours up to 9am this morning - representing 38 per cent of total rainfall in the area this year. Train services in East Anglia have been cancelled affecting thousands of passengers after one of the busiest main lines was closed by floods this morning.Greater Anglia reported that due to heavy rain services running on the busy London to Ipswich and Norwich will be cancelled or revised adding that the disruption will last until further notice.Network Rail says the flooding at a level crossing means that trains are unable to run between these stations. The organisation tweeted this afternoon that its weather alarms are going off in Kent and East Sussex, leading to trains going at a slower speed. Three young women sprint for cover after getting caught in the rain in north London this afternoon An elderly man crosses the road this afternoon during heavy downpour in north London A sewage drain on Oxford Street, London, pours out water this afternoon, unable to cope with the sudden deluge of rain A Met Office graphic shows the path of torrtential rain across the south east of England this afternoon Rain stops play on the opening day of the first Test match between England and South Africa at the Lord's cricket ground in London this afternoon People hold umbrellas during a downpour of rain in central London this afternoon After weeks of sweltering weather, the Met Office's yellow thunderstorm warning of torrential rain has come to pass in London this afternoon Members of the public in central London wore waterproof overalls as they passed through the rain today A woman holds an umbrella during a downpour of rain in London today Two women put their hoods up while walking along the River Thames this afternoon A young boy looks out over the River Thames as the capital is hit with torrential rain this afternoon Trains are travelling at a reduced speed in parts of south east England as a result of today's heavy downpourThe yellow weather warning includes the whole of the south of England and reaches as far away as Leicester and Cardiff, where flooding and travel chaos is also highly likely. A hospital has even urged patients have even been urged to avoid an A&E department after its building was flooded. Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, said that heavy rainfall meant 'water was able to get into a few parts of the building'.The hospital said in a Facebook post that colleagues were 'hard at work' fixing the problem. Hospital staff said: 'Please note, we continue to ask local people in Worksop to only attend the Emergency Department at Bassetlaw Hospital if your need is urgent or life-threatening.'Due to the rain yesterday, water was able to get into a few parts of the building which colleagues are hard at work fixing - work we hope to finish soon.' Storm and flooding stories Do you have any photos or stories of flooding and storms? Send them to [email protected] In the South West, parts of Cornwall and Devon have been hit hard, with dramatic scenes of torrential showers and flash flooding on roads in Newquay, Cornwall, Bishop's Tawton, Devon, and Haywards Heath in West Sussex.In Dorset people used buckets and makeshift containers to try to divert flash floodwater away from a restaurant in West Bay, while workers in Winchester were yesterday seen clearing a drain grid on a swamped road.Streets were flooded in Port Talbot, Wales and in Loughborough, the Morrisons supermarket car park was flooded.Volunteers rushed to save books from being ruined after a Waterstones bookshop was flooded in Swansea. Bookshelves were soaked when storms hit the store in in a torrential downpour.Staff videoed rain pouring through the ceiling - with empty shelves and dozens of wet books on the floor.In a Twitter post, they said: 'With sincere apologies, we are now closed.'A lovely moment amongst the carnage - loads of customers rushing over to help us save the books (which we had to refuse for safety reasons, but thank you!) Normal service will (hopefully) be resumed soon.'However experts have warned that it would take 'weeks' of heavy rainfall to help parts of the country recover from the driest July on record and the driest first half of the year since 1976, as the ground will struggle to absorb the water and surface run-off causes flooding.This means wildfires are still a possibility on the 'tinderbox dry' land Britain has been left with.Authorities moved Yorkshire to official drought status on Tuesday, following parts of the South West, southern and central England and the East of England last week.Last night a huge fire ripped through a field near Buckley Hill Road in Bootle, Merseyside, with fire crews from Buckley Hill and Kirkby called at at 9.35pm to reports of a 'major wildfire', with witnesses worried about the Shy Lowen Horse and Pony Sanctuary, the Liverpool Echo said.Scotland was hit by travel disruption across rail networks and on roads after torrential overnight rain, including flooding at Perth station.In Combe Florey, between Minehead and Taunton in Somerset, the A358 remained closed yesterday afternoon after a mudslide on Monday night. Workmen removed more than 100 tons of mud and potatoes sliding in from nearby fields. A woman shelters under her jacket during rainfall in north London A woman tries to leap over puddles during torrential rain and lightning and thunder in North London Highgate today Rain covers protect the wicket this afternoon as rain stops play during the first day of the test match between England and South Africa at Lord's cricket ground in London Cricket fans watching the test match between England and South Africa in London were forced the get out their umbrellas as rainfall stopped the sport After a dry start to the day, heavy rains brought disruption to London this afternoon, including the test match between England and South Africa at Lord's cricket ground The Met Office warned of severe flooding in parts of England and Wales, particularly in the south-east of England A cyclist is soaked as she braves the torrential rain in Sheffield as thunderstorms and flash floods batter Britain Massive waves crash into the seafront at Sunderland as the extreme weather rages across the UK DORSET: A dogwalker gets a soaking in Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain from a thunderstorm which caused flash flooding LONDON: A man runs across the Millennium Bridge in London on Tuesday after getting court in a sudden downpour of rain Two women seeks shelter on Brighton seafront after rain breaks out on Monday WINCHESTER: A man tries to clear a drain grid during flooding in Winchester yesterday as parts of the country are hit by heavy rain SOMERSET: Workers have had to remove more than 50 tonnes of mud and potatoes yesterday following the mudslide on the A358 in Somerset DORSET: Locals and visitors join together to try to clear floodwater away from Seagulls restaurant at West Bay in Dorset yesterday NORTH WALES: Thomas Davies stepped into his back garden to test out his phone's camera during thunderstorms near his home in Rhyl, north Wales, on Sunday evening CORNWALL: A downstairs deluge cascades down steps at St Mabyn in Cornwall during torrential downpours of rain on Tuesday Bassetlaw Hospital in Nottinghamshire asked people to stay away from its A&E if possible after the building flooded Storm clouds gather over Peterborough in Cambridgeshire as the UK braces itself for more thunderstorms this week CORNWALL: The wet weather helped form a waterspout alongside the south coast of Cornwall over a tour boat in Fowey Harbour, creating a vortex (pictured on Tuesday)The Met Office warning reads: 'Whilst some places will miss them, thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely on Wednesday across central, southern and eastern parts of England and southeast Wales.'20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 60 mm in less than three hours.'A few spots could see more rainfall than this still, whilst hail and lightning may be additional hazards.' The Environment Agency had issued 29 flood alerts by Tuesday night.The heaviest downpours on Tuesday were at Spadeadam in Cumbria, with 25.4mm of rain, and in Trengwainton House, Cornwall, with 18.4mm, the Met Office said.Footage and photos shared to social media showed torrential rain and floodwater sweeping through towns across southern England and Wales, including Newquay in Cornwall, Bishop's Tawton in Devon, Haywards Heath in West Sussex, Port Talbot in south-west Wales, and Bridport in Dorset.Amid the weather warnings, Britons have been urged to prepare a 'grab bag' of essentials in case of flooding as torrential rain and thunderstorms hammer parts of the country today, causing mudslides while deluging rail lines and streets.Firefighters said people should prepare a flood kit, with those living in basement flats or low-lying properties particularly at risk as the heatwave ends with a bang - and up to two inches of rain falling in three hours today.The National Flood Forum said a flooding 'grab bag' should contain insurance and other important documents, mobile phones and chargers, emergency cash and credit cards, and any medication or prescription forms.The London Fire Brigade said people should be 'prepared and know what to do should a flood occur' and 'use sandbags to limit the water flow and move belongings to a higher level'. The Met Office said people living in 'low-lying properties' should make sure their valuable items are 'ready to go', or 'on a higher level of your house'.After weeks of sweltering weather the Met Office's yellow thunderstorm warning for Wednesday forecasts conditions in which '20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour' Last night a huge fire ripped through a field near Buckley Hill Road in Bootle, Merseyside, with fire crews from Buckley Hill and Kirkby called at at 9.35pm to reports of a 'major wildfire' (pictured) A driveway has completely flooded outside of a home in Port Talbot, Wales as heavy rain continues to pour downThe guidance will apply to millions of people - with Environment Agency the estimating that 5.2million homes in England, or one in six properties, are at risk of flooding. This includes 2.4million at risk from rivers and the sea, 1million of these also susceptible to surface water flooding and a further 2.8million at risk of surface water alone. One Twitter user shared a video of floodwater in Newquay, writing: 'I've never seen rain like this. Our road is flooding £Newquay.'Another Twitter user in Bishop's Tawton, north Devon, said: '(F)lash flooding causing use of sandbags to prevent water in house, despite recent flood work by @EnvAgency urgent need for solutions.'ScotRail imposed speed restrictions on some routes on Tuesday, while in Perth, Network Rail said it dealt with flooding at the station.Wednesday is the fourth day in a row of thunderstorm warnings in the UK and it leaves communities in areas like Sussex, Kent and Hampshire braced for possible heavy downpours.Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said that 'heavy thundery showers could develop in warm muggy air' and 'there could be some high totals (of rainfall), particularly if you see some heavy thunderstorms come in one after another'.People in northern regions should be able to enjoy a day that feels fresher, a little cooler and is mostly dry - with some sunny spells.Mr Partridge said: 'The ground has been so baked dry because of the heat and the lack of rain for a number of days. When the rain has come, it has been hitting ground that is completely dry and baked dry like concrete.'It is running off than more traditionally. If there is some moisture in the ground, it is a lot easier for it to soak up the rain that hits it. We have probably a higher run-off rate for the rainfall than we would normally have.'It is almost like all the fields have been tarmacked because the water has been running off them as there has been so little of it that has gone into the ground.' Vehicles drive along the very wet M25 near Swanley in Kent yesterday as heavy rain creates surface spray and reduces visibility People open their umbrellas while strolling along Brighton Pier during a downpour on Monday Locals and visitors join together to try to clear floodwater away from Seagulls restaurant at West Bay in Dorset on Tuesday The A358 in Somerset has been closed at Combe Florey on Tuesday after a huge mudslide that has caused chaos for local motoristsMet office spokesman Stephen Dixon said parts of the country could see up to 50mm of rain within three hours: 'We have got thundery showers possibly for a lot of people in the UK. Within the warning area, it is important to note that thunderstorms could pop up anywhere. That being said, some areas could miss the rain altogether.'That risk of thunderstorms will move to southern areas of the UK as the day goes on.' Mr Dixon said this risk will continue throughout Wednesday.'Early on Thursday morning, the main risk that we are looking at is for the South East. The risk then decreases as the day goes on.'And the National Flood Forum charity warned that the UK remains 'reactive and not proactive' about flood risk even though flooding had become a regular pattern for the country.Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, Heather Shepherd, the charity's flood recovery specialist, said: 'Flooding has definitely increased. We see it now as a regular pattern every year.'I still think we are quite reactive and not proactive. As soon as flodding's not in the headlines we tend to be a bit too laid back.'Miss Shepherd also said that 'building like mad everywhere' was increasing the risk of floods, as 'a lot of [building] is on places where water had space and it no longer has. It overwhelms our drainage infrastructure.'Meanwhile, swimmers have been urged to stay out of Cumbria's Lake Windermere because of a potentially toxic algae covering the water's surface.While the heatwave has now technically ended after eight days on Tuesday, it remains very warm in much of the UK with highs of 22C (71.6F) in London, Brighton and Exeter yesterday, 25C (77F) across the south on Thursday and 23C (73.4F) on Friday, A fireman from Dorset and Wiltshire fire crew help pump some of the water out of the road with their fire engine after torrential rain and thunderstorms caused flash flooding on Tuesday The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue crew were successful in removing some of the flooding, allowing motorists to use the junction (pictured on Tuesday) Vehicles drive along the very wet M25 near Swanley in Kent yesterday as heavy rain creates surface spray and reduces visibility Tourists walk along the South Bank in London during heavy rain in the capital yesterday as the heatwave comes to an end A couple go for a walk in the sea under an umbrella off the almost deserted beach of Weymouth in Dorset yesterday morning Commuters walk over London Bridge on Tuesday morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwave People queue up outside Westminster Abbey during heavy rain in London yesterday as thunderstorms hit the capital Two young women shelter under an umbrella as they walk over Millennium Bridge in London during heavy rain yesterday afternoon A vehicle drives through a large puddle during heavy rain at Greenwich in South East London on Tuesday morning Three people take a selfie under umbrellas as they stand on Millennium Bridge in London during heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon People walk over London Bridge yesterday morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwavePeople walk through London in the rain yesterday - and while some of them came prepared with umbrellas, others did not Flooding on rail lines near Perth in Scotland yesterday, where speed restrictions have been imposed on routes due to heavy rain A bride and groom shelter from the rain under an umbrella during their wedding photos in Central London yesterday afternoon Tourists wearing rain ponchos walk through Westminster yesterday during heavy rain after the prolonged dry spell Authorities moved Yorkshire to official drought status on Tuesday, following parts of the South West, southern and central England and the East of England last week. Christine Colvin, from the Rivers Trust, warned there is a risk that people will not take the drought seriously in the coming days, adding: 'We want people to keep this rainfall event in context and as part of the bigger picture.'The bigger picture is that we've actually still had an incredibly dry year as well as a dry summer and it's going to take sustained rainfall to replenish our supplies. Just because it rains, it doesn't mean the drought is over.' 'Devastating' incident as body of girl, 14, is recovered from water The body of a 14-year-old girl has been recovered from water in Greater Manchester after a 'devastating' incident, prompting police to urge people to keep safe while enjoying the warm weather.Emergency services were called to reports of a person getting into difficulty in the water in Stalybridge, Tameside, shortly before 6.30pm yesterday.Yesterday, Greater Manchester Police announced that her body had been recovered overnight. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service also attended the scene. The teenager has been formally identified and her family are being supported by specially trained officers, GMP said. The scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, yesterday, after the body of a 14-year-old girl was recovered from the water overnight Inquiries continue, but officers from Tameside Criminal Investigation Department said at this stage they are confident there are no suspicious circumstances, and a file is being prepared for the coroner.Detective Inspector Steven Horton said: 'Yesterday evening's events are nothing short of devastating and my thoughts are with the friends and family of the young girl who lost her life in such awful circumstances. Flowers at the scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, yesterday'We are doing all we can to support the girl's family at this incredibly difficult time, and we are focused on ensuring they get the answers they deserve as to how this tragedy occurred.'From our inquiries so far, we are confident that there are no suspicious circumstances and that this is such a sad reminder of the dangers of entering open water, whatever the weather. 'We remind the public to avoid being tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds. 'We all want to enjoy the warm weather - please make sure you do so in a safe way. Think of your family, look out for your friends.' Fire crews at the scene in Stalybridge yesterday eveningShe added: 'It's going to take sustained rain to replenish the supplies we actually use, which are the aquifers and the managed storage in our reservoirs.'The heavy downpours over a short period will not soak into the earth – baked almost as hard as concrete by the heat – and are instead flooding streets in towns and cities. The Met Office warned that people who live in 'low-lying properties' should make sure their valuable items are 'ready to go', or 'on a higher level of your house', due to the current high flood risk.Speaking to Sky News this morning, Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: 'For low-lying properties, which perhaps have been built on a floodplain, yes, there is a risk of flooding in properties.'Get all your documents, whether it's your mobile phone, your passport, etc, all those things you don't want to be damaged by floodwater and make sure they're ready to go or on a higher level of your house'.She added that the downpours overnight and into this morning are 'the wrong kind of rain which we need for the ground', as the ground is too hard to absorb it.'What we're looking for is sort of continuous rain, moderate rain, rather than this incredibly intense burst, which currently is moving up across more southern areas of England. So we're not out of the woods yet.'Patrick Goulbourne, the London Fire Brigade's Assistant Commissioner, said of those living in the capital: 'It is really important that Londoners – particularly those living in basement properties – are prepared and know what to do should a flood occur.'Pay attention to weather alerts and prepare a flood kit or grab bag. People can use sandbags to limit the water flow and move belongings to a higher level.'A flooding 'grab bag' should contain insurance and other important documents, mobile phones and chargers, emergency cash, and any medication, according to the National Flood Forum charity.For parents with young children, it should also include nappies, a favourite toy, clothing, wipes, milk and baby food.Last week a drought was declared in eight areas of England including Devon and Cornwall, Kent and south London.Several water firms – including Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water – have already imposed hosepipe bans to tackle the shortage.South West Water was the latest company to announce restrictions in Cornwall which will kick in on August 23.Yorkshire Water's ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water has said it is planning one but has not confirmed the date.A £1,000 fine could be imposed on anyone who breaks the ban but water companies have not said if they have pressed for prosecutions in the past. Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said that thunderstorms and heavy rain is likely to hit parts of Scotland as well as areas of the South West and East of England.He added that up to two inches of rainfall – almost a month's worth of rain – could fall in just three hours in some parts.He added: 'That being said, it is quite hard to pinpoint exactly where these thunderstorms will crop up. Some areas will miss the showers completely.'But, where they do come down, there could be some impacts like surface water flooding – with the rain obviously hitting dry land –travel disruption and power cuts affecting homes and businesses.'And Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: 'Temperatures will be lower, looking at highs of around 27C as a maximum temperature, but it will still be on the humid side (yesterday).'Thundery showers across central and southern parts of England on Wednesday and temperatures will be around 26C as a maximum.'Mr Dewhurst warned that the bad weather conditions could pose difficulties for those hoping to travel and urged people to stay up to date with developments in their local area.'We'll see some very heavy showers develop over the coming days, hail, frequent lightning, some flash flooding is possible like we've seen in places yesterday so our advice is to stay tuned to latest forecasts and local radio stations as well, to get the latest information,' he said.'It is worth being aware that there could be disruptions or delays to travel.' A Morrisons car park in Loughborough was submerged in flood water after the torrential rain and storms A man leaps over a puddle as shoppers rush through a heavy downpour in London yesterday afternoon A car drives through floodwater on the B3157 coast road at Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain yesterday Cars on a flooded road in Winchester yesterday as thunderstorms hit the country this week after the recent heatwave A car drives through floodwater on the B3157 coast road at Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain yesterday A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset yesterday after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last night A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset yesterday after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last night Emergency services workers at the scene of the A358 mudslide in Somerset yesterday amid the torrential rain and thunderstorms ) Pedestrians shelter under umbrellas in Westminster during heavy rain this afternoon following the prolonged dry spell A woman looks across to the Houses of Parliament while shielding under an umbrella during a rain shower in London yesterday People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain yesterday morning as the capital is hit by downpours Two people look at Tower Bridge in the rain under an umbrella yesterday morning as downpours return to the capital People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain yesterday morning as the capital is hit by downpours An autumnal feel to Hyde Park in London yesterday morning as the heatwave finally ends with a series of thunderstormsHe added: 'It will be in turns fairly breezy as we end the week, with some showery rain, particularly across the north of the UK, so temperatures generally around average for many but could possibly be a bit above for the far south, which is the mid-20s. Now London is set for a hosepipe ban: Thames Water will tell 15million people not to water gardens or wash their cars in days - bringing UK total to 24million The year's biggest hosepipe ban yet is set to be confirmed for London and the Thames Valley later this week, before coming into force from next week – affecting 15million people across the Thames Water region.Thames Water had already warned last week that it was planning a ban in the 'coming weeks', and this is now set to be confirmed by the end of this week. It will be the year's biggest temporary usage ban so far in population size.Meanwhile another hosepipe ban was announced yesterday, with Cornwall and parts of Devon becoming the next area of the UK to face temporary restrictions when South West Water brings in the policy in a week's time.Four water companies – Manx Water, Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water - have already imposed bans, while Yorkshire Water said one will start on August 26. It comes after a drought was declared for parts of England following the driest summer for 50 years that has almost completely deprived some areas of rainfall.The hosepipe bans will soon cover a total of more than 24million people - including 5million in Yorkshire (Yorkshire Water) 2.2million in Kent and Sussex (South East Water), around 1million in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Southern Water), another 1million in Cornwall and part of Devon (South West Water), 200,000 in Pembrokeshire and a small part of Carmarthenshire (Welsh Water) and 80,000 on the Isle of Man (Manx Water). South West Water announced on Monday that it will be imposing its own 'temporary use ban' restrictions from midnight on August 23, with bosses saying this will be the firm's first ban in more than a quarter of a century.The ban means customers cannot use any hosepipe including sprinklers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation systems for watering the garden or plants; cleaning a car, walls, paths or patios; or filling a pool, pond or fountain.However they can still do any of these activities if they use mains water from a bucket or watering can, or use water that is not sourced from the mains such as greywater or rainwater from a water butt through a hosepipe.'It looks probably most likely from late Wednesday to Thursday onwards it will become fresher for everyone.'Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology at the University of Reading, warned that the parched soil increased the risk of 'dangerous' flooding.She said: 'The ground is really dry and when it is so dry it acts a little bit like concrete and that water can't get in so it drains straight off. There is the damage to homes and businesses these floods can cause, and inconvenience with transport disruptions –but if it is very heavy in one place it can also be very dangerous.'On how it could affect cities like London, she said: 'If you get heavy rain in a city, the drainage system can cope up to a point. But if there is really heavy rain it can overwhelm the system – the rain cannot run away quick enough.'Water tends to find the lowest pathway – that is why it is so dangerous for cities with these surface area floods. That is why it is of concern to the Tube and underground car parks and things like that.''If we are in London and the parks are really, really dry, there is nowhere for the water to run so it is exacerbating the risks we already have in cities.'In rural areas, Professor Cloke said flooding often hits low points in roads and under bridges.Also yesterday, Ofwat chief executive David Black has defended targets set for water companies as 'challenging but achievable'.Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme and asked if the targets set for leaks are tough enough, Mr Black said: 'Yes, we set challenging but achievable targets for water companies, leakage being one of them.'So at the last price review we challenged the sector to reduce leakage by 16 per cent and the latest information we have shows that 13 out of 17 companies (are) on track to deliver that in the first two years.'He added: 'I can point elsewhere in the (targets) regime where fewer companies are succeeding, so for example on pollution incidence less companies are successful.'So we have set challenging targets and in fact at the last price review four out of 17 companies appealed our determination. So they thought the determination was too tough, and one of their contentions was that the targets were too challenging.'Mr Black also said that overall, the water supplier sector 'has underperformed against the price review'.He told the BBC: 'Where companies are falling short on leakage they will incur penalties on that. It may be that they are outperforming the regime elsewhere. But overall the sector as a whole has underperformed against the price review thus far into the period.'Mr Black added: 'So far to date the sector hasn't succeeded in earning the - if you like - these standard rates of return.'He said: 'We certainly agree that customers should get better service and expect better service and that's why we have set performance targets that aim in every case to drive better performance from companies.'There are some companies like Thames Water which have been repeated poor performers and we have taken action against them and other companies.'Asked if he thinks there is nothing wrong with the system, Mr Black said: 'No, I think that companies like Thames and Southern really need to up their game. I think it's very concerning that other companies that may be performing better in the sector it casts a long shadow when we see poor performance.' | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The UN is appealing for $160m (£136m) in emergency funding to help Pakistan deal with devastating floods.More than 1,150 people have been killed and nearly half a million displaced in the disaster.
"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."The floods have affected more than 33 million people, or one in seven Pakistanis.
Pakistani authorities, supported by the military, rescuers and volunteers, have been battling the aftermath of the floods.Although rainfall stopped three days ago and floodwater in some areas has receded, large areas remain underwater. 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 Rescue workers were evacuating stranded people to safer ground, including makeshift tent camps that have sprung up along motorways, villages, and towns.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 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.Last week, the UN allocation $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, but it is too early to assign blame on global warming, experts said."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 will arrive later on Tuesday and 6,500 Pakistani military personnel have been deployed to help authorities in rescue and relief operations. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Death Valley, Calif., set a record Thursday for the highest recorded temperature for the month of September, hitting 127 degrees Fahrenheit.The new record comes as California bakes in the latest heat wave of a punishing summer in a year when climate change has continued apace, resulting in a wide variety of extreme weather events around the globe.“I wish it were cooler already,” Abby Wines, spokesperson for Death Valley National Park, told Reuters. “This is abnormally hot for September.”The hottest temperatures of the current extended heat wave are not expected to peak until Monday or Tuesday, however, leaving open the possibility that Thursday’s record for a September day will be short-lived.Heatwave update: very hot temperatures continue inland today, though with slight (& temporary) cooling closer to the coast. But don't be fooled: peak of this heatwave is yet to come, & has been delayed slightly: now slated for Sun-Tue. All-time record Sep temps still likely.#CAwx pic.twitter.com/LK513iGxCI— Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) September 2, 2022Temperature records in many parts of the state are forecast to fall in the coming days, but it’s the duration of extremely hot weather that bears the hallmarks of climate change rather than a single record being broken. Studies have linked increasing heat wave duration and frequency with rising global temperatures due to the greenhouse effect caused by the burning of fossil fuels by humans.In Sacramento, the state capital, the city has never recorded 10 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures. It is now in its ninth straight day, and that record is almost certain to fall, meteorologist Tamara Berg said Friday.Death Valley, Calif., recorded a temperature of 127 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday. (Reuters video)Public high schools in the San Fernando Valley have altered schedules due to the heat and canceled football games. On Wednesday it was 106 degrees Fahrenheit in the valley, on Thursday it reached 107 degrees Fahrenheit and on Friday it is forecast to hit 103 degrees Fahrenheit before temperatures edge back up for the remainder of the holiday weekend.In Death Valley, tourists have flocked to the national park to experience temperatures that will become more commonplace over the coming decades thanks to climate change. Even walking relatively short distances in the extreme heat can prove hazardous to one’s health.“The ground heats up. We’ve measured temperatures of 201 [degrees Fahrenheit] as far as ground temperatures. The ground is then radiating heat back up into the air,” Wines said.The National Weather Service has been issuing alerts across the state warning of the dangers that exposure to the heat can have to human and animal health.#SoCal is in the midst of an extended, significant heat wave, with heat forecast to persist into next week. Use caution working or recreating outside, check on others, and remember, pets should stay home when it's this hot! #CAwx #LAheat pic.twitter.com/dzowm7fgb5— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) September 1, 2022“Dry heat means that your sweat will evaporate almost instantly, to the point where you don’t even realize you’re sweating,” Wines said. “Your shirt doesn’t get soaked and so people — their body is cooling them down through sweating and may not realize how overheated they actually are and how dehydrated they’re getting.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
By Justin Rowlattclimate editorImage source, PA MediaThe Met Office says we could see the hottest temperature in British history within hours, an extraordinary milestone.So why are we seeing such brutal temperatures? Most climate scientists say the answer is climate change. The Met Office estimates that the extreme heat we will be seeing over the next couple of days has been made ten times more likely because of it. We are being warned it could pose a life-threatening risk to even normally healthy people, and just look at the impact it is having in our hospitals, schools and transport systems. Now remember, this is happening when average world temperatures have only risen just over 1C beyond levels seen before many parts of the world became industrialised.One degree doesn't sound much, does it? But we're living in the hottest period for 125,000 years, according to the UN's climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).We know what's behind this - the greenhouse gas emissions caused by our burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, which trap heat in our atmosphere. They have helped push the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the highest levels seen for 2 million years, according to the IPCC. Image source, Getty ImagesSo where is our climate headed? The target set by the UN is to limit global temperature increases to 1.5C higher than pre-industrial levels. It says that should avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change.To do that, emissions need to have peaked by 2025 - yes, in only two and half years. CO2 emissions from energy increased by 6% in 2021 to 36.3 billion tonnes - the highest ever level, the International Energy Agency estimates.They need to virtually halve by 2030 - we need a minimum 43% reduction by the end of this decade, according to the IPCC. Then the world needs to scale back emissions to net zero by 2050. That means cutting greenhouse gases as much as possible and finding ways to draw CO2 out of the atmosphere to make up for any that remain.It is a huge challenge - many people believe the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. Remember that big UN conference in Glasgow last year? If all the promises governments made there were actually implemented, then we'd be looking at temperatures rising by something like 2.4C from pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. But the truth is even if we do succeed in reducing emissions to that really ambitious 1.5C target, UK summers will continue to get hotter. "In a few decades this might actually be a quite a cool summer," says Professor Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London.We should expect more and longer heatwaves in the future, says Professor Nigel Arnell, a climate scientist at Reading University.We will be seeing more heat-health alerts, more heat-stress days - days when it is too hot to work - and damaging heat extremes to increase, he warns. Image source, Getty ImagesSo what is the UK doing about it?Nowhere near enough, is the stark conclusion of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the government's advisors on climate change.Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the world was at "one minute to midnight" on climate change in his speech opening the Glasgow climate conference. But in a report on the UK's progress towards net zero the CCC warned that his government's current policies are very unlikely to do the job.It said the government has set a lot of targets and put a lot of policies in place but warns there is "scant evidence" these goals will be delivered.And the country is not doing enough to prepare itself for the more frequent and intense heatwaves climate change will bring.Heatwaves caused an additional 2,000 deaths in 2020, according to the UK Health Security Agency. That figure is likely to triple in coming decades without government action, according to Baroness Brown, deputy chair of the Climate Change Committee."We've been telling the government for over 10 years that we are nothing like well enough prepared in the UK for the really hot weather we are seeing now," she says - particularly the extreme heat many people experience in their homes. It is a "disgrace" people are dying of heat - or for that matter cold - in the UK, says Professor Hannah Cloke of the University of Reading.Most UK buildings and infrastructure were not designed to cope with the kind of temperatures we are seeing this week and much more needs to be done to adapt them, she says."We have made great strides in forecasting extreme weather and climate conditions in recent years. Now we need the systems in place so that people and governments act on the warnings we can provide, whether three hours, three days, or three decades in advance." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Flash floods in south-west and north-west China have left at least a dozen dead and put thousands of others in harm’s way, state media has reported.In the south-western 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 on Sunday.About 1,300 people had been evacuated as of Saturday, the report said.Meanwhile, in Longnan city in the north-western province of Gansu, another six deaths were reported and 3,000 people had been evacuated, state broadcaster CCTV said. Rainfall over 1½ days was as much as 98.9mm in the worst-affected areas, almost double the July average.The rains come amid a heatwave in parts of the country including eastern Zhejiang province and the city of Shanghai, with temperatures soaring as high as 42C (107.6F) last week.Experts say such extreme weather events are becoming more likely because of climate change. Warmer air can store more water, leading to bigger cloudbursts when it is released.The flooding adds to economic woes brought on partly by stringent zero-Covid measures restricting travel and disrupting supply chains.A vehicle beside part of a bridge that was washed away by flood waters on a river in Qingyang, in north-west China's Gansu province, on Saturday. Photograph: APChina is not the only country experiencing extreme weather. Firefighters in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece and Morocco are battling forest fires raging across tens of thousands of hectares as this week’s heatwave continues to bring extreme temperatures and cause hundreds of deaths across south-western Europe.The second heatwave of the summer – with temperatures hitting 47C (116F) in Portugal and 45C in Spain – has triggered wildfires that have forced the evacuation of thousands of people.In the UK, the first ever red warning for exceptional heat has come into force, with temperatures expected to climb up to 41C (105.8F) over the next two days, breaking the country’s heat records.In Germany, low water levels in the Rhine due to droughts have disrupted the supply chain for commodities into the country. Heatwaves have also hit the southern US.Associated Press contributed to this report | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The UK is under a heat dome and this heatwave could be more dangerous than the last, according to Sky News' weather presenter.A Met Office amber extreme heat warning is in place for much of England and Wales until Sunday and although temperatures will not hit the record-breaking highs of 40.3C seen last month, the current heatwave is expected to be longer than July's.
Sky's Kirsty McCabe explains that the gradual build-up of heat over several days this time could actually be more dangerous than the conditions seen previously.Experts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.McCabe said: "It's the duration of the heatwave that will allow dangerous levels of heat to build up, especially in buildings and urban areas. The nights will be increasingly warm too, making it difficult to sleep. Footage captures 'fire tornado' - live weather updates
"By Thursday lunchtime, parts of the UK had exceeded 30C for four days in a row, and it's likely somewhere in the UK will be above 30C for a least a week." More on Extreme Weather Swifts nearly baked alive, sparrows stuck to tarmac, and hedgehogs orphaned - the destruction caused by France's fourth heatwave Fire severity risk raised to 'exceptional' as four-day amber alert begins Hosepipe bans: What are the rules, what are the exemptions and what do they mean? She said that while temperatures are set to peak at 36C across southern England this weekend, heatwave conditions will be met widely across the UK and Ireland.The Met Office defines a heatwave as at least three consecutive days of temperatures above a certain level.July's extreme heatwave lasted three successive days, while this extreme heat warning is expected to last at least four days, according to the weather agency.Alongside this, the UKHSA has a six-day heat-health alert in place, which also ends on Sunday. UK under a heat domeMcCabe says we are currently under a heat dome, as temperatures have risen even though we have not reached the peak.A heat dome is when an area of high pressure stays over a large part of a region for days, or even weeks.Like a lid on a saucepan, it traps hot air underneath, and can cause heatwaves with temperatures well above the norm.Hot air expands vertically into the atmosphere then high pressure from above means it has nowhere to escape and pushes that warm air down.As the warm air sinks, it compresses and heats up, which then traps more heat underneath. The ground then heats up and loses moisture which makes it heat up even more, and means it is ripe for fires to start. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 'Climate change to blame' The dome of high pressure also pushes the clouds around it, keeping the heat in even more.Usually, winds can move the high pressure around but as the dome stretches high into the atmosphere, the high pressure system becomes very slow moving, almost stationary.McCabe says the intense heat last month came from "very hot, dry air being dragged up from North Africa on strong southerly winds".Read more:What and where is the 'exceptional' fire riskPeople told to grass on neighbours who flout hosepipe banWhat are the rules on hosepipe bans and what do they mean?However this time, she says the current hot weather is "home grown" from high pressure sitting over the British Isles.What's happening next week?After a hot weekend, cooler, more changeable conditions are forecast to move in from the west next week.McCabe says the heat will only slowly relinquish its grip, and at the moment any showers are unlikely to bring much relief to those areas struggling with drought.Sky News understands a drought is expected to be declared on Friday for "quite a few regions" of the country, meaning people living there can expect to see a series of restrictions on domestic and commercial use of water - including hosepipe bans. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
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.”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.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
In March, April and May this year, India and its neighbours endured repeated heatwaves that exposed more than a billion people to dangerously hot conditions. India broke several temperature records. The warmest March in more than a century was recorded across the country and a new high of more than 49C was hit in Delhi in May.Record-breaking heat has also been recorded elsewhere this year, including the UK, which smashed its previous record by an incredible 1.6C, reaching more than 40C. Portugal reached 47C on the 21st of this month, the hottest July day on record, while several places in France recorded new highs.These heatwaves have reignited the debate about how we can protect people from rising temperatures – and how high we can stand them to go. But the headline figures do not give the whole story when it comes to the impact of high temperatures on humans, because humidity, which is not factored into these figures, plays a huge role in how we actually experience heat.Recent research has found that we may actually already be nearing the threshold values for human survivability of temperature and humidity for short periods in some places of the world – a measure known as the “wet-bulb” temperature – and that this threshold may actually be far lower than previously thought.What does wet-bulb temperature mean?Wet-bulb temperature (WBT) combines dry air temperature (as you’d see on a thermometer) with humidity – in essence, it is a measure of heat-stress conditions on humans.The term comes from how it is measured. If you slide a wet cloth over the bulb of a thermometer, the evaporating water from the cloth will cool the thermometer down. This lower temperature is the WBT, which cannot go above the dry temperature. If humidity in the surrounding air is high, however – meaning the air is already more saturated with water – less evaporation will occur, so the WBT will be closer to the dry temperature.The bed of the River Yamuna in Delhi in May. Photograph: Manish Swarup/AP“The [wet-bulb] temperature reading you get will actually change depending on how humid it is,” says Kristina Dahl, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “That’s the real purpose, to measure how well we’ll be able to cool ourselves by sweating.”Humidity and temperature are not the only things that affect a person’s body temperature: solar radiation and wind speed are other factors. But WBT is especially important as a measure of indoor environments, where deaths often occur in heatwaves, says W Larry Kenney, a physiology professor at Penn State University.When do wet-bulb temperatures get dangerous?Concern often centres on the “threshold” or “critical” WBT for humans, the point at which a healthy person could survive for only six hours. This is usually considered to be 35C, approximately equivalent to an air temperature of 40C with a relative humidity of 75%. (At the UK’s 19 July peak temperature, relative humidity was approximately 25% and the wet-bulb temperature about 25C.)Humans usually regulate their internal body temperature by sweating, but above the wet-bulb temperature, we can no longer cool down this way, leading our body temperature to rise steadily. This essentially marks a limit to human adaptability to extreme heat – if we cannot escape the conditions, our body’s core can rise beyond the survivable range and organs can start failing.The oft-cited 35C value comes from a 2010 theoretical study. However, research co-authored by Kenney this year found that the real threshold our bodies can tolerate could be far lower. “Our data is actual human subject data and shows that the critical wet-bulb temperature is closer to 31.5C,” he says.Bill McGuire, director of the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre in the UK, says if the new finding is true, we are in “a whole new ball game” when it comes to extreme heat. “The numbers of people exposed to potentially deadly combinations of heat and humidity across the world would be vastly higher than previously thought.”It is important to note that heat gets dangerous for many people far below the threshold WBT.Where could the wet-bulb threshold be passed?In a global context, the UK is a relatively low-risk area for wet-bulb extremes – it has rarely reached above 28C so far. “My personal feeling is that a wet-bulb temperature of 35C would not be possible in the UK, although 31C may well be later in the century,” says McGuire. “Then again, the Met Office certainly didn’t expect 40C [dry temperature] heat in 2022.”The risk of passing the WBT threshold is larger elsewhere, however. One 2015 study concluded extremes are likely to approach and exceed 35C in the region around the Arabian Gulf towards the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reined in, posing questions for human habitability there.In 2020, research found that some coastal subtropical locations have already experienced WBTs of 35C, albeit only for a few hours. An Iraqi man cools down in Baghdad. Temperatures in the country reached 53C in 2020. Photograph: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images“Previous studies projected that this would happen several decades from now, but this shows it’s happening right now,” said lead author Colin Raymond, a climate scientist at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The times these events last will increase and the areas they affect will grow in direct correlation with global warming.”The study also found that globally, the number of times that a WBT of 30C was reached – still considered an extreme humidity and heat event – more than doubled between 1979 and 2017. There were about 1,000 occurrences of a 31C WBT, and about a dozen above 35C, in Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Australia.One important question is how temperature rises because of the climate crisis correlate with rises in WBT extremes. A study last year found that the maximum WBT in the tropics will rise by 1C for each 1C of average warming. This means limiting global heating to 1.5C above the pre-industrial era would prevent the majority of the tropical area – where 40% of the global population lives – from reaching the survival limit of 35C, the paper said.Heatwaves are worsening many times faster than any other type of extreme weather because of the climate crisis. Scientists estimate that it made the India and Pakistan heatwave 30 times more likely. As another paper put it, asking whether today’s most impactful heatwaves could have occurred in a pre-industrial climate is “fast becoming an obsolete question”.Instead, as heatwaves begin affecting more people’s lives more frequently, the question of what we can do about them is becoming ever more important. As the world sees the deadly mix of high humidity and high temperature more and more often, this could ultimately mean that some places simply become too hot to live in, opening up the need for migration pathways to enable millions of people to get away from their home areas. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
At least 15 people have died in widespread flash flooding in Kentucky, including families with children, a toll the authorities expects to rise on Friday as extreme weather hits several states.The Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, said on Friday morning he expects to receive a federal state of emergency declaration later in the morning, which gives state governors extra powers and access to special funding to deal with such a catastrophe, and has been in contact with the White House.“This comes on the back of the worst tornado disaster we have ever seen,” Beshear told CNN on Friday morning, referring to the western part of the state being hit by deadly tornadoes several months ago.The flooding has hit eastern Kentucky, while extreme weather has also badly affected parts of Arizona, Missouri with flooding, and Nevada, where parts of the main commercial strip in Las Vegas have been under water.In Kentucky, Krystal Holbrook’s family started moving possessions to higher ground long before dawn on Thursday, racing to save them from the rapidly rising floodwaters that were menacing southeastern Kentucky.Her family scurried in the dark to move vehicles, campers, trailers and equipment. But as the water kept rising Thursday, killing at least eight people that day and then the death toll rising to 15 overnight into Friday, they began to worry that they might run out of higher ground.“We felt we had most of it moved out of the way,” Holbrook said. “But right now, we’re still moving vehicles even to higher ground. Higher ground is getting a little bit difficult.”The same was true throughout the region, as another round of rainfall loomed in an area already hammered by days of torrential rainfall.The storm sent water gushing from hillsides and surging out of stream beds in Appalachia, inundating homes, businesses and roads. Rescue crews used helicopters and boats to pick up people trapped by floodwaters. Parts of western Virginia and southern West Virginia were also hit by flooding.A group of stranded people are rescued in Jackson, Kentucky. Photograph: Leandro Lozada/AFP/Getty ImagesBeshear asked for prayers as the region braced for more rain. “In a word, this event is devastating,” he said.In Whitesburg, Kentucky, floodwaters seeped into Appalshop, an arts and education center renowned for promoting and preserving the region’s history and culture.“We’re not sure exactly the full damage because we haven’t been able to safely go into the building or really get too close to it,” said Meredith Scalos, its communications director. “We do know that some of our archival materials have flooded out of the building into Whitesburg streets.”Meanwhile, dangerous conditions and continued rainfall hampered rescue efforts, the governor said. “We’ve got a lot of people that need help that we can’t get to at the moment,” he said. “We will.”Flash flooding and mudslides were reported across the mountainous region of eastern Kentucky, western Virginia and southern West Virginia, where thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain over the past few days, with additional flooding that is more extreme than usual still being possible.Poweroutage.us reported more than 33,000 customers without electricity in eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, with the bulk of the outages in Kentucky.Rescue crews worked feverishly to try to reach people trapped by the floodwaters. “There are a lot of people in eastern Kentucky on top of roofs waiting to be rescued,“ Beshear said Thursday.The storms hit an Appalachian mountain region where communities and homes are often perched on steep hillsides or set deep in the hollows between them, where creeks and streams can rise in a hurry. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Record-breaking temperatures are already causing chaos across the country today, with trains grinding to a halt and thousands facing an unbearably sticky morning commute. But the scorching temperatures have also led to a range of other more unusual outcomes, from a beach being closed because the sand is too hot, to school detentions being cancelled and farmers smearing suncream on their prized pigs. Detentions have been cancelled at one school, while discount chain Aldi has begun rationing bottles of water at a supermarket in south London - with customers limited to one bottle of still or sparkling per person. The Met Office has warned that temperatures could rise even further to 43C (109F) tomorrow. Temperatures had already hit 32C (90F) in Cambridge and West London by 11am today. Pigs get suncream and wet towels at Royal Welsh Show - while horses are offered bottled water Pigs are being covered in suncream to protect them at one of Britain's biggest country shows.Farmers are using the suncream to protect the animals' sensitive skin in the blistering heat at the Royal Welsh Show.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.'Pigs don't let out the heat as well as other animals so it is difficult to keep them cool,' said Ela, 45, of 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.' Joel Orman sprays SPF 50 sunscreen on British Lop pigs at the Royal Welsh Show to ensure their sensitive skin is protected A police officer offers a bottle of water to a police horse named Zack during hot weather, on Whitehall in LondonMore 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.The 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 said.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.Meanwhile, on Whitehall in London, Zack the horse was offered a bottle of water by his caring police handler. 'Beach' closes because the sand will be 'too hot for children' A beach is closing today because the sand will be 'too hot for kids to play on'.Officials have decided to close the attraction at Leicester's Humberstone Gate shopping centre for two days. Funfair rides have also closed..Deputy city mayor Cllr Piara Singh Clair said: 'In these extreme temperatures, the sand on our beach would be far too hot for children to play in. Officials have decided to close the artificial beach at Leicester's Humberstone Gate shopping centre for two days'And there's also a risk that the funfair rides' generators would overheat.'In the interests of our customers' wellbeing, and the safety of our staff, we have decided to close these attractions on Monday and Tuesday.'While this extreme weather continues, we would advise people to seek out the shade - and, weather permitting, we hope to reopen the City Beach and the funfair on Wednesday.'One local - called Mark - said: 'Blimey. Red Alert sounds serious. Wondering if real beaches will be closed as well?'Supermarket limits water to one bottle of still or sparkling per person This sign warning shoppers was spotted at the Streatham store in South London over the weekendAldi is rationing water - limiting customers to one type of bottled water per person.A sign warning shoppers was spotted at the Streatham store in South London over the weekend.It read: 'Maximum 1x type of water per person.'Scorching summer temperatures have already caused disruption for UK retailers. In B&M, a video showed chocolate bars melting on shelves.And shoppers have been asked to ensure they wear t-shirts and tops when heading to the supermarket and the pub.Meanwhile, Iceland invited customers to chill out in its freezer aisles amid the heatwave.Aldi has been contacted for comment.Saved by the heatwave! Detentions are CANCELLED at secondary school Schools are cancelling detentions and sports days because of the heatwave.Northwood Community Primary School in Kirkby, Merseyside said that sports day had been cancelled on Monday, although 'children can still attend school in their PE kits until the end of term'.And King Charles I School, a secondary school in Worcestershire, has cancelled all on-site detentions on Monday and Tuesday. 'Please note that detentions will be cancelled on Borrington and Hillgrove sites today and tomorrow,' the school tweeted. The school was originally founded in 1566 and is the only one in England to bear the name of the executed king. King Charles I School, a secondary school in Worcestershire, has cancelled all on-site detentions on Monday and TuesdayWatering the... guards? Queen's Guard soldier is kept hydrated while on duty outside Buckingham Palace in full military uniformWhile some schools have closed and rail services have been delayed by the hot weather, one group not budging an inch are the Queen's Guard.Despite the roasting heat, the troops today remain in full military uniform, including their thick bearskin caps, outside Buckingham Palace today.But the guards, who are very limited in when and how they can move during their two hour stints, are being kept hydrated.Pictures show a security officer providing water to one of the soldiers today - with temperatures now above 30C in London. A member of the Queen's guard at Buckingham Palace is given water by a policeman A member of the Household Cavalry suffering in the sweltering mid day heat while on guard at Horse Guards in Westminster today | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
World July 22, 2022 / 3:52 PM / CBS News Heat burning parts of western Europe Fires rage as European countries continue to swelter in record heat 02:35 As temperatures in the United Kingdom topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit this week, a movie theater chain offered one of the most "vulnerable" communities shelter from the sun.Last week, Showcase Cinemas announced on its website and social media accounts that redheads could get free tickets to a movie of their choice on Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Free tickets were limited to one per transaction and one per day for people with red hair. The Instagram post advertised "Free tickets for redheads on the hottest days ever," while their website explained that "since redheads are often more vulnerable than most to the sun's rays, we're giving them shelter from the sun inside our fully air conditioned cinema screens to catch the latest blockbusters for no cost at all."
Sun exposure and dehydration are dangerous for everyone, but the genes that give you red hair, pale skin and freckles also increase your risk of developing skin cancer, a study at Britain's Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute found, according to Reuters. While some decried the promotion as offensive to the redhead community, saying it unfairly singles out the group, others hailed the company's idea and gleefully tagged their partners in the comment section of the post to nudge them into a movie date. Sun exposure and dehydration are certainly dangerous for everyone, but having genes that give you red hair, pale skin and freckles increases your risk of developing skin cancer, according to studies. Getty Images British authorities described the heat wave as a "national emergency" and portions of the nation were under an "extreme" heat warning for the first time. The same heat wave is fueling damaging wildfires across southern France, Spain, Italy and Portugal and driving tens of thousands of people from their homes. It has also been linked to hundreds of deaths. The extreme temperatures are especially shocking for the U.K., where neither the people nor the infrastructure are prepared for such heat. Only about 5% of British homes are thought to have air conditioning.On Monday, London's Luton Airport was forced to suspend flights after part of the runway melted. Hundreds of trains have been canceled and people have been warned to avoid public transport and stay hydrated and cool however they can.Scientists say heat waves have become more frequent, more intense and longer lasting."Climate change has everything to do with the extreme weather that we're seeing at the moment, and it's human-induced climate change, it's not a natural variation," Kirsty McCabe, a meteorologist at the U.K.'s Royal Meteorological Society, told CBS News. "If we don't do some drastic action, we will continue to see these things happening." Roxana Saberi and Tucker Reals contributed reporting. In: Heat Wave United Kingdom Natacha Larnaud Natacha Larnaud is a social TV producer for CBS News. 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 |
A view shows trees and vegetation burnt by a major fire in Hostens, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane MaheRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummary'Monster' fire consumes nearly 7,000 hectares in FranceESA chief urges action to fight climate changeSwiss army airlifts water to cows in Alpine meadowsGig-economy workers decry labour rights as temperatures soarHOSTENS, France, Aug 11 (Reuters) - European nations sent firefighting teams to help France tackle a "monster" wildfire on Thursday, while forest blazes also raged in Spain and Portugal and the head of the European Space Agency urged immediate action to combat climate change.More than 1,000 firefighters, backed by water-bombing planes, battled for a third day a fire that has forced thousands from their homes and scorched thousands of hectares of forest in France's southwestern Gironde region. read more With a dangerous cocktail of blistering temperatures, tinder-box conditions and wind fanning the flames, emergency services were struggling to bring the fire under control.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"It's an ogre, a monster," said Gregory Allione from the French firefighters body FNSPF said.Heatwaves, floods and crumbling glaciers in recent weeks have heightened concerns over climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather across the globe.The head of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, said rising land temperatures and shrinking rivers as measured from space left no doubt about the toll on agriculture and other industries from climate change. read more ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite series has measured "extreme" land surface temperatures of more than 45C (113F) in Britain, 50C in France and 60C in Spain in recent weeks."It's pretty bad. We have seen extremes that have not been observed before," Aschbacher told Reuters.In Romania, where record temperatures and drought have drained rivers of water, Greenpeace activists protested on the parched banks of the Danube to draw attention to global warming and urge the government to lower emissions. read more CLIMATE CHANGE RISKSWith successive heatwaves baking Europe this summer, searing temperatures and unprecedented droughts, renewed focus has been placed on climate change risks to farming, industry and livelihoods.Severe drought is set to slash the European Union's maize harvest by 15%, dropping it to a 15-year a low, just as Europeans contend with higher food prices as a result of lower-than-normal grain exports from Russia and Ukraine.Swiss army helicopters have been drafted in to airlift water to thirsty cows, pigs and goats sweltering under a fierce sun in the country's Alpine meadows. read more In France, suffering its harshest drought on record, trucks are delivering water to dozens of villages where taps have run dry, nuclear power stations have received waivers to keep pumping hot discharge water into river, and farmers warn a fodder shortfall may lead to milk shortages.In Germany, scant rainfall this summer has drained the water levels of the Rhine, the country's commercial artery, hampering shipping and pushing freight costs. read more However, as Europe contends with another heatwave, one group of workers has little choice but to sweat it out: gig-economy food couriers who often fall between the cracks of labour regulations.After the mayor of Palermo on the island of Sicily in July ordered horses carrying tourists be given at least 10 litres of water per day, bicycle courier Gaetano Russo filed a suit demanding similar treatment."Am I worth less than a horse," Russo was quoted as saying in a Nidil CDIL union statement. read more "HEARTBROKEN"Britain's Met Office on Thursday issued a four-day "extreme heat" warning for parts of England and Wales. read more In Portugal, more than 1,500 firefighters spent a sixth day fighting a wildfire in the central Covilha region that has burned 10,500 hectares (40 square miles), including parts of the Serra da Estrela national park.In Spain, electrical storms triggered new wildfires and hundreds of people were evacuated from the path of one blaze in the province of Caceres.Macron's office said extra fire-fighting aircraft were arriving from Greece and Sweden, while Germany, Austria, Romania and Poland were all deploying firefighters to help tackle wildfires in France."European solidarity at work!" Macron tweeted.Firefighters said they had managed to save the village of Belin-Beliet, which emptied after police told residents to evacuate as the flames approached. But the blaze reached the outskirts, leaving behind charred houses and ruined tractors."We've been lucky. Our houses were saved. But you see the catastrophe over there. Some houses could not be saved," said resident Gaetan, pointing to houses burnt to the ground.The Gironde was hit by big wildfires in July."The area is totally disfigured. We're heartbroken, we're exhausted," Jean-Louis Dartiailh, a local mayor, told Radio Classique. "(This fire) is the final straw."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
(CNN)We know changes in the weather and seasons can affect mood, causing run-of-the-mill rainy-day blues and seasonal affective disorder. Now, it's also important to recognize the harmful mental and physical health effects of long-term climate change. In her book "Taking the Heat: How Climate Change Is Affecting Your Mind, Body, and Spirit and What You Can Do About It," author and former CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider documents these challenges and shares experts' advice on how to cope. Here, she offers insights about the impact of climate on health. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.CNN: How can climate change lead to health problems?Bonnie Schneider: Our environment affects the core drivers of health. Temperature changes, air and water quality, food safety and availability, and even our emotional well-being are tied up with our natural surroundings. Changes to these variables can impact both healthy people and those with preexisting conditions. Take temperature, for example. Ever tried to sleep in a hot room with no air conditioning? Rising temperatures can disrupt sleep and diminish mental clarity and memory, research has shown. A study of young, healthy college students showed that those who slept with no AC during a heat wave performed worse on cognitive tests the next day than those in rooms with artificial cooling. Climate change has been linked to certain types of extreme weather events, including intensified floods, wildfires, severe thunderstorms and hurricanes that last longer and produce more rainfall. In 2021, 20 weather and climate disaster events in the US resulted in losses exceeding $1 billion each. Overall, natural disasters now happen more frequently, impacting more people. These can cause burns and smoke inhalation from wildfires, injuries from debris falling, and other kinds of harm. Mental health is impacted, too, whether as fallout from trauma, community loss or being displaced. Research shows these psychological consequences can last for years or even decades. Also important to mention is that natural disasters can affect mental health, even among those who haven't been directly impacted. Upheaval in one's own community can, of course, prompt distress. But just seeing images of weather destruction on TV can trigger anxiety. That's the case even if the specific weather event is not actually linked to climate change. CNN: What is "eco-anxiety," and how pervasive is it?Schneider: Eco-anxiety refers to the anxiety and fear that people have over climate change and the future of the planet. Of people ages 16 to 25, 84% expressed at least moderate worry about climate change in 2021 global survey of 10,000 people. More than 56% believed "humanity is doomed," and more than 45% said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning. Experts at the Climate Psychiatry Alliance and the Climate Psychology Alliance confirm the genuine struggles that individuals, especially young people, are having with this kind of anxiety. It can cause severe disruption in daily life, intrude upon people's thoughts and interfere with healthy sleep.CNN: Do certain medical conditions make people more vulnerable to environmental changes?Schneider: Yes. Most medical experts say weather extremes of any kind can stress the body. With the climate changing, we're getting hotter days for a longer period of time. This can lead to troubles for people with certain autoimmune diseases that flare up under particular environmental conditions. Lupus, for example, can be triggered by bright sunlight due to UV ray exposure, according to the medical experts I interviewed. Some evidence suggests relationships between pain and relative humidity, pressure and wind speed. For those suffering from arthritis, more frequent powerful storms may mean more potential for pain. Yet other data negates these findings, such as the study that found no relation between rainfall and outpatient visits for joint or back pain. Still, even these researchers concede the weather-pain correlation may exist, and they urge additional study. CNN: What does climate change have to do with infectious disease?Schneider: The loss of biodiversity has become a huge problem. Even small, subtle shifts and disruptions to the natural habitats of wildlife affect humans. We're all part of the ecosystem.In a September 2020 paper written by Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. David Morens, the two infectious disease specialists warn that pandemics are occurring more frequently. They call the Covid-19 pandemic "yet another reminder that human activities represent aggressive, damaging, and unbalanced interactions with wildlife and will increasingly provoke new disease emergencies." Environmental shifts alter many types of vector-borne diseases -- lyme, for example. When temperatures rise, ticks become more of an issue at northern latitudes, which means we could start to see Lyme disease in places where people don't expect it. This could cause difficulties, given how challenging Lyme can be to diagnose. Mosquitoes bring additional concerns. More flooding increases their prevalence and the risk of them transmitting diseases. Then there are the waterborne flesh-eating bacteria. Rising water temperatures are believed to have brought deadly bacteria to previously unaffected waters. The Vibrio species, for example, can invade the body through any tiny opening in the skin, rapidly causing severe illness and even death. In June, NOAA scientists in Virginia and Maryland predicted that "as Chesapeake Bay waters warm, Vibrio vulnificus pathogens become more prevalent." (NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the US Department of Commerce.) As of August 5, 23 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infection have been reported in Florida alone -- four of them deadly.Now, we need to add another type of bacteria to our list of concerns. In 2020 and 2022, two unrelated individuals on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi became sick with melioidosis. This rare and serious infectious disease is caused by direct contact with soil and water contaminated with the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei. The CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) now cautions people in the region who have health conditions that may put them at higher risk -- such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease or excessive alcohol use -- to avoid contact with soil or muddy water, particularly after heavy rains.CNN: What impact does global warming have on allergies?Schneider: Allergy season has gotten longer. More frost-free days mean more potentially irritating pollens. There's also a debate among scientists about whether increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has made pollen more intense. Molds are other allergens affected by weather, exacerbated by more frequent storms, intense flooding and damp days. Many asthma attacks are first triggered by allergies, too. Asthma can be triggered by thunderstorms and wildfire smoke. It's all connected. CNN: No wonder people are experiencing climate anxiety. What helps them cope?Schneider: Psychologists and psychiatrists I spoke with emphasized that we can't scoff at eco-anxiety. It's rooted in valid concerns, and people are genuinely troubled. Experts recommend finding a community of like-minded people by joining groups like the "Climate Cafes" organized by the Climate Psychology Alliance, where you can talk about difficult feelings in a safe space held by trained facilitators. Youth-specific organizations provide other opportunities to connect. For individual counseling, the Climate Psychiatry Alliance has a directory listing "climate aware" therapists. Taking actions, large and small, helps, too. Experts advise getting involved with climate justice activism through taking part in events like Climate Week NYC, a global gathering in September with more than 500 events worldwide. Even participating in something local like a beach cleanup can ease worries. Mindfulness meditation and gratitude are other tools for addressing eco-anxiety. On my website, I give instructions for short, simple mindfulness practices.When it comes to anxiety, nature has therapeutic effects for both adults and children. Gardening or doing something constructive outdoors -- even during cold weather -- can turn a sense of helplessness into agency. In "Taking the Heat," I outline specific, age-based strategies for children and advice for adults. Spending time in nature is even healing, interestingly enough, for those who've suffered from trauma at the hands of the elements. Researchers have found that humans have an intrinsic desire to connect with the outdoors after a natural disaster. It's part of the coping process. For any of us, just 20 or 30 minutes walking or sitting in a place that connects us with nature can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.That decrease is good for mind and body alike. Jessica DuLong is a Brooklyn, New York-based journalist, book collaborator, writing coach and the author of "Saved at the Seawall: Stories From the September 11 Boat Lift" and "My River Chronicles: Rediscovering the Work that Built America." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
An intense low pressure system is moving across the south of the country after the wild weather hammered Western Australia and South Australia earlier this week.Residents across four states and a territory have been warned to brace for damaging winds, heavy rainfall and major flooding as a deep low moves across the country.Those in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have been told an "intense" low pressure system is moving across the south of the country after it battered Western Australia earlier this week.Sky News Australia Meteorologist Tom Saunders said there are currently warnings in place for damaging winds in South Australia and parts of eastern NSW."As the low moves east across the Bight on Thursday the worst of the weather is shifting to southeast states," he said.Stream more local news live & on demand with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022NSW is expecting damaging wind gusts of around 90km/h on Thursday morning and gusts in excess of 125km/h for Alpine areas above 1900m.Heavy rainfall with six-hourly totals between 45 and 60 mm are possible across the Snowy Mountains and South West Slopes on Thursday.A flood watch for inland Central and South West catchments has been issued with minor to isolated major flooding possible."Heavy rain is also impacting inland NSW and a flood watch is in place for the Central and Southern Slopes and Ranges," Saunders said."Major flooding is possible along the Upper Murray, Lachlan, Tumut and Murrumbidgee rivers with minor flooding possibly extending as far north as the Castlereagh and Macquarie rivers."Elsewhere, Canberra has already been drenched with nearly one months’ worth of rain since midnight and up to 100mm could fall just west of the city on Thursday.Heavy rainfall in Victoria with six-hourly totals of 15-40mm of rain with some localised totals of up to 60mm was expected in the morning.The warning comes after Western Australia was battered by wild winds, with some locations experiencing gusts in excess of 65km/h to 130km/h. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services in WA responded to hundreds of calls over the past three days as the extreme weather brought down trees and powerlines and caused some ceilings to collapse.Emergency services were called to the scene after the ceiling of a home collapsed in Perth's northern suburb of Joondalup.Dominic Vaughan, 13, and his father were watching TV when they heard a cracking noise on their roof."We heard it crack again after that and then the roof just fell," Mr Vaughan told 9News."It was so scary. I thought I was going to die." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
BEIJING (AP) — From the snowcapped peaks of Tibet to the tropical island of Hainan, China is sweltering under the worst heatwave in decades while rainfall hit records in June.Extreme heat is also battering Japan, and volatile weather is causing trouble for other parts of the world in what scientists say has all the hallmarks of climate change, with even more warming expected this century.The northeastern provinces of Shandong, Jilin and Liaoning saw precipitation rise to the highest levels ever recorded in June, while the national average 112.1 millimeters (4.4 inches) was 9.1 % high than the same month last year, the China Meteorological Administration said in a report Tuesday.The average temperature across the nation also hit 21.3 degrees Celsius (70.34 Fahrenheit) in June, up 0.9 C (1.8 F) from the same period month last year and the highest since 1961. No relief is in sight, with higher than usual temperatures and precipitation forecast in much of the country throughout July, the administration said.In the northern province of Henan, Xuchang hit 42.1 C (107.8 F) and Dengfeng 41.6 C (106.9 F) on June 24 for their hottest days on record, according to global extreme weather tracker Maximiliano Herrera.China has also seen seasonal flooding in several parts of the country, causing misery for hundreds of thousands, particularly in the hard-hit south that receives the bulk of rainfall as well as typhoons that sweep in from the South China Sea.China is not alone in experiencing higher temperatures and more volatile weather. In Japan, authorities warned of greater than usual stress on the power grid and urged citizens to conserve energy.Japanese officials announced the earliest end to the annual summer rainy season since the national meteorological agency began keeping records in 1951. The rains usually temper summer heat, often well into July.On Friday, the cities of Tokamachi and Tsunan set all-time heat records while several others broke monthly marks.Large parts of the Northern Hemisphere have seen extreme heat this summer, with regions from the normally chilly Russian Arctic to the traditionally sweltering American South recording unusually high temperatures and humidity.In the United States, the National Weather Service has held 30 million Americans under some kind of heat advisory amid record-setting temperatures. The suffering and danger to health is most intense among those without air conditioning or who work outdoors, further reinforcing the economic disparities in dealing with extreme weather trends. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The extreme heat this week shockingly 'lifted up' part of pavement on busy Hull city centre street, as the footpath buckled up creating a v-shaped bumpThe pavement opposite Primark on Carr Lane in Hull city centre was warped by the heat With temperatures soaring this week, there were concerns about melting roads and runways across the country. On Tuesday, temperatures hit record highs of 40C, and pavements in Hull City Centre couldn't cope. The road outside Carr Lane, truly felt the head as the footway buckled, and warped - creating a v-shaped bump. Hull City Council has posted on Facebook a photograph of the badly affected pavement and the temporary fix made. The local authority says that, with temperatures now beginning to subside, it does not expect any further problems. On Facebook, the council said: "We have carried out a temporary fix to make the footpath safe on Carr Lane, where the extreme heat had caused the paving to lift. With temperatures subsiding, we don’t expect any similar situations, but we will be reviewing and replacing expansion joints where necessary." A temporary fix was made by the council (
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Hull City Council WS) Boiling temperatures were recorded across the country on Tuesday with Coningsby in Lincolnshire reaching a UK record of 40.3C while, in Hull, the mercury hit 38C. But later today, temperatures will fall sharply - and by tomorrow will struggle to hit 20C. Meanwhile on Monday, Luton Airport cancelled all flights as the runway melted due to the extreme weather. Luton Airport, which has one runway, is used by airlines including EasyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair and TUI. Temperatures in Luton reached 36C at the beginning of the week. And because of the rising temperatures, the last flight is believed to have taken off before the airport suspended departures at 3.07pm. A spokesperson for Luton Airport said: "Following today's [Monday's] high temperatures, a surface defect was identified on the runway. "Engineers were called immediately to the site- and repair works are currently in progress to resume operations as soon as possible. "We would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused." Due to a similar reason, the RAF also halted flights in and out of its largest air base in the UK, Brize Norton, because the "runway melted", according to reports. Read More Read More | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
U.S. Updated on: July 16, 2022 / 2:30 PM / CBS/AP 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 |
At least 15 people have died in widespread flash flooding in Kentucky, including families with children, a toll the authorities expects to rise on Friday as extreme weather hits several states.The Kentucky governor, Andy Beshear, said on Friday morning he expects to receive a federal state of emergency declaration later in the morning, which gives state governors extra powers and access to special funding to deal with such a catastrophe, and has been in contact with the White House.He announced the latest death toll after visiting affected areas but added on Friday morning: “I expect that number to more than double, probably even throughout today.”“This comes on the back of the worst tornado disaster we have ever seen,” Beshear told CNN on Friday morning, referring to the western part of the state being hit by deadly tornadoes several months ago.Search and rescue teams backed by the national guard are searching for people missing in the record floods that have wiped out entire communities in some of the poorest places in America.“There are hundreds of families that have lost everything,” Beshear said. “And many of these families didn’t have much to begin with. And so it hurts even more. But we’re going to be there for them.”The flooding has hit eastern Kentucky, while extreme weather has also badly affected parts of Arizona, Missouri with flooding, and Nevada, where parts of the main commercial strip in Las Vegas have been under water.In Kentucky, powerful floodwaters swallowed towns that hug creeks and streams in Appalachian valleys and hollows, swamping homes and businesses, leaving vehicles in useless piles and crunching runaway equipment and debris against bridges. Mudslides on steep slopes left many people marooned and without power, making rescues more difficult.Krystal Holbrook’s family started moving possessions to higher ground long before dawn on Thursday, racing to save them from the rapidly rising floodwaters that were menacing southeastern Kentucky.Her family scurried in the dark to move vehicles, campers, trailers and equipment. But as the water kept rising Thursday, killing at least eight people that day and then the death toll rising to 15 overnight into Friday, they began to worry that they might run out of higher ground.“We felt we had most of it moved out of the way,” Holbrook said. “But right now, we’re still moving vehicles even to higher ground. Higher ground is getting a little bit difficult.”The same was true throughout the region, as another round of rainfall loomed in an area already hammered by days of torrential rainfall.The storm sent water gushing from hillsides and surging out of stream beds in Appalachia, inundating homes, businesses and roads. Rescue crews used helicopters and boats to pick up people trapped by floodwaters. Parts of western Virginia and southern West Virginia were also hit by flooding.A group of stranded people are rescued in Jackson, Kentucky. Photograph: Leandro Lozada/AFP/Getty ImagesBeshear asked for prayers as the region braced for more rain. “In a word, this event is devastating,” he said.In Whitesburg, Kentucky, floodwaters seeped into Appalshop, an arts and education center renowned for promoting and preserving the region’s history and culture.“We’re not sure exactly the full damage because we haven’t been able to safely go into the building or really get too close to it,” said Meredith Scalos, its communications director. “We do know that some of our archival materials have flooded out of the building into Whitesburg streets.”Meanwhile, dangerous conditions and continued rainfall hampered rescue efforts, the governor said.“We’ve got a lot of people that need help that we can’t get to at the moment,” he said. “We will.”Flash flooding and mudslides were reported across the mountainous region of eastern Kentucky, western Virginia and southern West Virginia, where thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain over the past few days, with additional flooding that is more extreme than usual still being possible.Poweroutage.us reported more than 33,000 customers without electricity in eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, with the bulk of the outages in Kentucky.Rescue crews worked feverishly to try to reach people trapped by the floodwaters. “There are a lot of people in eastern Kentucky on top of roofs waiting to be rescued,“ Beshear said Thursday.The storms hit an Appalachian mountain region where communities and homes are often perched on steep hillsides or set deep in the hollows between them, where creeks and streams can rise in a hurry. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
More than half of all human infectious diseases in recorded history — Lyme, West Nile, hantavirus, typhoid, HIV and influenza, to name a few — have been exacerbated by the mounting impacts of greenhouse gas-driven climate change. That is the sobering conclusion of a new, first-of-its-kind paper that combed through more than 70,000 scientific studies to pinpoint how an array of climate hazards have impacted 375 pathogenic diseases known to have impacted humans. A team of 11 researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa conducted the analysis, which was published Monday in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Climate Change.“I have to tell you that as this database started to grow, I started to get scared, man,” Camilo Mora, a climate scientist at UH Manoa and the paper’s lead author, told HuffPost. “We just started realizing that this one single thing that we do — the emission of greenhouse gasses — can influence 58% of all of the diseases that have impacted humanity. You realize the magnitude of the vulnerability that we are under. I went from excited to terrified.”Scientists have long known and warned that climate breakdown is supercharging infectious diseases, making them more frequent and dangerous. But the new paper quantifies the extent of that growing threat, concluding that a stunning 58% of all documented infectious diseases — 218 of the total 375 — have been aggravated in some way by one or more climate hazards associated with greenhouse gas emissions, including warming temperatures, drought, wildfires, sea-level rise and extreme precipitation. Mora stressed that that estimate, as alarming as it is, is conservative. The findings exclusively draw on cases with evidence linking climate hazards to infectious disease, he said. The research team dug through existing scientific literature on myriad pathogens — viral, bacterial, fungal, animal-borne and more — and found that warming temperatures negatively impacted 160 unique diseases, the highest of any climate impact analyzed. Extreme precipitation affected 122 diseases, followed by floods (121), drought (81), storms (71) land cover change (61), ocean climate change (43), fires (21), heat waves (20) and sea level rise (10). On the flip side, the analysis identified 63 diseases that were diminished in some way by climate hazards; however, 54 of those were also aggravated by one or more other climate impacts. The study comes as the world remains in the grips of an ever-evolving COVID-19 pandemic that has so far killed 6.4 million people globally and infected more than half a billion, according to data from the World Health Organization. And as the new paper highlights, there is evidence that climate impacts, specifically changes in precipitation and temperatures, have had mixed effects on the transmission of the disease. One 2020 study “suggested that heavy rainfall could exogenously induce social isolation, helping to explain lower COVID-19 cases after heavy rainfall; however, increased cases of COVID-19 were associated with increases in precipitation in Indonesia, perhaps reflecting different behavioral responses to extreme rain,” the paper says, summarizing available research. “Higher temperatures have been associated with increased COVID-19 cases in some instances, and although a mechanism was not outlined, it is possible that extreme heat forces people indoors, which can increase the risk of virus transmission, especially when combined with poor or reduced ventilation.” Volunteers wearing personal protective equipment spray disinfectant at an exam site ahead of China's national college entrance exam on June 5, 2022 in Bozhou, Anhui Province of China. (Photo by Zhang Yanlin/VCG via Getty Images)VCG via Getty ImagesIn their paper, UH researchers break down the ways one crisis has helped fuel another. Climate change has brought people and pathogens in closer proximity. Warming temperatures and precipitation changes have allowed for mosquitoes, ticks, birds and other disease vectors to expand their range, while human displacement and migration from sea-level rise and extreme weather has resulted in new contacts with dangerous pathogens, the analysis notes. Hotter land temperatures are driving a surge in mosquito-borne viruses like dengue fever, while warming oceans have been linked to major increases in vibriosis, bacterial infections caused by eating contaminated seafood or swimming in tainted water. Additionally, climate impacts have allowed for pathogens to more successfully reproduce and become more virulent, while simultaneously blunting our own ability to avoid and fight off disease.Many infectious diseases have been negatively influenced by multiple climate hazards. For example, leptospirosis, a bacterial disease transmitted through contact with the urine of infected animals, has been made worse by eight separate climate impacts, including warming, flooding, extreme precipitation and even drought, according to the findings. But the problem is far more complex than how any single climate stressor might interact with and exacerbate each infectious disease. It’s not a 1-to-1 connection; many pathogens can be transmitted to humans in multiple different ways. The paper identified more than 1,000 unique pathways between climate hazards and disease outbreaks.Mora said that dynamic presents monumental challenges. “It is so naive for us to think that we are going to be able to adapt to this,” he said. “There is no way, with so many diseases and so many different pathways, that we can fully adapt. For me, that made it super clear that if we really want to avoid this problem, the best way to avoid it is to deal with the emission of greenhouse gasses. The last thing that we want to do is unleash the power of one of these diseases that can be impacted by greenhouse gasses.” Dengue-infected patients treated in a special ward of a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 13, 2022. (Photo by Kazi Salahuddin Razu/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesOne particularly alarming example of how warming can let diseases loose occurred in 2016, when anthrax, a rare bacterial illness, broke out in a remote village in Siberia. One child died and dozens of people were hospitalized. Scientists ultimately attributed the outbreak to a summer heat wave that thawed permafrost and exposed the carcass of a 75-year-old infected reindeer, releasing spores of the bacteria that cause anthrax. Thousands of reindeer ultimately died from the outbreak. “You can imagine how many diseases that have accumulated over time in these ice caps, and now as they start melting all of these diseases start being exposed,” Mora said. Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School, now spends most of his time studying COVID-19 and monkeypox. But one of his specialties is mycology, the study of fungi. He jokes that it has now become his “night job.” In recent years, mycologists have documented significant geographic shifts to fungi that for centuries were only found in certain regions, he said. Histoplasmosis, for example, is an infection caused by inhaling the spores of a fungus found in bird and bat feces. While it historically was found only in the eastern half of the United States, it is now starting to pop up in western states. Similarly, coccidioidomycosis, a fungal disease better known as “valley fever,” is increasingly turning up outside its common range in the Southwest. “This is thought to be related to climate change and bird migration, both deeply tied to each other,” Ostrosky said of the shifts. Ostrosky was not involved in the UH study but applauded the authors for their comprehensive effort to quantify the clear changes scientists are observing around the globe. “If nothing else, it really puts together data very elegantly and it points to the fact that, indeed, with climate change we are going to be seeing dramatic changes in the patterns infectious diseases spread and infect humans.”As for humanity’s ability to adapt, Ostrosky says we don’t have much choice.“I think we are very resilient as a species. We are going to have to adapt to many things, one of them being pathogens,” Ostrosky said. “But it is very concerning.” Mora has a personal connection to the study’s findings. He is from a rural area outside Cali, Colombia. During a visit home several years ago, he was infected with chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus that causes fever and severe joint pain. Planetary warming, extreme precipitation and flooding are all contributing to outbreaks of the disease, the new analysis found. Mora called his bout with chikungunya one of the most brutal, painful experiences of his life. “I started studying this thing and I realized that it’s transmitted by mosquitoes, which populate like nobody’s business with heat and excess rain — two things that are becoming so common in my country.” he said, speaking via Zoom from his family farm in Colombi. “I couldn’t resist thinking to what degree even myself was affected.” Along with the paper, the team from UH Manoa released an interactive tool that allows users to filter the data by climate hazards, types of transmission and individual diseases. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
There are growing concerns people's lives could be at risk as the Met Office indicated it is likely a new UK record 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.
The heatwave is set to peak on Tuesday, with temperatures climbing over the weekend.The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heat covering much of England and Wales from Sunday until Tuesday.Find out the five-day forecast for where you live 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. More on Uk Weather Extreme weather: Britain's cities need radical design overhaul - or they will become unliveable What is a national heatwave emergency and what could it mean for the UK this week? UK heatwave: Why 'tropical nights' could be deadly There is a 50% chance of temperatures reaching 40C (104F) somewhere in the UK, with the Met Office issuing its first-ever red warning for extreme heat.The UK Health Security Agency increased its heat health warning from level three to level four - a "national emergency". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Heatwave is 'national emergency' Level four 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."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". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player What is the urban heat island effect? 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.Some schools across the south are also closing on those days.Motorists have been advised to make their journeys out of the hottest periods of the day, particularly if they have older cars. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Animals becoming 'skinnier and weaker' and elderly at risk as France deals with worst-ever drought This week has brought fresh hell for France, writes our Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins.Wildfires are burning out of control as a fourth heatwave bakes land already parched by the country's worst-ever drought.These extreme conditions are especially dangerous for the elderly and vulnerable, and on the French Riviera, care home manager Rafael Casimir is on a crisis footing.The emergency supply room is stocked and ready. Inside he shows us shelves packed with bottles of water, lines of fans and air conditioning units. In 2003, a heatwave killed thousands of old people across the country.Centres like Mr Casimir's now follow a "blue plan" to make sure they're prepared for extreme heat.The residents are already being given a different diet which includes more hydrating food, and their fluid intake has also been increased. "It is a dangerous situation. As you know, many years ago in France, many people died and that is why we have an emergency plan in order to prevent the risk," Mr Casimir says.Nearby, at an animal rescue centre in Saint Cezaire Sur Siagne, they're also caring for the vulnerable. Since April, the staff have been inundated with a rising number of climate change causalities. In one room, they hand-feed more than 300 baby swifts almost baked alive by the heat."When it's 35C outside, under the roof it's 45 or 50C in their nests and they suffocate," explains the centre director, Jennifer Jolicard.In another cage, little sparrows huddle together, turning their heads to expose big bald patches where their feathers are missing. The staff say they were found stuck to tarmac which had been melted by the blistering temperatures. "We are seeing more animals but it's the shape of the animals we are very concerned about because every year the animals are skinnier and skinnier, weaker and weaker," says Ms Jolicard.Whether it's the wildfires currently destroying homes and communities or the drought which will continue to affect businesses long into future, this extraordinary heat crisis has touched the lives of almost everybody in France. Large areas of land at Holyrood Park turn yellow It's a familiar picture across much of the UK, but these images from Edinburgh's Holyrood Park are particularly striking. 'Not out of the woods' yet, fire chief warns - as he pleads with Londoners to avoid repeat of July The assistant commissioner at London Fire Brigade has said conditions remain "unprecedented" as the ground is "very, very dry" - raising the risk of fires spreading. Jonathan Smith told Sky News: "We haven't had significant rainfall now for some time, and what we really want to do is to prevent these fires from happening before they begin."He added: "We're urging the public to think about and modify their behaviour over the course of the next four days in particular to take that pressure off the emergency services... we're not out of the woods as far as this heatwave is concerned."He urged people to avoid using disposable barbecues and to take care when extinguishing cigarettes, saying we desperately need to "prevent a repeat" of the significant fires seen across London on 19 July. "This summer has seen an unprecedented long, dry spell with high temperatures, so the grass in London is tinderbox dry and the smallest of sparks can start a blaze which could cause devastation," he said."Despite our continued warning over the last few weeks, we know there are still people who are barbecuing in parks, dropping cigarettes out of car windows and leaving rubbish lying around." NHS 'at crisis point' as extreme heat begins A former NHS doctor has warned the health service is "on the brink of collapse" as it braces for a surge in admissions during this week's extreme heat.Dr Charles Armitage, the chief executive of tech platform Florence, said there are not enough staff to cope with demand. "From our own study, we know one in five (16%) NHS nurses and social care workers plan to leave the industry completely due to the current pressures and we expect this figure to rise substantially," he said, citing issues such as burnout and stress. A&E wait times are the highest they have been in a decade, and demand grows higher during extreme weather events. "We're at a crisis point and we need the government to do something about it," he said. "The government needs to look at a long term strategy and predict the trajectory for decades to come - not just for as long as they're in power." Thames Water doesn't rule out 'ramping up' restrictions for customers A senior Thames Water executive has warned millions of people across London and the Thames Valley could come under tougher restrictions if the UK suffers another dry winter.Earlier this week, the water company signalled it will introduce a hosepipe ban in the coming weeks to protect supplies. Cathryn Ross, Thames Water's director of strategy and external affairs, told Sky News: "The difficult thing about drought is you know when you go into a drought, you don't know when you're coming out. "The forecast does show little or no rain for the foreseeable future and that's not a good position."She said she hoped people would "respond to the request to use water wisely" as she called this year's hot and dry summer "unprecedented". "What we are hoping is that our customers will respond to the request to use water wisely, they will do what we're asking them to do by not using hosepipes, and that will mean that we can conserve those water stocks so we can get through even a dry winter without having to ramp up restrictions," she said. "But we really can't rule that out. We don't know exactly how our customers will respond."Thames Water loses about a quarter of its supply through ageing pipes and Ms Ross admitted the firm "haven't got a great record on fixing leaks" but they are "prioritising leakage".She said it has cut leaks by 10% in the last three years and aims to reduce them by 20% over a five-year period. If you're driving this weekend, make sure you read this National Highways has issued advice to drivers this weekend, as it's expected to be busy on the roads in the hot weather. While many are heading on holiday getaways, train strikes are also hitting this weekend - forcing more people onto the roads. The Met Office has issued a warning for extreme heat, with temperatures possibly hitting 36C in some areas on Saturday. Drivers travelling this week are being advised to: Take bottles of water before setting out to ensure everyone travelling stays hydrated Plan and leave plenty of time for journeys Check the weather forecast for your destination Check your vehicle before you leave Carry essential summer supplies such as snacks that won't melt or get ruined in the heatBring hats and sun block Check travel conditions before setting out and, where it is safe to do so, during journeys."We urge everyone travelling to be well prepared and check their vehicles before setting out," said Paul Beecher, national network manager at National Highways. "These safety checks include checking your tyres, oil and coolant levels and importantly, ensuring you are carrying plenty of drinking water, fluids and provisions." 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. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Joe Biden on Monday toured parts of eastern Kentucky devastated by the worst flooding in the state’s history and pledged to help recovery, while his spokesperson warned that the climate crisis was having an impact on such events there and across America.At least 37 people have died in the flooding since a deluge late last month that dropped up to 10.5in of rain on Kentucky in only 48 hours.The US president said the nation had an obligation to help all its people, declaring the federal government would provide support until residents were back on their feet.Behind him as he spoke was a house that the storm had dislodged and dumped on the ground, tilted sideways.“We have the capacity to do this it’s not like it’s beyond our control,” Biden said, adding that “the weather may be beyond our control for now” but pledging “we’re staying until everybody’s back to where they were.”Earlier in the day, en route from his holiday home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, having emerged from coronavirus isolation, to Kentucky, Biden hailed historic health and climate action legislation that passed the tough hurdle of the US Senate on Sunday.He called the Inflation Reduction Act, which could pass the House and be on the way to his desk to sign into law by the end of the week, “a big deal” and said he expected it to help Democrats’ prospects in November’s midterm elections, which had been looking bleak.Then, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the issue of climate change in her media briefing aboard Air Force One on the way to Lexington with Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden.“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.Jean-Pierre called measures in the new bill “so vital”, alongside previous infrastructure legislation that aims to boost climate resilience.“Over the long term, these investments will save lives, reduce costs and protect communities like the one we are visiting today,” she said.Independent analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act shows it should slash America’s planet-heating emissions by about 40% by the end of the decade, compared with 2005 levels.This cut would bring the US within striking distance of a goal set by Biden to cut emissions in half by 2030, a target that scientists say must be achieved by the whole world if catastrophic global heating, triggering escalating heatwaves, droughts and floods, is to be avoided.Biden has called climate change the “existential crisis of our time” and the president had been under pressure in recent weeks to declare a national climate emergency, as the legislation that passed the Senate on Sunday had seemed out of reach, while record heatwaves and wildfires were ravaging the American west.On Monday, Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, said the flooding was “unlike anything we’ve ever seen”. It followed deadly tornadoes in the western part of the state that killed almost 100 people last December.Last week, China cut off defense and climate talks with the US amid aggressive military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, in retaliation for House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the island democracy that claims independence but which Beijing claims is part of the communist People’s Republic of China. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Utility poles lead to downtown Dallas during a heat advisory due to scorching weather in Dallas, Texas, U.S. July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJuly 19 (Reuters) - Power use in Texas and other Central U.S. states is expected to shatter all-time records in coming days as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners for relief from the heat, regional electric grid operators said on Tuesday.Grid operators have started taking steps to ensure they have enough resources to keep up with soaring demand as temperatures climb into the triple digits across the United States and the cost of delivering electricity rises for utility companies.The United States is expected to use record amounts of power in 2022 due mostly to rising economic demand and population growth in Sun Belt states covered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and in the U.S. Southeast. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe temperature in Oklahoma City is expected to reach 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday, which would be the hottest day in a decade there. Houston is set to hit 100 F (38 C) on Wednesday and Thursday. Both cities normally average 94 F (34 C) at this time of year, according to federal data.ERCOT, which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90% of the state's power load, got permission from state environmental regulators to allow power plants to exceed their air permit pollution limits on Monday.Last week, ERCOT met demand in part by urging customers to conserve energy to avoid taking much bigger actions to reduce usage, like rotating outages. read more SPP, which operates the grid for almost 18 million people in 17 states from North Dakota to Texas, has asked its members to postpone maintenance on some critical equipment like power lines and generating plants. That is a common step grid operators take to ensure resources will be available during times of high demand.ERCOT said power use hit a preliminary 79,039 megawatts (MW) on Monday, topping the prior all-time high of 78,419 MW on July 12, and will reach 80,318 MW on Tuesday and 81,480 MW on Wednesday. read more One megawatt can power about 200 homes on a hot summer day in Texas.Power prices at the ERCOT North Hub , which includes Dallas, jumped to $220 per megawatt hour (MWh) for Tuesday from $144 for Monday. That compares with an average of $74 so far this year, $141 in 2021 and a five-year (2017-2021) average of $56.SPP forecast power use is expected to hit 53,760 MW on Tuesday, which would break the current all-time high of 52,028 MW on July 15. read more The extreme weather is a reminder of the February freeze in 2021 that left millions of Texans without power, water and heat for days during a deadly storm as ERCOT scrambled to prevent a grid collapse after an unusually large amount of generation shut.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | 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.A huge grass blaze broke out in Wennington, Essex, and appeared to have destroyed at least two houses - while major fires also broke out nearby in Upminster and across the Thames at Dartford in Kent; on a day when millions of people were working from home. There was also a major gorse blaze today at Zennor near St Ives in Cornwall. London Fire Brigade declared a 'major incident' in response to a huge surge in fires across the capital today as it came under 'immense pressure', with 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters dealing with the Wennington blaze alone.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 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. 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. A huge grass blaze broke out in Wennington, Essex, this afternoon and appeared to have destroyed at least two housesTwo women dip their heads into the fountain to cool off at Trafalgar Square in London this morning amid the extreme heat Firefighters attend a blaze on Dartford Marshes in Kent today after temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record 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 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 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 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 A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning 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 packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning 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 A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service issued this picture of firefighters attend to a grass fire in Rixton, Warrington, today People enjoy the hottest day of year at Stainforth Force in the Yorkshire Dales this afternoon as they cool off 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 People basking in the sun on Brighton beach today as temperatures soar across the country A ambulance drives along the promenade in Bournemouth today on the hottest day on record in England Empty ice cream freezers at the Tesco Extra in Musselburgh, East Lothian, today as the UK endures the hottest day on record A gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon amid the very high temperatures A packed Brighton beach in East Sussex this afternoon on day two of the red extreme heat warning 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 gorse bush fire during the heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon amid the very high temperatures 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. A seal colony on the beach at Horsey Gap on the Norfolk coast this afternoon Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor in Cornwall this afternoon People on the beach in Bournemouth today as Britons melt on the hottest UK day on record 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 fr | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Hong Kong CNN — Severe heat warnings were issued for almost 70 Chinese cities, where temperatures were expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) Monday, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Another 393 Chinese cities and counties were forecast to swelter in temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and above, the administration added. Temperatures in China have been rising faster than the global average and the latest heat wave has raised new concerns about the pace of global warming. The latest heatwave, which is defined as periods of atypically hot weather lasting three days or more, is the second this month. Average daily temperatures are the highest since 1961, and on Sunday, 13 national weather stations in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces reached or surpassed local temperature records. The National Meteorological Center’s Chief Forecaster, Fu Jiaolan said the latest heatwave is expected to be similar to one that lasted almost two weeks from July 5-17, according to state media. But this severe weather will likely impact more people as temperatures are expected to rise to the “red alert” level in more regions. China operates a four-tier weather warning system, where red alerts indicate temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or higher, orange for 35 degrees Celsius or higher, followed by yellow and blue. As of Monday, 67 cities had issued red alerts. In Guangzhou, the local meteorological bureau expects the hot weather to last 23 days, which would be the southern Chinese city’s longest heatwave since 1951. Chen Chunyan, chief expert at the Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory, told state media Sunday that the long duration of this heatwave has accelerated the melting of glaciers in the mountain ranges that border the region. “Continued high temperature has accelerated glacial melting in mountainous areas, and caused natural disasters such as flash floods, mudslides, and landslides in many places,” Chen said. This unusual weather is not limited to Xinjiang, which is home to a large desert region and is used to hot temperatures. Since May, dozens of people in southern China have been killed and millions have been displaced due to severe flooding and landslides. Coupled with the heat waves, the extreme weather could have significant economic repercussions for China. Floods, droughts and tropical cyclones are estimated to cost China about $238 billion annually, according to a report released last year by the World Meteorological Organization. And Chen said that if the heat wave continues in Xinjiang, it could also harm cotton production, an additional blow to China’s economy as it continues to contend with a pandemic-induced slowdown. China is the world’s second largest cotton producer and 85% of the cotton produced in China comes from Xinjiang. CNN’s Nectar Gan and Yong Xiong contributed reporting. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
CNN — Extreme weather on both ends of the spectrum has thrashed parts of the US over the past week – one of the many signals that climate change is here now, scientists say. On the one hand, overwhelming rainfall triggered two ultra-rare floods last week, one in the St. Louis area and another in eastern Kentucky that has left dozens dead or missing. On the other, a fiery drought has fueled California’s largest wildfire of the year so far – the McKinney Fire – which burned so hot over the weekend that massive pyrocumulus clouds erupted into the atmosphere. Expect more of these extremes as the planet warms, said Kevin Reed, a climate scientist at Stony Brook University, and prepare for them. “Every weather event has some flavor of climate change in it because it’s impossible to decouple them,” Reed told CNN. “It’s another sign that climate change is here. It’s not just a challenge for the next 400 years from now or 50 years from now; in reality, it’s something that we need to rapidly adjust to, adapt to and become more resilient to now.” Climate experts anticipate heavy rain events to increase in intensity and frequency as the planet warms, since warmer air can hold more moisture. That concept is easier for most people to grasp in the case of a hurricane, Reed said. For instance, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped more than 60 inches of rain in parts of Texas and slammed the coast with an 8-foot storm surge. Scientists have said climate change made Harvey’s rainfall more extreme. But that same process plays out over land as water evaporates from the soil, grass, crops and forests. And more moisture can be drawn out of soil and vegetation the warmer it gets. “Part of that is the general circulation of the atmosphere-ocean system which moves air around the world and brings moisture into areas over land,” Reed said. “Another aspect is that, over the last 100 plus years, the land surface has actually warmed more than the ocean, so the largest signal that we’re actually seeing in surface temperature is occurring overland, and inland as well.” Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Timothy D. Easley/AP Teresa Reynolds sits exhausted as members of her community clean debris from flood-ravaged homes in Hindman, Kentucky, on Saturday, July 30. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Jeff Faughender/USA Today Network/Reuters Members of a search-and-rescue team wade through the debris-filled Troublesome Creek after a search dog detected the scent of a potential victim in Perry County, Kentucky, on Sunday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Michael Swensen/Getty Images Command Sgt. Maj. Tim Lewis of the Kentucky National Guard secures Candace Spencer and her son Wyatt after being airlifted from South Fork, Kentucky, on Saturday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images Karen Daugherty holds her head in her hands during a service at the Gospel Light Church in Hazard, Kentucky. Daugherty is staying with her family in the church, which has been set up as a shelter. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Michael Swensen/Getty Images Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks to the media Sunday in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Behind him are Whitesburg Mayor Tiffany Craft, left, and state Rep. Angie Hatton. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post/Getty Images Crew members work to restore power lines near Hindman on Saturday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network/Imagn A member of the Kentucky National Guard looks for flood victims near a creek in Fisty, Kentucky, on Saturday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Michael Swensen/Getty Images Flood damage is visible as the Kentucky National Guard flies over Buckhorn, Kentucky, on Saturday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network/Imagn Terry Hatworth tries to wash mud off Earl Wallen's porch in Garrett, Kentucky, on Friday. The tiny town was without clean water. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Timothy D. Easley/AP A Perry County school bus sits in floodwaters in Ned, Kentucky, on Friday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network Kermit Clemons helps his ex-wife, Lana Clemons, retrieve family items in Hazard, Kentucky, on Thursday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Leandro Lozada/AFP/Getty Images Homes are submerged in floodwaters in Jackson, Kentucky, on Thursday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Pat McDonogh/USA Today Network/Reuters James Jacobs signals to a National Guard helicopter flying overhead in Garrett on Thursday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network Kermit Clemons gathers personal items and medicine from the home of his former mother-in-law on Thursday. Flooding swept the trailer home off its foundation and carried it about 250 feet from its original location. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network Pastor Pete Youmans consoles a tearful Debby Miniard as her father, Charles Blankenship, stands near where his garage used to be in Perry County. Blankenship lost everything, including his trailer home. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Michael Swensen/Getty Images Members of the Jackson Fire Department prepare for search-and-rescue operations in downtown Jackson on Thursday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post/Getty Images Robert Hollan, Kimberly DiVietri and their dog, Rascal, wait in a shelter inside the Hazard Community College Lee's College campus on Thursday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Pat McDonogh/USA Today Network/Reuters A car is submerged in floodwaters along Right Beaver Creek in Garrett. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Michael Swensen/Getty Images Lexington firefighters' swift-water rescue teams work in Lost Creek, Kentucky, on Friday. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network Tonya Smith reaches for food from her mother, Ollie Jean Johnson, to give to Smith's father, Paul Johnson, as they hang over a flooded Grapevine Creek in Perry County on Thursday. Smith's trailer was washed away; her father was staying the night in his home without power. Photos: Catastrophic flooding in Kentucky Ryan C. Hermens/AP Homes and structures are flooded near Quicksand, Kentucky, on Thursday. What it adds up to is a higher risk of dangerous flooding. “While extreme events and floods have sort of always been a part of a climate cycle, they can get more frequent and they can be a lot more intense as the planet is warmed,” Beth Tellman, co-founder of flood database Cloud to Street and assistant professor of geography at the University of Arizona, told CNN. “The intensity of rainfall from the storm systems in both St. Louis and eastern Kentucky are the reality and the physical manifestation of (climate change) happening now in our lives.” Andrew Smith, a co-founder and director at the flood modeling group Fathom, analyzed the St. Louis flooding event and noted that while there is a strong connection between the climate crisis and extreme rainfall, researchers have also pointed to population growth as one of the factors that will increase the risk and impact of flooding. “In many ways, it’s these isolated flash flood events in urban centers that will see a lot of amplification in hazard and risk in the future,” Smith said. “We have more faith in finding (a climate change connection) to these kinds of localized extreme rainfall events.” “They do seem to be happening more frequently,” he added. The flooding, wildfire, heat waves and drought paint a picture of a nation in peril. And as one part of the country recovers from extreme rainfall, another can be scorched by deadly fires. The McKinney fire in Northern California, which exploded in size over the weekend to become the state’s largest so far this year, burned uncontrolled Monday amid the West’s historic drought. The fire generated its own weather in the form of pyrocumulus clouds, which are triggered by intense heat that forces air to rise rapidly and are a sign of how large and hot the fire was burning. At the same time, forecasters at the National Weather Service warned that “dry lightning” was possible Monday – a phenomenon that is made more likely by exceptional drought. The dry air evaporates the storm’s rain before it ever hits the ground, leaving only lightning strikes capable of sparking new fires and fueling existing ones, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said. The climate crisis is ultimately intensifying the water cycle, not only making dry periods drier and wet periods wetter. All this, Tellman said, is another reason why policymakers need to put more focus on adaptation – helping communities adapt to the climate crisis and grow more resilient against extreme weather. “Passing a climate bill and moving forward politically in the US is really important and linked to preventing and trying to reduce the amount of rain that’s falling from the sky that’s causing events like we’re seeing in Kentucky and Yellowstone and St. Louis,” Tellman said. “This is a real impact on our lives, so we need more mitigation, good climate legislation, and we also have to invest in adaptation to reduce impact for the future,” she added. “It’s going to get a lot worse if we don’t limit warming.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Firefighters work at the site of a wildfire outside Tabara, Zamora, on the second heatwave of the year, in Spain, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Isabel InfantesRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummaryBlazes damage forests and livelihoods across EuropeClimate risks could wipe 4 pct off Europe's GDP by 2030Europe under pressure to prevent as well as douse firesSummer wildfires just a 'preview' of future, expert saysATHENS, July 22 (Reuters) - When the blaze tore through a forest in Greece last August, swallowing up pine trees and scorching the earth, Stathis Albanis knew his beekeeping trade would suffer.A year on, long after the flames died down, he says the impact on livelihoods like his will be felt for a generation."There are no pine trees left. The beekeepers will get honey again in 30 years, and that's only if the forest doesn't burn again," said Albanis, 62, who had been harvesting Greece's prized pine honey on the island of Evia since aged 10.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAs wildfires again rampage across Europe this summer, the Greek beekeeper's predicament highlights the long-lasting damage done to thousands of individual livelihoods in farming and tourism, let alone the wider cost to the economy. read more Already this year, wildfires have broken out in a dozen European countries, often simultaneously, burning tens of thousands of hectares of land, and destroying homes and businesses. read more According to a 2021 European Central Bank report, climate change could wipe over 4 percent off European GDP by 2030 in a worst-case scenario. Yet while the continent is slowly waking up to climate-related liabilities, authorities are struggling to grasp the full implications of wildfires.An ECB report this year found that, of the euro area bank exposures to climate change deemed "high physical risk", the bulk of those were tied to wildfires mainly affecting southern countries, with a much smaller proportion linked to flooding and sea levels.According to Moody's credit ratings agency, Greece - which suffered Europe's worst destruction from wildfires last summer - can at present cover most of the short-term costs through EU emergency funding. But a rise in the frequency and severity of fires could hurt its tourism industry in the long run."The long-term costs, not only due to wildfires but more broadly climate change, are rising," said Steffen Dyck, senior vice president at Moody's Investor Service."It is already an economic worry and will most likely increase further. The question then is, how well is Europe positioned compared to other regions to deal with this?"At a time when national budgets and economies have been stretched by the pandemic, governments are under pressure to find more funding for essential firefighting equipment.The EU's crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic told Reuters that member nations must prepare better. "What we see coming is that there will be larger number of more intense weather-related events," he said.MONEY TO DOUSE THE FLAMESAlready countries are increasing spending for firefighting. France, where blazes sweeping through its southwest region burned campsites to the ground, said it has earmarked 850 million euros ($863 million) to upgrade its fleet of aircraft.Greece, which just this week battled 50 to 70 wildfires a day, has more planes and firefighters compared to three years ago, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said. It has allocated 75 million euros for measures like clearing forests and roads "compared to zero budgets in the past."But for exhausted Greek firefighters on the ground, who often depend on help from volunteers, more needs to be done."Older firefighters will remember we used to have a megafire every 10 to 15 years," said Dimitris Stathopoulos, president of the Greek firefighters' federation, calling for 4,000 new hires to cope with the growing workload."Now there is a megafire every three years."Environmental groups like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) say more money needs to be spent on preventing fires rather than putting them out.In a recent report, it found Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France were spending as much as 80% of available funds on suppression and just 20% on prevention.Across southern Europe, those who live off the land engulfed by flames often take matters into their owns hands.In the northern Portuguese municipality of Murça, where a fire burned uncontrolled this week, 67-year-old olive farmer Manuel Lopes lamented a lack of forest management.He has a full water tank at home to extinguish flames if needed, and spends his own money to clean up dry vegetation that could be a fire risk on his and his neighbours' land."People emigrated, there are few people in the villages and everything was left uncultivated and now it is necessary to force people to clean up," he said.The fires may exacerbate the problem of Europe's dying villages."Fires strip away the income of those who live from the forests," said Vasilis Douras, the former president of Greece's beekeepers' federation."If you want the villages to be alive, the state needs to find ways to keep the people there until the forests grow back."With Europe not yet in its peak summer season, more extreme weather has been forecast."What is truly worrying is that we are just witnessing a preview of what will happen in a few years' time," said Victor Resco de Dios, professor of forest engineering at Spain's Lleida University."What we now consider anomalous will soon be the new normal."($1 = 0.9849 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAdditional reporting by Kate Abnett in BRUSSELS, Franceso Canepa in FRANKFURT, Catarina Demony in MURCA, Portugal and Deborah Kyvrikosaios in ATHENS;
Editing by Mark John and Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Firefighters work at the site of a wildfire outside Tabara, Zamora, on the second heatwave of the year, in Spain, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/Isabel InfantesSummaryBlazes damage forests and livelihoods across EuropeClimate risks could wipe 4 pct off Europe's GDP by 2030Europe under pressure to prevent as well as douse firesSummer wildfires just a 'preview' of future, expert saysATHENS, July 22 (Reuters) - When the blaze tore through a forest in Greece last August, swallowing up pine trees and scorching the earth, Stathis Albanis knew his beekeeping trade would suffer.A year on, long after the flames died down, he says the impact on livelihoods like his will be felt for a generation."There are no pine trees left. The beekeepers will get honey again in 30 years, and that's only if the forest doesn't burn again," said Albanis, 62, who had been harvesting Greece's prized pine honey on the island of Evia since aged 10.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAs wildfires again rampage across Europe this summer, the Greek beekeeper's predicament highlights the long-lasting damage done to thousands of individual livelihoods in farming and tourism, let alone the wider cost to the economy. read more Already this year, wildfires have broken out in a dozen European countries, often simultaneously, burning tens of thousands of hectares of land, and destroying homes and businesses. read more According to a 2021 European Central Bank report, climate change could wipe over 4 percent off European GDP by 2030 in a worst-case scenario. Yet while the continent is slowly waking up to climate-related liabilities, authorities are struggling to grasp the full implications of wildfires.An ECB report this year found that, of the euro area bank exposures to climate change deemed "high physical risk", the bulk of those were tied to wildfires mainly affecting southern countries, with a much smaller proportion linked to flooding and sea levels.According to Moody's credit ratings agency, Greece - which suffered Europe's worst destruction from wildfires last summer - can at present cover most of the short-term costs through EU emergency funding. But a rise in the frequency and severity of fires could hurt its tourism industry in the long run."The long-term costs, not only due to wildfires but more broadly climate change, are rising," said Steffen Dyck, senior vice president at Moody's Investor Service."It is already an economic worry and will most likely increase further. The question then is, how well is Europe positioned compared to other regions to deal with this?"At a time when national budgets and economies have been stretched by the pandemic, governments are under pressure to find more funding for essential firefighting equipment.The EU's crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic told Reuters that member nations must prepare better. "What we see coming is that there will be larger number of more intense weather-related events," he said.MONEY TO DOUSE THE FLAMESAlready countries are increasing spending for firefighting. France, where blazes sweeping through its southwest region burned campsites to the ground, said it has earmarked 850 million euros ($863 million) to upgrade its fleet of aircraft.Greece, which just this week battled 50 to 70 wildfires a day, has more planes and firefighters compared to three years ago, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said. It has allocated 75 million euros for measures like clearing forests and roads "compared to zero budgets in the past."But for exhausted Greek firefighters on the ground, who often depend on help from volunteers, more needs to be done."Older firefighters will remember we used to have a megafire every 10 to 15 years," said Dimitris Stathopoulos, president of the Greek firefighters' federation, calling for 4,000 new hires to cope with the growing workload."Now there is a megafire every three years."Environmental groups like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) say more money needs to be spent on preventing fires rather than putting them out.In a recent report, it found Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France were spending as much as 80% of available funds on suppression and just 20% on prevention.Across southern Europe, those who live off the land engulfed by flames often take matters into their owns hands.In the northern Portuguese municipality of Murça, where a fire burned uncontrolled this week, 67-year-old olive farmer Manuel Lopes lamented a lack of forest management.He has a full water tank at home to extinguish flames if needed, and spends his own money to clean up dry vegetation that could be a fire risk on his and his neighbours' land."People emigrated, there are few people in the villages and everything was left uncultivated and now it is necessary to force people to clean up," he said.The fires may exacerbate the problem of Europe's dying villages."Fires strip away the income of those who live from the forests," said Vasilis Douras, the former president of Greece's beekeepers' federation."If you want the villages to be alive, the state needs to find ways to keep the people there until the forests grow back."With Europe not yet in its peak summer season, more extreme weather has been forecast."What is truly worrying is that we are just witnessing a preview of what will happen in a few years' time," said Victor Resco de Dios, professor of forest engineering at Spain's Lleida University."What we now consider anomalous will soon be the new normal."($1 = 0.9849 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAdditional reporting by Kate Abnett in BRUSSELS, Franceso Canepa in FRANKFURT, Catarina Demony in MURCA, Portugal and Deborah Kyvrikosaios in ATHENS;
Editing by Mark John and Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Infrastructure advisers are calling for a national hosepipe ban and compulsory water metering as the nation braces for drought after England has had its driest July in 111 years.The National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) has said water needs to start being managed better across the UK, otherwise the country could face a future of queueing for emergency bottled supplies 'from the back of lorries'.The Government also needs to invest around £20 billion in the nation's water supply equipment, NIC chairman Sir John Armitt told The Observer.'You have to pay for (water), one way or another,' he said. 'That could be investing in new reservoirs or moving water around the country, as well as stopping leaks.'The committee's warning - which has been backed by the Rivers Trust - comes as the first hosepipe ban of the year is enforced following the recent heatwave and one of the driest starts to the year on record. The Met Office has said figures also show England has had the driest eight-month period from November 2021 to June 2022 since 1976 A view of Bewl Water Reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent when it was recently measured at 67 per cent of its capacity as the dry weather continues The National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) has said water needs to start being managed better across the UK, otherwise the country could face a future of queueing for emergency bottled supplies 'from the back of lorries'Southern Water is to impose the temporary use ban on its customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Friday, August 5.This will mean hosepipes cannot be used to water gardens or clean cars, and ornamental ponds and swimming pools must not be filled.The restriction is the first to be put in place in the region since 2012, with Southern Water saying river flows are down 25 per cent as a result of one of the driest years on record.A hosepipe ban was also introduced on Friday on the Isle of Man by Manx Utilities.The Rivers Trust and the Angling Trust echoed the NIC's calls for more mindful water use across the country as the situation is predicted to become more dire in the years ahead.Mark Lloyd, from the Rivers Trust, told The Observer: 'There needs to be a nationally co-ordinated publicity campaign to reduce water use, and universal water metering. Data showed there has only been 15.8mm (0.6in) of rain averaged across England, just 24 per cent of the amount that would be expected in an average July. This graph shows data up to Monday Recent low water levels at Llwyn Onn reservoir in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The Rivers Trust and the Angling Trust echoed the NIC's calls for more mindful water use across the country as the situation is predicted to become more dire in the years ahead'Low flows in rivers are disastrous for wildlife and, ultimately, we need to take much more care of this incredibly precious resource.'Mark Owen, of the Angling Trust, criticised the Government for its lack of planning for extreme weather, telling The Observer: 'There is no strategic, coherent, joined-up approach. The reaction is always knee-jerk.'What happens when we get to this stage - when it is very dry and hot - is that all of a sudden usage shoots up as people fill paddling pools and water their gardens.'A spokesperson for The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the Observer: 'Water companies have a duty to ensure supplies.'That’s why we continue to challenge those with a poor record on leakage and are working to ensure they introduce new infrastructure such as reservoirs and water transfers.'We’re also taking forward measures to support water efficiency in homes.'Across the UK it has so far been the driest July since 1984, with an average of 1.5in (37.7mm) of rain, and it is the eighth driest in records stretching back to 1836.The Met Office said it has not just been a dry July, but figures also show that England has had the driest eight-month period from November 2021 to June 2022 since 1976, when the country struggled with severe drought. The parched fairways at Ely Golf Club in Cambridgeshire compared to the well watered greens. Across the UK it has so far been the driest July since 1984, with an average of 1.5in (37.7mm) of rain, and it is the eighth driest in records stretching back to 1836Over that period, just 16.6in (421mm) of rain has fallen across England - less than three-quarters (74 per cent) of the 1991-2020 average of 22.4in (568mm).This year the temperature reached 38.1C in Santon Downham in Suffolk on July 18 and a record-breaking 40.3C in Coningsby in Lincolnshire on July 19.South-east England clocked up 24 days of zero average rainfall between June 1 and July 24 this year, Met Office figures show. In the same period in 1976, the region experienced 36 days without rain.Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: 'It is not just July that has been dry. Since the start of the year, all months apart from February have been drier than average in the UK too.'The result of this is that the winter, spring and summer of 2022 have all seen less than the UK average seasonal rainfall.'England has seen the lowest levels during these periods and rainfall totals for the first six months of the year are around 25 per cent below their long-term average, with the driest regions in the east and south-east.' The committee's warning - which has been backed by the Rivers Trust - comes as the first hosepipe ban of the year is enforced following the recent heatwave and one of the driest starts to the year on record Early leaf fall in St James's Park in London. The Met Office said it has not just been a dry July, but figures also show that England has had the driest eight-month period from November 2021 to June 2022 since 1976, when the country struggled with severe droughtExperts say heatwaves are being made increasingly frequent, longer and more intense due to climate change, which is also set to bring other changes such as hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters to the UK.Mr McCarthy said: 'Met Office climate change projections highlight an increasing trend towards hotter and drier summers for the UK, with the driest regions anticipated to be in the south and east. 'While trends in summer temperature and heatwaves are very apparent in the climate records of recent decades, the large variability in our rainfall means that it is too soon to be able to detect the pattern in summer rainfall.'Across England and Wales, officials have urged people to conserve water in the wake of record-breaking temperatures - and forecasters predict more hot, dry weather in the next few weeks.The Met Office is forecasting potentially several more dry weeks ahead, particularly in the south and east of the country, so the Environment Agency and water companies are now calling on everyone to do their bit in managing water use.Harvey Bradshaw, Environment Agency executive director for the environment and chairman of the NDG, said: 'While last week's extreme high temperatures are now behind us and there are currently no plans for restrictions on essential water use, we can all do our bit by reducing unnecessary water consumption and following advice from our water company to ensure this remains the case while our rivers are exceptionally low.' Homes gutted by fire on July 25 in Wennington, Greater London. On the day the UK recorded the hottest ever weather temperatures, wildfires spread across England with damage caused to forests, grassland and houses Wennington, in East London, saw the worst urban damage with houses reduced to rubble. The London Fire Brigade sent 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters to the area to deal with blazes that covered a number of buildings and grasslandStuart Colville, Water UK director of policy, said: 'Ongoing warm weather in much of the country follows the driest winter and spring since the 1970s.'Water companies have detailed plans in place to manage water resources for customers and the environment, and are doing everything they can, including working closely with government and regulators, to minimise the need for any restrictions and ensure rivers continue to flow.'As we continue to see extremely high demand, we are urging everyone to carefully consider the amount they are using given the unprecedented conditions.'The Environment Agency and Water UK also advised the public to look at the water saving website, Watersworthsaving.org.uk.Tips on there include using devices called 'scumballs' in hot tubs and swimming pools which absorb human sweat, and prevent rings forming, which means pools need less cleaning, washing dogs in the garden so that the water can be used on lawns, and covering up paddling pools to stop water evaporating.But an official from WaterUK said yesterday that it 'would not endorse' the message during the 1976 drought of 'sharing a bath with a friend'.Much of the country already has low river flows, affecting the quality and quantity of water, with impacts on farmers and other water users, as well as wildlife.Low groundwater levels, dry soils and low reservoirs have also been seen following months of below average rainfall.Meanwhile the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has warned UK cities they need to prepare for wildfires after dozens of 'unprecedented' blazes broke out during last week's record breaking temperatures.In a statement the NFCC's tactical advisor David Swallow said 'services need to recognise the risk they've now got'.'If they don't, then they're naive,' he added. 'There are very urban services that think that wildfires are low down on the risk list. I understand the need to prioritise resources, but there needs to be a review.' Drought: What is it and how can the effects be tackled? As England faces a drought in August if the hot and dry weather continues, here is a look at what is happening and how the situation is being managed.- How is a drought defined?Droughts are natural events which occur when a period of low rainfall creates a shortage of water, and they reduce water supplies to different users.The Environment Agency (EA) says it is important to note that there is no single definition.Even though a drought is caused by a period of low rainfall, the nature, timing and effects on people, the environment, agriculture or businesses will vary.Some droughts are short and intense - for example a hot, dry summer - while others are long and take time to develop over multiple seasons.- Are there levels or stages?The EA said there are four stages of drought - prolonged dry weather, drought, severe drought and recovering drought.- What is currently happening in England?Spring and summer have been dry, with the recent high temperatures acting as additional pressures.The country is not in widespread drought but most of England except for the North West has moved into a state of 'prolonged dry weather', the step before drought is declared, raising the spectre of restrictions such as hosepipe bans.Officials said people will start seeing visual signs of low water levels.Much of the country already has low river flows, affecting the quality and quantity of water, with impacts on farmers and other water users, as well as wildlife.- What measures can water companies take to manage demand?The EA said water companies can introduce temporary use bans to reduce usage and protect supplies during a drought.A company does not require any approvals to restrict uses of water but must run a period of public notice and allow for representations to be made before the restrictions come into force.Companies can also manage water pressure in the supply system in drought-affected areas and work with business customers to help reduce their demand.- When was the last drought?The last time drought was declared was in 2018.Other notable droughts took place in 1975 to 1976, 1989 to 1992, 1995 to 1996, 2004 to 2006 and 2010 to 2012.A severe drought occurred from May 1975 to August 1976, when a dry winter in 1975-76 was followed by an intensely hot, dry summer.An EA document on droughts said many restrictions on water use were introduced, while many trees were affected by moisture stress and the hot temperatures led to fires on moorland and heathland. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Climate breakdown made the recent record UK heatwave 10 times more likely, researchers have found. Analysis by World Weather Attribution reveals that temperatures in the UK during the heatwave, when it hit 40.3C, were higher than those simulated by climate models.The researchers say extreme temperatures in western Europe are rising faster than expected.To find out whether the heatwave was made more likely by climate change, scientists analysed weather data and computer simulations to compare the climate as it is today with the climate of the past, following peer-reviewed methods. They then analysed the maximum temperatures over two days of the heatwave, when the UK was most severely hit by the warm weather.Extreme heat in western Europe has increased more than climate models have predicted. While models estimate greenhouse gas emissions increased temperatures in this heatwave by 2C, historical weather records suggest the heatwave would have been 4C cooler in a world that had not been warmed by human activities.Climate experts are concerned this means the impacts of global heating will be even more drastic than previously thought.Friederike Otto, a senior climate lecturer at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London, said: “In Europe and other parts of the world we are seeing more and more record-breaking heatwaves causing extreme temperatures that have become hotter faster than in most climate models.“It’s a worrying finding that suggests that if carbon emissions are not rapidly cut, the consequences of climate change on extreme heat in Europe, which already is extremely deadly, could be even worse than we previously thought.”Despite the fact the event has been made more likely by climate change, heatwaves such as this are still relatively rare.The model results suggest there is a 1% chance of such a heatwave happening next year. However, weather records suggest this could be an underestimate as similar heatwaves in Europe have happened more frequently and been hotter than climate models suggest.The study was conducted by 21 researchers as part of the World Weather Attribution group, including scientists from universities and meteorological agencies in Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, the US, and New Zealand.Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTMeteorologists have said the results of this study are “sobering” as they confirm what was previously feared – that climate change is having a large impact on temperatures, making extreme heat more likely.Fraser Lott, a climate monitoring and attribution scientist at the Met Office, said: “Two years ago, scientists at the UK Met Office found the chance of seeing 40C in the UK was one in 100 in any given year, up from one in 1,000 in the natural climate. It has been sobering to see such an event happen so soon after that study, to see the raw data coming back from our weather stations.“This new work confirms the previous study, and also points us to further improvements. The latest developments, which enabled the prediction of the heatwave two weeks in advance, are now feeding into the next generation of climate simulations.”Experts have called for rapid cuts in emissions to prevent the situation from worsening. Extreme heat kills thousands of people across Europe, and it is thought hundreds of excess deaths in the UK were caused by the recent heatwave.“Heatwaves are the deadliest type of extreme weather event in Europe, killing thousands each year,” said Roop Singh of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. “But they don’t have to be. Many of these deaths are preventable if adequate adaptation plans are in place. Without rapid and comprehensive adaptation and emissions cuts, the situation will only get worse.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Politics Aug 1, 2022 1:12 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is making more than $1 billion available to states to address flooding and extreme heat exacerbated by climate change.
The event is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET. Watch in the player above.
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.
WATCH: Senate agreement on climate change, health care revives Biden’s legislative agenda
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 |
There is a 'danger to life' caused by fast-flowing and deep floodwater as Britain faces thunderstorms and flash flooding, according to the Met Office. Yellow and amber warnings have been made for huge parts of England and Wales. Torrential showers across huge swathes of the country have already left roads swamped, drains deluged and people desperately battling to keep floodwaters at bay - and more is expected as thunderstorms hit.Some patients have even been urged to avoid an A&E department after a hospital was flooded. Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, said that heavy rainfall meant 'water was able to get into a few parts of the building'.The Met Office has issued an amber alert for thunderstorms on Wednesday covering a swathe of England from Chichester to Ipswich and including London, Brighton, Essex and all of Kent.There could be as much as 30-50mm of rain falling in the region in less than an hour, causing 'flooding and disruption'. The hospital said in a Facebook post that colleagues were "hard at work" fixing the problem.The yellow weather warning includes the whole of the south of England and reaches as far away as Leicester and Cardiff, where flooding and travel chaos is also highly likely. The affected areas could now face flash flooding as well as transport disruption and power cuts. They could be cut off by flooded roads, and the chance of fast-flowing or deep floodwater may cause danger to life, the Met Office said yesterday.In the South West, parts of Cornwall and Devon have been hit hard, with dramatic scenes of torrential showers and flash flooding on roads in Newquay, Cornwall, Bishop's Tawton, Devon, and Haywards Heath in West Sussex.In Dorset people used buckets and makeshift containers to try to divert flash floodwater away from a restaurant in West Bay, while workers in Winchester were yesterday seen clearing a drain grid on a swamped road.Streets were flooded in Port Talbot, Wales and in Loughborough, the Morrisons supermarket car park was flooded.However experts have warned that it would take 'weeks' of heavy rainfall to help parts of the country recover from the driest July on record and the driest first half of the year since 1976, as the ground will struggle to absorb the water and surface run-off causes flooding.This means wildfires are still a possibility on the 'tinderbox dry' land Britain has been left with.Authorities moved Yorkshire to official drought status on Tuesday, following parts of the South West, southern and central England and the East of England last week.Last night a huge fire ripped through a field near Buckley Hill Road in Bootle, Merseyside, with fire crews from Buckley Hill and Kirkby called at at 9.35pm to reports of a 'major wildfire', with witnesses worried about the Shy Lowen Horse and Pony Sanctuary, the Liverpool Echo said.Scotland was hit by travel disruption across rail networks and on roads after torrential overnight rain, including flooding at Perth station.In Combe Florey, between Minehead and Taunton in Somerset, the A358 remained closed yesterday afternoon after a mudslide on Monday night. Workmen removed more than 100 tons of mud and potatoes sliding in from nearby fields. The Met Office warned of severe flooding in parts of England and Wales, particularly in the south-east of England A cyclist is soaked as she braves the torrential rain in Sheffield as thunderstorms and flash floods batter Britain Massive waves crash into the seafront at Sunderland as the extreme weather rages across the UK DORSET: A dogwalker gets a soaking in Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain from a thunderstorm which caused flash flooding LONDON: A man runs across the Millennium Bridge in London on Tuesday after getting court in a sudden downpour of rain WINCHESTER: A man tries to clear a drain grid during flooding in Winchester yesterday as parts of the country are hit by heavy rain SOMERSET: Workers have had to remove more than 50 tonnes of mud and potatoes yesterday following the mudslide on the A358 in Somerset DORSET: Locals and visitors join together to try to clear floodwater away from Seagulls restaurant at West Bay in Dorset yesterday NORTH WALES: Thomas Davies stepped into his back garden to test out his phone's camera during thunderstorms near his home in Rhyl, north Wales, on Sunday evening CORNWALL: A downstairs deluge cascades down steps at St Mabyn in Cornwall during torrential downpours of rain on Tuesday CORNWALL: The wet weather helped form a waterspout alongside the south coast of Cornwall over a tour boat in Fowey Harbour, creating a vortex (pictured on Tuesday)The Met Office warning reads: 'Whilst some places will miss them, thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely on Wednesday across central, southern and eastern parts of England and southeast Wales.'20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 60 mm in less than three hours.'A few spots could see more rainfall than this still, whilst hail and lightning may be additional hazards.' The Environment Agency had issued 29 flood alerts by Tuesday night.The heaviest downpours on Tuesday were at Spadeadam in Cumbria, with 25.4mm of rain, and in Trengwainton House, Cornwall, with 18.4mm, the Met Office said.Footage and photos shared to social media showed torrential rain and floodwater sweeping through towns across southern England and Wales, including Newquay in Cornwall, Bishop's Tawton in Devon, Haywards Heath in West Sussex, Port Talbot in south-west Wales, and Bridport in Dorset.Amid the weather warnings, Britons have been urged to prepare a 'grab bag' of essentials in case of flooding as torrential rain and thunderstorms hammer parts of the country today, causing mudslides while deluging rail lines and streets.Firefighters said people should prepare a flood kit, with those living in basement flats or low-lying properties particularly at risk as the heatwave ends with a bang - and up to two inches of rain falling in three hours today.The National Flood Forum said a flooding 'grab bag' should contain insurance and other important documents, mobile phones and chargers, emergency cash and credit cards, and any medication or prescription forms.The London Fire Brigade said people should be 'prepared and know what to do should a flood occur' and 'use sandbags to limit the water flow and move belongings to a higher level'. The Met Office said people living in 'low-lying properties' should make sure their valuable items are 'ready to go', or 'on a higher level of your house'.After weeks of sweltering weather the Met Office's yellow thunderstorm warning for Wednesday forecasts conditions in which '20-30 mm of rain is possible within an hour' Last night a huge fire ripped through a field near Buckley Hill Road in Bootle, Merseyside, with fire crews from Buckley Hill and Kirkby called at at 9.35pm to reports of a 'major wildfire' (pictured) A driveway has completely flooded outside of a home in Port Talbot, Wales as heavy rain continues to pour downThe guidance will apply to millions of people - with Environment Agency the estimating that 5.2million homes in England, or one in six properties, are at risk of flooding. This includes 2.4million at risk from rivers and the sea, 1million of these also susceptible to surface water flooding and a further 2.8million at risk of surface water alone. One Twitter user shared a video of floodwater in Newquay, writing: 'I've never seen rain like this. Our road is flooding £Newquay.'Another Twitter user in Bishop's Tawton, north Devon, said: '(F)lash flooding causing use of sandbags to prevent water in house, despite recent flood work by @EnvAgency urgent need for solutions.'ScotRail imposed speed restrictions on some routes on Tuesday, while in Perth, Network Rail said it dealt with flooding at the station.Wednesday is the fourth day in a row of thunderstorm warnings in the UK and it leaves communities in areas like Sussex, Kent and Hampshire braced for possible heavy downpours.Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said that 'heavy thundery showers could develop in warm muggy air' and 'there could be some high totals (of rainfall), particularly if you see some heavy thunderstorms come in one after another'.People in northern regions should be able to enjoy a day that feels fresher, a little cooler and is mostly dry - with some sunny spells.Mr Partridge said: 'The ground has been so baked dry because of the heat and the lack of rain for a number of days. When the rain has come, it has been hitting ground that is completely dry and baked dry like concrete.'It is running off than more traditionally. If there is some moisture in the ground, it is a lot easier for it to soak up the rain that hits it. We have probably a higher run-off rate for the rainfall than we would normally have.'It is almost like all the fields have been tarmacked because the water has been running off them as there has been so little of it that has gone into the ground.' Vehicles drive along the very wet M25 near Swanley in Kent yesterday as heavy rain creates surface spray and reduces visibility Locals and visitors join together to try to clear floodwater away from Seagulls restaurant at West Bay in Dorset on Tuesday The A358 in Somerset has been closed at Combe Florey on Tuesday after a huge mudslide that has caused chaos for local motoristsMet office spokesman Stephen Dixon said parts of the country could see up to 50mm of rain within three hours: 'We have got thundery showers possibly for a lot of people in the UK. Within the warning area, it is important to note that thunderstorms could pop up anywhere. That being said, some areas could miss the rain altogether.'That risk of thunderstorms will move to southern areas of the UK as the day goes on.' Mr Dixon said this risk will continue throughout Wednesday.'Early on Thursday morning, the main risk that we are looking at is for the South East. The risk then decreases as the day goes on.'And the National Flood Forum charity warned that the UK remains 'reactive and not proactive' about flood risk even though flooding had become a regular pattern for the country.Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, Heather Shepherd, the charity's flood recovery specialist, said: 'Flooding has definitely increased. We see it now as a regular pattern every year.'I still think we are quite reactive and not proactive. As soon as flodding's not in the headlines we tend to be a bit too laid back.'Miss Shepherd also said that 'building like mad everywhere' was increasing the risk of floods, as 'a lot of [building] is on places where water had space and it no longer has. It overwhelms our drainage infrastructure.'Meanwhile, swimmers have been urged to stay out of Cumbria's Lake Windermere because of a potentially toxic algae covering the water's surface.While the heatwave has now technically ended after eight days on Tuesday, it remains very warm in much of the UK with highs of 22C (71.6F) in London, Brighton and Exeter yesterday, 25C (77F) across the south on Thursday and 23C (73.4F) on Friday, A fireman from Dorset and Wiltshire fire crew help pump some of the water out of the road with their fire engine after torrential rain and thunderstorms caused flash flooding on Tuesday The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue crew were successful in removing some of the flooding, allowing motorists to use the junction (pictured on Tuesday) Vehicles drive along the very wet M25 near Swanley in Kent yesterday as heavy rain creates surface spray and reduces visibility Tourists walk along the South Bank in London during heavy rain in the capital yesterday as the heatwave comes to an end A couple go for a walk in the sea under an umbrella off the almost deserted beach of Weymouth in Dorset yesterday morning Commuters walk over London Bridge on Tuesday morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwave People queue up outside Westminster Abbey during heavy rain in London yesterday as thunderstorms hit the capital Two young women shelter under an umbrella as they walk over Millennium Bridge in London during heavy rain yesterday afternoon A vehicle drives through a large puddle during heavy rain at Greenwich in South East London on Tuesday morning Three people take a selfie under umbrellas as they stand on Millennium Bridge in London during heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon People walk over London Bridge yesterday morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwavePeople walk through London in the rain yesterday - and while some of them came prepared with umbrellas, others did not Flooding on rail lines near Perth in Scotland yesterday, where speed restrictions have been imposed on routes due to heavy rain A bride and groom shelter from the rain under an umbrella during their wedding photos in Central London yesterday afternoon Tourists wearing rain ponchos walk through Westminster yesterday during heavy rain after the prolonged dry spell Authorities moved Yorkshire to official drought status on Tuesday, following parts of the South West, southern and central England and the East of England last week. Christine Colvin, from the Rivers Trust, warned there is a risk that people will not take the drought seriously in the coming days, adding: 'We want people to keep this rainfall event in context and as part of the bigger picture.'The bigger picture is that we've actually still had an incredibly dry year as well as a dry summer and it's going to take sustained rainfall to replenish our supplies. Just because it rains, it doesn't mean the drought is over.' 'Devastating' incident as body of girl, 14, is recovered from water The body of a 14-year-old girl has been recovered from water in Greater Manchester after a 'devastating' incident, prompting police to urge people to keep safe while enjoying the warm weather.Emergency services were called to reports of a person getting into difficulty in the water in Stalybridge, Tameside, shortly before 6.30pm yesterday.Yesterday, Greater Manchester Police announced that her body had been recovered overnight. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service also attended the scene. The teenager has been formally identified and her family are being supported by specially trained officers, GMP said. The scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, yesterday, after the body of a 14-year-old girl was recovered from the water overnight Inquiries continue, but officers from Tameside Criminal Investigation Department said at this stage they are confident there are no suspicious circumstances, and a file is being prepared for the coroner.Detective Inspector Steven Horton said: 'Yesterday evening's events are nothing short of devastating and my thoughts are with the friends and family of the young girl who lost her life in such awful circumstances. Flowers at the scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, yesterday'We are doing all we can to support the girl's family at this incredibly difficult time, and we are focused on ensuring they get the answers they deserve as to how this tragedy occurred.'From our inquiries so far, we are confident that there are no suspicious circumstances and that this is such a sad reminder of the dangers of entering open water, whatever the weather. 'We remind the public to avoid being tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds. 'We all want to enjoy the warm weather - please make sure you do so in a safe way. Think of your family, look out for your friends.' Fire crews at the scene in Stalybridge yesterday eveningShe added: 'It's going to take sustained rain to replenish the supplies we actually use, which are the aquifers and the managed storage in our reservoirs.'The heavy downpours over a short period will not soak into the earth – baked almost as hard as concrete by the heat – and are instead flooding streets in towns and cities. The Met Office warned that people who live in 'low-lying properties' should make sure their valuable items are 'ready to go', or 'on a higher level of your house', due to the current high flood risk.Speaking to Sky News this morning, Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: 'For low-lying properties, which perhaps have been built on a floodplain, yes, there is a risk of flooding in properties.'Get all your documents, whether it's your mobile phone, your passport, etc, all those things you don't want to be damaged by floodwater and make sure they're ready to go or on a higher level of your house'.She added that the downpours overnight and into this morning are 'the wrong kind of rain which we need for the ground', as the ground is too hard to absorb it.'What we're looking for is sort of continuous rain, moderate rain, rather than this incredibly intense burst, which currently is moving up across more southern areas of England. So we're not out of the woods yet.'Patrick Goulbourne, the London Fire Brigade's Assistant Commissioner, said of those living in the capital: 'It is really important that Londoners – particularly those living in basement properties – are prepared and know what to do should a flood occur.'Pay attention to weather alerts and prepare a flood kit or grab bag. People can use sandbags to limit the water flow and move belongings to a higher level.'A flooding 'grab bag' should contain insurance and other important documents, mobile phones and chargers, emergency cash, and any medication, according to the National Flood Forum charity.For parents with young children, it should also include nappies, a favourite toy, clothing, wipes, milk and baby food.Last week a drought was declared in eight areas of England including Devon and Cornwall, Kent and south London.Several water firms – including Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water – have already imposed hosepipe bans to tackle the shortage.South West Water was the latest company to announce restrictions in Cornwall which will kick in on August 23.Yorkshire Water's ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water has said it is planning one but has not confirmed the date.A £1,000 fine could be imposed on anyone who breaks the ban but water companies have not said if they have pressed for prosecutions in the past. Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said that thunderstorms and heavy rain is likely to hit parts of Scotland as well as areas of the South West and East of England.He added that up to two inches of rainfall – almost a month's worth of rain – could fall in just three hours in some parts.He added: 'That being said, it is quite hard to pinpoint exactly where these thunderstorms will crop up. Some areas will miss the showers completely.'But, where they do come down, there could be some impacts like surface water flooding – with the rain obviously hitting dry land –travel disruption and power cuts affecting homes and businesses.'And Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: 'Temperatures will be lower, looking at highs of around 27C as a maximum temperature, but it will still be on the humid side (yesterday).'Thundery showers across central and southern parts of England on Wednesday and temperatures will be around 26C as a maximum.'Mr Dewhurst warned that the bad weather conditions could pose difficulties for those hoping to travel and urged people to stay up to date with developments in their local area.'We'll see some very heavy showers develop over the coming days, hail, frequent lightning, some flash flooding is possible like we've seen in places yesterday so our advice is to stay tuned to latest forecasts and local radio stations as well, to get the latest information,' he said.'It is worth being aware that there could be disruptions or delays to travel.' A Morrisons car park in Loughborough was submerged in flood water after the torrential rain and storms A man leaps over a puddle as shoppers rush through a heavy downpour in London this afternoon A car drives through floodwater on the B3157 coast road at Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain yesterday Cars on a flooded road in Winchester yesterday as thunderstorms hit the country this week after the recent heatwave A car drives through floodwater on the B3157 coast road at Burton Bradstock in Dorset during torrential rain yesterday A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset yesterday after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last night A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset yesterday after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last night Emergency services workers at the scene of the A358 mudslide in Somerset yesterday amid the torrential rain and thunderstorms ) Pedestrians shelter under umbrellas in Westminster during heavy rain this afternoon following the prolonged dry spell A woman looks across to the Houses of Parliament while shielding under an umbrella during a rain shower in London yesterday People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain yesterday morning as the capital is hit by downpours Two people look at Tower Bridge in the rain under an umbrella yesterday morning as downpours return to the capital People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain yesterday morning as the capital is hit by downpours An autumnal feel to Hyde Park in London yesterday morning as the heatwave finally ends with a series of thunderstormsHe added: 'It will be in turns fairly breezy as we end the week, with some showery rain, particularly across the north of the UK, so temperatures generally around average for many but could possibly be a bit above for the far south, which is the mid-20s. Now London is set for a hosepipe ban: Thames Water will tell 15million people not to water gardens or wash their cars in days - bringing UK total to 24million The year's biggest hosepipe ban yet is set to be confirmed for London and the Thames Valley later this week, before coming into force from next week – affecting 15million people across the Thames Water region.Thames Water had already warned last week that it was planning a ban in the 'coming weeks', and this is now set to be confirmed by the end of this week. It will be the year's biggest temporary usage ban so far in population size.Meanwhile another hosepipe ban was announced yesterday, with Cornwall and parts of Devon becoming the next area of the UK to face temporary restrictions when South West Water brings in the policy in a week's time.Four water companies – Manx Water, Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water - have already imposed bans, while Yorkshire Water said one will start on August 26. It comes after a drought was declared for parts of England following the driest summer for 50 years that has almost completely deprived some areas of rainfall.The hosepipe bans will soon cover a total of more than 24million people - including 5million in Yorkshire (Yorkshire Water) 2.2million in Kent and Sussex (South East Water), around 1million in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Southern Water), another 1million in Cornwall and part of Devon (South West Water), 200,000 in Pembrokeshire and a small part of Carmarthenshire (Welsh Water) and 80,000 on the Isle of Man (Manx Water). South West Water announced on Monday that it will be imposing its own 'temporary use ban' restrictions from midnight on August 23, with bosses saying this will be the firm's first ban in more than a quarter of a century.The ban means customers cannot use any hosepipe including sprinklers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation systems for watering the garden or plants; cleaning a car, walls, paths or patios; or filling a pool, pond or fountain.However they can still do any of these activities if they use mains water from a bucket or watering can, or use water that is not sourced from the mains such as greywater or rainwater from a water butt through a hosepipe.'It looks probably most likely from late Wednesday to Thursday onwards it will become fresher for everyone.'Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology at the University of Reading, warned that the parched soil increased the risk of 'dangerous' flooding.She said: 'The ground is really dry and when it is so dry it acts a little bit like concrete and that water can't get in so it drains straight off. There is the damage to homes and businesses these floods can cause, and inconvenience with transport disruptions –but if it is very heavy in one place it can also be very dangerous.'On how it could affect cities like London, she said: 'If you get heavy rain in a city, the drainage system can cope up to a point. But if there is really heavy rain it can overwhelm the system – the rain cannot run away quick enough.'Water tends to find the lowest pathway – that is why it is so dangerous for cities with these surface area floods. That is why it is of concern to the Tube and underground car parks and things like that.''If we are in London and the parks are really, really dry, there is nowhere for the water to run so it is exacerbating the risks we already have in cities.'In rural areas, Professor Cloke said flooding often hits low points in roads and under bridges.Also yesterday, Ofwat chief executive David Black has defended targets set for water companies as 'challenging but achievable'.Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme and asked if the targets set for leaks are tough enough, Mr Black said: 'Yes, we set challenging but achievable targets for water companies, leakage being one of them.'So at the last price review we challenged the sector to reduce leakage by 16 per cent and the latest information we have shows that 13 out of 17 companies (are) on track to deliver that in the first two years.'He added: 'I can point elsewhere in the (targets) regime where fewer companies are succeeding, so for example on pollution incidence less companies are successful.'So we have set challenging targets and in fact at the last price review four out of 17 companies appealed our determination. So they thought the determination was too tough, and one of their contentions was that the targets were too challenging.'Mr Black also said that overall, the water supplier sector 'has underperformed against the price review'.He told the BBC: 'Where companies are falling short on leakage they will incur penalties on that. It may be that they are outperforming the regime elsewhere. But overall the sector as a whole has underperformed against the price review thus far into the period.'Mr Black added: 'So far to date the sector hasn't succeeded in earning the - if you like - these standard rates of return.'He said: 'We certainly agree that customers should get better service and expect better service and that's why we have set performance targets that aim in every case to drive better performance from companies.'There are some companies like Thames Water which have been repeated poor performers and we have taken action against them and other companies.'Asked if he thinks there is nothing wrong with the system, Mr Black said: 'No, I think that companies like Thames and Southern really need to up their game. I think it's very concerning that other companies that may be performing better in the sector it casts a long shadow when we see poor performance.' | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
This year's flooding in Pakistan has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 33 million.Sherry Rehman, the country's top climate official, has warned Pakistan is "at the ground zero" of "flash foods, multiple glacial lake outbursts, heatwaves and now the monster monsoon of the decade".
Since monsoon season started earlier than usual in June, a third of the country has disappeared underwater, with whole villages washed away, crops ruined and people desperately seeking higher ground.Meanwhile, Pakistani officials have been calling on the UN and the international community for aid.Here Sky News looks at why Pakistan is on the frontline of the climate crisis - and whether it can withstand the increasingly extreme weather yet to come.
More glaciers than anywhere outside the Arctic and AntarcticPakistan is home to around 221 million people.The majority of the population live along the Indus River, which flows from the Himalayas, through most of the country down to the Arabian Sea at Karachi. During monsoon season in July and August, the Indus is prone to flooding - something that has been accelerated by climate change. In the northern Himalayan regions, Pakistan is home to more glaciers than anywhere else in the world outside the Arctic and Antarctic - some 7,000 in total.Rising global temperatures, which reached almost 50C (122F) in the city of Nawabshah earlier this year, are causing those glaciers to melt and form glacial lakes.Around 3,000 new lakes have formed, with officials warning 33 of them are currently at risk of bursting.Many already have so far this year.When the Shisper glacier burst in May, it released millions of cubic metres of water, causing landslides and creating a lake that destroyed a bridge, two power plants and hundreds of homes in the Hunza Valley. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Nail-biting flood rescue at raging river 'Monster monsoon'While the Indus flows fuller and faster than usual from the north of the country, the southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan are suffering unprecedented levels of rainfall.Sindh in the southeast has had 784% of its normal rainfall levels this year, while Balochistan in the southwest has had 522%.The mountain region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the north has also been hit badly by the same "monster monsoon", with none of Pakistan's four provinces escaping unaffected. Image: Flooding in Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pic: AP Usually the active rainfall season only lasts for a month-and-a-half in July and August, but this year, it started early and is not showing any signs of slowing.Climate minister Sherry Rehman said recently on Twitter: "Pakistan has never seen an unbroken cycle of monsoon like this."Eight weeks of non-stop torrents have left huge swathes of the country underwater. This is no normal season. This is a deluge from all sides, impacting 33 million people, which is the size of a small country." Image: Boy grabs at a rescue rope in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Image: An elderly man helps a child through the water in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Can Pakistan cope on the frontline of climate change?Pakistan is the eighth-most vulnerable country in the world to extreme weather, according to the Global Climate Risk Index compiled by NGO Germanwatch.This summer's flooding has impacted 15% of the total population, leaving roads, bridges and key infrastructure underwater, communities cut off and people without food or resources. Image: A damaged road in Peshawar The government declared a state of emergency on 25 August, but with dry land sparse, airlifting supplies to the displaced is proving difficult for the military and aid organisations.The UN has allocated £2.6m for its agencies and their partners to help respond to the floods, with the UK adding £1.5m in urgent support, alongside pledges from the US and UAE. Image: A mud hut ruined in Jaffarabad, Balochistan Rebuilding could take yearsBut Pakistani military chief General Javed Bajwa warned on Sunday that it could take years for the country to recover.And many Pakistanis and climate change campaigners have blamed the government for ignoring the urgency of the crisis and not building enough preventive infrastructure.Political instability and the recent ousting of former prime minister Imran Khan, some argue, has also seen climate change pushed further down the agenda.Despite being deadly, Pakistan's newly-formed glacial lakes have become tourist attractions, with the authorities criticised for allowing developers to build hotels nearby - and on the banks of swollen rivers - in areas at extreme risk of flooding. Image: A lake formed in Hunza, Attabad, northern Pakistan. Pic: AP The UN Development Programme has also singled out Pakistan for failing to provide up-to-date information on glacial changes, making potential disasters difficult to predict.And with more rain expected in September, climate change minister Ms Rehman told Sky News: "There's absolutely no capacity left to absorb any more water."In the longer-term, a 2019 study by the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development predicts that even achieving the 1.5C limit on global warming by 2050 would mean a third of Pakistan's glaciers melting.Ms Rehman said the current crisis will "cause a series of long and medium-term repercussions" and mean a huge reconstruction effort. Image: Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Asif Khan Khattak, an environmental scientist at the University of Peshawar, added: "We will be seeing more extreme weather events."It's very important that we take into account climate change planning in our regulations, our policies."If we don't have that, we will experience the same problems in the future."Read more:Pictures reveal devastating impact of Pakistan's floodsQueen and PM send messages to PakistanThere has been some external investment already.In the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions, the UN's Green Climate Fund has funded better early warning systems, 50 weather stations across 24 valleys, slope stabilisations and better irrigation systems.It claims this will benefit up to 700,000 people directly and 29 million indirectly. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Severe disruption on Britain’s railway continued on Wednesday while engineers worked to repair the effects of an unprecedented heatwave, as Network Rail announced a new “resilience taskforce” to plan for future extreme weather.Services were expected to return towards normal later in the day, after two days of blanket speed restrictions and mainline closures, but damage including broken overhead wires and fires that spread on to tracks was still halting many services on Wednesday morning.The East Coast mainline remained closed between London and Peterborough after a fire on Tuesday evening, suspending LNER services out of King’s Cross, and Thameslink and Great Northern services north of the capital.Trains around Birmingham New Street were severely disrupted due to extensive damage to overhead electric lines, with Avanti West Coast and West Midlands trains forced to divert on to alternate routes.A number of services from London Euston were cancelled and others delayed after fires in north-west London on Tuesday.Fewer East Midlands intercity services were running, as repairs continued on the Midlands mainline. Damage was also affecting some Northern, TransPennine, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales services.The industry’s official National Rail website told customers to check before setting off on journeys and continued to urge people to travel only if necessary, despite the huge amount of work completed overnight.“Network Rail teams are continuing to work tirelessly to make the repairs so we can get services back up and running for passengers but there is still disruption to services throughout the day,” it said.Meanwhile, Network Rail announced the launch of an independent taskforce to shape how the railway can become more resilient to hot weather.The taskforce will look at how other railways worldwide deal with extreme heat and fluctuations in temperature, and consider issues such as the changing climate, how infrastructure can be kept functioning safely, and the best way to manage operations and look after passengers in future heatwaves.Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDeskAndrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “The weather we’ve experienced this week has put a huge amount of pressure on our infrastructure, our staff and our passengers, and with extreme weather events becoming more frequent as our climate continues to change, we’ve got to pull out all the stops to make our railway as resilient as possible.”The four experts on the panel are former Met Office chief scientist, Julia Slingo; ex-HS2 chair, Doug Oakervee; a former chief executive of Australian railway operators, Simon Lane, who ran trains in hot climates; and the chief executive of watchdog Transport Focus, Anthony Smith. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden traveled to eastern Kentucky on Monday to tour the damage from last month’s deadly flooding and to visit with families who were impacted by the extreme rainfall.At least 37 people have died as a result of the late-July storms, which dropped nearly a foot of rain in some areas in just 48 hours.“We're staying until everybody's back to where they were," Biden said of the federal response after meeting with residents of the town of Lost Creek. “Not a joke.”The president said recently-passed bipartisan legislation will allow for rebuilding that will leave the flood-torn communities "better" prepared for extreme weather than they were before.President Biden meets with residents affected by the deadly flooding in Lost Creek, Ky., on Monday. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)"That's the objective here," the president said. "It's not just to get back to where we were, it's to get back to better than where we were. And we have the wherewithal to do it now.”Biden said he met a man whose trailer was washed away in the floodwaters. He said the man told him, "We Kentuckians don't want to ask for too much."“I don’t want any Kentuckian telling me, ‘You don’t have to do this for me,” Biden added. “Oh yeah we do. You’re an American citizen. We never give up. We never stop. We never bow. We never bend. We just go forward. And that’s what we’re going to do here.”President Joe Biden speaks after touring a neighborhood impacted by flooding in Lost Creek, Ky., on Monday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)Before delivering remarks, Biden toured the devastation with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, in hard-hit Breathitt County, stopping at the site of where a school bus was swept by floodwaters into a partially collapsed building."Those are pieces of everybody's houses,” Beshear told Biden as they observed debris along the creek. “That's all that's left."[Also read: How to help victims of Kentucky floods]At a briefing with first responders at an elementary school in Lost Creek, Biden pledged the continued support of the federal government.Within a day of the floods, a major disaster declaration for Kentucky and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.“We’re not leaving,” Biden said. “As long as it takes, we’re going to be here.”President Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tour damage left from last month's flooding in Lost Creek, Ky., on Monday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)Biden said that politics have no place in his administration’s disaster response, even in a state that’s home to his frequent political adversary, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.“We battle all the time on issues,” Biden said. But when it comes to rebuilding, the president said, “We’re all one team.”Biden’s visit to Kentucky is his second to the state since taking office last year. He traveled to Kentucky in December after a series of tornadoes killed 77 people.And just like he did Monday, Biden sought to push a message of unity in a deep red state.“There’s no red tornadoes and blue tornadoes,” he said at the time. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
SummaryHomes and campsites evacuated, livelihoods threatenedFlames tear down hillside near Portugal's PombalBlaze rages near tallest sand dune in EuropeEurope is a 'heatwave hotspot', says scientistLEIRIA, Portugal/RASLINA, Croatia, July 14 (Reuters) - Wildfires raged across tinder-dry country in Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia on Thursday, burning homes and threatening livelihoods, as much of Europe baked in a heatwave that has pushed temperatures into the mid-40Cs in some parts.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.In 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.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"Yesterday was a very tough day," Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said as he attended a briefing with the national meteorological institute IPMA."It is absolutely crucial we avoid new events because it leads to the exhaustion of firefighters and all others ... who are doing their best to control the situation."The most concerning blaze was near the town of Pombal, where on Thursday aircraft and helicopters dropped water on flames that were tearing down a hillside lined with highly flammable pine and eucalyptus trees."When it gets to the eucalyptus it's like an explosion," Antonio, an elderly resident of the nearby village of Gesteira, said as he anxiously watched the approaching flames.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 Leon, 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 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) in large parts of southern Spain.THOUSANDS EVACUATEDOn 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 Sibenek.Arndt Dreste, 55, had moved to the village of Raslina, near Sibenik, this year, after selling his property in Germany. His house was severely damaged by the fire."I bought this house in January ... I (am) cut off from Germany and this is my life here ... it was here," Dreste told Reuters, showing the charred walls of his home.In southwestern France, more than 1,000 firefighters backed by nine water-bombing planes were battling two wildfires that started on Tuesday. The fires have already burnt 5,300 hectares, a figure that has doubled over the past 24 hours.A fire fighting helicopter works to contain a wildfire in Leiria, Portugal July 13, 2022. REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes"The situation on the ground is unfavourable, there is the scorching heat and the wind," Fabienne Buccio, prefect of the Gironde department, told local media. "And, as night is about to fall, we will not be able to use our aerial means."She also urged tourists planning to vacation in the region to avoid the area for a few days or weeks.One of the two Gironde fires was around the town of Landiras south of Bordeaux, where 2,400 hectares have been burnt, roads closed and 500 residents evacuated.The other blaze, now the biggest with 2,900 hectares, 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.Around 6,000 people were evacuated from surrounding campsites on Wednesday, and another 4,000 people early on Thursday.A wildfire also broke out near the southeastern town of Tarascon on Thursday, burning several hundred hectares of land."It's the first time there is such a severe fire," in the area, the mayor of Tarascon told reporters.'HEATWAVE HOTSPOT'Thousands of people were also evacuated from homes on Turkey's southwestern Datca peninsula, as a fire that started on Wednesday was fanned by strong winds overnight and threatened residential areas.The forestry minister said the fire had been brought under control on Thursday after seven firefighting aircraft and 14 helicopters were deployed to contain it. read more 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."Some Europeans welcomed the heat, however. In Catania, on the east coast of Italy's Sicily, tourists and locals thronged cafes to eat granita, a frozen dessert, and jumped into the sea to cool off."The heat here is a bit tiring, but I think it's the least tiring thing we face this year, I put up with it gladly," said Catania resident Pierpaola.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comAdditional reporting by Emma Pinedo in Madrid, Benoit Van Overstraeten in Paris, Gloria Dickie in London, Ali Kucukgocmen and Yesim Dikmen in Istanbul, Oriana Boselli in Rome and Reuters TV; Writing by Alex Richardson; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Register 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.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 Manez"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 |
By James GregoryBBC NewsImage source, Swanage Fire StationImage caption, Firefighters across the country are being called to tackle wildfires, like this one in DorsetThere have been almost 500 more wildfires this year than the whole of 2021, a fire chief has said.Mark Hardingham, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), said hot and dry weather had combined to create the perfect conditions for wildfires.So far in 2022, he said there had been 745 wildfires in the UK - more than a 200% increase from the total figure of 247 for all of last year.Fire chiefs are urging people not to bring combustible items to open spaces.Mr Hardingham told BBC Radio 4 on Sunday that hundreds of grass and woodland fires happen in the UK every day. But he said there had been 745 larger and more dangerous blazes in 2022, including 150 in the past week alone. Wildfires are classified as being large enough to cover an area the size of at least two-and-a-half football pitches.Firefighters have been responding to these incidents "day in, day out" before the record-breaking temperatures of 40C (104F) in July, he said."They are physically exhausting and demanding incidents to deal with."Not only are you turning up as a firefighter in extreme, high temperatures, [but you're] wearing your firefighter clothing, you're chasing these fires across fields, you're dragging heavy equipment, you're keeping an eye out all the time for your own welfare and safety and those of your colleagues. "Once you've dealt with that fire, more often than not you're picking up another call to go to the next fire."A major incident, declared at the site of a heath fire in Dorset, is one of several large blazes to have broken out across the UK in the past few days.Evidence of a campfire and a disposable barbecue were found amid the ashes at Studland Heath.Though wildfires can sometimes occur naturally, ignited by heat from the sun or a lightning strike, most are caused by human carelessness. A disposable barbecue in an open, public space might not normally be enough on its own to start a blaze.But drought conditions which have been officially declared across much of England, as well as hot temperatures over the course of July and August, have created conditions that are "perfect at the moment for wildfires", Mr Hardingham said. "The temperatures, the fact we've had no appreciable rainfall for quite some time, the wind speed of 10-12 mph so fires once they start spread very quickly, and humidity is very low," he added. Some of the wildfires around the UKA major report by the UN has warned that severe weather patterns could fuel wildfires, and heatwaves and droughts will become more common if action is not taken soon. Richard la Torre, national officer at the Fire Brigades Union, said that fire services were increasingly under strain and needed more funding to tackle blazes on this scale in the years ahead. "Extreme weather and the climate crisis is a workplace issue for firefighters," he said."If it carries on the way it is, I do not think we can have the expectation that fire services can deal with it." A Home Office spokesperson said core spending power for standalone fire and rescue authorities had been increased from £1.232bn in 2016/17 to £1.373bn in 2022/23. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Wildfires broke out across the UK today as families fled for their lives as their homes which they tried to save with buckets of water were engulfed amid blazes across the country in record 40.3C heat.Firefighters have described blazes tearing through homes and buildings in London as 'absolute hell' - with residents evacuated after homes were destroyed, two people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, and 1,600 calls for assistance.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 a children's nursery was destroyed along with most of a street in Yorkshire.Fire services in London, Hertfordshire, Bucks, South Yorkshire and Leicestershire declared major incidents as they were hit with tens of thousands of calls and 'significant fires' meaning automatic fire alarms will not prompt a response and people are asked to refrain from calling unless it's an emergency. 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 today, 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.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 today spelt the end of the punishing temperatures for some.And tomorrow, the weather will cool somewhat, with parts of eastern England under a yellow warning for more thundery showers this afternoon with temperatures down over 10C on yesterday – although still in the high 20s. 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. Ambulance services said they are under 'extreme pressure' from sunstroke patients with 999 and 111 handlers getting hundreds of calls an hour. This is all while public transport was cancelled in much of the country with trains and London Underground services suspended as tracks continued to buckle and combust. 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.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. A row of houses on fire in the village of Wennington in East London this afternoon as temperatures soar again tod A fire burns the Kiddi Caru nursery in the Walnut Tree area of Milton Keynes down to the ground today as blazes take hold of areas across England 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 Fires sparked by lightning at Zennor Head, West Cornwall pictured burning on Tuesday evening 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 A huge black smoke cloud spreads as round 100 firefighters tackle a blaze in the village of Wennington this afternoon as the heatwave continues Around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in the village of Wennington in East London today as the heatwave continuesThe remains of a fire near Dartford Heath on the A2 coastbound, Crayford today is seen as smoke spreads throughout the area 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 Lickey Hills parkland in Birmingham this morning where fire crews are still on the scene Tinderbox Britain: Where have fires broken out? GREATER LONDONPea Lane, Upminster Uxbridge Road, PinnerGreen Lanes, SouthgateOaks Road, CroydonBallards Road, DagenhamThe Broadway, Wembley Sunningfields Crescent, HendonChapel View, CroydonSidcup Road, Eltham Western Avenue, Uxbridge Staines Road, Twickenham ENGLAND Joyce Green, Dartford Nare Head, Zennor New Brighton, MerseysideGroby, LeicestershireWalnut Tree, Milton KeynesWales village, Rotherham, South YorkshireHamels Lane, Buntingford M1 in Hertfordshire Rushden, Hertfordshire Hemel Hempstead, HertfordshireCodicote, Hertfordshire Bradgate Park, LeicestershireField Road, DenhamWhitehouse Lane, WycombeWoodland Avenue, BarnsleyNewton Arms pub, Sprotbrough Road, Doncaster SCOTLAND Hadden Farm, Kelso In one of the most dramatic incidents, at least eight houses were engulfed by flames in the village of Wennington, in the east London borough of Havering.Dramatic aerial footage showed an entire row of semi-detached homes in grave peril, with almost half of them alight as apocalyptic plumes of smoke rose above the scene and rear gardens reduced to cinders.Terrified residents 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’.Amid the scramble to evacuate, 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.The scorching heat smashed the previous British record of 38.7C (102F). Properties faced unprecedented threats on a day when millions of people were working from home. Boris Johnson paid tribute to firefighters and frontline workers keeping the country safe. 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 The fires 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.’ One blaze at Lickey Hills Country Park near Birmingham spread to 50,000 square metres and forced 15 people to flee their homes. London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that the situation was ‘critical’ – but he was criticised for using the day’s events as a way to promote his controversial car control measures, the ULEZ low-emission zone. In Yorkshire this evening, six houses were reported to be on fire in Barnsley. In Skellow, near Doncaster, grass fires came within feet of homes, while in Manchester, actress Faye McKeever – who appeared in the Sky 1 sitcom Trollied – tweeted a photo of her back garden fence ablaze. Grasses to ashes: Fire erupts as if from nowhere and rips through fencing and part of TV actress Faye McKeever’s back garden Picture shows a serious fire in Wennington, Essex, where a number of homes have been destroyedHouses on fire in the Kingstone area of Barnsley in Yorkshire at around 4pm today. Police evacuated residents and closed roads to tackle the fire 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 parkland in Skellow, Doncaster, this morning after a grass fire came within feet of homes A fire on Peckham High Street in South London this afternoon as the heatwave continues to cause chaos in the capitalIn 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.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'.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.'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.While London Ambulance Service Gold Commander Peter Rhodes said: 'We are seeing an increase in the number of patients experiencing heat exposure' 'Sustained demand on our 999 and 111 services as a result of the heatwave, and with hot weather set to continue, we are currently at Level 4 of our Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) – which is the highest level and represents 'extreme pressure'.'This move allows us to allocate even more staff on the road and in our control rooms and to reprioritise our operational efforts to ensure we provide the best care possible to Londoners.'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. A fire on Dartford Heath next to the A2 in Kent this afternoon, with smoke spreading across the roadA wildfire in Twickenham on David Lloyd golf course is pictured as residents have been evacuated and roads closed. Houses adjacent look like they starting to catch, and there are concerns for the Shell petrol garage further up the road Huge smoke plumes are seen as a fire sparked by lightning at Zennor Head, West Cornwall rages in the afternoon 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.'The record-shattering temperatures yesterday meant staying cool was a day-long challenge for many, with seaside resorts again packed, popular inland swimming spots like Compton Lock in Winchester rammed and shops cleaned out of ice creams.River Swales Waterfalls in Richmond, North Yorkshire, saw crowds flock to its refreshing waters in a bid to beat the heat. Another respite was the caverns of the Peak District, which stayed at 9C (48.2F) despite the sweltering conditions at ground level.Barry Jarvis, a senior tour guide at Peak Cavern in Castleton, Derbyshire, said it was ‘a fabulous feeling when it’s 35C on the surface’.Devastatingly, the drive to escape the heat also saw another spate of water-related tragedies despite repeated warnings from safety experts. By last night, the death toll since the start of July’s blazing hot weather had risen to as high as 13. The Wennington fire is still seen raging at night as hundreds of firefighters are deployed throughout London to tackle blazes The homes seen destroyed in Barnsley today as fires created havoc across the country and families were left homeless The body of a teenage boy was recovered from the River Thames in Richmond at about 3.30pm yesterday. Police said it was believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy who was seen to enter the water on Monday afternoon. On the Isle of Wight, a holidaymaker in his 70s was declared dead after he was found unconscious in the water near Sandown Pier at 5pm on Monday. And 16-year-old Sean Norbert Anyanwu also passed away on Monday after he got into difficulties in Bray Lake amid sweltering conditions near Maidenhead.Another fatality on Sunday afternoon involved a man whose kayak capsized on the River Spey, near Fochabers, Moray, in Scotland. As many schools closed and major railway lines were shut, Boris Johnson warned the country should learn from the pandemic and avoid shutting down.Addressing his final Cabinet meeting on what he described as ‘another scorching, sweltering day’, the Prime Minister said people once again needed to ‘balance risk with the need to keep our country, our society and our economy moving’. He told his ministers that ‘as far as possible we should keep schools open and keep our transport system going.’Millions again opted to work from home, with footfall in towns and cities yesterday down another 5.9 per cent compared to Monday, retail analysts Springboard reported.However, it seemed some may have been pining for the air conditioning in their places of work, with a 14 per cent rise in central London office activity day-on-day, it added.People in parts of Kent have been told to use water only for essential purposes as stocks dwindled following months of below-average rainfall.It comes after water companies reported ‘unprecedented peak demand’, with people encouraged to ‘carefully consider’ their water usage amid warnings of a summer drought following months of below-average rainfall. Fires sparked by lightning at Zennor Head, West Cornwall continue burning into Tuesday evening A man runs along a street with a hosepipe on July 19, 2022 in Wennington, England Some 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade are dealing with the Wennington blaze today Police were called amid concerns over public safety due to people jumping into the river and lighting portable BBQs at River Swales Waterfalls The huge grass blaze has spread to houses in Wennington, East London, this afternoon amid the extreme heatFreya 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'. Emergency services fight fires in a row of houses on July 19, 2022 in Wennington as at least five homes have been gutted This picture shows the fire still burning at a home which has been blackened and its roof torn off amid devastating fires In this aerial view, smoke from fires being fought by fire services seen in Wennington as London's firefighters try to battle the infernos Another house was also destroyed in the Wennington fire this afternoon which was seen from above in this Sky News aerial 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) 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.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.A blaze started in a field around 4pm but soon spread to a nearby housing estate in the village of Wales, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire as temperatures in South Yorkshire rocketed to 40C as the UK basked in the warmest temperatures on record.Residents tried to put out the flames with buckets of water but fanned by winds and the intense heat, the fire became too intense and soon set alight three terraced homes nearest the field.Two fire crews are at the scene and have largely extinguished the blaze, which has destroyed at least two of the three-floor properties.Other properties are at risk and a cordon has been set up to keep onlookers at a safe distance while fire crews battle to keep the flames under control.A shaken resident of one of the homes, who asked not to be named, revealed her teenage daughter had fled the house as the fire took hold. A blaze started in a field around 4pm but soon spread to a nearby housing estate in the village of Wales, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. People wait to see if they will get on any trains today as services remain cancelled in much of the train network Alton Towers thrill-seekers had to be led down the Oblivion rollercoaster at the Staffordshire theme park on the hottest day of the year today The woman, who dashed home from work, said: 'Thankfully my daughter is safe but sadly I don't think my pets are. I had two cats in the house at the time. I don't know what's happened to them but it doesn't look good.'We don't know what's happening at the moment or when we'll be able to return home. It's all a huge shock.'Local Mark Finlay, 43, who lives nearby, was among those who tried to extinguish the fire before it hit the residential area.He told MailOnline: 'A few of us saw the smoke from the field which started to get bigger and bigger.'We could see the fire started to head towards the housing estate. A fence and some trees were set alight.'People we're fetching buckets of water and attempting to douse the flames but in this heat the fire just took hold really quickly.'Before long the end house was on fire and it spread to the neighbouring properties before the fire service arrived and started to put out the flames.'I'm not sure who was home at the time but I do know that when the fire was raging, the houses were all empty fortunately so people managed to get out ok.'Another eyewitness added: 'You could see the top of the houses on fire as the flames licked the sky and thick black smoke billowed into the air.'It was frightening just how quick it took hold but thankfully I don't believe there are any injuries.' 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. Eight fire crews also battled a grass in Bradgate Park forcing Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service to also declare a major incident. The service said its one of many its currently tackling, writing on Twitter: 'The fire service have declared a major incident due to the increase of call outs relating to the heatwave. Fires spread in the heat - assess the risk, is it worth it?'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. Tran | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
A view shows trees and vegetation burnt by a major fire in Hostens, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane MaheRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummary'Monster' fire consumers nearly 7,000 hectares in FranceESA chief urges immediate action to fight climate changeSwiss army airlifts water to cows in Alpine meadowsGig-economy workers decry labour rights as temperatures soarHOSTENS, France, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Wildfires tore through parts of France, Spain and Portugal on Thursday as heatwaves baked Europe and the head of the European Space Agency urged immediate action to fight climate change.More than 1,000 firefighters, backed by water-bombing planes, battled for a third day a "monster" blaze that has forced thousands from their homes and scorched thousands of hectares of forest in France's southwestern Gironde region. read more With a dangerous cocktail of blistering temperatures, tinder-box conditions and wind fanning the flames, President Emmanuel Macron said several European Union nations were deploying reinforcements to help beat back the blaze.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"It's an ogre, a monster," said Gregory Allione from the French firefighters body FNSPF said.Heatwaves, floods and crumbling glaciers in recent weeks have heightened concerns over climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather across the globe.The head of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, said rising land temperatures and shrinking rivers as measured from space left no doubt about the toll on agriculture and other industries from climate change. read more ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite series has measured "extreme" land surface temperatures of more than 45C (113F) in Britain, 50C in France and 60C in Spain in recent weeks."It's pretty bad. We have seen extremes that have not been observed before," Aschbacher told Reuters.CLIMATE CHANGE RISKSWith successive heatwaves baking Europe this summer, bringing record temperatures and unprecedented droughts, renewed focus has been placed on climate change risks to farming, industry and livelihoods.Severe drought is set to slash the European Union's maize harvest by 15%, dropping it to a 15-year a low, just as Europeans contend with higher food prices as a result of lower-than-normal grain exports from Russia and Ukraine.Swiss army helicopters have been drafted in to airlift water to thirsty cows, pigs and goats sweltering under a fierce sun in the country's Alpine meadows. read more In France, suffering its harshest drought on record, trucks are delivering water to dozens of villages where taps have run dry, nuclear power stations have received waivers to keep pumping hot discharge water into rivers, and farmers warn a shortage of fodder may lead to milk shortages.In Germany, scant rainfall this summer has drained the water levels of the Rhine, the country's commercial artery, hampering shipping and pushing freight costs. read more However, as Europe contends with another heatwave, one group of workers has little choice but to sweat it out: gig-economy food couriers who often fall between the cracks of labour regulations.After the mayor of Palermo on the island of Sicily in July ordered horses carrying tourists be given at least 10 litres of water per day, bicycle courier Gaetano Russo filed a suit demanding similar treatment."Am I worth less than a horse," Russo was quoted as saying in a Nidil CDIL union statement. read more "HEARTBROKEN"Britain's Met Office on Thursday issued a four-day "extreme heat" warning for parts of England and Wales. read more In Portugal, more than 1,500 firefighters spent a sixth day fighting a wildfire in the central Covilha region that has burned 10,500 hectares (40 square miles), including parts of the Serra da Estrela national park.In Spain, electrical storms triggered new wildfires and hundreds of people were evacuated from the path of one blaze in the province of Caceres.Macron's office said extra fire-fighting aircraft were arriving from Greece and Sweden, while Germany, Austria, Romania and Poland were all deploying firefighters to help tackle wildfires in France."European solidarity at work!" Macron tweeted.Firefighters said they had managed to save the village of Belin-Beliet, which turned into a ghost village after police told residents to evacuate as the flames approached, but that weather conditions would not help containing the blaze.The Gironde was hit by big wildfires in July"The area is totally disfigured. We're heartbroken, we're exhausted," Jean-Louis Dartiailh, a local mayor, told Radio Classique. "(This fire) is the final straw.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Reuters bureaus, Writing by Richard LoughOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
France has been forced to call in reinforcements from across Europe to help battle a huge wildfire that has been burning in the south of the country for more than a month. Hundreds of firefighters from Germany, Poland, Romania and Italy are heading to Gironde, near Bordeaux, to help tackle a blaze that began burning in early July as Europe's record-breaking summer heatwave got underway before reigniting several days ago - forcing 10,000 people from their homes and burning 7,000 hectares of pine forest.Water-bombing planes are also being sent from Greece and Sweden to help extinguish the flames, as locals describe biblical scenes. Valentine Dupy, who lives in the village of Belin-Beliet, said the region is 'like an apocalypse. Smoke everywhere ... and planes throwing orange powder onto the fire.' Europe is sweltering through a record-breaking summer of heatwaves and drought that has parched the continent and turned forests tinder-dry. In Switzerland, a glacial pass that has been covered by ice for the last 2,000 years is set to be ice-free by the end of the week because it has all melted. A water-bombing plane drops flame retardant chemicals on to trees in the Gironde region of France, where fire crews are struggling to extinguish a blaze that has been burning for more than a month Flames rip through tinder-dry woodland in Gironde, in the south of France, where a record-breaking summer of heatwaves and drought has turned pine forests into firewood Pine trees in Gironde, the south of France, are consumed by a wildfire that has burned through thousands of hectares of land since it first ignited last month Fire crews had managed to dampen down the Gironde fire around the end of July, when Europe's last major heatwave ended, but say it was never fully extinguished and has now re-ignited as the hot weather returns A firefighting helicopter gathers water from a dried-out lake bed in Gironde, south of France, to try and extinguish a nearby wildfire that has forced 10,000 people from their homes Firefighting trucks are barely visible beneath a huge plume of smoke from a wildfire burning in the south of France, as crews from across Europe are drafted in to help battle itFlames consume woodland in Gironde, near Bordeaux, where a wildfire has been burning since early July and shows no signs of stopping as Europe's record-breaking summer of heat and drought continues Flames burn through woodland in the south of France, as 361 European firefighters rush to assist 1,100 French emergency workers who are already tackling the blaze This photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region SDIS 33, shows a wildfire burning near Saint-Magne, south of Bordeaux, southwestern France Firefighters embrace as they work to contain a fire in Saint-Magne, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern FranceFirefighters said they had managed to save her village, transformed into a ghost town after police told residents to evacuate as the flames approached. But the blaze reached the outskirts, leaving wrecked houses and charred tractors in its wake.'We've been lucky. Our houses were saved. But you see the catastrophe all over there. Some houses could not be saved,' said resident Gaetan, pointing to houses burnt to the ground.Support was on its way from across Europe, with 361 firefighters, as well as trucks and waterbombing aircrafts, expected to back up the 1,100 French firefighters already on the ground.'We are still in the phase of (trying to) confine the fire, direct it where we want it, where there is less vegetation, where our vehicles can best position themselves ... so we can eventually fix it, control it and extinguish it,' said Matthieu Jomain, a spokesperson for the Gironde firefighers.More than 60,000 hectares (230 square miles) have gone up in flames so far in France this year, six times the full-year average for 2006-2021, data from the European Forest Fire Information System shows.French authorities said temperatures in the Gironde region would reach 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Thursday and stay high until Saturday.Firefighters warned of an 'explosive cocktail' of weather conditions, with wind and the tinder-box conditions helping fan the flames.The Gironde was hit by big wildfires in July that destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forest and temporarily forced almost 40,000 people from their homes.Hostens mayor Jean-Louis Dartiailh described the past weeks as a disaster. 'The area is totally disfigured. We're heartbroken, we're exhausted,' he told Radio Classique. '(This fire) is the final straw.' A burned-out house and car are visible in the village of Belin-Beliet, in the Gironde region of France, after a wildfire swept through and destroyed some outlying buildings A burned-out car is visible in front of a torched house in the village of Belin-Beliet, in the south of France, which was hit by wildfires that have burned through thousands of hectares of forest A house in the south of France that has been gutted by fire stands in the village of Belin-Beliet, which had fortunately been evacuated before the flames arrived A firefighting truck that had been helping to tackle blazes in the south of France ended up becoming a victim of them, as crews struggle to get the inferno under control A glacial pass in Switzerland that has been covered by ice for the last 2,000 years is set to become ice-free by the end of the week as high temperatures cause it to melt - except for one strip covered by blankets to protect it Europe is in the grips of sweltering heat, severe drought and raging wildfires that are tearing through Spain, France and Portugal, while key waterways such as the Rhine and the Po are running dryEurope is suffering under a severe heat wave and drought that has produced tragic consequences for farmers and ecosystems already under threat from climate change and pollution.In France, which is enduring its worst drought on record, flames raged through pine forests overnight, illuminating the sky with an intense orange light in the Gironde region, which was already ravaged by flames last month, and in neighboring Landes. More than 68 square kilometers (26 square miles) have burned since Tuesday.Along the Oder River, which flows from Czechia north into the Baltic Sea, volunteers have been collecting dead fish that have washed ashore in Poland and Germany.Piotr Nieznanski, the conservation policy director at WWF Poland, said it appears that a toxic chemical was released into the water by an industry and the low water levels caused by the drought has made conditions far more dangerous for the fish.'A tragic event is happening along the Oder River, an international river, and there is no transparent information about what is going on,' he said, calling on government authorities to investigate.People living along the river have been warned not to swim in the water or even touch it.Poland's state water management body said the drought and high temperatures can cause even small amounts of pollution to lead to an ecological disaster but it has not identified the source of the pollution.In northern Serbia, the dry bed of the Conopljankso reservoir is now littered with dead fish that were unable to survive the drought.The water level along Germany's Rhine River was at risk of falling so low that it could become difficult to transport goods - including critical energy items like coal and gasoline.In Italy, which is experiencing its worst drought in seven decades, the parched Po River has already caused billions of euros in losses to farmers who normally rely on Italy's longest river to irrigate their fields and rice paddies.'I am young and I do not remember anything like this, but even the elderly in my village or the other villages around here have never seen anything like this, never ever,' said Antonio Cestari, a 35-year-old farmer in Ficarolo who says he expects to produce only half his usual crops of corn, wheat and soy because his river-fed wells have such low water levels.The Po runs 652 kilometers (405 miles) from the northwestern city of Turin to Venice. It has dozens of tributary rivers but northern Italy hasn't seen rainfall for months and this year's snowfall was down by 70%. The drying up of the Po is also jeopardizing drinking water in Italy's densely populated and highly industrialized districts. A resident watches the progression of a wildfire in Linhares, Celorico da Beira, Portugal View of a burning area during a wildfire in Videmonte, Celorico da Beira, Portugal View inside a burned house during a wildfire in Videmonte, Celorico da Beira, Portugal A tree burning on the inside is seen in front of a wildfire in Videmonte, Celorico da Beira, Portugal A firefighter looks at the aftermath of a wildfire in Videmonte, Celorico da Beira, Portugal,Over in Portugal, the Serra da Estrela national park was also being ravaged by a wildfire. Some 1,500 firefighters, 476 vehicles and 12 aircraft were deployed to fight it but the wind-driven blaze 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of Lisbon was very hard to reach, with inaccessible peaks almost 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) high and deep ravines. The fire has charred 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of woodland.In Britain, where temperatures hit a record 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in July, the weather office has issued a new warning for 'extreme heat' from Thursday through Sunday, with temperatures forecast to reach 36 C (96.8 F).It has been one of the driest summers on record in southern Britain, and the Met Office weather service said there is an 'exceptional risk' of wildfires over the next few days.London Fire Brigade said its control room had dealt with 340 grass, garbage and open-land fires during the first week of August, eight times the number from last year. Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Smith said 'the grass in London is tinderbox dry and the smallest of sparks can start a blaze which could cause devastation.'In Switzerland, a drought and high temperatures have endangered fish populations and authorities have begun moving fish out of some creeks that were running dry.In Hausen, in the canton of Zurich, officials caught hundreds of fish, many of them brown trout, in the almost dried-up Heischerbach, Juchbach and Muehlebach creeks this week by anesthetizing them with electric shocks and then immediately placing them in a water tank enriched with oxygen, local media reported. Later, the fish were taken to creeks that still carry enough water.Despite all the harm caused by the extreme weather, Swiss authorities see one morbid upside: they believe there's hope of finding some people who went missing in the mountains in the last few years because their bodies are being released as glaciers melt.In the Swiss canton of Valais, melting glaciers have recently revealed parts of a crashed airplane and, at separate locations, at least two skeletons. The bodies have not yet been identified, news website 20Minuten reported Thursday.Spanish state television showed dozens of trucks heading to France having to turn around and stay in Spain because wildfires had forced authorities to close some border crossings. TVE reported that truckers, many carrying perishable goods, were looking for ways to cross the border because the parking areas around the Irun crossing were full.France this week is in its fourth heat wave of the year as it faces what the government describes as the country's worst drought on record. Temperatures were expected to reach 40 C (104 F) on Thursday. A view of a dry lake bed near the village of Conoplja, 150 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia Dead fish float on the surface of the Oder river, as water has been contaminated and is causing the mass extinction of fish in the river, in Bielinek, Poland A dead fish lies on the bank of Oder River on the German-Polish border, in Brieskow-Finkenheerd, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany A dead fish skeleton laying on the cracking earth of a dry lake bed near the village of Conoplja, 150 kilometers north-west of Belgrade, Serbia | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Record-breaking temperatures are already causing chaos across the country today, with trains grinding to a halt and thousands facing an unbearably sticky morning commute. But the scorching temperatures have also led to a range of other more unusual outcomes, from a beach being closed because the sand is too hot, to school detentions being cancelled and farmers smearing suncream on their prized pigs. Detentions have been cancelled at one school, while discount chain Aldi has begun rationing bottles of water at a supermarket in south London - with customers limited to one bottle of still or sparkling per person. The Met Office has warned that temperatures could rise even further to 43C (109F) tomorrow. Temperatures had already hit 32C (90F) in Cambridge and West London by 11am today. Pigs get suncream and wet towels at Royal Welsh Show - while horses are offered bottled water Pigs are being covered in suncream to protect them at one of Britain's biggest country shows.Farmers are using the suncream to protect the animals' sensitive skin in the blistering heat at the Royal Welsh Show.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.'Pigs don't let out the heat as well as other animals so it is difficult to keep them cool,' said Ela, 45, of 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.' Joel Orman sprays SPF 50 sunscreen on British Lop pigs at the Royal Welsh Show to ensure their sensitive skin is protected A police officer offers a bottle of water to a police horse named Zack during hot weather, on Whitehall in LondonMore 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.The 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 said.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.Meanwhile, on Whitehall in London, Zack the horse was offered a bottle of water by his caring police handler. 'Beach' closes because the sand will be 'too hot for children' A beach is closing today because the sand will be 'too hot for kids to play on'.Officials have decided to close the attraction at Leicester's Humberstone Gate shopping centre for two days. Funfair rides have also closed..Deputy city mayor Cllr Piara Singh Clair said: 'In these extreme temperatures, the sand on our beach would be far too hot for children to play in. Officials have decided to close the artificial beach at Leicester's Humberstone Gate shopping centre for two days'And there's also a risk that the funfair rides' generators would overheat.'In the interests of our customers' wellbeing, and the safety of our staff, we have decided to close these attractions on Monday and Tuesday.'While this extreme weather continues, we would advise people to seek out the shade - and, weather permitting, we hope to reopen the City Beach and the funfair on Wednesday.'One local - called Mark - said: 'Blimey. Red Alert sounds serious. Wondering if real beaches will be closed as well?'Supermarket limits water to one bottle of still or sparkling per person This sign warning shoppers was spotted at the Streatham store in South London over the weekendAldi is rationing water - limiting customers to one type of bottled water per person.A sign warning shoppers was spotted at the Streatham store in South London over the weekend.It read: 'Maximum 1x type of water per person.'Scorching summer temperatures have already caused disruption for UK retailers. In B&M, a video showed chocolate bars melting on shelves.And shoppers have been asked to ensure they wear t-shirts and tops when heading to the supermarket and the pub.Meanwhile, Iceland invited customers to chill out in its freezer aisles amid the heatwave.Aldi has been contacted for comment.Saved by the heatwave! Detentions are CANCELLED at secondary school Schools are cancelling detentions and sports days because of the heatwave.Northwood Community Primary School in Kirkby, Merseyside said that sports day had been cancelled on Monday, although 'children can still attend school in their PE kits until the end of term'.And King Charles I School, a secondary school in Worcestershire, has cancelled all on-site detentions on Monday and Tuesday. 'Please note that detentions will be cancelled on Borrington and Hillgrove sites today and tomorrow,' the school tweeted. The school was originally founded in 1566 and is the only one in England to bear the name of the executed king. King Charles I School, a secondary school in Worcestershire, has cancelled all on-site detentions on Monday and TuesdayWatering the... guards? Queen's Guard soldier is kept hydrated while on duty outside Buckingham Palace in full military uniformWhile some schools have closed and rail services have been delayed by the hot weather, one group not budging an inch are the Queen's Guard.Despite the roasting heat, the troops today remain in full military uniform, including their thick bearskin caps, outside Buckingham Palace today.But the guards, who are very limited in when and how they can move during their two hour stints, are being kept hydrated.Pictures show a security officer providing water to one of the soldiers today - with temperatures now above 30C in London. A member of the Queen's guard at Buckingham Palace is given water by a policeman A member of the Household Cavalry suffering in the sweltering mid day heat while on guard at Horse Guards in Westminster today Snow joke! Gritters prepare to hit the roads in Warwickshire (they're also used to stop tarmac from melting)A fleet of gritters have hit the roads to spread stone dust to soak up the tar which is at risk of melting in the scorching heat.The vehicles, usually used to spread grit to stop roads icing over in winter, have been refitted during the history-making heatwave.Warwickshire County Council deployed the gritters to spray the main roads across the region as temperatures soared to a blistering 40C (104F).Typical road surfaces start to melt if the air temperature hits 30C (86F).A light-dusting of stone dust soak up excess tar like a sponge, limiting the chances of road surfaces melting.Councillor Wallace Redford, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, said: 'Many residents may be surprised to see them out at the height of summer, but their work at this time of year, preventing costly damage to the roads of Warwickshire is no less important than their cold-weather work and all contributes to ensuring our residents are supported through excellent transport infrastructure.' Gritters preparing to go out and stop the roads from melting in Worcestershire today. A light-dusting of stone dust soak up excess tar like a sponge, limiting the chances of road surfaces melting | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Food prices remain stubbornly high as Russia's war in Ukraine drags on, exacerbating existing pressure from supply chain disruptions and climate change.The war has "put a lot of fuel on an already burning fire," said Arif Husain, chief economist at the United Nations World Food Programme.Ukraine is a major producer of commodities such as wheat, corn and sunflower oil. Although exports globally have been restricted due to Russia's invasion, Husain said that the global food crisis is not driven by the availability of food, but surging prices."This crisis is about affordability, meaning there is food available, but the prices are really high" he said on CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Monday. According to figures from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, global food prices in July were 13% higher than a year ago. And prices could keep rising. In its worst-case scenario, the U.N. estimates global food prices could jump another 8.5% by 2027. Fertilizer prices are also rising, contributing to higher food prices as costs are passed onto consumers. Prices jumped after Russia — which accounts for around 14% of global fertilizer exports — limited exports. That in turn has dented crop yields.That, combined with high energy prices and supply chain disruptions, will affect the World Bank's ability to respond to the increase in food production over the next two years, said Mari Pangestu, managing director of development policy and partnerships at the World Bank. All that uncertainty could keep prices high beyond 2024, she said.While the U.N.'s Husain argued the current crisis mostly stems from high prices and affordability issues, he said it could turn into a food availability crisis if the fertilizer crunch is not resolved.The U.N. estimates the number of people in "hunger emergencies," which it defines as one step away from famine, has jumped from 135 million in 2019 to 345 million, Husain said.Heatwave in China Extreme weather and climate change are also exacerbating conditions contributing to global food insecurity. China, the world's biggest wheat producer, has suffered multiple weather disruptions, from flash floods to severe droughts. Earlier this month, the country issued its first drought emergency as central and southern provinces suffered weeks of extreme heat, with temperatures in dozens of cities exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat wave has hindered crop production and jeopardized livestock. "Rice production is certainly very vulnerable to changes in weather temperature," said Bruno Carrasco, director general of the sustainable development and climate change department at the Asian Development Bank. "When we look at the overall supply of food production in Asia-Pacific, approximately 60% of that is rain-fed farming.""We are very concerned given the overall weather events that we've seen and observed over the course of the year," he added. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The western and southwestern U.S. is wilting under the biggest drought in 1,200 years—a megadrought. As of writing this, most of the country is experiencing drier-than-normal conditions, but things remain particularly severe from Texas to Washington state.Scientists have identified climate change as a significant contributing factor to the extent and severity of droughts in general. And one study pegged about 40% of the current dry conditions in the Southwest on human-caused climate shifts.We’re seeing the usual consequences of drought: water restrictions pop up, reservoirs hit record lows, wildfires spin out of control, and crops suffer. But the longer the West’s dry spell goes on, the more bizarre the drought-related stories get. Here are some of the oddest impacts happening or likely to happen so far.Invading Fish It seems like less water should be bad news for fish all around. But in the drought-stricken, record-low Colorado River, at least one species is counterintuitively getting a boost. Smallmouth bass, considered locally invasive, are starting to expand their range.Prior to this year, the bass were confined to the upper portion of the Colorado River, held back by Glen Canyon Dam that forms Lake Powell. But now water levels in Lake Powell are so low that the invasive fish are being spotted below the dam in the lower river. Worse that that, they’ve started spawning there, too, indicating the entire Colorado River could soon contain a breeding population of the fish, according to a report from the Associated Press.A research technician weighs a smallmouth bass caught in the Colorado River.Photo: Brittany Peterson (AP)Smallmouth bass prefer to stay in the warm waters closer to the surface of the reservoir. Up there, the dam is an effective barrier. But as water levels have dropped, the surface has gotten closer to the turbines and intake tubes that move water from the reservoir to the lower river, and the fish are following.The bass are voracious predators of the many other species, including the threatened humpback chub. The chub was previously federally listed as endangered, but thanks to conservation efforts in the lower Colorado, the species’ numbers had started to bounce back. It was just downgraded from “endangered” to “threatened” last year. Sriracha ShortageSriracha and its sister products are all made with the same kind of chili pepper, which had a terrible harvest amid the ongoing drought. Photo: Sipa USA (AP)While sriracha is widely regarded as a gift direct from the gods, it’s actually made from plants—plants that are failing amid so little water.Production of the wildly popular spicy condiment is on hold because of a lack of red jalapeño chili peppers, its main ingredient. In April, Huy Fong Foods sent out an email announcing a pause on new orders until after September. “Currently, due to weather conditions affecting the quality of chili peppers, we now face a more severe shortage of chili. Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products,” wrote the company.Drought and climate change are largely to blame for the pepper shortage, reports NPR. (Although, Huy Fong also set itself up for a higher risk of shortages when it narrowed its pepper sourcing in 2017.) The specific type of chili used in Sriracha only grows in the southwest U.S. and northern Mexico, which are both experiencing the same regional megadrought because national borders are irrelevant when it comes to climate.In Mexico, the consequences of the drought have been even worse than for parts of the U.S.. The country declared a national emergency on Tuesday, and more than 1 million people are under water rationing orders. Understandably, the region’s chili pepper harvest this year was “almost nonexistent,” according to NPR. But, though quirky, that pepper problem pales in comparison with the wider, human implications of northern Mexico’s water crisis.Skeletons EmergePreviously sunken boats have been some of the most innocent things to emerge from the receding waters. This one was found at Lake Mead. Photo: John Locher (AP)Dammed reservoirs like Lake Powell and Lake Mead dropping to record lows means that the regional water stores, the hydroelectric power supply, and entire energy grid are entering an unsettling ??? zone.Long-sunken history and even evidence of past crimes are emerging from the receding waters. First, a barrel containing a body showed up in Lake Mead. Less than a week later, separate skeletal remains surfaced. Elsewhere where droughts are occurring, similar stories are popping up.As the drought progresses, police forecast that more human remains and other lost items are likely to continue to show up. Valley FeverClimate change is aiding the spread of multiple diseases. This includes well-known and widespread terrors like Lyme disease and malaria. One of the more regionally specific illnesses, though, is Valley fever, or coccidiodomycosis (Cocci for short).Valley fever is a potentially deadly fungal infection contracted by inhaling spores from soil and dirt. Currently in the U.S., the disease is found in parts of California and the Southwest. The fungus thrives in warm, wet conditions. But the spores are believed to be most easily spread around via dust, when the ground is dry. The most dangerous combination for Cocci are wet conditions followed by drought. The present drought has put some experts on alert. Valley fever cases have risen in recent years. The number of diagnoses climbed about 800%, according to one study, between 2000 and 2018—one of California’s driest periods on record. The exact cause of the rise isn’t known, but there are lots of overlapping hypotheses. For instance, increasing development and construction put people in direct contact with soil, and there’s more diagnostic awareness of the illness.Climate change and drought are also thought to play a role. Wildfires put more people, particularly firefighters, at risk. Plus, researchers are warning that the disease could become more prevalent over a wider range in a warmer, drier world coupled with erratic and more extreme rainfall events.Colorado Cloud SeedingCloud seeding in Colorado has historically been used to boost the state’s ski industry. But drought could expand the strategy’s application.Photo: Brittany Peterson (AP)Colorado has been actively modifying its local weather through cloud seeding since the 1970s. The process involves shooting silver iodide particles into the atmosphere to trigger rain or snowfall.In 2020, the state’s cloud-seeding program contributed an estimated 326,000 gallons of water to Colorado’s snowpack. That may sound like a lot, but it’s a small percentage of what’s lacking. As drought conditions linger, though, Colorado and its western neighbors have been considering leaning even more on weather modification tech. Experts warn that cloud seeding can’t be a solution to dry conditions on its own. Cloud seeding or not, if we don’t tackle climate change head-on, Colorado will soon be headed toward a future with half as much snow, according to an April study.7 / 12Floods on the Other Side of the WorldFloods on the Other Side of the WorldDirect climate change impacts aside, another contributing factor to this year’s Southwest drought is La Niña. The weather oscillation is the opposite of El Niño, and one half of the ENSO cycle of warm/cool ocean temperature changes.While parts of North America are made extra hot and dry because of shifts in sea surface temperature, La Niña causes areas of the South Pacific become cool and very, very wet. Basically—all of the moisture the U.S. isn’t getting goes elsewhere. Australia, in particular, has been hammered by severe floods for the past few months, while the U.S. Southwest stayed parched. Most recently, Sydney was hit by an early July wave of devastating rainfall. About 50,000 people were evacuated, according Reuters reported.Climate change and ENSO interact. Because climate change gives extreme weather a boost, the effects of La Niña become amplified. And more intense ENSO events could become more common under the worst greenhouse gas emissions scenarios.The Air Gets GrossThe air quality forecast for July 13 at 4:00 PM EDT. Graphic: AirNow.govWildfires obviously worsen air quality, and drought increases the risk and severity of fires. But drought harms air quality in other ways, too. Dust (like the kind that can carry Valley fever) gets kicked up. Plus, dry conditions might also contribute to ozone pollution because of how they hamper plants’ ability to absorb harmful particles.All in all, drought is bad for our lungs. And the combo of hot weather and drought that’s currently sweeping the country is even worse. A study found that risk of death is 21% higher on days when both air pollution and temperatures are high. If the western drought continues unabated, there could soon be new air quality concerns as Utah’s Great Salt Lake dries out, exposing a toxic lake bed. 9 / 12Lawmakers Make Wild ProposalsLawmakers Make Wild ProposalsThe Great Salt Lake is at record lows, partially because of drought but also largely because of water over harvesting. Photo: Rick Bowmer (AP)Speaking of the Great Salt Lake, the drought and record-low water levels have legislators considering a truly wacky idea to keep the body of water going. Utah lawmakers floated the idea of a pipeline from the Pacific Ocean to the landlocked state during a meeting in May. “There’s a lot of water in the ocean, and we have very little in the Great Salt Lake,” Sen. David Hinkins (R), the commission’s co-chair, said during the meeting.The Pacific Ocean is, at minimum, about 600 miles and a mountain range away from the Great Salt Lake. Though, experts previously told Gizmodo that the idea of a pipeline wasn’t totally surprising or out of the question. The saline lake supports lots of Utah industries, including tourism, brine shrimp harvesting, and mineral extraction. So there are strong financial incentives for the state to try to preserve the lake. Land SinksFissures near Lucerne Lake in San Bernardino County, California are the result of land subsidence caused by groundwater withdraw. Photo: Loren Metzger / USGSAs drought reduces surface water reserves, people and farms are forced to shift over to groundwater to meet their needs. And as more water is pumped out of the ground, the land itself starts to sink, in a process known as land subsidence. More than 80% of land subsidence in the U.S. is the result of water over-pumping, according to the USGS.In California, satellite data revealed that some towns in the Central Valley sunk almost a foot in just a single year (2020-2021), according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. The USGS tracks land subsidence, and wide swathes of the state are experiencing it. It’s also happening in other states, like Texas and across the Southwest. As the ground beneath our feet gets lower, human infrastructure is often damaged. Buildings can weaken and even collapse. Sewage, power, and rail lines are busted. And if land sinks enough, future flood risk is amplified. 11 / 12Trees Start Emitting CarbonTrees Start Emitting CarbonThese trees were killed by a pine bark beetle infestation in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. Drought weakens trees and makes them more susceptible to pest attacks. Photo: VW Pics (AP)It seems like an unshakeable fact: Trees absorb CO2 and release oxygen. But a growing body of research is showing just how much drought and climate change can throw that reliable give and take out of whack. Prolonged dryness slows trees’ growth, making them less effective at taking in carbon, according to a May study published in the journal Science. Simultaneously, drought can make trees far more vulnerable to disease and pest outbreaks, which kill trees en masse, according to another May study published in the journal Ecology Letters.Counter to living trees, dead trees release CO2 instead of absorbing and storing it. And wildfires, especially, accelerate this process. Prior research has found that drought could lead to 3% less carbon uptake by forests in arid U.S. states like Arizona and Utah. It might not sound like much, but when it comes to combatting climate change, all emissions count. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
World Aug 29, 2022 9:42 AM EDT ISLAMABAD (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.
READ MORE: New climate law signed by Biden to slice carbon pollution 40 percent, study says
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.
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.
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Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan, and Frances D’Emilio in Rome contributed. Left: Men walk along a flooded road with their belongings, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Sohbatpur, Pakistan August 28, 2022. REUTERS/Amer Hussain NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
World Updated on: July 19, 2022 / 10:37 AM / CBS News Brutal heat and wildfires grip Europe Scorching summer temps and wildfires roast Europe 03:30 London — Britain on Tuesday recorded its first ever temperature over the 40 degrees Celsius mark (104 Fahrenheit), a landmark that many in the U.K. thought would take years longer to reach. The mercury provisionally registered 40.2C at Heathrow Airport, the country's meteorological agency, the Met Office, said. The new record was set within an hour of Britain passing its previous all-time high temperature of about 102 degrees, registered in eastern England in 2019.The same heat wave is fueling damaging wildfires across southern France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, driving tens of thousands of people from their homes. Wildfires rage in Spain and France amid heat wave 02:12 But the extreme temperatures are especially shocking for the U.K., where neither the people nor the infrastructure are prepared for such heat. Only about 5% of British homes are thought to have air-conditioning. The countries further south have suffered the most this week, however. With firefighters in Spain scrambling to put out dozens of wildfires from the ground and by air, desperate residents have tried to step in to battle the flames. Video caught the moment that one farmer's clothing caught on fire as he tried to dig a trench to stop the blaze approaching his property. He managed to run away, but was badly burned. Authorities have already blamed more than 1,000 deaths on the current heat wave in Spain and neighboring Portugal.In France, hot winds have been hampering efforts to contain wildfires that have scorched tens of thousands of acres, and meteorologists have warned that parts of the country are facing what they've called a "heat apocalypse." Tourists pose for photographs on Westminster Bridge in London, July 19, 2022, the hottest day ever recorded in the U.K. Frank Augstein/AP But as the hot air from the Sahara desert blows northward, it was Britain left to bake in the record-setting temperatures on Tuesday. Some places were forecast to hit as high as 108 degrees. Citing a "huge surge in fires across the capital," London Mayor Sadiq Khan begged residents and visitors to be more careful with barbeques, cigarette butts and other trash as firefighters battled blazes sparked or fueled by tinder-dry conditions. NEW: London Fire Brigade has just declared a Major Incident in response to a huge surge in fires across the capital today. This is critical: @LondonFire is under immense pressure. Please be safe.I'm in touch with the Commissioner and will share updates when I have them.— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) July 19, 2022 On Monday, London's Luton Airport was forced to suspend flights after part of the runway simply melted. Hundreds of trains have been cancelled and people have been warned to avoid public transport, stay hydrated, and stay cool however they can.KJ Oguama, on a visit to London from Belfast, told CBS News she was planning to take her two children to an air-conditioned shopping mall on Tuesday after they cooled off in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park."There's air conditioning in the hotel," she said. "We rang ahead to make sure." Scientists say heat waves have become more frequent, more intense, and longer lasting."Climate change has everything to do with the extreme weather that we're seeing at the moment, and it's human-induced climate change, it's not a natural variation," Kirsty McCabe, a meteorologist at the U.K.'s Royal Meteorological Society, told CBS News. Asked if weather like this was likely to become the norm for Britain and its neighbors, she left little room for doubt. "Unfortunately, yes. That's exactly where we are heading at the moment," McCabe said, "if we don't do some drastic action, we will continue to see these things happening." In: Weather Forecast Heat Wave European Union United Kingdom london 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 |
A year after one of the worst floods in Germany's history, and the scars of the disaster are still visible.In some streets in Altenburg, no building was left untouched.
Facades hang off houses.Red crosses on walls and doors mark the condemned - the damage too extensive to repair.In other areas of the Ahr valley, businesses remain closed or bordered up. More than 180 people in West Germany died when water swept through communities.
In some places, the rain was so heavy it washed away the land, as extreme weather brought a European superpower to its knees. More on Germany Germans warned to prepare for possible gas shortage amid Russia's war in Ukraine Boy missing for eight days in Germany found alive in sewer 101-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard jailed for five years A year on, Martin Eggerts's home in Sinzig is still drying out. Image: Martin Eggerts' home The floods reached the first-floor balcony.He says there was no warning for the scale of what was coming.He could only watch as water inundated the care home opposite killing 12 people.More:Before and after images show full extent of devastation"The water kept on going up and then we heard one of people living in the building crying, 'Help, help me.' He was holding on the tree or onto the window. He was the only one who survived this in the basement."We had to call to him, 'Hold on. Hold on. You will be safe soon'."Germany is the largest economy in the EU, yet a year on, some communities are a still shell of what they were.The government has pledged 30 billion euros to the rebuild but many complain the money is slow to come through.People are worried they will be forgotten and question if they'll be better protected in the future.On the edge of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, temporary container homes house the victims. Image: Anja and Rainer Schumacher's home was destroyed 'I'm terrified of water'Anja and Rainer Schumacher show me around their compact one-bed place.Anja is still deeply traumatised."I don't sleep well. I'm incredibly terrified of water. This is not about taking a shower, but if it's raining outside, I panic, then I have to stop and pull my car over," she says.Their home is still too damaged and unsafe to live in."Everything is broken, everything is destroyed. The town is destroyed, our home is destroyed. It's all destroyed," she says, beginning to cry.In the Ahr valley, the local wine industry took a huge hit. Millions of euros of damage was done overnight.Peter Kriechel lost 40,000 litres of wine and 20,000 bottles worth. 'It was a tsunami'He's now selling flood-soaked bottles to raise money to help the industry rebuild."I think climate change is a very big problem so we must protect ourselves. It was not high water, it was a tsunami. It was a big wave which destroyed everything in this valley," he says.And as the rebuilding continues, experts warn more extreme weather is to be expected in the future. Image: Professor Dr Claudia Kemfert "Germany is not prepared right now," says Professor Dr Claudia Kemfert, head of the Department of Energy, Transportation and the Environment at the German Institute for Economic Research."The likelihood is increasing that such kind of events could happen more often and even more intense because we are just at the beginning of climate change."Criticised for being unprepared and under equipped, Germany's government has a new disaster resilience plan.But climate change pushed this country to its limit and the next test could be even more brutal. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The Environment Agency has warned we are facing the 'early signs of drought' with no rain on the horizon during another spell of sizzling weatherThe Met Office said there is a 40% chance the mercury will exceed 35C next weekThe UK is facing a second weather “event" of the year with a blistering heatwave threatening to spark an extended drought. Temperatures could soar up to 35C (95F) during a ten day scorcher this week, prompting fears of even more “terrifying” wildfires. The Environment Agency (EA) has warned they are seeing the “early signs of drought” and The Met Office say there is little chance of rain on the horizon. People in the UK are being urged to use 35 litres less of water per day by not using hosepipes and showering less. Those who break the law face £1000 fines if taken to court. A Government minister even suggested installing a water-saving device in your toilet cistern. The Government has also taken the unusual step of telling water companies to “step up” and take action now and bring in more hosepipe bans. The hot summer has parched Britain's parks and fields like in Blackheath, south London (
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PA) Extreme weather has forced three water companies to announce hosepipe bans, affecting around 2.4 million people in England and Wales. Southern Water has already imposed a hosepipe ban for Brits in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, South East Water will follow suit this Friday, with a ban in force for those in Kent and Sussex. But amid fears the water bosses have left it too late, Environment Secretary George Eustice has strongly urged other companies to follow suit. He warned them if they failed to act, he “won’t hesitate to step in and take further action”. Mr Eustice wrote in The Sunday Telegraph: “In accordance with their drought plans, water companies across the country have rightly taken action to mitigate the effects of this prolonged dry weather using the range of tools available to them. I strongly urge others to do the same”. Burrator Reservoir in Devon is 44% full (
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SWNS) But the Government was blasted for having "no plan" itself to deal with drought conditions. Jim McMahon, the shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, said: “This crisis in our system was entirely predictable and the government should have both anticipated and planned for it. “In a country with plenty of rain outside of mid-summer, we should not need to rely on hosepipe bans to get us through the dry months. Incredible historic temperatures of 40.3C last month and the lack of rainfall, has left much of the south parched. Even the source of the Thames has started to dry up and in Norfolk the River Wensum stopped flowing through a historic watermill for the first time in a century. More wildfires broke out in England and Wales in July than there were in entirety of last year. A fire in Essex yesterday took hold very quickly in the dry conditions and spread to 15 gardens (
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NC) Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said temperatures are nine to ten degrees above average temperatures for August, which is normally 21.5 in southern England and 17C in Scotland. “There is a likely chance we will be seeing heatwave areas across a number of areas. Temperatures are definitely well above our average. “Science has pointed us towards these hot periods becoming more frequent with climate change. We’ve already seen this in July and now we have a notable one in August as well. “This one would be seen as quite the event of the year, if we’d not already seen temperatures like we did in July. “The second half of this week will see heatwaves fairly widely across southern England and potential for eastern areas too. Scotland might even make heatwave threshold of 25C.” He said on Monday it will be 29C pushing towards 30C on Wednesday while in the north west temperatures could reach 28C on Thursday. He said by Friday and Saturday temperatures will get higher again and be around 33C and 34C. The dramatic fire in Chelmsford last night “But there is a 40 percent chance of seeing temperatures above 35C. It’s a reasonable chance,” he said. Britain faces the driest period since the summer of 1976, with the south of England in particular having already suffered the driest July since records began in 1836. Ex EA boss, Dave Throup, pointed out “dry stubble” in the fields and said: “Next week a real concern for wildfires.” In Cornwall, 40 firefighters tackled a wild fire near Truro on Saturday. A green shoot in the bone dry Lindley Wood reservoir in Yorkshire (
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Asadour Guzelian) There are fears we could follow France which has set up a crisis team to tackle a historic drought that has left more than 100 regions short of drinking water. The Minister for Ecological Transition Christophe Bechu warned: “There is nothing left in the pipes. “This is a situation like nothing we’ve ever seen... And the bad news is that, as far as we can see, there’s no reason to think that it will stop.” The drought in the UK has been described as a death sentence for Britain’s wildlife, with blackbirds and thrushes unable to find worms in a rock-hard ground to feed their starving chicks. There is still hardly any rain forecast over the next couple of weeks (
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SWNS) Environment Agency boss, John Curtin, tweeted: “In these conditions we can see aquatic wildlife in distress” and urged the public to report it if they say fish dying or gasping for air. There are also fears for Britain’s struggling hedgehog population which has plunged from fifty million to less than 900,000 during the last few decades. Although experts fear the nation’s drought conditions and looming nationwide hosepipe bans will create even more of an ideal environment for wasps to multiply and swarm. Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, has criticised water companies for taking action too late. Dried up river bed in Somerford Keynes, Glos (
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PA) He said: “Every year we get to this perilous position and at the last possible moment, when the rivers are at their lowest, we get discussion of temporary use bans. “Announcing it at the last minute causes people to rush to wash their cars and fill their paddling pools, wash the dog, and causes an increase in demand before the ban comes in. “This should happen before the rivers come to a desperate condition and there’s not enough water for wildlife.” Read More Read More | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
BEIJING (AP) — Flooding and extreme high temperatures have caused multiple deaths in eastern China as summer heat descends earlier than usual. Record-high temperatures have been reported in Zhejiang province, just east of the global business hub of Shanghai, topping out above 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. The neighboring coastal provinces of Jiangsu and Fujian were also suffering under high heat, while Henan, Sichuan and Heilongjiang further inland saw many hospitalized for heat stroke, with an as-yet unreported number of deaths. Floods have also struck much of the country, with three people reported killed and five missing in Sichuan province’s Pingwu county as of midday Wednesday. One person was reported dead and eight missing in Heilongjiang in the northeast. Experts say such extreme weather events are becoming more likely because of climate change. Warmer air can store more water, leading to bigger cloudbursts when it’s released. Hundreds of thousands in south-central China have already been displaced by flooding. The flooding adds to economic woes brought on partly by stringent “zero-COVID” measures restricting travel and disrupting supply chains. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The new health secretary has said new measures including extra working hours for ambulance crews are being put in place as the UK faces its first national heatwave emergency.Steve Barclay said the additional support, which also includes more call handlers, is being put in place on Monday and Tuesday.
Almost all of England is now covered by a Met Office amber heat warning, which will extend to Wales and southern Scotland from Monday until Tuesday.The UK's first red warning will cover a large part of England from London to Manchester and York on Monday and Tuesday. Image: On Monday and Tuesday a large part of England will be covered by a red heat alert. Pic: Met Office Temperatures could soar as high as 40C (104F) in London on Tuesday as health officials warn of the dangers of extreme heat. Find out the five-day forecast for where you live
Mr Barclay said: "The clear message to the public is to take the sensible steps in terms of water, shade and cover, that many people are aware of. That's the best way of mitigating against the heat. More on Climate Crisis Extreme weather: Roads close, 'frightening' fires break out and drought sets in as Portugal's temperatures climb towards 46C 'Jaw-dropping' amount of plastic thrown away by British households every year revealed UK weather: Britons set to see hottest day of the year as temperatures predicted to reach 33C "We're asking people to keep an eye out for their neighbours and those who may be vulnerable."We're also putting in additional contingency support as well."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 dangers posed by the rising temperatures were laid bare on Saturday when a body was found in Salford Quays after Greater Manchester Police received a report of a person getting into difficulty in the water. Image: Health secretary Steve Barclay announced extra measures to help the country deal with the heatwave emergency Meanwhile in West Yorkshire a search was under way after concerns were raised in relation to a person in the water at Ardsley Reservoir.Read more: Schools close and hospitals cancel appointments as UK braces for record temperaturesMr Barclay added: "We're putting in extra measures in terms of call handlers, support for fleet [and] extra hours of capacity within the ambulances."Each ambulance trust has well-developed contingency plans for extreme weather."We're also working with the hospitals to get the handovers from ambulances into hospitals, but also to ensure that where people can be moved on to the wards themselves, we're using the full capability of the hospital rather than people waiting longer than they need to in ambulances outside." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Unprecedented red heat warnings The government held an emergency COBRA meeting on Saturday after forecasters warned the potentially record-breaking temperatures could put lives at risk.Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse, who chaired the meeting, said transport services will face "significant disruption" on Monday and Tuesday and urged people not to travel.He added schools were being issued with guidance to enable them to stay open.Read more:People urged to 'check on elderly and babies' after COBRA meetingWhy '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 Protecting vulnerable people from heat Dr Nikos Christidis, climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, said the 40C prediction on Tuesday is a result of climate change."We hoped we wouldn't get to this situation, but for the first time ever we are forecasting greater than 40C in the UK," he said."In a recent study we found that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK has been increasing and will continue to do so during the course of the century, with the most extreme temperatures expected to be observed in the southeast of England." | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The UK is the middle of a heat dome and this heatwave could be more dangerous than the last, according to Sky News' weather presenter.An amber heat health alert is in place until Sunday and although temperatures will not hit the record-breaking highs of 40.3C seen last month, the current heatwave is expected to be longer than July's.
Sky's Kirsty McCabe explains that the gradual build-up of heat over several days this time could actually be more dangerous than the conditions seen previously.Experts from the UK Health Security Agency are advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.McCabe said: "It's the duration of the heatwave that will allow dangerous levels of heat to build up, especially in buildings and urban areas. The nights will be increasingly warm too, making it difficult to sleep. Footage captures 'fire tornado' - live weather updates
"By Thursday lunchtime, parts of the UK had exceeded 30C for 4 days in a row, and it's likely somewhere in the UK will be above 30C for a least a week". More on Extreme Weather Swifts nearly baked alive, sparrows stuck to tarmac, and hedgehogs orphaned - the destruction caused by France's fourth heatwave Fire severity risk raised to 'exceptional' as four-day amber alert begins Hosepipe bans: What are the rules, what are the exemptions and what do they mean? She said that while temperatures are set to peak at 36C across southern England this weekend, heatwave conditions will be met widely across the UK and Ireland.The Met Office defines a heatwave as at least three consecutive days of temperatures above a certain level.July's extreme heatwave lasted three successive days, while this extreme heat warning is expected to last at least four days.In 'middle' of heat dome McCabe says that we are in the middle of a heat dome as temperatures have risen even though we have not reached the peak.A heat dome is when an area of high pressure stays over a large part of a region for days, or even weeks.Like a lid on a saucepan, it traps hot air underneath, and can cause heatwaves with temperatures well above the norm.Hot air expands vertically into the atmosphere then high pressure from above means it has nowhere to escape and pushes that warm air down.As the warm air sinks, it compresses and heats up, which then traps more heat underneath. The ground then heats up and loses moisture which makes it heat up even more, and means it is ripe for fires to start. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 'Climate change to blame' The dome of high pressure also pushes the clouds around it, keeping the heat in even more.Usually, winds can move the high pressure around but as the dome stretches high into the atmosphere, the high pressure system becomes very slow moving, almost stationary.McCabe says the intense heat last month came from "very hot, dry air being dragged up from North Africa on strong southerly winds".Read more:What and where is the 'exceptional' fire riskPeople told to grass on neighbours who flout hosepipe banWhat are the rules on hosepipe bans and what do they mean?However this time, she says the current hot weather is "home grown" from high pressure sitting over the British Isles.What's happening next week?After a hot weekend, cooler, more changeable conditions are forecast to move in from the west next week.McCabe says the heat will only slowly relinquish its grip, and at the moment any showers are unlikely to bring much relief to those areas struggling with drought.Sky News understands that a drought is expected to be declared on Friday in the South West, meaning people living there can expect to see a series of restrictions on domestic and commercial use of water - including hosepipe bans. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Torrential rain and thunderstorms hammering Britain have seen streets turn to rivers and a huge mudslide block a country road - with another two inches of rain on the way in three hours today as the heatwave ends with a bang.The A358 in Somerset was closed at Combe Florey after the mudslide last night which saw workers remove more than 50 tonnes of mud and potatoes – and it was still shut this afternoon due to the amount of debris. Diversions were put in place, and council workers joked they were 'working hard to ensure no chips on drivers' windscreens'.Families braced themselves for traffic chaos and power cuts as forecasters warned of dangerous flash floods - while authorities told people to prepare an emergency bag of vital belongings in case their homes are damaged.But while the heatwave has now technically ended after eight days today, it remains very warm in much of the UK with highs of 27C (81F) expected this afternoon, before 25C (77F) tomorrow and Thursday, and 24C (75F) on Friday.Dramatic videos showed fast-flowing floodwater cascading down steep roads and deluging junctions in Devon and Cornwall - while Londoners hid under trees, blankets and bin lids to avoid sudden bouts of torrential rail.The whole of England and Wales has been put under a thunderstorm warning for today, with a separate rain alert in place for Scotland. There is also a further thunderstorm warning covering all of southern England tomorrow.The Met Office said some places will stay dry today, but others will see thunderstorms with torrential rain - and flooding could happen quickly, with damage to buildings from water, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.Forecasters said fast 'flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life' and that the conditions could cause delays to trains and along with difficult driving conditions as well as some road closures.Speed restrictions were imposed on some rail routes in Scotland today due to the heavy rain - with train services affected between Glasgow and Inverness, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen. Flooding was also seen near Perth. The Met Office said thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain will develop quite widely across much of England and Wales throughout today, and the extent of these thunderstorms will be more widespread than yesterday.Up to 1.2in (30mm) of rain is possible within an hour, but where areas of thundery rain become slow-moving, some places could see 2in (50mm) in less than three hours – and even higher totals in a few spots over the whole day.The stormy weather comes after weeks of soaring temperatures – with at least 30C (86F) recorded for eight days in a row up to and including yesterday, and an unprecedented 40.3C (104.5F) last month. The official heatwave threshold varies around the country, but for London it is three consecutive days of 28C (82F) temperatures.Meanwhile experts warned that the drought is far from over as the country needs weeks of rainfall to replenish supplies. It comes after the country's driest July on record and the driest first half of the year since 1976. The A358 in Somerset has been closed at Combe Florey today after a huge mudslide that has caused chaos for local motorists Heavy downpours and thunderstorms move northwards into southern England this morning amid warnings over flooding Vehicles drive along the very wet M25 near Swanley in Kent today as heavy rain creates surface spray and reduces visibility Tourists walk along the South Bank in London during heavy rain in the capital today as the heatwave comes to an end A couple go for a walk in the sea under an umbrella off the almost deserted beach of Weymouth in Dorset this morning Commuters walk over London Bridge this morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwave A vehicle drives through a large puddle during heavy rain at Greenwich in South East London this morning People walk over London Bridge this morning as heavy rain hits the capital following the heatwavePeople walk through London in the rain today - and while some of them came prepared with umbrellas, others did not Flooding on rail lines near Perth in Scotland today, where speed restrictions have been imposed on routes due to heavy rain Tourists wearing rain ponchos walk through Westminster today during heavy rain after the prolonged dry spell Christine Colvin, from the Rivers Trust, warned there is a risk that people will not take the drought seriously in the coming days, adding: 'We want people to keep this rainfall event in context and as part of the bigger picture.'The bigger picture is that we've actually still had an incredibly dry year as well as a dry summer and it's going to take sustained rainfall to replenish our supplies. Just because it rains, it doesn't mean the drought is over.' 'Devastating' incident as body of girl, 14, is recovered from water The body of a 14-year-old girl has been recovered from water in Greater Manchester after a 'devastating' incident, prompting police to urge people to keep safe while enjoying the warm weather.Emergency services were called to reports of a person getting into difficulty in the water in Stalybridge, Tameside, shortly before 6.30pm yesterday.Today, Greater Manchester Police announced that her body had been recovered overnight. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service also attended the scene. The teenager has been formally identified and her family are being supported by specially trained officers, GMP said. The scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, today, after the body of a 14-year-old girl was recovered from the water overnight Inquiries continue, but officers from Tameside Criminal Investigation Department said at this stage they are confident there are no suspicious circumstances, and a file is being prepared for the coroner.Detective Inspector Steven Horton said: 'Yesterday evening's events are nothing short of devastating and my thoughts are with the friends and family of the young girl who lost her life in such awful circumstances. Flowers at the scene in Stalybridge, Tameside, today'We are doing all we can to support the girl's family at this incredibly difficult time, and we are focused on ensuring they get the answers they deserve as to how this tragedy occurred.'From our inquiries so far, we are confident that there are no suspicious circumstances and that this is such a sad reminder of the dangers of entering open water, whatever the weather. 'We remind the public to avoid being tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds. 'We all want to enjoy the warm weather - please make sure you do so in a safe way. Think of your family, look out for your friends.' Fire crews at the scene in Stalybridge yesterday eveningShe added: 'It's going to take sustained rain to replenish the supplies we actually use, which are the aquifers and the managed storage in our reservoirs.'The Environment Agency had ten flood alerts in place for England today, including two on the north Norfolk coast, four in Derbyshire, three in Nottinghamshire and another in Leicestershire. There were also 16 flood alerts from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, covering the likes of Aberdeenshire, Skye and the Scottish Borders.The heavy downpours over a short period will not soak into the earth – baked almost as hard as concrete by the heat – and are instead flooding streets in towns and cities. The Met Office warned that people who live in 'low-lying properties' should make sure their valuable items are 'ready to go', or 'on a higher level of your house', due to the current high flood risk.Speaking to Sky News this morning, Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: 'For low-lying properties, which perhaps have been built on a floodplain, yes, there is a risk of flooding in properties.'Get all your documents, whether it's your mobile phone, your passport, etc, all those things you don't want to be damaged by floodwater and make sure they're ready to go or on a higher level of your house'.She added that the downpours overnight and into this morning are 'the wrong kind of rain which we need for the ground', as the ground is too hard to absorb it.'What we're looking for is sort of continuous rain, moderate rain, rather than this incredibly intense burst, which currently is moving up across more southern areas of England. So we're not out of the woods yet.'And London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'I have written to tens of thousands of Londoners who live in homes that could be affected by flash flooding. 'My message to Londoners is to please contact Floodline, go to your local authority's website to see what you can do to reduce the chances of you being flooded and also to minimise the consequences on you.'Referencing flash floods last July – when two months' worth of rain fell in two hours – he added: 'We learned a lot from last year [when] people's homes, businesses and public transport were flooded.'Patrick Goulbourne, the London Fire Brigade's Assistant Commissioner, added: 'It is really important that Londoners – particularly those living in basement properties – are prepared and know what to do should a flood occur.'Pay attention to weather alerts and prepare a flood kit or grab bag. People can use sandbags to limit the water flow and move belongings to a higher level.'A flooding 'grab bag' should contain insurance and other important documents, mobile phones and chargers, emergency cash, and any medication, according to the National Flood Forum charity.For parents with young children, it should also include nappies, a favourite toy, clothing, wipes, milk and baby food.In Cornwall yesterday, motorists battled their way through flooded roads including in Truro, while shoppers in the North West prepared for up to two inches of rain. Another video showed floodwater running down a steep street in the Devon village of Clovelly.In Dorset – which saw thousands of sunseekers on the seafront over the weekend – beaches were almost deserted.The National Flood Forum warned today that the UK is still 'reactive and not proactive' about flood risk even though flooding has become a 'regular pattern' for the country,Speaking to Nick Ferarri on LBC this morning, Heather Shepherd said: 'Flooding has definitely increased and certainly the length of time that I've been working in flood risk, and we see it now as a regular pattern, don't we, every year.'However, she added: 'I still think we are quite reactive and not proactive. As soon as it's not in the headlines, flooding, we tend to be a bit too laid back.' A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset today after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last nightWorkers have had to remove more than 50 tonnes of mud and potatoes today following the mudslide on the A358 in Somerset A tractor works to clear A358 in Somerset today after it was closed at Combe Florey following the mudslide last night Emergency services workers at the scene of the A358 mudslide in Somerset today amid the torrential rain and thunderstorms A woman looks across to the Houses of Parliament while shielding under an umbrella during a rain shower in London todayMs Shepherd expressed concern about the Government's 'cost criteria' regarding the accessibility of funding for flooded communities, saying: 'There are people, particularly in rural and deprived areas, that repeatedly are flooded and can't access any funding to do anything about that.' Now a drought is also declared in YorkshireA drought has been declared in Yorkshire, the Environment Agency has said.The region joins eight areas of England which were moved into drought status last Friday.The last drought in Yorkshire was in autumn 2018.Baitings Reservoir in Ripponden, West Yorkshire, where water levels are significantly low, is pictured last FridayVictoria Slingsby, environment planning and engagement manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: 'The high temperatures we are experiencing have exacerbated pressures on wildlife and our water environment in Yorkshire. 'These extreme weather conditions become more likely with climate change.'We are experiencing some much-needed rain this week, but it will not be enough to correct weeks of dry weather, and it will take more prolonged rainfall to wet up soils and replenish rivers, reservoirs and groundwater levels.'It's important for everyone to manage the amount of water they are using in this exceptionally dry period.'She also warned that 'building like mad everywhere' was increasing flood risk, as 'a lot of that is on places where water had space and it no longer has. It overwhelms our drainage infrastructure. And we're seeing more and more urban flooding'.Last week a drought was declared in eight areas of England including Devon and Cornwall, Kent and south London.Several water firms – including Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water – have already imposed hosepipe bans to tackle the shortage.South West Water was the latest company to announce restrictions in Cornwall which will kick in on August 23.Yorkshire Water's ban will start on August 26 and Thames Water has said it is planning one but has not confirmed the date.A £1,000 fine could be imposed on anyone who breaks the ban but water companies have not said if they have pressed for prosecutions in the past. Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said that thunderstorms and heavy rain is likely to hit parts of Scotland as well as areas of the South West and East of England.He added that up to two inches of rainfall – almost a month's worth of rain – could fall in just three hours in some parts.He added: 'That being said, it is quite hard to pinpoint exactly where these thunderstorms will crop up. Some areas will miss the showers completely.'But, where they do come down, there could be some impacts like surface water flooding – with the rain obviously hitting dry land –travel disruption and power cuts affecting homes and businesses.'And Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: 'Temperatures will be lower, looking at highs of around 27C as a maximum temperature, but it will still be on the humid side (today).'Thundery showers across central and southern parts of England on Wednesday and temperatures will be around 26C as a maximum.'Mr Dewhurst warned that the bad weather conditions could pose difficulties for those hoping to travel and urged people to stay up to date with developments in their local area.'We'll see some very heavy showers develop over the coming days, hail, frequent lightning, some flash flooding is possible like we've seen in places today so our advice is to stay tuned to latest forecasts and local radio stations as well, to get the latest information,' he said.'It is worth being aware that there could be disruptions or delays to travel.'People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain this morning as the capital is hit by downpours Two people look at Tower Bridge in the rain under an umbrella this morning as downpours return to the capital People walk through London near Tower Bridge in the rain this morning as the capital is hit by downpours An autumnal feel to Hyde Park in London this morning as the heatwave finally ends with a series of thunderstormsHe added: 'It will be in turns fairly breezy as we end the week, with some showery rain, particularly across the north of the UK, so temperatures generally around average for many but could possibly be a bit above for the far south, which is the mid-20s. Now London is set for a hosepipe ban: Thames Water will tell 15million people not to water gardens or wash their cars in days - bringing UK total to 24million The year's biggest hosepipe ban yet is set to be confirmed for London and the Thames Valley later this week, before coming into force from next week – affecting 15million people across the Thames Water region.Thames Water had already warned last week that it was planning a ban in the 'coming weeks', and this is now set to be confirmed by the end of this week. It will be the year's biggest temporary usage ban so far in population size.Meanwhile another hosepipe ban was announced yesterday, with Cornwall and parts of Devon becoming the next area of the UK to face temporary restrictions when South West Water brings in the policy in a week's time.Four water companies – Manx Water, Welsh Water, Southern Water and South East Water - have already imposed bans, while Yorkshire Water said one will start on August 26. It comes after a drought was declared for parts of England following the driest summer for 50 years that has almost completely deprived some areas of rainfall.The hosepipe bans will soon cover a total of more than 24million people - including 5million in Yorkshire (Yorkshire Water) 2.2million in Kent and Sussex (South East Water), around 1million in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Southern Water), another 1million in Cornwall and part of Devon (South West Water), 200,000 in Pembrokeshire and a small part of Carmarthenshire (Welsh Water) and 80,000 on the Isle of Man (Manx Water). South West Water yesterday announced that it will be imposing its own 'temporary use ban' restrictions from midnight on August 23, with bosses saying this will be the firm's first ban in more than a quarter of a century.The ban means customers cannot use any hosepipe including sprinklers, dripper hoses and automatic irrigation systems for watering the garden or plants; cleaning a car, walls, paths or patios; or filling a pool, pond or fountain.However they can still do any of these activities if they use mains water from a bucket or watering can, or use water that is not sourced from the mains such as greywater or rainwater from a water butt through a hosepipe.'It looks probably most likely from late Wednesday to Thursday onwards it will become fresher for everyone.'Professor Hannah Cloke, an expert in hydrology at the University of Reading, warned that the parched soil increased the risk of 'dangerous' flooding.She said: 'The ground is really dry and when it is so dry it acts a little bit like concrete and that water can't get in so it drains straight off. There is the damage to homes and businesses these floods can cause, and inconvenience with transport disruptions –but if it is very heavy in one place it can also be very dangerous.'On how it could affect cities like London, she said: 'If you get heavy rain in a city, the drainage system can cope up to a point. But if there is really heavy rain it can overwhelm the system – the rain cannot run away quick enough.'Water tends to find the lowest pathway – that is why it is so dangerous for cities with these surface area floods. That is why it is of concern to the Tube and underground car parks and things like that.''If we are in London and the parks are really, really dry, there is nowhere for the water to run so it is exacerbating the risks we already have in cities.'In rural areas, Professor Cloke said flooding often hits low points in roads and under bridges.Also today, Ofwat chief executive David Black has defended targets set for water companies as 'challenging but achievable'.Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme and asked if the targets set for leaks are tough enough, Mr Black said: 'Yes, we set challenging but achievable targets for water companies, leakage being one of them.'So at the last price review we challenged the sector to reduce leakage by 16 per cent and the latest information we have shows that 13 out of 17 companies (are) on track to deliver that in the first two years.'He added: 'I can point elsewhere in the (targets) regime where fewer companies are succeeding, so for example on pollution incidence less companies are successful.'So we have set challenging targets and in fact at the last price review four out of 17 companies appealed our determination. So they thought the determination was too tough, and one of their contentions was that the targets were too challenging.'Mr Black also said that overall, the water supplier sector 'has underperformed against the price review'.He told the BBC: 'Where companies are falling short on leakage they will incur penalties on that. It may be that they are outperforming the regime elsewhere. But overall the sector as a whole has underperformed against the price review thus far into the period.'Mr Black added: 'So far to date the sector hasn't succeeded in earning the - if you like - these standard rates of return.'He said: 'We certainly agree that customers should get better service and expect better service and that's why we have set performance targets that aim in every case to drive better performance from companies.'There are some companies like Thames Water which have been repeated poor performers and we have taken action against them and other companies.'Asked if he thinks there is nothing wrong with the system, Mr Black said: 'No, I think that companies like Thames and Southern really need to up their game. I think it's very concerning that other companies that may be performing better in the sector it casts a long shadow when we see poor performance.' | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Good morning.Alaska has experienced more than 500 forest fires since the beginning of April, which have forced the evacuation of mining camps, villages and remote cabins.By 15 June, more than 1m acres (405,000 hectares) in the state had already gone up in flames, about the area that would normally burn in an entire fire season. By mid-July, more than 3m acres of land had burned, putting the state at risk of breaking its 2004 record of 6.5m acres (2.6m hectares) burned.Today, 264 individual fires are burning across the state. “It’s unprecedented,” said Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the International Arctic Research Center in Fairbanks, of this year’s fires.Meanwhile, firefighters continued to battle blazes in southern Europe as searing temperatures moved north and Britain braces itself for what could be its hottest day on record, with experts blaming the climate crisis and predicting more frequent extreme weather to come. Is it really all down to the climate crisis? Thoman says the rising temperatures are playing a big part. “It’s not only Alaska,” he says. “Across the board in the Arctic and the sub-Arctic, you’re seeing this increase in fires. Taking into consideration the lightning, the drought, the early snowmelt – there’s just no doubt the warming planet is playing a huge role in this.” What’s happening in France? Meteorologists have warned of a “heat apocalypse” in western France as more than 8,500 further people fled their homes to escape a large wildfire sparked by a searing southern European heatwave that has already caused hundreds of deaths. Steve Bannon appears in court as contempt-of-Congress trial beginsSteve Bannon leaves court after appearing on charges of contempt of Congress. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/APWith jury selection nearly complete, opening arguments are expected to take place on Tuesday in the federal trial against Steve Bannon, the top former Trump strategist charged with contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with a subpoena from the House January 6 committee.Bannon appeared in federal court on Monday as his trial formally opened in Washington. The far-right provocateur – one of the principal architects of Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election – is attempting to argue that he did not wilfully fail to comply with the subpoena, which sought documents and testimony.DC district court judge Carl Nichols is expected to proceed to opening arguments in the contempt trial once the final 12-person jury, with two alternates, is seated from a group of 22 prospective jurors, which was whittled down from an initial pool of 60 DC residents. What has he been charged with? Bannon is charged with two counts of criminal contempt of Congress after he was referred to the justice department by the House of Representatives after his failure to testify and turn over documents as demanded by a subpoena from the select committee late last year. Why did the panel want Bannon to testify? The panel noted he spoke to Trump the day before the Capitol attack and helped the Trump “war room” at the Willard hotel strategize on how to stop the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s election win. Pro-Israel hardliners spend millions to transform Democratic primariesRepresentative Donna Edwards of Maryland. Hardline groups have spent millions to oppose her primary bid. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/APPro-Israel lobby groups have poured millions of dollars into a Democratic primary for a Maryland congressional seat, in the latest attempt to block an establishment candidate who expressed support for the Palestinians.A surge in political spending by organisations funded by hardline supporters of Israel, led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), has reshaped Democratic primaries over recent months even though debate about the country rarely figures as a major issue in the elections.Critics accuse Aipac and its allies of distorting Democratic politics in part because much of the money used to influence primary races comes from billionaire Republicans.Aipac has spent $6m on Tuesday’s contest in Maryland, more than any other organisation, to oppose Donna Edwards, who served eight years as the first Black woman elected to Congress from Maryland before losing a bid for the Senate in 2016. Why do they want Edwards to lose? She angered some pro-Israel groups during her stint as a representative for failing to back resolutions in support of Israel over its 2011 war in Gaza and other positions. She also backed the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran when it was strongly opposed by the Israeli government and therefore Aipac. In other news …‘Historic’ waves crash over two-storey buildings in Hawaii. Composite: Isabella Sloan via Storyful Towering waves on Hawaii’s south shores crashed into homes and businesses, spilled across highways and upended weddings over the weekend. The large waves, some more than 20ft (6 metres) high, came from a combination of a strong south swell, particularly high tides and rising sea levels. Thieves in California stole millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry and gemstones after breaking into an unattended security vehicle on its way back from a jewelry show, police said. The robbery took place in a remote rest stop in southern California last week after the vehicle’s two armed guardsleft. Vladimir Putin has arrived in Tehran on his second visit outside Russia since the start of the Ukraine war, where he will hold talks on lifting the Ukrainian grain blockade, the future of Syria and the chances of reviving the Iran nuclear deal with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts. Police in Japan are searching for a wild monkey that has attacked 10 people in the space of a fortnight. The attacks began on 8 July in the Ogori district of Yamaguchi prefecture in thesouth-west. In the most serious incident, it badly scratched an infant after invading a family home. Stat of the day: £187m of British royal family wealth hidden in secret willsLeft to right; King Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor; Alexander William George Duff, Duke of Fife; Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; and Princess Margaret. Composite: Hulton Archive/W and D Downey/Tim Graham Photo Library/Kypros/Getty ImagesGetty ImagesGenerations of the royal family have concealed details of assets worth more than £180m through a series of legal applications that have been granted in total secrecy. The assets are outlined in 33 wills that were drawn up by members of the Windsor family over more than a century. The family have been able to keep secret the contents of the wills by securing a special carve-out from a law that normally requires British wills to be published, enabling them to avoid the public seeing what kinds of assets – such as property, jewels and cash – have been accumulated.Don’t miss this: 50 years later, the truth behind American Pie‘This film was a concerted effort to raise the curtain’ … Don McLean in 1974. Photograph: Michael Putland/Getty ImagesThroughout the years, journalists have subjected American Pie to a Talmudic level of scrutiny, while its songwriter, Don McLean, has doled out dribs and drabs of insight into his intent. By contrast, a new documentary offers the first line-by-line deconstruction of the song’s lyrics, as well as the most detailed analysis to date of its musical evolution. “I told Don, ‘It’s time for you to reveal what 50 years of journalists have wanted to know’,” Spencer Proffer, who has produced a comprehensive new documentary about the song, said. “This film was a concerted effort to raise the curtain.”Climate check: this heatwave has eviscerated the idea that small changes can tackle extreme weatherFirefighters try to control a forest fire in Louchats, south-west France. Photograph: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images“Can we talk about it now? I mean the subject most of the media and most of the political class has been avoiding for so long. You know, the only subject that ultimately counts – the survival of life on Earth,” writes George Monbiot. “We have seen nothing yet. Dangerous heat is already becoming normal in southern Europe, and would be counted among the cooler days during hot periods in parts of the Middle East, Africa and south Asia, where heat is becoming a regular threat to life. Systems need to urgently change – and the silence needs to be broken.”Last Thing: standing up for asylum seekers: refugees learn the art of comedy‘Comedy is a way you can send strong messages to people without them feeling bored.’ Photograph: Edward Herdwick/AlamyIn Athens, a handful of novice standups are at the mic after taking part in a series of comedy workshops. Migration is the uncharacteristically hilarious topic at the heart of this comedy show which is performed by refugees and asylum seekers as part of Refugee Week. Explaining its appeal, one of the organisers, Vasileia Vaxevani, says: “The conversation is always, ‘Oh, that poor immigrant or refugee, poor Afghan, poor Syrian’.” But these amateur comedians are “real people, they have interesting stories, they’ve had whole, funny lives”, he says.Sign upSign up for the US morning briefingFirst Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.Get in touchIf you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email [email protected] | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The UK is under a heat dome and this heatwave could be more dangerous than the last, according to Sky News' weather presenter.A Met Office amber extreme heat warning is in place for much of England and Wales until Sunday and although temperatures will not hit the record-breaking highs of 40.3C seen last month, the current heatwave is expected to be longer than July's.
Sky's Kirsty McCabe explains that the gradual build-up of heat over several days this time could actually be more dangerous than the conditions seen previously.Experts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are advising people to look out for those who are older or with existing health conditions, as well as young children.McCabe said: "It's the duration of the heatwave that will allow dangerous levels of heat to build up, especially in buildings and urban areas. The nights will be increasingly warm too, making it difficult to sleep. Footage captures 'fire tornado' - live weather updates
"By Thursday lunchtime, parts of the UK had exceeded 30C for 4 days in a row, and it's likely somewhere in the UK will be above 30C for a least a week". More on Extreme Weather Swifts nearly baked alive, sparrows stuck to tarmac, and hedgehogs orphaned - the destruction caused by France's fourth heatwave Fire severity risk raised to 'exceptional' as four-day amber alert begins Hosepipe bans: What are the rules, what are the exemptions and what do they mean? She said that while temperatures are set to peak at 36C across southern England this weekend, heatwave conditions will be met widely across the UK and Ireland.The Met Office defines a heatwave as at least three consecutive days of temperatures above a certain level.July's extreme heatwave lasted three successive days, while this extreme heat warning is expected to last at least four days, according to the weather agency. Alongside this, the UKHSA has a six-day heat-health alert in place, which also ends on Sunday. UK under a heat domeMcCabe says we are currently under a heat dome, as temperatures have risen even though we have not reached the peak.A heat dome is when an area of high pressure stays over a large part of a region for days, or even weeks.Like a lid on a saucepan, it traps hot air underneath, and can cause heatwaves with temperatures well above the norm.Hot air expands vertically into the atmosphere then high pressure from above means it has nowhere to escape and pushes that warm air down.As the warm air sinks, it compresses and heats up, which then traps more heat underneath. The ground then heats up and loses moisture which makes it heat up even more, and means it is ripe for fires to start. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 'Climate change to blame' The dome of high pressure also pushes the clouds around it, keeping the heat in even more.Usually, winds can move the high pressure around but as the dome stretches high into the atmosphere, the high pressure system becomes very slow moving, almost stationary.McCabe says the intense heat last month came from "very hot, dry air being dragged up from North Africa on strong southerly winds".Read more:What and where is the 'exceptional' fire riskPeople told to grass on neighbours who flout hosepipe banWhat are the rules on hosepipe bans and what do they mean?However this time, she says the current hot weather is "home grown" from high pressure sitting over the British Isles.What's happening next week?After a hot weekend, cooler, more changeable conditions are forecast to move in from the west next week.McCabe says the heat will only slowly relinquish its grip, and at the moment any showers are unlikely to bring much relief to those areas struggling with drought.Sky News understands that a drought is expected to be declared on Friday in the South West, meaning people living there can expect to see a series of restrictions on domestic and commercial use of water - including hosepipe bans. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.Summer has remained mostly the same for a millennium or more. Around the year 900, Old English speakers were already using the word sumor for the warmer months. Some say the word summer is probably close to the version heard 4,000 years ago, when people spoke the prehistoric Indo-European language believed to be the ancestor to many languages spoken across Europe and India today.But summer isn’t what it used to be. The season is getting so hot that it might be time for a new name: “danger season.”The phrase, part of a new campaign by the Union of Concerned Scientists, refers to the period from May to October marked by a drumbeat of disasters in the United States. During these months, people across the country still splash in pools and head to the beach, but increasingly, they also suffer through heat waves, flee from wildfires, breathe smoky air, and board up homes as hurricanes approach.This summer is predicted to be another menacing one, with forecasts showing hectic hurricanes and above-normal wildfire activity. In a prelude, a heat wave scorched the Southwest over the weekend, breaking records in more than a dozen cities. Temperatures hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Denver and reached a blistering 114 degrees at the Phoenix airport.“Climate change has pushed a lot of these types of events into a new realm that is much more dangerous,” said Kristy Dahl, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “So as we were thinking about this season, and how we’re going to respond to it, the phrase ‘danger season’ seemed appropriate.” Consider, for example, that heat kills more people in the US each year, on average, than any other kind of extreme weather, often in predictable ways. Every summer, older adults die in their homes without access to air-conditioning, and young athletes die from heatstroke while practicing in searing temperatures. “These sorts of deaths are preventable,” Dahl said. She hopes the framing of “danger season” can better help people grasp summer threats, “because if you understand it, you can start to do something about it.”That’s not to say Dahl wants to replace the word summer or take away your ice cream cones or days at the beach. “You know, we struggled a little bit with feeling like we’re taking away the joy of summer,” she said. It’s possible that a cultural affection for hot weather might make people overlook the season’s dangers—but for some, that sunny attitude is already changing. Where Dahl lives in California, as in much of the western US, summer means fires and smoke, and comes with an annual sense of dread. “It feels very different from how I approached the start of summer when I was younger, which was, ‘It’s warm, let’s have barbecues!’”The new foreboding name for summer was coined by Erika Spanger-Siegfried, an analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. The organization introduced the phrase in a pair of blog posts and on social media last week, and the team plans to keep using the expression as warm-season disasters descend. All 50 states are expected to experience unusually high temperatures this summer, and with extended drought across much of the West, these threats could strain the electric grid and lead to blackouts.Of course, danger season comes at a different time depending where you live: In the southern hemisphere, summer runs from December to February, when the Australian bushfires can get out of control. No matter where you are, though, warm-weather disasters are creeping into the late spring and early fall, said Rachel Cleetus, a policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Schools without air-conditioning are closing for “heat days” more and more often, as they did in Philadelphia in late May, when classroom temperatures topped 100 degrees.Plenty of climate threats lurk outside danger season, too. Consider the devastating floods that hit Washington state and British Columbia in November, sending mudslides over highways and forcing thousands to evacuate. What makes summer particularly threatening is the ways that disasters can collide and compound one another. In the Gulf of Mexico, for instance, major hurricanes have knocked out power and water services just as summer heat waves set in. “You suddenly have people who are trying to rebuild their lives, who are doing so in dangerously hot conditions without any access to cooling, to water,” Dahl explained. As extreme heat becomes more frequent and storms get stronger, “it becomes more and more likely that you’re going to get the coincidence of a heat wave and a major hurricane.”Part of the thinking behind using the phrase “danger season” is to make it harder for people to sugarcoat the climate crisis. “I just want to say straight-up, frankly, 10, 15 years ago, when we would talk about these things, we didn’t want to scare people,” Cleetus said. “We wanted people to understand the science and really be invited into understanding the implications. And now we’re scared, we’re terrified, for what we have already unleashed on the world.”Edward Maibach, the director of George Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication, said that “danger season” struck him as a useful framing to help people realize they need to prepare for recurring disasters instead of reacting to them. “Knowing that danger seasons are getting longer will, hopefully, help people, businesses, and governments recognize the need to take actions now to protect the things they value and depend on,” Maibach wrote in an email to Grist.Dahl called for a “national resilience strategy” that would coordinate efforts to help communities weather disasters and put policies in place to protect people. That means building codes in the West that require buffer space around homes to reduce fire danger, and national heat protection and smoke protection standards for outdoor workers. “There’s a lot that can be done locally,” she said, “but we also need to be thinking at a much bigger scale.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
The boreal forests in the far northern latitudes have suffered more tree cover loss owing to fire in the last decade than any other place on Earth, with Russia losing more trees to fire than any other country, data has shown.The boreal region is a huge stretch of coniferous forests that encircles the northern hemisphere taking in parts of Scandinavia, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Alaska and Canada, among other countries.Forest fires in these regions are of particular concern, because they can result in the release of carbon buried deep within the soil, as well as the loss of the trees themselves. Trees in boreal forests take up to a century to grow back.About 70% of all tree cover loss owing to fire in the past 20 years took place in northern boreal forests, with about 80m hectares lost over the period 2001 to 2021, according to research published on Wednesday by Global Forest Watch, an initiative of the World Resources Institute.Russia has lost about 53m hectares of tree cover to fire since 2001, an area about the size of France. Canada has lost about 27m hectares to fire in the same period.James McCarthy, analyst at the World Resources Institute and co-author of the report, told the Guardian: “This is very concerning. These findings should be a wake-up call to the world. Forests are our best line of defence against climate change, and should be at the top of our list [of priorities].”He said the carbon released to the atmosphere by forest fires was creating a vicious circle of climate damage. “These forests can go from being carbon sinks to being sources of carbon in the atmosphere,” he said.The common image of forest fires is in temperate regions, for instance in Europe and the US where fires have been increasing as hot dry summer weather has become more prevalent, and in Brazil where fires started for deforestation have caused widespread devastation through the Amazon.But boreal forest has been warming rapidly and drying out, making it more prone to catch fire. Heatwaves have struck northern Canada and Siberia in recent years, and the Arctic has warmed much faster than the rest of the planet.About a third to 40% of boreal forest fires are thought to start naturally by lightning strikes, but the other leading source of fires starting is people. Fires started by farmers for agriculture can rapidly spread to forests, particularly in Russia where controls are few and enforcement is lacking.Fires account for about a quarter of tree cover loss around the world, with most of the rest taken up by deforestation for agriculture and logging. But the amount of forest lost to fire has been increasing, making up about 30% of tree cover loss in 2021.The amount of tree cover loss due to fire globally is increasing by about 4% a year, or about 230,000 additional hectares each year, about half of which is because of bigger fires in boreal regions.Tree loss owing to fire is also increasing in the tropics, however, by about 5% a year or 36,000 additional hectares. Almost all fires in the tropics are started by people.In the 10-year period of the study, the US lost about 12m hectares of trees to fire, and Brazil lost about 9.5m hectares, amounting to about 15% of all the tree cover lost in Brazil over the period. About two-thirds of the fire-related losses occurred in primary forests, which are vital not only for the climate but for biodiversity.About 72% of Australia’s tree cover loss between 2001 and 2021 was caused by fire, with extreme weather causing a significant increase in fires in 2019 and 2020.The amount of tree cover lost to fire globally each year has increased by about 3m hectares since 2001, amounting to an additional area the size of Belgium lost to fire each year, compared with a decade ago.Last year’s fire season was the worst on record. Forest fires were responsible for an area of trees roughly the size of Thailand being lost, equating to about 16 football pitches a minute going up in flames.This year’s fires, with record-breaking hot weather in Europe, parts of the US, south Asia, parts of China and other places around the globe, are also likely to be severe. An area one-fifth the size of Belgium has burned in Europe this year.Separate research has also recently shown that boreal forest is expanding northward into regions that were previously Arctic tundra.Our knowledge of tree cover loss has improved markedly in the last decade, with satellite imagery giving a much more detailed view of what is going on beneath the tree canopy. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Yvette Johnson, 54, sits next to a fan outside of her families home on June 10, 2022 in Houston, Texas.Brandon Bell | Getty ImagesPower demand recently hit a record high in Texas amid a severe heat wave and will likely break more records this week as homes and businesses blast air conditioners across the country's second-most populous state.Demand on the power grid reached more than 75,000 megawatts on Sunday, surpassing a previous record of 74,820 megawatts set in August 2019, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which runs the grid for more than 26 million customers who comprise about 90% of the state's electric load. One megawatt can power roughly 200 homes in Texas during high demand and about 1,000 homes in normal weather conditions.Soaring power usage prompted by extreme weather has triggered concerns over the vulnerability of the state's grid system, following a deadly winter storm in Feb. 2021 that left millions of residents without power for days.On Monday, temperatures above 100 degrees were forecast for most of Texas. Such extreme temperatures are not typical so early in the summer season, and high power demand in the state usually occurs later in the summer in August and September.ERCOT, however, has said it has enough supplies available to meet demand during the heat wave even as it forecasts rising power demand throughout the week.Last month, ERCOT asked residents to conserve power amid high temperatures by setting their thermostats to 78 degrees or above and avoiding the usage of large appliances like dishwashers, washers and dryers during peak hours between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.The request came after six power generation facilities tripped offline amid the heat, resulting in the loss of approximately 2,900 of megawatts of electricity.Climate change has prompted more frequent and destructive weather events like heat waves, drought and wildfires, which have increasingly forced blackouts and overwhelmed some of the country's infrastructure.Extreme weather events have caused 67% more major power outages in the U.S. since 2000, according to an analysis of national power outage data by research group Climate Central. | 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 levelVideo LoadingVideo UnavailableUK weather: High temperatures with amber warning for heatGlorious 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. Beachgoers bathe at a beach in southwest France while a cloud of smoke from a fire rises in the background (
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AFP via Getty Images) “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. 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 “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 |
US extreme weather 'reminder of intensifying impacts of climate change' – White HouseOn Joe Biden’s visit to flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky today he is not just viewing the effects through the lens of a disaster needing federal assistance but also through the lens of the climate crisis that is making events like this more intense, more common and more deadly, in America and around the world.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the issue in her media briefing aboard Air Force One en route to Lexington with the US president and first lady Jill Biden a little earlier.“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.Breathitt County, Kentucky, late last month. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says it’s some of the worst flooding in state history. Photograph: Ryan C Hermens/APKentucky was hit by massive flash flooding in the last two weeks that killed 37 people and caused mass destruction. The atypical rain storms followed eight months after tornadoes killed almost three times that many people in western Kentucky and many parts of the country are suffering record heatwaves, drought and wildfire after an extreme 2021 in the American west.Jean-Pierre of course emphasized the importance of the Senate vote yesterday to pass the historic climate action bill , which she called “so vital” alongside previous infrastructure legislation.“Over the long term, these investments will save lives, reduce costs and protect communities like the one we are visiting today,” she said. Biden is due to land in Kentucky about now.The Bidens in Delaware this morning, en route to Kentucky. Photograph: Evan Vucci/APKey events24m agoInterim summary2h agoUS extreme weather 'reminder of intensifying impacts of climate change' – White House2h agoTrump asked why US generals not more like Nazi Germans – new book5h agoJoe Biden visits Kentucky in aftermath of deadly floods5h agoBiden visits flood-ravaged Kentucky, day after historic Senate voteShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureGreetings all - Vivian Ho here, taking over the blog today for Joanna Walters. Over in Kentucky, Joe Biden kicked off his tour of the catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 37 people with a briefing. Touring flood damage in eastern Kentucky - @POTUS participates in briefing at Marie Roberts Elementary School in Lost Creek KY. @AndyBeshearKY welcomes the group - confirms 37 Kentuckians have died in the storm. Adds there are still 2 missing people. pic.twitter.com/Wed6Bei500— Julia Benbrook (@JuliaBenbrook) August 8, 2022
Interim summaryHello, live blog readers, with the climate crisis as a powerful undercurrent to Joe Biden’s visit to flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky today, we’ll bring you more news on that and all the developments, as they happen.My colleague Vivian Ho will take over the blog after this and keep you up to speed for the next few hours.Here’s where things stand. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the climate issues in her media briefing aboard Air Force One en route to Lexington with the US president earlier. “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. During his time in the Oval Office, Donald Trump wanted the Pentagon’s generals to be like Nazi Germany’s generals in the second world war, according to a book excerpt in the New Yorker. Peeks of Susan Glasser and Peter Baker’s new book The Divider have more on some of those screaming matches in the White House between the-then president and senior aides. Joe Biden is visiting eastern Kentucky to tour areas inundated and families devastated by the terrible flooding a week ago that killed dozens of people. Biden is expected to make public remarks (around 2pm ET) as well as talking with relatives and officials in private, and he and the first lady will return to the White House this evening. The US president said “I’m not worried, but I am concerned” about China’s aggression towards Taiwan in its live-fire military exercises that lasted for the last four days and menaced the island democracy, whose capital, Taipei, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi controversially visited early last week. Joe Biden is touring flood damage in eastern Kentucky with state governor Andy Beshear.The kind of thing the president will see today: a bridge along KY-3351 over Troublesome Creek near Ary in Perry County, damaged by flooding in eastern Kentucky. Photograph: Ryan C Hermens/APThe state’s lieutenant governor, Jacqueline Coleman, earlier told CNN that in one county, 50 bridges had been wrecked by the floods that have devastated the region in late July-early August.“The infrastructure needs are monumental,” she said.Coleman described the rains that hit the area.“It happened so fast and it happened overnight and that’s the reason folks were trapped in their homes,” she said, often in areas of mountainous terrain.Asked if, with the climate crisis, this kind of extreme weather is going to become the new normal, she remarked: “I hope this is not the new normal, for sure.”This home in eastern Kentucky is washed onto a road on Saturday, July 30, 2022, after historic rains. Photograph: Michael Clevenger/APThe 700-plus-page inflation reduction bill moving through the US Congress would steer significant new funds toward battling wildfires and extreme heat - climate change-related risks that are wreaking havoc across the country this summer, Reuters reports.The legislation, pared down from earlier versions, would direct approximately $370 billion toward a range of climate and energy initiatives, including renewable energy tax credits, backing for electric cars and heat pumps, and environmental justice.This is going to, if passed, be the most action the United States has ever taken on climate. Will there be more that we need to do? Absolutely. But this is just so significant and [it’s] so important that we get this over the finish line,” said Christina DeConcini, director of government affairs at the World Resources Institute, a global research group.As drought-fueled wildfires spread out of control in the western United States, lawmakers want to direct about $2 billion toward hazardous fuels reduction.The money in the bill, formally known as the Inflation Reduction Act, could go toward measures like clearing brush through prescribed burns or mechanical thinning so when fires do occur they’re not as intense.The bill also earmarks funds to combat increasingly extreme heat as the United States – and much of the world – grapples with record-shattering and increasingly deadly temperatures this year.For example, there is $1.5 billion in grant funding through the US Forest Service for initiatives such as helping cities plant trees, which provide natural cooling and can improve air quality.The bill aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade through other spending on clean energy tax incentives and electric vehicle credits.Sponsors of the bill say more than $60 billion in measures included are directed toward “environmental justice” initiatives intended to help communities that have disproportionately borne the brunt of poor air quality and pollution.But that amount isn’t nearly enough, said Anthony Rogers-Wright, director of environmental justice at the nonprofit New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.You can read the full Reuters report here.Firefighters conducting controlled burns along the bulldozer lines on the Oak Fire near Jerseydale, California, on July 26. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesUS extreme weather 'reminder of intensifying impacts of climate change' – White HouseOn Joe Biden’s visit to flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky today he is not just viewing the effects through the lens of a disaster needing federal assistance but also through the lens of the climate crisis that is making events like this more intense, more common and more deadly, in America and around the world.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the issue in her media briefing aboard Air Force One en route to Lexington with the US president and first lady Jill Biden a little earlier.“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.Breathitt County, Kentucky, late last month. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says it’s some of the worst flooding in state history. Photograph: Ryan C Hermens/APKentucky was hit by massive flash flooding in the last two weeks that killed 37 people and caused mass destruction. The atypical rain storms followed eight months after tornadoes killed almost three times that many people in western Kentucky and many parts of the country are suffering record heatwaves, drought and wildfire after an extreme 2021 in the American west.Jean-Pierre of course emphasized the importance of the Senate vote yesterday to pass the historic climate action bill , which she called “so vital” alongside previous infrastructure legislation.“Over the long term, these investments will save lives, reduce costs and protect communities like the one we are visiting today,” she said. Biden is due to land in Kentucky about now.The Bidens in Delaware this morning, en route to Kentucky. Photograph: Evan Vucci/APTrump asked why US generals not more like Nazi Germans – new bookEdward HelmoreDuring his time in the Oval Office, Donald Trump wanted the Pentagon’s generals to be like Nazi Germany’s generals in the second world war, according to a book excerpt in the New Yorker.In an exchange with his former White House chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, Trump reportedly complained: “You fucking generals, why can’t you be like the German generals?”Kelly asked which generals, prompting Trump to reply: “The German generals in World War II.”According to the excerpt published by the New Yorker from The Divider: Trump in the White House, by the New Yorker’s Susan Glasser and the New York Times’s Peter Baker, an incredulous Kelly pointed out that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was almost assassinated by one of his own generals.“No, no, no, they were totally loyal to him,” Trump replied, apparently unaware of Claus von Stauffenberg’s plot in July 1944 to kill Hitler with a bomb inside his Wolf’s Lair field headquarters.Kelly reportedly told Trump that there were no American generals who observe total loyalty to a president. Instead, they swear, like all military personnel, to “support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”.The rest of that report is here.Outrage in the Oval Office:“Trump told his top White House aide that he wished he had generals like the ones who had reported to Adolf Hitler, saying they were “totally loyal” to the leader of the Nazi regime…”https://t.co/vfj9EGR92x— carolynryan 🏳️🌈🏓 (@carolynryan) August 8, 2022
Here’s the cover again (first revealed in April):White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is briefing reporters aboard Air Force One and she is insisting that the US policy towards China has not changed and that “nothing is going to change there” despite condemning Beijing’s live-fire military exercises around Taiwan over the last four days.Those war games now seem set to continue in the Taiwan Strait and around the island democracy of Taiwan, which the People’s Republic of China has long-claimed as a province, while the authorities in Taipei claim independence.The US does not formally recognize independence for Taiwan and supports the status of “one China”, with a single Chinese national government operating out of Beijing, while simultaneously maintaining “strategic ambiguity” and pledging to come to Taiwan’s defense if the PRC tries to take the island by force.Jean-Pierre was asked if the continued war games in the strait and around Taiwan look likely to become a permanent military escalation by China, which Beijing is trying to “normalize”.She didn’t answer specifically on those two points, but said that US respect for one China “is long-standing, and nothing is going to change there.”She noted that the US will continue to “communicate directly with Beijing”, while noting that Washington has condemned the military exercises that menaced Taiwan, following the trip to Taiwan of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week, chiefly because they “raise the risk of miscalculation” in the region - ie some sort of error or misunderstanding leading to conflict.People walk past a billboard welcoming U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in Taipei, Taiwan, Aug 3, 2022. Photograph: Chiang Ying-ying/APUS deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman and Australian foreign minister Penny Wong discussed China’s recent actions and reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait in a meeting today, the US State Department said and Reuters reports.Sherman is visiting Australia as part of a trip to Pacific nations. Penny Wong and Wendy Sherman (right) in Canberra today. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/APThe US State No. 2 was in the Solomon Islands at the weekend, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the battle of Guadalcanal, one of the pivotal battles in the Pacific region during World War II and where her own father fought.John F Kennedy was almost killed there and his daughter, Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Australia, attended the ceremony alongside Sherman.There is concern that China will build a military base in the Solomon Islands.The US @DeputySecState has reassured the Pacific region the Biden administration is watching closely as the security pact between China and the Solomon Islands takes shape, warning a military base on the islands would "create security concerns for all".https://t.co/h8ldO6yveU— abc730 (@abc730) August 8, 2022
Meanwhile, Wong today called for a cooling of tensions on the China and Taiwan front, the Associated Press reports.Australia continues to urge restraint, Australia continues to urge deescalation, and this is not something that solely Australia is calling for, and the whole region is concerned about the current situation, the whole region is calling for stability to be restored,” Wong told reporters gathered in the Australian capital of Canberra. It’s always hit and miss for the pool reporters whose job it is to follow the president of the United States around on any given day, as to whether he (and there’s still never been a she, obviously) will come over to chat or respond to shouted questions.Today, just before flying off to Kentucky where the rest of the day will be filled with very sobering conversations on the deadly and destructive flooding there, current Potus Joe Biden actually beckoned to the gathered hacks on the tarmac in Dover, Delaware, as he and Jill Biden alighted from the presidential helicopter, ready to board Air Force One.After answering a question on the Inflation Reduction Act, the bill that passed the Senate yesterday and now heads back to the House, where it should pass efficiently by the end of the week and travel to Biden’s desk to be passed into law, he was asked about Taiwan.This is the morning after, as our Helen Davidson reports from the Taiwanese capital Taipei, China’s military has announced new drills near the island democracy off its south-east coast, including anti-submarine attack and sea raid operations, a day after Beijing’s major live-fire exercises targeting the territory were supposed to end.Is Biden worried, he was asked?“I’m not worried, but I am concerned,” he said. It was hard to hear over the helicopter and jet engine blades, but he said something very close to that he is concerned that the communist regime is “making so many moves”. Then he added, however, that: “I don’t think they are going to do any more.”He was asked for his opinion on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial and, bluntly, provocative, trip to Taiwan last week, at such a delicate time in geopolitics, and the president said, simply: “It was her decision.”That emphasizes the point the Americans tried to signal to the Chinese, that his executive branch and Pelosi’s congressional branch are co-equal but independent slices of the US government.Joe Biden has just spoken briefly with reporters gathered at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, as he was transferring between the helicopter that brought him there and the Air Force One jet that will take him and Jill Biden to Kentucky.It was a little hard to hear over the noise of the rotor blades and jet engines, but the US president was first asked whether he thought the $739bn climate action and health bill that passed the Senate yesterday and should be on his desk just days from now will help the Democrats in the mid-term elections this November.“Do I expect it to help? Yes,” Biden said.He noted that seniors on Medicare will now have their annual out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs capped at $2,000.“That’s a big deal,” he said - echoing more politely the remark he made to president Barack Obama, when Biden was his veep, that passing the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, in 2010 was a “big fucking deal.”This is the most significant legislation affecting healthcare since then.There are other measures in there to try to bring down inflation and improve the cost of living.“There are a range of things that will help ordinary folks. Some will not kick in for a while, but it’s all good,” Biden said on the air base apron moments ago.He added that when these proverbial ordinary Americans sit down at the kitchen table at the end of each month they will have an easier time paying their bills, as a result of the legislation.US president Joe Biden talks to reporters while boarding Air Force One on a trip to eastern Kentucky to visit families affected by devastation from recent flooding, as he departs from Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware, moments ago. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/ReutersJoe Biden tested negative for Covid-19 for a second consecutive day yesterday and ended his isolation at the White House with a trip to his vacation home in Delaware and a reunion with his wife, first lady Jill Biden, Reuters notes.Biden has been holed up at the White House for more than two weeks with coronavirus, leading to canceled trips and events even as his symptoms stayed mild.He had had to cancel several trips, as well as in-person meetings he’s planned not just at the White House but also on Capitol Hill. The US president originally tested positive for Covid-19 on July 21, having avoided it for the whole pandemic, which hit the US in March, 2020.He was given the anti-viral medication Paxlovid, which resulted in a negative test several days later but then the virus regrouped and he tested positive again. Now he’s been given the all-clear to get on with his in-person schedule.Joe Biden last year. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/ReutersJoan E GreveSenate Democrats passed their climate and healthcare spending package yesterday, sending the legislation to the House and bringing Joe Biden one step closer to a significant legislative victory ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.If signed into law, the bill, formally known as the Inflation Reduction Act, would allocate $369bn to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in renewable energy sources. Experts have estimated the climate provisions of the bill will reduce America’s planet-heating emissions by about 40% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels.Democrats have promised the bill will lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans by allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and capping Medicare recipients’ out-of-pocket prescription drug prices at $2,000 a year. Those who receive health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace are also expected to see lower premium costs.The legislation includes a number of tax provisions to cover the costs of these policies, bringing in $739bn for the government and resulting in an overall deficit reduction of roughly $300bn. The policy changes include a new corporate minimum tax, a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks and stricter enforcement by the Internal Revenue Service.“Today, Senate Democrats sided with American families over special interests, voting to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance and everyday energy costs and reduce the deficit, while making the wealthiest corporations finally pay their fair share,” Biden said in a statement celebrating the bill’s passage. “I ran for president promising to make government work for working families again, and that is what this bill does – period.”Joe Biden visits Kentucky in aftermath of deadly floodsJoe Biden is visiting eastern Kentucky today to visit areas inundated and families devastated by the terrible flooding a week ago that killed dozens of people.The US president is leaving his seaside residence at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for Dover air force base and thence on Air Force One this morning to Lexington, Kentucky.The sobering trip is in stark contrast to celebrations for Democrats in Washington yesterday afternoon as the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest hurdle on the way to getting the historic climate and health bill into law, and a much-needed fillip for the president.On the trip today, Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be greeted by Kentucky’s Democratic governor Andy Beshear and his wife, Britainy Beshear.According to the White House, the president will participate in a briefing on the response efforts to the recent flooding, with the event to be held at Marie Roberts elementary school in Lost Creek.Then the Bidens will visit families affected by the devastation from recent flooding and survey impacts and response efforts. Joe Biden is expected to make public remarks as well as talking with relatives and officials in private, and he and the first lady will return to the White House this evening.Karine Jean-Pierre will speak with reporters on board AF1 en route to Lexington this morning and we’ll bring you the highlights of the White House press secretary’s briefing.Biden visits flood-ravaged Kentucky, day after historic Senate voteGood morning, US politics live blog readers. Joe Biden is heading to eastern Kentucky today to tour areas devastated by deadly flooding last week. There’s a busy day and week ahead in political news after a hard day’s night and weekend in the Senate resulted in passage for the major climate-and-health bill. Let’s get started. Joe Biden is in Delaware and will head to Kentucky in a few minutes. He tested negative for coronavirus over the weekend and is out of isolation. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Lexington, Kentucky. The US president and first lady Jill Biden will spend the day in eastern Kentucky visiting areas and families devastated by the appalling, climate change-driven extreme flooding last week. Excerpts from a new book show how America’s top military man, chairman of the joint chiefs Mark Milley, drafted his resignation letter after Donald Trump’s stunt involving him in Lafayette Square during Black Lives Matter protests, then pulled back from the brink to try to stop Trump blowing things up further. Trump asked him why American generals couldn’t be more like Hitler’s... China plans to resume military drills around Taiwan, despite winding down its four days of war games yesterday, following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week. Capitol Hill is still buzzing after the historic vote yesterday to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill now heads to the House, where Pelosi predicts it will pass and whizz its way to Biden’s desk to be signed into law. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Climate hazards such as flooding, heat waves and drought have worsened more than half of the hundreds of known infectious diseases in people, including malaria, hantavirus, cholera and anthrax, a study says.
Researchers looked through the medical literature of established cases of illnesses and found that 218 out of the known 375 human infectious diseases, or 58 percent, seemed to be made worse by one of 10 types of extreme weather connected to climate change, according to a study in Monday’s journal Nature Climate Change.
WATCH: A look at the policies in the Democrats’ historic climate bill
Doctors, going back to Hippocrates, have long connected disease to weather, but this study shows how widespread the influence of climate is on human health.
“If climate is changing, the risk of these diseases are changing,” said study co-author Dr. Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Doctors, such as Patz, said they need to think of the diseases as symptoms of a sick Earth.
“The findings of this study are terrifying and illustrate well the enormous consequences of climate change on human pathogens,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, an Emory University infectious disease specialist, who was not part of the study. “Those of us in infectious diseases and microbiology need to make climate change one of our priorities, and we need to all work together to prevent what will be without doubt a catastrophe as a result of climate change.”
In addition to looking at infectious diseases, the researchers expanded their search to look at all type of human illnesses, including non-infectious sicknesses such as asthma, allergies and even animal bites to see how many maladies they could connect to climate hazards in some way, including infectious diseases. They found a total of 286 unique sicknesses and of those 223 of them seemed to be worsened by climate hazards, nine were diminished by climate hazards and 54 had cases of both aggravated and minimized, the study found.
The new study doesn’t do the calculations to attribute specific disease changes, odds or magnitude to climate change, but finds cases where extreme weather was a likely factor among many. The study did map out the 1,006 connections from climate hazard to illness.
Study lead author Camilo Mora, a climate data analyst at the University of Hawaii, said what is important to note is that the study isn’t about predicting future cases.
“There is no speculation here whatsoever,” Mora said. “These are things that have already happened.”
One example Mora knows first-hand. About five years ago, Mora’s home in rural Colombia was flooded — for the first time in his memory water was in his living room, creating an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes — and Mora contracted Chikungunya, a nasty virus spread by mosquito bites. And even though he survived, he still feels joint pain years later.
Sometimes climate change acts in odd ways. Mora includes the 2016 case in Siberia when a decades-old reindeer carcass, dead from anthrax, was unearthed when the permafrost thawed from warming. A child touched it, got anthrax and started an outbreak.
Mora originally wanted to search medical cases to see how COVID-19 intersected with climate hazards, if at all. He found cases where extreme weather both exacerbated and diminished chances of COVID-19. In some cases, extreme heat in poor areas had people congregate together to cool off and get exposed to the disease, but in other situations, heavy downpours reduced COVID spread because people stayed home and indoors, away from others.
READ MORE: Climate change caused by wealthy nations creates harm for poorer, study says
Longtime climate and public health expert Kristie Ebi at the University of Washington cautioned that she had concerns with how the conclusions were drawn and some of the methods in the study. It is an established fact that the burning of coal, oil and natural gas has led to more frequent and intense extreme weather, and research has shown that weather patterns are associated with many health issues, she said.
“However, correlation is not causation,” Ebi said in an email. “The authors did not discuss the extent to which the climate hazards reviewed changed over the time period of the study and the extent to which any changes have been attributed to climate change.”
But Dr. Aaron Bernstein, interim director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard School of Public Health, Emory’s del Rio and three other outside experts said the study is a good warning about climate and health for now and the future. Especially as global warming and habitat loss push animals and their diseases closer to humans, Bernstein said.
“This study underscores how climate change may load the dice to favor unwelcome infectious surprises,” Bernstein said in an email. “But of course it only reports on what we already know and what’s yet unknown about pathogens may be yet more compelling about how preventing further climate change may prevent future disasters like COVID-19.”
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 |
Britain today experienced its hottest day on record as temperatures soared 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, the mercury got up to 38.8C (101.8F) at Kew Gardens in West London around noon - also beating the all-time high. It was 38.1C (100.6F) at St James's Park in Central London and 37.7C (99.9F) in Chertsey, 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 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 A busy Bournemouth beach this morning as people enjoy the sunshine on what is set to be a record-breaking day 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast People rest 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 Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast Litter strewn across Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to the Dorset coast Litter pickers on Bournemouth beach early this morning after sunseekers flocked to 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 deckchairs on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast People rest on deckchairs on Bournemouth beach this morning ahead of another very hot day at the coast Litter strewn across Bournemouth bea | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Topline
At least 15 people have died and several others remain missing after heavy rains caused severe flooding in eastern Kentucky, the state’s governor announced on Friday, in the latest extreme weather event that has struck the U.S. this week. Aerial view of homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in ... [+] Jackson, Kentucky. AFP via Getty Images Key Facts In a video address, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) warned he expects the number to “more than double” by the end of the day as heavy rain continues to fall in the region. Without providing an exact number Beshear said the death toll includes children. To help find the missing people and rescue those who are trapped in the houses, the state has mobilized the National Guard. Beshear said around 50 people were rescued by helicopters and “hundreds” were rescued by boat. The heavy flooding has caused mudslides, destroyed bridges, swept away vehicles, submerged homes and destroyed power lines. As of Friday morning, nearly 24,000 homes in the state were left without power, according to the tracker PowerOutage.us. What To Watch For
According to the Associated Press, flood water levels in several areas have receded from their Thursday peak, but as rains continue to fall the threat of flash flooding still remains. Parts of Virginia and West Virginia which also experienced heavy rains on Thursday also are at risk of flash flooding. Crucial Quote
In an interview with CNN, Beshear said: “There's going to be multiple families that we've lost…This is so deadly, and it hit so hard, and it hit in the middle of the night, we've never seen something like this.” While declaring a state of emergency on Thursday Beshear said the floods were “one of the worst, most devastating” Kentucky has ever seen.
Key Background
Thursday’s floods take place less than a year after multiple devastating tornadoes struck Kentucky resulting in the death of at least 77 people. Earlier this week the neighboring state of Missouri also witnessed heavy rainfall that caused flash floods in the city of St. Louis. Similar floods were witnessed in parts of northern Arizona, forcing local officials to declare a state of emergency. While some areas faced torrential rainfall, other parts of the country were hit by record high temperatures and devastating forest fires earlier this month. Scientists have attributed these extreme weather events to rising global temperatures and have warned that these events could become more frequent as the climate changes. Further Reading
Flash Floods Swamp St. Louis In Latest Bout Of Extreme U.S. Weather (Forbes)
Record Highs Set In Over Two Dozen U.S. Cities In June Heat Wave – So Far (Forbes)
15 dead in Appalachian flooding, toll expected to rise (Associated Press)
At least 15 people are dead after Kentucky's catastrophic flooding, and the death toll is expected to rise (CNN) | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
Late last June, farmers in Walla Walla, Washington, noticed something odd happening to their onions. Walla Walla, an oasis in the middle of the state’s high desert, is bursting with vineyards, wheat fields and acres of the city’s eponymous sweet onions. As temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, then above 110 degrees, the oversized onions began to burn, pale blisters forming underneath their papery skins. When the temperature reached 116, the onions started cooking, their flesh dissolving into mush.
Four miles away is the Washington State Penitentiary. It’s one of the country’s oldest prisons, established in the 1880s, before Washington achieved statehood. In June 2021, over 2,000 people were incarcerated in its large concrete buildings. In the Hole—the name incarcerated people use for the solitary confinement unit—the air conditioning had stopped working. Dozens of people spent 23 hours a day locked in small concrete and metal cells, even as temperatures continued to soar. Washington isn’t known for extreme heat, but far above the fields and prison, two air pressure systems had collided, creating a massive heat dome: a cap of warm air that sealed in the heat and blocked the flow of cool marine breezes from the Pacific. The resulting weeklong heat wave brought some of the hottest temperatures that the state has ever experienced.
State officials and media had begun to sound the alarm the week before. “‘Heat dome’ may push Western Washington temperatures into record-breaking territory,” the Seattle Times wrote on Sunday, June 20, the first day of summer. Two days later, the National Weather Service started issuing excessive heat watches and warnings for the upcoming weekend covering almost all of Oregon and Washington. Seattle and King County offered emergency guidance: “Spend more time in air-conditioned places. If you don’t have air conditioning, consider visiting a mall, movie theater or other cool public places.” Around the state, people began stockpiling ice and ice cream, and fans and air conditioners became harder and harder to find.
That was when Darrell Cook started to worry. Cook, who is incarcerated at the Twin Rivers Unit inside the Monroe Correctional Complex, the state’s second-largest prison, had been following local news broadcasts about the impending heat wave on TV. Cook has diabetes, which puts him at risk for heat-related illness, such as heat stroke. He was concerned about the other men in his unit, too.
The combination of extreme heat and incarceration has been dubbed an “overlooked crisis.” Incarcerated people are vulnerable to heat for many reasons: Nationwide, almost 20 percent are over the age of 51, and underlying medical conditions like obesity, hypertension and asthma are common. By definition, people in prison are confined to a space they have no control over. And many suffer from mental health issues and take psychotropic medications, which can reduce the body’s ability to regulate temperature. Summers at the Twin Rivers Unit, 30 miles east of Seattle, have always been miserable, Cook said in a phone interview. The facility lacks air conditioning, and large glass skylights in a common area create a greenhouse effect, while the unit’s open showers drive up the humidity. Cook compared the resulting muggy, grimy atmosphere to a petri dish. On the news, broadcasters emphasized how dangerous the heat would be for anyone stuck in buildings without air conditioning, especially elderly people with medical conditions. That described a good portion of the population at Twin Rivers, Cook thought.
High Country News obtained 95 grievances submitted to officials by people incarcerated in 10 of Washington’s 12 state prisons during the unprecedented heat wave. These reports, acquired via a public records request, reveal extreme conditions—and the state prison system’s failure to establish coherent and actionable heat plans that would keep the people they are responsible for safe. The incarcerated people interviewed for this piece recalled dangerous indoor temperatures that lasted for days, causing heat exhaustion and rising panic, and prison staff resorting to making up rules that lacked consistency. Many heat provisions were implemented ad hoc, after incarcerated people complained or begged for relief.
The overall picture shows a state prison system floundering under the heat. Interviews with officials, legal and policy experts and incarcerated people show that not only has the Washington State Department of Corrections failed to address many of the problems that were exposed, it is also failing to prepare for an increasingly hot future. The Cascade Mountains stretch like a spine up the state of Washington. Eighty percent of the state’s nearly 8 million residents live in western Washington, which is buffered by the ocean and much more temperate than eastern Washington. Nine of the 12 prisons run by the Department of Corrections are located there. According to Jacque Coe, the department’s former communications director, all of the units at the three state prisons east of the Cascades are air-conditioned. In contrast, only a handful of those on the west side are.
“In the event that the temperature exceeds the comfort zone”—66 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, a standard from the American Correctional Association—“for a prolonged period of time, alternate methods of heating and cooling will be put in place as a temporary measure to keep the unit within acceptable guidelines,” Sean Murphy, the deputy secretary of the Department of Corrections, wrote in response to legislative officials and concerned family members before the heat wave.
But only one Washington prison had a plan in place before the heat wave hit, according to documents released by the Department of Corrections in response to a public records request. One other prison released heat provisions two days into it. (Prison staff receive yearly training on recognizing the symptoms of heat exposure, according to the Department of Corrections.) That Friday, June 25, before the heat wave began, Jeannie Miller, assistant secretary of the Administrative Operations Division, sent an email to all Department of Corrections staff. The three-page memo noted that the upcoming extreme weather meant that there would be “little to no relief from the heat overnight.” It warned of the high risk of heat-related impacts, especially for heat-sensitive people without cooling and adequate hydration, and included tips from the Washington Department of Health on how to stay cool—using fans to blow hot air out, staying in air-conditioned spaces, and covering windows and using awnings, which can reduce the heat entering a building by as much as 80 percent. The first day of the heat wave, Saturday, June 26, was hot with barely a whisper of a breeze. Amtrak slowed down trains to avoid derailments due to heat-warped tracks. Seattle broke its all-time June temperature record—97 degrees—with a new record of 102.
The Monroe Correctional Complex, where Cook is incarcerated, implemented an Incident Action Plan, mandating cooling stations in some facilities and misting stations and sprinklers outside. People were permitted to cover their windows and wear shorts and sandals. It was the only state prison to put an emergency heat plan into place.
On the other side of the Cascades, an incarcerated man with asthma at the Airway Heights Corrections Center near Spokane was struggling with the heat. Unable to stand it any longer, he filed an emergency grievance. “It is very hard to breathe with the extreme heat and humidity,” he wrote.
The grievance process, established by federal law in 1996, is supposed to give those incarcerated a way to document complaints and resolve them internally. In theory, after a grievance form is received, a resolution specialist has up to 10 working days to respond and try to resolve the issue informally—or an hour, if it’s an emergency grievance. Six hours later, with the heat still rising, the man wrote another grievance, his handwriting larger and more urgent, spilling over the form’s small black lines. “Heat is too great and causing me trouble breathing,” he wrote, requesting that fans be put in the dayroom. This time, he submitted the grievance to the resolution box in the unit. Suzanne Cook, Darrell’s wife and a criminal justice advocate, said that, in practice, the grievance process is a bit of a joke.
The incarcerated individuals interviewed for this piece agreed; few expected their grievances to be addressed fairly or timely, and some feared retribution by prison staff for even submitting them. “They’re only a snapshot of what is happening inside,” Suzanne Cook said. Christopher Blackwell, an incarcerated writer in Washington, echoed this sentiment in a recent article, calling the prison grievance process “broken and unjust.”
At the top of the man with asthma’s first grievance is a note implying that a sergeant read it seven hours after he wrote it; the official response suggested he buy a fan. Sunday, June 27, was even hotter than Saturday. Around Seattle, thousands of Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light customers reported outages as people cranked up their air conditioners. At least one Safeway closed its freezer aisle due to the heat.
Inside Washington’s prisons, the trickle of grievances became a small stream. Officers at the Twin Rivers Unit started rationing ice and ice water and retreating to their air-conditioned offices, while temperatures in some of the cells reached 100 degrees, according to grievances. Darrell Cook saw signs of heat exhaustion mounting around him. “They were calling medical emergencies literally two, three (times) an hour,” he said. At 1:30 p.m., Cook found James Ruzicka, facedown and shirtless on Ruzicka’s bunk, the sun glaring down on him through an uncovered window. Ruzicka, who has a chronic lung disease, had passed out from the heat. “I was working in the pot tanks,” a part of the prison kitchen, he recalled in a phone interview. “It was like an oven.” He was put in a trauma room to cool down and then sent back to his cell, where Cook brought him water and managed to cover his window.
To the east, behind the walls of the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, several people begged to be taken out of the Hole, where conditions were stifling. “It is out of line how hot it is in our cells,” reads one grievance. “It’s too hot to live in these conditions, please help!!” another person scrawled in large letters. Bradley Cooper, 48, recalled lying on the bed, which takes up much of the room, with just his boxers on, sweat dripping onto the hot metal bed frame. “It’s like sitting in a sauna, not being able to move, not being able to go anywhere,” he said in an interview. “It’s miserable.”
“Is the heat in your home climbing to unreasonable levels?” the Washington Emergency Management Division tweeted that afternoon. “Don’t risk it. Find a cooling center, a grocery store, a shopping mall.” With no air conditioning, no fan, and the sun streaming through his curtainless window, Shane Brewer, a 36-year-old man incarcerated at the Washington Correctional Complex on the Olympic Peninsula, desperately sought some relief. From his bunk, he watched the heat spiral off the metal bars covering the windows. People were overheating in the cells around him, some breaking out in ugly red splotches like chicken pox—heat rash.
“We know policy no obstructed windows,” he wrote in an emergency grievance, squeezing the words together to fit them in the small complaint box. “How about a policy when it is 103° with no ventilation and the only way to breathe is to lay on the ground?”
After measuring the cells with a temperature gun, a sergeant decided to allow window coverings. (The Department of Corrections said it had no knowledge of this, and that it was not part of any formal guidance.) But without curtain rods or hooks, people had to be creative, Brewer wrote in an email. Some poked plastic spoons through blankets and jammed them into the window seals, hanging the blanket loosely over the window.
Brewer wedged four 4-ounce Crawford body lotion bottles as tightly as possible between the edges of the blanket and the metal grills, taking care not to touch the piping hot metal with his bare hands. This stretched the blanket more tightly across the window, he explained.
Nights were the worst; sleep was almost impossible, Brewer said. He would lie down on the bare concrete floor and cover himself with a wet towel, hoping for a few hours of rest.
Joan Wong/High Country News
At 2 a.m. on Monday, June 28, the temperature in a cell at the Washington Corrections Center for Women measured 94 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an emergency grievance submitted later that day. In a particularly alarming trend, climate change is causing average nighttime temperatures to warm even faster than average daytime temperatures, said Deepti Singh, a climate scientist at Washington State University who studies extreme weather events. This is especially dangerous because it limits the body’s ability to cool down, significantly increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses.
As the day got hotter, lanes on Interstate 5 in north Seattle buckled from the heat. A reading of 108 degrees was measured at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, the hottest temperature since record-keeping began there in 1870.
The Department of Corrections sent a one-page email to all state prisons with examples of how some facilities were trying to mitigate the extreme heat. The Office of the Corrections Ombuds, a watchdog agency set up to oversee the department in 2018, sent a team to Monroe. The agency had been receiving heat-related complaints from across the state via a hotline for incarcerated individuals, with the majority coming from Monroe, Sonja Hallum, the interim director of the Ombuds, said. Cook recalled that the visit created a flourish of activity in his unit; suddenly, maintenance crews were all over, installing water misters indoors and out, and putting ice-water coolers in the dayrooms. When they arrived, the cells registered around 95 degrees; the temperature of the glass skylights above the common areas was 128 degrees. Vents were sucking hot air from the roof and pushing it inside; some incarcerated people had resorted to covering them completely.
The unit is made up of pods, each of which houses up to 168 men. Each pod was allowed to send 50 people to cooling stations—air-conditioned dining halls—three times a day for an hour on a first-come, first-served basis. (Multiple incarcerated people said the cooling stations became available June 28; the Department of Corrections said they were set up two days earlier, on June 26.) The dining halls had been closed since COVID-19 first became a public health concern in February 2020, so Cook tried to go as infrequently as possible to avoid exposure, as well as pushing, shoving and stampeding.
At noon, the Seattle Immigration Court closed because of the heat; its HVAC system was broken. Paula Chandler, an associate superintendent at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, sent her staff a list of hot-weather provisions that authorized window coverings but insisted that doors could be opened only partway—no wider than a trash can. That was a change from the weekend, when staff had allowed fully open doors. Partially closing them reduced airflow and provoked a deluge of emergency grievances. “Please help, people are overheating,” one woman wrote. “Emergency,” another scrawled in large letters at the top of a grievance form. Melinda Barrera, a 41-year-old woman who had been at the prison since 2012, was in the hallway when she saw someone collapse in a heat-induced seizure. She didn’t see the second person collapse, even though it happened just outside her cell. Officers ordered everyone back to their rooms while medics arrived, she said. Temperatures in some cells soared to 114 degrees; the heat was so intense it set off the fire alarm. People wore sopping wet clothes in an effort to stay cool, and some were vomiting or had diarrhea. “It was just really bad,” Barrera said over the phone. “I can’t stress that enough.”
By Monday night, people incarcerated at the prison had submitted 38 grievances, almost all of them emergency. That same day, the associate superintendent who had issued the heat provisions changed the rules and allowed—temporarily—the women to open their doors all the way.
In Walla Walla, after three days of extreme heat in tiny cells with broken air conditioning, 39 of the 65 people in solitary were finally moved to a different unit.
When asked why all of them weren’t moved, the Department of Corrections replied: “Careful consideration was given to determine how and where these individuals would be moved in order to maintain safety and security when it was determined that repairs would take longer than anticipated. There are limited maximum custody beds; moving the individuals to other parts of the facility was not a safe and secure option.” By Tuesday, June 29, temperatures in western Washington had begun to creep downward, but the heat wave persisted until the weekend in the eastern part of the state. Temperatures at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation measured 120 degrees—a new statewide high temperature record.
That day, the resolution office pasted a small sticker to the bottom of the grievances filed by the people who had been trapped in solitary at the state penitentiary. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” it read. “Extra Ice and beverages were provided while the logistics were being completed.”
On June 30, the Ombuds Office issued a report with suggestions for how to better cool the units at Monroe—shading cell windows, for example, lowering shower temperatures, and increasing access to ice and fans. After the report came out, the people in charge of the Twin Rivers Unit noted in a bulletin to the incarcerated population that they would consider tinting the skylights and allowing residents to continue covering windows while permanent fireproof curtains were manufactured. Ultimately, neither reform materialized. Instead, the facility hung curtains over the common area windows for the remainder of the heat wave.
More than a month after the man with asthma at the Airway Heights Corrections Center near Spokane submitted his second grievance, on July 30, the grievance coordinator finally responded. “You can order fans from the store,” the response reads, repeating the earlier suggestion. “If you need any medical, please let staff know.” After the heat wave finally broke, the devastation it had wrought became clear. More than a thousand people died in the Pacific Northwest, 100 of them in Washington alone. The toll it took on incarcerated people was both physical and emotional; they experienced harmful and chaotic conditions that left them scared for their safety. (The Department of Corrections confirmed that nine incarcerated people received medical attention for heat-related emergencies; two people were hospitalized.)
The heat wave was an exceptional event, but it is by no means the last of its kind: A study concluded that climate change made the heat wave 150 times more likely to occur. Researchers predict that if global temperatures continue to rise, similar events could happen as often as every five to 10 years before the end of this century in the Pacific Northwest. According to Singh, the Washington State University climate scientist, future heat waves could be even longer, hotter and more widespread.
One question looms for incarcerated people and their families: When the next heat wave hits, will Washington’s prisons be prepared? There is no person or department—at the state or federal level—directly responsible for mitigating the effects of climate change on incarcerated people. And that’s problematic, Michael Gerrard, a climate policy expert and director of the Sabin Center at Columbia University, explained in an interview. “Without an official or an office charged with that responsibility, the work will be ad hoc and sporadic,” he said.
Most states lack formal heat mitigation policies for prisons, Carlee Purdum, an assistant research professor at Texas A&M who studies how different hazards and disasters, including extreme heat, impact incarcerated people, said. The Department of Justice’s 24-page Climate Action Plan from 2021 doesn’t address the risk of extreme heat to the incarcerated population; in fact, it doesn’t mention incarcerated people at all. When asked about the plan, the department declined to comment.
In Washington, responses to the heat wave varied significantly across facilities and units. The incarcerated people interviewed for this investigation said a lot depended on who was in charge. Some of the staff tried to help as much as they could, Barrera said. One officer measured room temperatures so that people had the information they needed to make complaints. But low-level officers can’t really do anything if their higher-ups aren’t on board without facing repercussions, she added. Where extreme heat provisions did exist, the volume and the nature of the grievances indicate that they often weren’t adequate to keep incarcerated people cool and safe. Access to things that would cool their bodies and help prevent heat stress was restricted or denied altogether. Window coverings are essential for mitigating heat, but in many instances, people had to petition, beg or risk infractions to block their windows. And some provisions, such as increasing airflow and fans, are ineffective after temperatures reach 95 degrees; according to the Centers for Disease Control, they simply circulate hot air at that point.
Air conditioning is one of the best ways to reduce exposure to high heat in congregate settings, like prisons. “Climate change and extreme temperatures are making it clear that air conditioning is not a luxury. It’s a necessity for life,” Purdum said. But whether modern air-conditioning systems can even function within prisons’ crumbling, leaky infrastructure is unclear. This investigation revealed that, in several instances, prison air-conditioning units or other air-flow systems were either overburdened or not working. In more than one case, they simply pulled in hotter air from outside, making things worse.
In previous years, officials had considered installing portable AC units in incarcerated individuals’ living quarters at the Monroe Correctional Complex Twin Rivers Unit—the dining hall and staff offices already have AC—but the plan was halted due to building design and power and ventilation requirements, according to the Department of Corrections. After air conditioners failed during last year’s heat wave, emergency repair projects were started at Airway Heights Corrections Center and at the health-care building at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. The only additional AC construction underway is at one of the Washington Corrections Center for Women’s living units, a project that started before the heat wave. The Department of Corrections provided contradicting replies when asked what it had done since last year’s heat wave to prepare for future extreme heat. When asked specifically about the curtains at Monroe Correctional Complex, the department said it had located material for them, and that installation was expected prior to the summer heat. As of publication, however, the curtains had not yet arrived. There are no plans to permanently cover the facility’s skylights. One other facility, Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, treated skylights to reduce the amount of heat entering the building.
When asked to comment on incarcerated peoples’ allegations that it failed to keep them safe, the Department of Corrections did not provide a response.
This April, on the first abnormally warm day since fall, the temperature in Darrell Cook’s cell crept up to the 70s; it receives sunlight throughout the day. If it gets too hot this summer, Cook said that he would cover his windows regardless of the regulations, preferring to face potential repercussions rather than suffer through the torturous heat again.
For many, the experience of being left to suffer remains a deeply dehumanizing experience. “They were put in charge of mine and other human beings’ care and they didn’t take it seriously,” Barrera said. “People don’t allow their neighbors to treat animals with that type of disregard, so why was it OK to treat us like that?” she asked. “And how can it be justified? … It’s inhumane.”
This piece was produced in partnership with Type Investigations. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Discussing the weather has long been a harmless British pastime, with forecasters relied on to ruin bank holidays with their predictions of drizzle or give good news of some gentle summer sunshine.But now TV meteorologists have found themselves on the frontline of the climate culture war after extreme temperatures hit England last month, with records smashed and highs of 40.3C (104.5F).Laura Tobin is well known as the chirpy weather forecaster for Good Morning Britain. She is popular with viewers and has 200,000 Twitter followers. But she has found herself spending her time battling climate deniers as her job has tipped from giving updates on the mild British weather to charting the terrifying advance of the climate crisis.She said: “When I’d just done my 6.15am weather forecast on the Tuesday morning, I said we are forecasting 41C and I sat and looked at my map after, I was talking to the guy who does my weather graphics for me, I actually teared up. I said, ‘I’ve forecasted it, it’s going to happen, it’s actually reality and it’s going to happen’. We could not believe it in the forecasting community. I was very emotional about it.”But not all of her viewers took the hot temperatures so seriously, accusing her of “scaremongering” and complaining on social media when Tobin linked the heatwave to climate breakdown.Some tweets accused her of sharing “weather propaganda” and said they switched off when seeing her on television. Some called for her to be jailed over her climate warnings and others called her “Dr Doom”.“People say you should just tell us about the weather, you shouldn’t talk about climate change,” she said, adding: “People think that it’s someone else’s problem and they don’t want to hear it. People don’t like being told what to do.”Unlike many who face abuse and complaints on Twitter, Tobin makes a point of replying to climate deniers and even replies to their tweets live on air, answering their questions.“Meteorologists are one of the main ways climate change is communicated to the public,” she said.“We have a duty to tell the science and show why it matters. What we know, what we’ve seen [in such a short timescale], what we are saying isn’t being alarmist – what we are seeing is alarming. It’s not scaremongering – the truth scares people but the reality is scary.”She views it as part of the job to convince people that the climate crisis is real. “I realised a long time ago that even if those people are one in a million or one in a thousand you have to talk to them and convince them they are wrong, showing them the proof. And I have managed to do it before, I have spoken to complete climate deniers and sceptics, shown them the science in a non-condescending way, and convinced them.”And the angry comments do not upset her, as she believes it is her calling to warn people about the climate emergency.“Anything that somebody can say that might be having a go at me or negative, my feelings about climate change blow that out of the water, I don’t get upset, I just want them to care and understand,” Tobin explained.“For me the more emotional thing was that these temperatures were forecast and they became a reality, that the wildfires started, and that there will be hundreds if not thousands of fatalities. Because we gave massive warnings, places like care homes and schools could prepare and more people were saved.“We had comments saying the Met Office should stick to forecasting not telling people what to do. Actually, I said, hold on a minute, all of these things will have helped save lives so why is it a bad thing? We suggest people bring an umbrella if it is going to rain, no one has a go at us for that, so why can we not suggest that people prepare for extreme weather?”The meteorologist Scott Duncan shows the rapid change in climate by making and sharing stark graphics on social media. Many of these were shared thousands of times during the heatwave but also attracted abuse.“These [extreme weather] events you get, you get the masses coming out with the pitchforks and torches. People think they can forecast the weather themselves, which is fine, but when people come to social media and bash the weather forecaster it’s just not on,” he said.Celebrities and the media have also started unhelpful pile-ons for forecasters trying to warn about extreme heat.“When Jeremy Clarkson was tweeting incorrectly about how France hadn’t declared a heatwave it was sort of stoking a mob, it’s not helpful. It makes people not take it as seriously as they should,” Duncan added.Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BSTAfter all of the attention Duncan’s tweets received, he he has begun posting less because of the emotional toll of reading the comments.“I’ve seen horrible arguments breaking out among the comments and I’ve had to restrict comments because things go down a very dark path. You start to become numb to it, you used to be surprised to see these things and now you don’t.“I’ve been posting less actually, I wanted a step back after the reaction.”But Duncan and Tobin plan to continue telling the world about the climate emergency.“The air we were breathing was hotter than our lungs on Monday and Tuesday [18-19 July] which wasn’t really a thing in the past – seeing 40C in places like Doncaster where had never been above the mid 30s – the scale of these record breaks definitely warranted the highest level of heat warning. If you don’t have a red warning for that then when would you use it?” said Duncan.Tobin added: “It’s my job to give people a bit more science, a bit more understanding. I will keep doing it.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
There are growing concerns people's lives could be at risk as the Met Office indicated it is likely a new UK record 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.
The heatwave is set to peak on Tuesday, with temperatures climbing over the weekend.The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heat covering much of England and Wales from Sunday until Tuesday.Find out the five-day forecast for where you live 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.There is a 50% chance of temperatures reaching 40C (104F) somewhere in the UK, with the Met Office issuing its first-ever red warning for extreme heat.The UK Health Security Agency increased its heat health warning from level three to level four - a "national emergency". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Heatwave is 'national emergency' Level four 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.Some schools across the south are also closing on those days.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.The majority of UK schools are set to break up for the Summer holidays later in the week. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Recently watered grass is seen next to a dry-up area while extreme weather conditions including record-breaking heat waves are the latest sign of climate change in the western United States, where wildfires and severe drought have emerged as a growing threat, near San Jose, California, U.S., August 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug 31 (Reuters) - A record-breaking heat wave is expected to hit California on Wednesday, bringing temperatures of up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46°C) in the state's inland valleys and 100 degrees along the coast over the Labor Day weekend, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.Excessive heat warnings were issued on Tuesday for much of the state, warning of the risk of heat-related illness for people exposed to prolonged outdoor heat, as well as stress to livestock."It’s not uncommon to get some hot temperatures during the Labor Day period, but this is an extraordinary heat event," said Eric Kurth, a meteorologist with the NWS's Sacramento office.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe heat wave comes on the heels of a bout of prolonged high temperatures just two weeks ago in a state that has been pummeled by extreme weather and ongoing drought.High temperatures, drought and severe storms are expected to increase globally as human-caused climate change progresses, scientists say. In Pakistan, massive flooding has killed more than 1,000 people, and parts of the southeastern United States have also been inundated in recent weeks.In California, the heat will gradually build throughout the week, hitting the southern part of the state first but then scorching the northern regions over the long holiday weekend, the NWS said. Temperatures could reach all-time highs in many parts of state, including the state capital of Sacramento, where the mercury could climb as high as 112 degrees on Monday and 113 degrees on Tuesday.The extreme heat is being caused by an area of high pressure that built up over the desert in the southwest, which will move through California over the next several days, Kurth said.Evenings, particularly in foothill areas, will likely bring little relief, he added.The heat is also expected to affect other parts of the west beginning Wednesday, including Washington State, Idaho, western Montana and Oregon, said Sarah Rogowski, a meteorologist and emergency response specialist with the National Weather Service's regional office in Utah.A fire weather watch is in effect for the Northern California counties of Modoc and Siskiyou, which face a combination of extreme temperatures and high winds, she said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Sharon Bernstein; editing by Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
World August 3, 2022 / 3:53 PM / CBS News Scientists warn of risks of "climate endgame" Scientists warn world needs to prepare for risks of "climate endgame" 01:13 A team of international scientists says the world needs to start preparing for the possibility of a "climate endgame" as extreme weather events keep ravaging the planet.From raging wildfires to catastrophic flooding, the effects of climate change can be seen all around. So far, the conversation has been primarily about how to prevent it from getting worse. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a dire warning at last month's Petersberg Climate Dialogue conference in Berlin, Germany: "Half of humanity is in the danger zone from floods, droughts, extreme storms and wildfires. No nation is immune," he said.Now a team of international experts led by Cambridge University in England says that even as nations set goals to reduce emissions, we should be prepared for failure. "Right now, I think we're being naive. We're not looking at the worst-case scenarios at all, really," says Luke Kemp, Ph.D., with Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.The report by Kemp and his colleagues warns about what they call the "four horsemen" of the climate endgame: famine, extreme weather, conflict, and infectious diseases. Scientists are urging world leaders to investigate possible outcomes ranging from a loss of 10% of the global population to eventual human extinction. "The ultimate purpose of this area of study ... it's not supposed to be any kind of disaster voyeurism, it's supposed to be about better understanding, which prevents the worst case," Kemp says.But the worst-case scenario is something he believes we need to prepare for, if all else fails.In their research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists note that with current emissions and population trends, within 50 years, 2 billion people could live in places with an annual average temperature of more than 84 degrees Fahrenheit — extreme heat that is now found in less than 1% of Earth's land surface area. In: Climate Change 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 |
Health warnings have been issued about this week’s heatwave, which is expected to bring the hottest day of the year, with prolonged temperatures higher than in the Greek islands, and intensify pressure on water supplies.Parents were advised to keep their children out of the sun this week, while a water company revealed that it was already looking at ways to avert introducing water restrictions for the first time since the relentless heatwave of 1976.Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency issued a “heat-health” alert running from Monday until Friday, particularly for the south and east of England.Temperatures are predicted to hit 33C on Tuesday, eclipsing this year’s record high which currently stands at 32.7C, recorded at Heathrow airport last month. By comparison, temperatures on the Greek island of Santorini will peak at 29C.Already, South West Water has called on customers to try to save five litres of water a day to maintain reservoir levels, admitting that pressure on supplies is building. Lisa Gahan, the director responsible for water resources, said there had been no restrictions in the region since 1976 and “if we are careful we can have another year without any restrictions”.More immediate is the threat to health with at least one children’s hospital issuing advice to wear sun cream and light-coloured clothing and stay in the shade. Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust added that carers should ensure children stay hydrated by drinking water “little and often”. The British Red Cross also urged people to keep bottled water “on hand in case of problems with the water supply”.The health security agency has advised people in the hottest areas to shade or cover their windows, check fridges are working properly and that medicine is stored correctly. It also advised people to drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol during this week.Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the agency, said: “If you have vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather.”Council leaders have also warned that casual swimmers should be aware of the risk of drowning during the extreme weather. Last year, 277 people drowned, 23 more than the year before.Temperatures are forecast to stay above average throughout this week, prompting the Met Office to issue a level 3 heat health alert for south-east England. A level 2 warning is in place for the rest of England.Today, Britain is expected to bask in sunshine with people in London and south-east England told to expect highs of 29C and clear skies. Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “We should see pretty much wall-to-wall sunshine across the bulk of England and Wales and a good portion of Scotland.” | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Britain recorded its hottest temperature ever on Tuesday, according to the country’s national weather service, the Met Office, with a recording of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) at Coningsby in eastern England. It broke a record set just hours earlier — a recording of 40.2 Celsius (104.4 degrees Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport.Before Tuesday, temperatures had never exceeded 38.7 Celsius (101.7 Fahrenheit), a record set in 2019. By Tuesday afternoon, temperatures in 29 locations across the country had broken the record.The United Kingdom also appears to have recorded its warmest night on record from Monday into Tuesday. In some areas, provisional readings showed that temperatures never fell below 25 degrees Celsius, beating the previous overnight high of 23.9 Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit), reached in August 1990.🌡️ The UK has provisionally seen the highest daily minimum temperature on record ⚠️Temperatures didn't fall below 25°C in places, exceeding the previous highest daily minimum record of 23.9°C, recorded in Brighton on 3rd August 1990#heatwave #heatwave2022 pic.twitter.com/kwt1VB07OZ— Met Office (@metoffice) July 19, 2022 Amid the shocking heat on Tuesday, Met Office chief scientist Stephen Belcher said in a recorded statement that such temperatures in Britain would have been “virtually impossible” if it weren’t for the climate crisis, according to his agency’s research.Thanks to the climate crisis, the planet has already warmed by 1.1 degree on average, and there’s ample evidence that heat waves are becoming longer and more severe. Without urgent action to kick fossil fuels and curb greenhouse gas pollution, the impacts could get even worse.The blanket of heat has wreaked havoc across the United Kingdom. Wildfires broke out in the London area, engulfing homes.A significant blaze in #Dagenham is affecting a number of houses, a workshop & a huge area of grassland. Residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed and motorists should avoid the area where possible. Fifteen fire engines are at the scene https://t.co/mk4b3CyvE9 pic.twitter.com/0j5EezBt8x— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) July 19, 2022 Travel disruptions abounded. Many train services were canceled and others ran at slower speeds due to concern that the heat could cause tracks to buckle. On Monday, flights at Luton airport were also stopped for hours after heat damaged a runway.Most homes in the United Kingdom don’t have air conditioning; some estimates put the percentage as low as 5 percent. (More than 90% of homes in the United States have AC.) It’s a sign of how unprepared the nation — known for cooler temperatures and rain — is for climate change. According to Belcher, if the world fails to urgently curb emissions, he said, the country could see heat like this every three years.The heat wave has plagued countries across the European continent. Germany and Belgium have also issued temperature alerts. And Spain and Portugal are blanketed in deadly heat as well. Between July 10 and July 16, there were 510 heat-related deaths in Spain, according to the Carlos III Institute And Portugal’s Health Ministry said Saturday that there were 659 heat-related deaths over the past week.Central Asia is facing astoundingly high temperatures, too, according to the Washington Post. Temperatures reportedly reached a mind-boggling 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.62 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kazakhstan on Monday.Terrible heat wave under way in Central Asia. In Kazakhstan Tuscikuduk (lat 44,4N) rose to 45.9C and it could get even hotter today. The heat will be fierce and at record level for several days, moving east. pic.twitter.com/R3FZPTtwLF— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) July 18, 2022 Other parts of the world have scorching heat in store, too. Temperatures are expected to soar in China this week, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Last week, temperatures topped 107 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the country.Meanwhile, here in the United States, more than 100 million people are facing excessive heat warnings or heat advisories, the the Weather Prediction Center said.Dangerous and record-breaking heat is forecast across much of the south-central U.S. today and is expected to linger through much of this week. In total, over 100 million people are currently within heat related warnings and advisories. Be sure to follow proper #heat safety. pic.twitter.com/iihx8GduXX— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) July 19, 2022 One third of the United States’ population is under heat advisory or excessive heat warning today and tomorrow. And more than 80 percent of the US population will experience forecasted high temperatures above 90 degrees in the next week.In Boston, temperatures could top 90 degrees every day this week and into the weekend. The worst of the wave is expected on Wednesday and Thursday.As climate change progresses, experts project that periods of extreme heat in Massachusetts will increase. From 1971 to 2000, the average summer in the state saw four days over 90 degrees. By mid-century, climate scientists say the state may have 10-28 days over 90 degrees each year. By the end of the century, Massachusetts could experience between 13 and 56 days of extreme heat each summer, depending on what steps are taken now to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.High temperatures aren’t the only climate disaster afflicting the globe right now. As of Sunday, extreme rainfall and floods in China killed 18 people and forced thousands to evacuate their homes. The Horn of Africa is experiencing a persistent drought, pushing some 10 million people into hunger. Meanwhile, a megadrought is still upon the Western United States, leaving Lake Mead — which supplies water to 25 million people — at historically low levels.Though it may seem as dangerous as a hurricane or snowstorm, research shows that extreme heat is the deadliest form of extreme weather in the US. So be careful out there.Dharna Noor can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @dharnanoor. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Rail bosses have warned services could be further delayed by heavy rain today with passengers already stranded after almost every service in and out of London King's Cross was axed following the UK's hottest day on record.Network Rail said downpours on dry ground following the extreme heat could cause flooding and overwhelm track drainage this afternoon and evening – just as operators try to get services back up and running again.Thunderstorms will hit much of England this afternoon and evening, with the Met Office issuing a warning from noon until 10pm saying flooding and lightning strikes could result in 'delays and some cancellations' to trains.And Network Rail said: 'The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms today. Following severe hot weather, heavy rain on dry ground can cause flooding and overwhelm track drainage.'Forecasters said parts of England could see 'slow-moving torrential downpours' with up to 1.2in (30mm) of rain in an hour and more than 2in (50mm) in three hours, adding that 'lightning will be an additional hazard' in the South.LNER - which operates trains between King's Cross and Edinburgh via Peterborough, York and Newcastle - issued a 'do not travel' warning today and urged people to not even go to the London hub. Two other operators who run services from King's Cross - Lumo and Hull Trains - said they were told by Network Rail to cancel all services today.The delayed 11am LNER service from King's Cross to Edinburgh today, which left at 11.46am, was the first direct train to travel on that route since a Lumo train on Monday at 8.27pm - a gap of nearly 40 hours in services. Passengers trying to head north from London Euston also continued to face major delays following damage to overhead electric lines in four different locations. At St Pancras, there were almost no services heading north and East Midlands Railway warned of 'overcrowding' at stations with trains and crew out of place after line closures.Operators such as CrossCountry, Northern, Chiltern, Southeastern and Southern also reported problems – while those heading abroad on the Eurostar faced delays of more than an hour due to a power failure in Lille, France. In addition, Thameslink and Great Northern warned of late notice cancellations and said: 'Avoid all travel by trains.'King's Cross resembled a dormitory today as stranded passengers slept on suitcases, tables and benches while waiting for news of whether trains heading north would restart again after they were all cancelled yesterday.The line between King's Cross and Peterborough was shut after a major fire spread onto the tracks at Sandy in Bedfordshire, causing damage to signalling equipment and a level crossing which both require complex repairs.The fire at Sandy also meant a planned inspection of more than 250 miles of track on the southern end of the East Coast Main Line to see whether any other equipment was damaged in the heat has not yet taken place.Most services on the Transport for London network were back up and running normally again today after two days of disruption, but there were severe delays on the Jubilee line after signal failure in the North Greenwich area.There were also minor delays reported on the Central, Circle and District lines - and on the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Heathrow and Reading because of late-finishing engineering work in the Ealing Broadway area.It comes as Network Rail said it had launched a new 'resilience taskforce' made up of independent experts to look at how the railway can avoid such a big shutdown during hot weather following the unprecedented heatwave. Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers sleep on suitcase and benches at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the stationHuge numbers of rail passengers at London Euston station this morning after services to and from Scotland were axed Passengers sleep on benches at London King's Cross station this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers wait for information at London St Pancras station this morning amid mass cancellations to the East Midlands Passengers wait to speak to staff at London King's Cross railway station this morning as mass disruption continues Huge numbers of rail passengers at London Euston station this morning after services to and from Scotland were axed Passengers speak to staff at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers wait for information at London St Pancras station this morning amid mass cancellations to the East Midlands Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland All trains are cancelled out of London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers sleep on suitcase at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers speak to staff at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers at King's Cross station in London today following train cancellations amid extreme temperatures Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland The line between King's Cross and Peterborough has been shut after the major fire spread onto the tracks at Sandy in Bedfordshire, causing damage to signalling equipment and a level crossing which both require complex repairs Teams from Network Rail are carrying out repair and recovery work after a major fire spread onto the railway line at Sandy in Bedfordshire, which is on the East Coast Main Line route between Peterborough and London King's Cross Network Rail teams have been working throughout the night trying to restore power lines damaged at Harrow in North West London, which is causing major disruption on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow West Coast passengers are being urged to check before they set off after a tree fell onto the track at Harrow during a fire Drone image of power lines damaged following a fire at Harrow in North West London which is causing major disruption todayThe Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning from 12pm until 10pm today saying flooding and lightning strikes could hit Network Rail said rain on dry ground following the extreme heat could cause flooding and overwhelm track drainage At Birmingham International, Lee Ball was trying to travel with his wife, Libby, and 10-year-old daughter, Amelie, from their home in Droitwich, Worcestershire, to Euston as part of a journey to Brussels for an Ed Sheeran concert.The 46-year-old said their train from Droitwich to Birmingham New Street was cancelled with less than 30 minutes' notice so they drove to Birmingham International, where they have been left waiting for hours. How is today's major rail disruption affecting your local train operator?Avanti West Coast: No direct trains between London Euston and Scotland, and all lines between Lancaster and Carlisle and in the Birmingham New Street area are blocked due to severe damage to the overhead electric wiresc2c: Normal serviceCaledonian Sleeper: All services cancelled with passengers told to go homeChiltern Railways: Signalling fault between Leamington Spa and Banbury means trains are running at a reduced speed towards LondonCrossCountry: All lines blocked in the Birmingham New Street area because of damaged overhead electric wires; trains cancelled or diverted via Bescot StadiumEast Midlands Railway: No trains between London St Pancras and Nottingham or Corby until 10am; no trains from Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber until 11am; no trains between Peterborough and Lincoln until 9.30amEurostar: Due to a power failure in Lille, all services between London St Pancras, Paris and Lille are being delayed by an hour or moreGatwick Express: Normal serviceGrand Central: Operator warns passengers not to travel to or from London King's Cross until at least 12pmGreat Northern: Most of the network closed this morning, with limited services set to restart later on Bedford to London via St Albans City; St Albans City/London to Sutton via Wimbledon or Mitcham Junction; and Luton/London to RainhamGreat Western Railway: Normal service but 'possibility of some short notice alterations'Greater Anglia: No trains from Wickford towards Southminster due to a signalling faultHeathrow Express: Services delayed by up to 15 minutes due to engineering works not finished on timeHull Trains: No trains to and from London King's Cross with alternative routes also blocked and passengers advised 'not to travel'LNER: Due to urgent repairs to the railway between London King's Cross and Peterborough, all lines are blocked. Operator says: 'Please do not travel to or from King's Cross today'.London Northwestern Railway: Repair works ongoing in Hatch End on the line to and from London Euston following damage caused by firesLumo: No trains to and from London King's Cross and passengers told 'not to travel'Merseyrail: Normal serviceNorthern: Services between Worksop and Lincoln being disrupted due to a signalling fault; services between Lancaster and Carnforth cancelled due to overhead wire damage; services between Scarborough and Hull cannot run due to damage caused by heatScotRail: Services between Inverness and Edinburgh are delayed due to signalling fault between Inverness and CarrbridgeSouth Western Railway: Points failure at Virginia Watera and signalling issue at Ascot are causing delaysSoutheastern: Disruption to High Speed services due to signalling problem between Stratford and London St Pancras; delays between Dover and Ramsgate due signalling fault in the Martin Mill; no trains between Brixton and Beckenham Junction while track in Penge tunnel is repairedSouthern: No services on the Clapham Junction to Watford Junction/Hemel Hempstead line 'until further notice'Stansted Express: Half-hourly service in placeThameslink: No trains until at least late morning on the Peterborough to London route; Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate (Great Northern Metro); Stevenage and Moorgate (Great Northern Metro); and at Kings Lynn, Ely, Cambridge and to / from LondonTransPennine Express: Severe damage to the overhead electric wires between Lancaster and Carlisle means all lines are blockedTransport for London: Severe delays on the Jubilee line after signal failure; and minor delays on the Central, Circle and District lines and on the Elizabeth lineTransport for Greater Manchester: Normal serviceTransport for Wales: Normal serviceWest Midlands Railway: Trains running between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury will start or terminate at WolverhamptonHe said: 'I've been up since 4.30am, anxious, trying to get an answer from anywhere we can. I was monitoring trains this morning from Birmingham New Street to London Euston and one was literally cancelled with five minutes' notice.'He added that communication from the train companies has been 'appalling', saying: 'It's massive, massive anxiety. Not being able to sleep, 4am this morning, fretting, seeing if there had been any updates.'Laura Horn, a lecturer at Roskilde University in Denmark, was travelling from Copenhagen to a conference in Limerick in western Ireland but was left stuck at Euston.She said: 'Station hall packed with people staring at the display, so many cancelled connections. Lots of worried and tired faces; I thought it was striking that so many seemed worried rather than annoyed.'I think people are finally realising that, with the climate emergency we're in, we'll see much more of this in the next years. Staff at the station were really helpful and friendly.'Alex Davies, a charity worker from Crewe, said he was 'physically and mentally exhausted' from trying to organise his journey home from Portsmouth via Euston.The 28-year-old said: 'I'm autistic and need a lot of help from my wife, but she couldn't get the time off work to travel with me so the whole saga has been extremely difficult for me. I need to know plans in advance, struggle to adapt to changes, struggle with communication etc.'Mr Davies was meant to travel yesterday evening but held off in the hope that the disruption would have subsided by today.He added: 'Through extra taxis, meals and hotels I'm at around £250 loss and still don't have a guarantee that I'll be home today. Still very anxious and tired as, until I can get to Euston, there is not really any support.'At King's Cross today, the queue for refunds and information stretched along the concourse and restaurants were full. Among those trying to travel today was journalist Karen Bourne, who was attempting to get to Peterborough.She told MailOnline: 'I got in from Barcelona yesterday and I was due to go to Peterborough last night. Then I found that the trains have been cancelled and I booked a train for 9am today, but I heard there has been a fire. 'So that's quite understandable if we can't travel. I'm looking to try and share a cab with people to get there.'Retired teacher David Carr, 73, had been hoping to get to York with his wife Diane yesterday. He told MailOnline today: 'I suppose it's in the hands of the big fella above.'With all this modern technology you would hope that things would run a bit more smoothly. But there's nothing the train services can do when the lines buckle under the heat. It has been unprecedented weather.'My wife and I don't know when we'll be able to get home. Hopefully the trains will be running this afternoon.'Eventually, stranded passengers cheered and rushed to board a special train put on to take passengers to Peterborough and relieve the crowding at King's Cross.Hundreds of people crammed onto the slow train which left at 9.40am and filled carriages including first class, despite having standard class tickets.Rail bosses hoped to carry passengers from Peterborough onto Yorkshire and Scotland as repairs were continued at the location in Bedfordfordshire.Charles Hurley, 74, a tourist from California who was heading to Edinburgh, boarded the train and told MailOnline: 'I have never heard of 'Peter's Borough' but they say it has a cathedral so if we get stuck there, at least there is a new bit of Britain to get to see.'A member of train staff, with a sense of irony, apologised to passengers and said: 'I am sorry you are all running a bit late.'Simon Pumphrey, Infrastructure Director for Network Rail's East Coast route, said: 'The heat has caused numerous challenges for the railway. Our teams remain on site to deal with the damage caused by the fire at Sandy.'We're working as hard as we can, but the complexity of the work means there will be severe disruption to trains on the East Coast Main Line today.'The incident has also disrupted our plans to manually inspect the route between Peterborough and King's Cross for any other damage and carry out any repairs, so we'll be working today to do that.'We're sorry if this impacts on your plans and we're doing what we can to restart services as soon as possible. In the meantime, please check before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or with your train operator.'On the West Coast Main Line, there were no direct trains between London and Scotland today as Network Rail engineers worked to repair multiple sections of 25,000-volt overhead electric cables which power services.Teams worked throughout the night trying to restore the power lines that were damaged between Lancaster and Carnforth in Lancashire; at Harrow in North West London; at Birmingham New Street; and near Wolverhampton. All trains are cancelled out of London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Empty platforms at London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Departure boards at London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers wait to speak to staff at London King's Cross railway station this morning as mass disruption continues Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers sleep at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Empty platforms at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat All trains are cancelled out of London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers speak to staff at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers sleep on tables at a Wasabi branch at London King's Cross today as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers wait for information at London Euston today after mass cancellations of services to the North West and Scotland Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers wait to speak to staff at London King's Cross railway station this morning as mass disruption continues Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Departure boards at London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruptionThis repair work continued today in all locations meaning fewer trains will be running in and out of London Euston, and rail replacement buses were in operation between Preston in Lancashire and Carlisle in Cumbria. Police move in to seize M25 protesters after SEVEN hours of road chaos: Just Stop Oil eco activists are hauled away Just Stop Oil protesters have been hauled away by specialist climbing officers after they scaled gantries and blocked three parts of the M25 - causing seven hours of traffic chaos and fury among drivers.Activists climbed a gantry over the M25 at the Poyle Interchange between Junction 14 and Junction 15 near Heathrow Airport, with police having to close the motorway in both directions while specialist officers attended the scene.A similar demonstration took place near Junction 10 between Cobham and Guildford today, causing nine miles of traffic and hour-long delays. This stretch of the motorway has also since reopened following the arrest of a 22-year-old woman, according to police. Queuing traffic on the M25 today caused by Just Stop Oil But the M25 just north of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge in Thurrock remains closed after a protester climbed another gantry between Junctions 30 and 31.In a statement released shortly before the demonstrations, Just Stop Oil said it was 'declaring the M25 a site of civil resistance' this week. The group asked that 'no one travels on this motorway from Wednesday to Friday this week as we will be blocking the highway'.Avanti West Coast said its train services on other routes out of London Euston may also be cancelled.James Dean, Network Rail's West Coast South route director, said: 'We're sorry to passengers impacted by the damaged caused to our overhead electric lines during the record-breaking heat.'Specialist teams worked all night but have been unable to fix the cables in time for the start of service this morning. We're doing everything we can to get things back up and running.'There were also major issues at St Pancras, with all trains cancelled on the East Midlands Railway (EMR) route while engineers carried out safety checks between London and Kettering. Services were expected to start at 10am.The only trains running out of St Pancras today were Eurostar and Southeastern High Speed services to Kent. EMR said there were also checks taking place between Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber, and Peterborough and Ely.Rail passengers using the Midland Main Line north from St Pancras are being advised not to travel first thing this morning while safety checks continue.It follows record temperatures in the East Midlands on Tuesday which were higher than the design limits for track and overhead line equipment.Network Rail said services were stopped on the Midland Main Line between Bedford and Kettering and London yesterday afternoon as a safety precaution, and the safety checks could only be made in the daylight today.There will be no Thameslink services until late morning at the earliest today on the routes between Bedford and London via St Albans; London and Sutton via Wimbledon or Mitcham Junctions, London and East Grinstead, Littlehampton or Orpington; and between Peterborough and Hitchin. Gary Walsh, route director for Network Rail in the East Midlands, said: 'We're really sorry that the impact of the extreme weather at the start of this week is affecting passengers for a third day. 'Our teams will be out travelling the rails at first light to carry out the necessary inspections to allow us to fully reopen the network as soon as possible.'As long as no serious faults are found we expect to have the route between Bedford and London open during the morning and the lines out to Kettering soon afterwards. We have extra response teams on shift who will respond as quickly as possible if any damage is found. I'd ask all passengers to check with your operator before you set off.'The Caledonian Sleeper which runs overnight services between Euston and Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness, was suspended - with some passengers spending the night on trains held in London or Scotland. National Rail has told customers to check before setting off on their journeys and to only travel if absolutely necessary. Passengers wait for updates at London King's Cross station this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Signage at London King's Cross station this morning following mass train cancellations due to the hot weather Passengers wait to speak to staff at London King's Cross railway station this morning as mass disruption continues Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers wait to speak to staff at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week All trains are cancelled out of London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers wait to speak to staff at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week All trains are cancelled out of London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Departure boards at London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Passengers at London King's Cross station this morning amid mass train cancellations following the extreme heat this week Display boards at London King's Cross railway station this morning as passengers wait for updates Passengers speak to staff at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the station All trains are cancelled out of London King's Cross railway station this morning amid severe travel disruption Passengers wait to speak to staff at London King's Cross this morning as all trains are cancelled out of the stationIt said on its website: 'A huge amount of work has been completed overnight to fix problems with the track and overhead wires caused by the heat yesterday. Drivers warned over busiest summer getaway in at least eight years This weekend will be the busiest summer getaway in at least eight years, drivers have been warned.The RAC said an estimated 18.8 million leisure trips are planned in the UK between Friday and Monday. That is the most since the company began tracking summer getaway numbers in 2014.Leisure traffic volumes look set to peak on Saturday, a survey of 1,700 UK motorists suggested.Transport analytics company Inrix believes the M25 - London's orbital motorway - could see some of the worst jams, singling out the stretches between Bromley and the Dartford Crossing; Maple Cross and the M3; and the M23 to the M40.The A303 near Stonehenge, Wiltshire, the M4 between Cardiff and Newport in south Wales, and the M5 south of Bristol are also likely to see queuing traffic at various points this weekend.RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: 'The extreme heat that's affecting much of the UK in the last few days might wane over the next few days, but we still expect the summer getaway to begin with a bang as a potentially record-breaking number of drivers take to the roads this coming weekend - and that's despite the unbelievably high cost of fuel.'With school terms in England and Wales finishing this week and millions of people ready for a well-earned break, we anticipate a frantic Friday followed by a woeful weekend on major roads across the country, with traffic and congestion likely peaking on Saturday.'The advice to drivers heading off on a holiday by car is therefore clear - leave as early as you can in the morning or expect to be sat in some lengthy queues.'Inrix transport analyst Bob Pishue said: 'Drivers should expect traffic congestion to build throughout the day, especially on motorways. Despite high fuel prices, travellers do not appear to be giving up their road trips and holidays.'National Highways head of road safety Jeremy Phillips said: 'With schools breaking up for summer soon there will be more people on the roads and taking longer journeys.'We know that breaking down can be a very upsetting experience, nobody wants to start off their holiday stranded at the side of the road, next to fast moving traffic. So we are reminding drivers to check their vehicles, particularly the tyres, before setting off.''Network Rail teams are continuing to work tirelessly to make the repairs so we can get services back up and running for passengers but there is still disruption to services throughout the day. So, for anyone travelling today, please take time to check before you travel.' Network Rail said passenger numbers yesterday were around 40 per cent lower than the same day last week.Overhead electric wires were down in Rugby, Birmingham and Carlisle, leading to a number of trains being trapped and emergency evacuations of passengers.Network Rail Wales apologised for having to close the Cambrian Line between Dovey Junction and Aberystwyth 'due to extreme heat'. And no rail services were running into or out of London King's Cross yesterday.It comes as after temperatures topped 40C in the UK for the first time ever.A new record for the hottest day ever seen, of 40.3C, was recorded in Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, yesterday afternoon - beating the previous record of 38.7C in Cambridge three years ago, by 1.6C.Amid the sweltering heat, major incidents were announced by fire brigades in London, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire as dozens of fires broke out amid the sweltering heat - with flames ripping through houses, schools and churches.The temperature is set to drop by up to 10C in some areas today, with heavy showers and thunderstorms to lash parts of the country, potentially causing localised flooding.The Met Office said 34 observation sites across England provisionally broke the previous all-time record, ranging from Bramham, in West Yorkshire, to Charlwood, in Surrey, while a further five had equalled it yesterday.A total of six sites, mostly in Greater London, saw temperatures reach or exceed 40C.However, two 'large-scale' incidents took place in Upminster and the village of Wennington in East London, where black smoke billowed into the air, while flames destroyed buildings and ravaged nearby fields.Several other significant incidents also occurred in the capital, with people urged not to have barbecues or bonfires due to the 'unprecedented' challenges crews face.Elsewhere, a serious blaze occurred in Barnsley when a row of houses in the Moorland Avenue area was consumed by flames, with crews continuing to battle fires elsewhere in the area.Doncaster Council said a major blaze in Clayton also spread to three residential properties and there were reports of houses on fire in the Kiverton Park and Maltby areas of Rotherham.Nine people have died since Saturday in swimming accidents.Interim deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin, said the heatwave was forcing hospitals to scale back the number of planned surgeries and install cooling units and try to cool down IT server rooms.And an East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said the service had seen above-average call numbers since Monday afternoon and it expected to still be seeing an impact from heat-related illness into the weekend. Passengers travel on the Northern line on the London Underground this morning as they commute to work A thermometer on the Northern line on the London Underground this morning shows a temperature of 31.7C People wait on board a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work People walk along the platform at London Bridge station this morning as they travel on the Jubilee line Passengers travel on the Northern line on the London Underground this morning as they commute to work People walk along the platform at London Bridge station this morning as they travel on the Jubilee line Passengers travel on the Northern line on the London Underground this morning as they commute to work People wait on board a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work People walk along the platform at London Bridge station this morning as they travel on the Jubilee line People wait on board a Jubilee line train at London Bridge station this morning as they travel to work People walk along the platform at London Bridge s | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
Officials in Pakistan said Friday that weeks of flooding triggered by historic monsoon rains had killed nearly 1,000 people and “badly affected” 33 million others, and they appealed for international help to deal with the calamity. The devastation across all four provinces of the country prompted Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to declare a national emergency amid forecasts of more rain, his office said. Sharif was quoted as saying the government was working closely with the United Nations to launch a flash flood appeal on August 30. Southwestern Baluchistan and southern Sindh provinces were the hardest hit. Video showed swollen rivers and gushing floodwaters submerging towns, destroying buildings, washing away villages, bridges, roads and other infrastructure. Members of a family with their belongings wade through water following heavy rain and flooding during the monsoon season in Jamshoro, Pakistan Aug. 26, 2022. Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman described the seasonal rainfall as a “monsoon monster” and blamed climate change for the deadliest flooding in the South Asian nation of about 220 million people in more than a decade. She declared that Pakistan was living through “one of the most serious climate catastrophes” in the world, and that it was wreaking nonstop havoc throughout the country. “We are at this point ground zero, the front line, with extreme weather events, which we have seen from early this year in an unrelenting cascade of heat wave, forest fires, flash floods, multiple glacial lake-outburst-flood events and now the monster monsoon of the decade,” Rehman said. “The amount of water on the ground has inundated huge swaths of Pakistan, with 33 million people affected, many stranded,” she said. “Thousands are without shelter; many are without food. And people are stranded.” Baluchistan, already battered by flash floods, lost communication with the rest of the country after massive overnight rains, said the English-language Dawn newspaper. The communication breakdown was hampering rescue and relief operations in the impacted region. The Pakistan Telecom Authority said Friday that it had restored voice and data services in Baluchistan and efforts were being made to resolve “this unprecedented situation.” Volunteers prepare food boxes to distribute among the flood victims, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Peshawar, Pakistan, Aug. 26, 2022. Officials at the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the country saw its wettest July since 1961, warning another cycle of torrential rains could emerge next month. Rescue teams, assisted by Pakistani military troops, were erecting tents and shelters in the flood-affected areas, where many were without food and shelter. Rehman said an assessment of needs was being prepared but that Pakistan would require all the international help it could get because dealing with the disaster was beyond the capacity of federal or provincial governments. Sindh received "784%" more rainfall this month than the August average, while Baluchistan had received almost 500% more, according to official data. Since mid-June, when the monsoon seasons began in Pakistan, more than 3,000 kilometers of roads, 130 bridges and tens of thousands of homes have been damaged across the country, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Parts of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and central Punjab provinces might face “very high to an exceptionally high level of flooding” in the next few days, according to the NDMA forecast. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party rules KP, visited flood-hit parts Friday and described on Twitter the level of destruction in the province as massive. The scenic Swat valley in the province was one of the hardest-hit districts. The calamity has struck Pakistan at a time when the country faces an economic crisis, with dwindling foreign cash reserves and historic inflation. The Sharif government has cut spending and increased fuel and utility prices to ensure Pakistan receives a much-needed $1.2 billion bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund. The United Nations has responded by allocating $3 million. “This will be used for health, nutrition, food security, and water and sanitation services in flood-affected areas, focusing on the most vulnerable,” said a U.N. statement. | Extreme Weather and Cataclysms |
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