Tag Archives: Weather

Climate Solutions

What’s an Atmospheric River and Why is California Lovin’ It?

Drought that looked invincible has met extreme opposite weather: stalemate?

Atmospheric river storms can actually be welcome in California during a historic drought, like the one this year. In some cases, nearly 50% of California’s precipitation each year can be the result of atmospheric rivers, and they can bring enough water to stop even a historic drought in its tracks.

Atmospheric river storms, also known as “pineapple express” storms, have sometimes been known to bring much-needed rain and snow to drought-stricken areas, including California.

Extreme weather, wildfires, and more have been on the increase worldwide as a result of global warming and climate change.

Atmospheric river storms are characterized by a narrow corridor of strong winds and heavy precipitation that can extend for thousands of miles. They are often associated with the transport of moist air from tropical regions, and they can be a significant source of water for many areas.

In California, atmospheric river storms can provide a much-needed source of water for agriculture, hydroelectric power generation, and other important water-dependent activities.

They can also help to replenish reservoirs and groundwater aquifers, which can help to mitigate the impacts of drought.

The monumental drought of 2022 in the rearview?

Just as it was looking as if there was zero chance for enough moisture to reverse the long, intense drought conditions that California has suffered this year, the “Pineapple Express” became a holiday storm front. There is a sense of relief, although it is too early to tell if the drought will end as a result of this rain.

It is also important to note that these storms can also bring heavy rainfall and strong winds, which can lead to flooding and other hazards. As a result, it is important for people in affected areas to be prepared and take necessary precautions.

An atmospheric river is a narrow band of moisture-rich air that extends from the tropics or subtropics to higher latitudes. These rivers of air are typically about a thousand miles wide and several thousand miles long, and they can transport enormous amounts of water vapor from the tropics to other parts of the world.

Atmospheric rivers are important because they play a crucial role in the global water cycle.

Water evaporates from the surface of the ocean, rises into the atmosphere, and then condenses to form clouds. As the clouds move over land, they release their moisture in the form of rain or snow.

Atmospheric rivers are responsible for a large portion of the moisture that falls as precipitation in many parts of the world, particularly along the western coasts of the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Atmospheric rivers can be either warm or cold, depending on the temperature of the air that they are carrying.

Warm atmospheric rivers are typically associated with heavy rainfall and floods, while cold atmospheric rivers can bring snow and ice to colder regions.

One of the most well-known atmospheric rivers is the “Pineapple Express,” which is a warm atmospheric river that brings moist air from the tropics to the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

The Pineapple Express is named after the tropical fruit because it brings warm, tropical air to the region. This atmospheric river is responsible for a large portion of the precipitation that falls in the Pacific Northwest, and it can cause heavy rainfall and floods in the region.

Another well-known atmospheric river is the “North Atlantic Oscillation,” which is a cold atmospheric river that brings moist air from the subtropics to the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

This atmospheric river is responsible for a large portion of the snowfall that falls in these regions, and it can cause heavy snow and ice storms.

Atmospheric rivers can have a significant impact on the weather and climate of the regions that they affect.

They can bring much-needed moisture to dry regions, which can help to alleviate drought conditions. However, they can also cause heavy rainfall and floods, which can lead to damage to infrastructure and loss of life.

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the importance of atmospheric rivers and their potential impact on the global water cycle.

Scientists are working to better understand atmospheric rivers and to develop better tools for predicting and managing their effects.

This research is important because atmospheric rivers are likely to become more intense and more frequent in the future due to climate change.

Generally speaking, an atmospheric river is a narrow band of moisture-rich air that extends from the tropics or subtropics to higher latitudes.

These rivers of air play a crucial role in the global water cycle and can bring much-needed moisture to dry regions or cause heavy rainfall and floods.

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of atmospheric rivers and their potential impact on the global water cycle, and scientists are working to better understand and predict their effects.

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Hot-Lynx

California Woman wins $10M on Lotto by ‘accident’

LaQuedra Edwards entered a Tarzana Vons supermarket and put $40 into a Scratchers vending machine back in November 2021 as reported by the Sacramento Bee. However when she was about to choose her scratcher selection (several less expensive tickets) she inadvertently hit the selection for a $30 scratcher as a result of being “pushed” by a fellow market go-er.

That wrong or accidental button pushed resulted in Edwards winning $10 million as reported by the California Lotto press release on April 6. Oy, in a good way.

Read More at:

Sacramento Bee

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Climate Solutions, News, Observation

‘Unthinkable’: Scientists Shocked as Polar Temperatures Soar 50 to 90 Degrees Above Normal

Above: Photo Collage / Lynxotic / Adobe Stock

“With everything going on in the world right now, the dual polar climate disasters of 2022 should be the top story”

Scientists expressed shock and alarm this weekend amid extreme high temperatures near both of the Earth’s poles—the latest signs of the accelerating planetary climate emergency.

“This event is completely unprecedented and upended our expectations about the Antarctic climate system.”

Temperatures in parts of Antarctica were 50°F-90°F above normal in recent days, while earlier this week the mercury soared to over 50°F higher than average—close to the freezing mark—in areas of the Arctic.

Stefano Di Battista, an Antarctic climatologist, tweeted that such record-shattering heat near the South Pole was“unthinkable” and “impossible.”

“Antarctic climatology has been rewritten,” di Battista wrote.

The joint French-Italian Concordia research station in eastern Antarctica recorded an all-time high of 10°F on Friday. In contrast, high temperatures at the station this time in March average below -50°F.

Jonathan Wille, a researcher studying polar meteorology at Université Grenoble Alpes in France, told The Washington Post that “this event is completely unprecedented and upended our expectations about the Antarctic climate system.”

“This is when temperatures should be rapidly falling since the summer solstice in December,” Wille tweeted. “This is a Pacific Northwest 2021 heatwave kind of event,” he added, referring to the record-breaking event in which parts of Canada topped 120°F for the first time in recorded history. “Never supposed to happen.”

Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, toldUSA Today that “you don’t see the North and the South [poles] both melting at the same time” because “they are opposite seasons.”

“It’s definitely an unusual occurrence,” he added.

As Common Dreams has reported, the Arctic has been warming three times faster than the world as a whole, accelerating polar ice melt, ocean warming, and other manifestations of the climate emergency.

“Looking back over the last few decades, we can clearly see a trend in warming, particularly in the ‘cold season’ in the Arctic,” Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist with the Danish Meteorological Institute, told the Post. “It’s not surprising that warm air is busting through into the Arctic this year. In general, we expect to see more and more of these events in the future.”

Originally published on Common Dreams by BRETT WILKINS and republished under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

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Breaking News, News

Red Alert for Fukushima Nuclear Plant After 7.3 Quake in Japan

Over two million homes in the Tokyo region were left without power.

This is a breaking story… Please check back for possible updates…

A series of earthquakes off the coast of Japan on Wednesday triggered a tsunami advisory for Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures—just over 11 years after the region endured a major nuclear disaster.

The first two earthquakes, with magnitudes of 6.4 and 7.3, struck within two minutes of each other, followed by another 5.5 magnitude quake over an hour later, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The strongest quake hit about 60 kilometers or 37 miles below the sea and left more than two million homes without electricity in an area serviced by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the Associated Press reported.

The AP noted that TEPCO said workers were checking for any possible damage at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, the site of the March 2011 disaster—which was caused by a 9.0 magnitude quake and resulting tsunami that led to multiple meltdowns at the facility.

No abnormalities were found at the Fukushima plant, The Japan Timesreported, citing the nation’s Nuclear Regulation Authority.

TEPCO also found no abnormalities at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture, according to Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK.

“There is a possibility that another earthquake as strong as an upper 6 could strike in the next week or so,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters just after midnight local time. “We need to be on alert.”

As Common Dreams reported last week, environmental defenders marked the 11th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster with calls for a renewable energy future free of nuclear power.

Originally published on Common Dreams by JESSICA CORBETT and republished under

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Climate Solutions, News, Observation, Politics

Climate Crisis Has Made Western US Megadrought Worst in 1,200 Years

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“Climate change is here and now,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal. “If a 1,200 year mega-drought isn’t enough to make people realize that, I don’t know what is.”

The megadrought which has gripped western U.S. states including California and Arizona over the past two decades has been made substantially worse by the human-caused climate crisis, new research shows, resulting in the region’s driest period in about 1,200 years.

Scientists at University of California-Los Angeles, NASA, and Columbia University found that extreme heat and dryness in the West over the past two years have pushed the drought that began in 2000 past the conditions seen during a megadrought in the late 1500s.

“We’re sort of shifting into basically unprecedented times relative to anything we’ve seen in the last several hundred years.”

The authors of the new study, which was published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, followed up on research they had conducted in 2020, when they found the current drought was the second-worst on record in the region after the one that lasted for several years in the 16th century.

Since that study was published, the American West has seen a heatwave so extreme it sparked dozens of wildfires and killed hundreds of people and droughtconditions which affected more than 90% of the area as of last summer, pushing the region’s conditions past “that extreme mark,” according to the Los Angeles Times.   

The scientists examined wood cores extracted from thousands of trees at about 1,600 sites across the West, using the data from growth rings in ancient trees to determine soil moisture levels going back to the 800s.

They then compared current conditions to seven other megadroughts—which are defined as droughts that are both severe and generally last a number of decades—that happened between the 800s and 1500s.

The researchers estimated that the extreme dry conditions facing tens of millions of people across the western U.S. have been made about 42% more severe by the climate crisis being driven by fossil fuel extraction and emissions.

“The results are really concerning, because it’s showing that the drought conditions we are facing now are substantially worse because of climate change,” Park Williams, a climate scientist at UCLA and the study’s lead author, told the Los Angeles Times.

In the region Williams and his colleagues examined, the average temperature since the drought began in 2000 was 1.6° Fahrenheit warmer than the average in the previous 50 years. Without the climate crisis driving global temperatures up, the West would still have faced drought conditions, but based on climate models studied by the researchers, there would have been a reprieve from the drought in 2005 and 2006.

“Without climate change, the past 22 years would have probably still been the driest period in 300 years,” Williams said in a statement. “But it wouldn’t be holding a candle to the megadroughts of the 1500s, 1200s, or 1100s.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said the new research must push the U.S. Congress to take far-reaching action to mitigate the climate crisis, as legislation containing measures to shift away from fossil fuel extraction and toward renewable energy is stalled largely due to objections from Republicans and right-wing Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

“It’s time for Congress to act by making meaningful investments into climate action—before it’s too late,” she said.

The drought has had a variety of effects on the West, including declining water supplies in the largest reservoirs of the Colorado River—Lake Mead and Lake Powell— as well as reservoirs across California and the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 96% of the Western U.S. is now “abnormally dry” and 88% of the region is in a drought.

“We’re experiencing this variability now within this long-term aridification due to anthropogenic climate change, which is going to make the events more severe,” Isla Simpson, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research who was not involved in the study released Monday, told the Los Angeles Times.

The researchers also created simulations of other droughts they examined between 800 and 1500, superimposing the same amount of drying driven by climate change. In 94% of the simulations, the drought persisted for at least 23 years, and in 75% of the simulations, it lasted for at least three decades—suggesting that the current drought will continue for a number of years.

Williams said it is “extremely unlikely that this drought can be ended in one wet year.”

“We’re sort of shifting into basically unprecedented times relative to anything we’ve seen in the last several hundred years,” Samantha Stevenson, a climate modeler at the University of California, Santa Barbara who was not involved in the study, told the New York Times.

Originally published on Common Dreams by JULIA CONLEY and republished under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license

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Climate Solutions, News, Observation

Why a warming climate can bring bigger snowstorms

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Above: Photo by Josh Hild from Pexels

The blizzard that buried Boston under nearly 2 feet of snow in January 2022 was historic, but not a surprise. Over a century of reliable weather records show many of the Northeast’s heaviest snowfalls have occurred since 1990 – including seven of the top 10 in both Boston and New York.

At the same time, winters in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have warmed by approximately 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 C) since the late 1800s.

How can the spate of big snowstorms be reconciled with our warming climate? I’m an atmospheric scientist. Let’s look at an important law of physics and some theories that can help explain the changes.

Warmer air, more moisture

First, warmer air can hold more moisture than cold air.

Think of the atmosphere like a sponge. Air holds about 4% more water vapor for each additional degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature (that’s about 7% per degree Celsius). The physical law that explains this relationship is known as the Clausius-Clapyron relation.

This increased atmospheric moisture is helping to intensify the water cycle. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have become wetter – not just in winter, but in spring, summer and fall, too. In addition to more total precipitation over a season and year, the additional moisture also fuels extreme events, like more intense hurricanes and flooding rains. The Northeast has seen an increase of more than 50% in the heaviest precipitation events in recent decades, the largest increase of any region of the U.S.

In the early 1900s, winters across the Northeast typically averaged around 22 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, 26 degrees is the official new “normal” temperature, defined as the average over 1991-2020. A few recent winters have been over 30.

In the Northeast, then, we have an environment that has warmed yet is often still below freezing. Put another way, regions of the world that are cold enough for snow have warmed enough to now be visited by storms capable of holding and dropping more moisture. Rather than intense downpours like Louisiana has been seeing lately, the region gets heavy snow.

The warming ocean plays a role

The January blizzard was fueled by ocean waters in the western Atlantic that are warmer than normal. That’s also part of a consistent pattern.

The oceans have been absorbing more than 90% of the additional heat attributable to rising atmospheric greenhouse gases from human activities, particularly burning fossil fuels. The oceans now contain more heat energy than any time since measurements began six decades ago.

Scientists are studying whether global warming may be driving a slowing of the ocean conveyor belt of currents that transport water around the globe. Satellite imagery and ocean measurements show that warmer waters have “piled up” along the East Coast, a possible indication of a slowing of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

Moisture evaporated from ocean water provides much of the energy for both tropical and mid-latitude extra-tropical cyclones, known commonly as nor’easters.

The Arctic influences the snow pattern, too

While tropical storm systems are fueled primarily by warm water, nor’easters gain energy from sharp temperature gradients where cold and warm air masses meet. The frequency of cold air outbreaks is another aspect of climate change that may be contributing to recent increases in extreme snowfall events.

Recent research has suggested that a warming Arctic, including declines in Arctic sea ice and snow cover, is influencing behavior of the polar vortex, a band of strong westerly winds that forms in the stratosphere between about 10 and 30 miles above the Arctic every winter. The winds enclose a large pool of extremely cold air.

When the Arctic is relatively warm, the polar vortex tends to be weaker and more easily elongates or “stretches,” allowing extremely cold air to dip south. Episodes of polar-vortex stretching have markedly increased in the past few decades, leading, at times, to more severe winter weather in some places.

Scientists Are Very Worried About Antarctica’s Doomsday Glacier:

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What is the polar vortex? NASA explains.

Arctic amplification, the enhanced warming to our north, may, paradoxically, be helping to shuttle cold air to the Eastern Seaboard during polar vortex disruptions, where the cold air can interact with warmer, moisture-laden air from the warmer-than-normal western Atlantic Ocean. The most recent stretched polar vortex event helped to bring together key ingredients for the historic blizzard.

What’s ahead?

Global climate models project an increase in the most extreme snowfall events across large areas of the Northern Hemisphere with future warming. In some other parts of the world, like Western Europe, intensification of the hydrological cycle will mean more winter rain than snow as temperatures rise.

For the east coast of North America, as well as Northern Asia, winter temperatures are expected to still be cold enough for storms to bring heavy snow – at least through mid-century. Climate models suggest that extreme snowfalls will become rarer, but not necessarily less intense, in the second half of the century, as more storms produce rain.

The sharp increase in high-impact Northeast winter storms is an expected manifestation of a warming climate. It’s another risk the U.S. will have to prepare for as extreme events become more common with climate change.

Michael A. Rawlins, Associate Director, Climate System Research Center, UMass Amherst

This article is republished from The Conversation by Michael A. Rawlins, UMass Amherst under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Climate Solutions, Observation, Politics

These Extreme Weather Events are a preview of the Coming Climate Disasters

Above: Photo Collage – Lyxotic

New Orleans, Lake Tahoe, NYC – that’s just this week and just in the US… and a drought in the west that is a serious growing threat

The warnings are coming hard and heavy after multiple previous and eerily similar catastrophes, only they just keep getting more severe. Each one is a unique event and each has a litany and list of records that smash all prior statistics since record keeping began.

“Hottest month ever”, “most rainfall in an hour ever recorded”, “worst flood in NY history”, these hyperbolic sounding statements are not hyperbole at all, just facts, but since they are becoming a nearly constant refrain, the entire situation appears surreal.

Journalists use words like “dystopian” and twitter users compare photos and general panic to the climate disaster movie “The Day After Tomorrow” and note that the current reality is already scarier than what the movie was able to convey.

Underneath the shock is a layer of manufactured apathy

Even as the signs of an expanding and accelerating worldwide disaster are more obvious, season by season, month by month and even day by day, there is, nevertheless, a kind of paralysis surrounding the fear.

Fossil fuel subsidies continue to be handed out, so many half-measures and excuses are bandied about, and personal, individual responsibility is used as a bludgeon to guilt the populous into a state of inaction.

It’s called a climate emergency because it is an emergency, so act like it, to paraphrase Greta Thunberg. Unfortunately, dire emergencies are not scarce at the moment, and the situation is likely to get worse, meanwhile it is a valid question; what would be done if the climate crisis were actually treated like an emergency?

New York Floods, Ida aftermath, September 2021

Above: Photo: Lyxotic / Adobe Stock

The remnants of Hurricane Ida resulted in extreme dumping of historic levels of rainfall, with Central Park in N.Y.C. receiving 3.15 inches of rain in just one hour. Newark Airport was shut down and many flooded streets in the five boroughs and surrounding areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania were transformed into virtual rivers. Subway entrances and basement dwellings quickly filled until they overflowed.  

The national Weather Service issued its first ever “flash flood emergency” for the area as well as both NY and NJ leaders issuing states of emergency.

The death toll quickly rose to at least 50 people. Reports of those that were killed mostly died as a result of being flooded in basement living spaces or overtaken by water both inside and outside their vehicles. 

The Climate Crisis is not a movie and a majority has to demand action of Government and Industry: the individual is not to blame

In a way the problem inherently contains the seeds to its own resolution. The current state of climate emergency could have been partially averted, or at least slowed down, had government and, in particular, the fossil fuel industrial complex done more than talk and come up with tricks like greenwashing and propaganda to distract and delay the obvious need to stop carbon (CO2) pollution. The signs were evident for many decades, and some alternative solutions were known for over a century, while the fossil fuel behemoth just kept expanding.

Now, with the crisis getting more extreme and deadly, seemingly by the hour, it will take an equally extreme change in the response – a literal washing away of the status quo that created the problem. That may look like a system wide collapse, bringing down the structure that props up the suicidal stupidity of the current system, or something equally extreme, if real solutions are to have time to have any chance of having an impact.

New Orleans Storm

Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 Sunday morning (August 30, 2021) also marking the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  Ida had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph,  just shy of making it a Category 5 (winds greater than 155 mph). Radar approximates that up to about 17 inches of rainfall were recorded just west of New Orleans. 

Over a million customers lost power in Louisiana, making it the 2nd largest power outage in the state since 2000. The outage could leave residents without power for up to six weeks, rendering them helpless for electricity during increasingly hot late summer weather. Numerous streets need power lines raised that were brought down or snapped by Ida’s winds. 

Cantrell, the New Orleans major spoke of voluntary evacuations, particularly for residents that have special needs, seniors or those vulnerable to the heat. 

Extreme weather, ocean temps, rising sea levels with melting ice caps, all connected and all increasingly menacing

It has appeared, unfortunately, for nearly decades as if the predictions of ocean temperature increase and sea level rise would have to continue until multiple major cities are fully submerged before any real steps would begin to combat the causes.

Is that still the case after the four “disaster stories” this week? Was the tragedy and destruction enough to have people begin to actually realize that there are no decades left to “wait and see”?

Caldor / Lake Tahoe Fire

The Caldor Fire has burned around 213,270 acres covering 2 California counties (El Dorado and Amador) and currently only 32% contained (as of September 3rd).  The fires have been active for 19 days according to Cal Fire.   Thousands of  people have been forced to evacuate.  The looming threat of the fires reaching the popular tourist location of South Lake Tahoe are safe for now, however, and flames have been averted. 

The fire created widespread haze and smoke, resulting in extremely hazardous air quality. 

The total number of structures destroyed by the fire is 857 as of Sept 3rd, marking it as the 20th most destructive fire in recorded history for California. 

Monumental Drought in the Western US

All of California is under a drought conditions. 

Water levels from the largest reservoir on the Colorado River and Lake Mead,  which supply drinking and irrigation water to Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico  have reached record low levels.

Regulators now have to make crucial steps to protect another crucial water source, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the water system that helps to provide 2/3 of CA population, irrigation for agricultural industry as well as state’s norther border with Oregon. 

California residents could be facing future water restriction, however according to Gov. Gavin Newsom it is not likely to be in force until the end of September (the delay could be his attempt to avoid any unpopular mandates before the  Sept 14. Recall Election).

Some drastic measures have been taken so far at National State parks in order to help conserve water including closing bathrooms and showers and shutting off water faucets/fountains.

Four stories just from this week: is this a turning point and a wake up call that we desperately need?

Does New York City, or Miami, or Mumbai have to be permanently flooded or fully submerged before we “notice” and demand action? Or, is now the time to mark the date – September 2021 as the moment that the climate emergency was finally “real”? Will it be seen, understood as imminent, and acted on as an emergency of the magnitude that it already is?

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Climate Solutions, News

Ida Wreaks Havoc on the East Coast while Hurricane Larry Looms on Horizon

Above: Photo Credit / Lynxotic-Adobe Stock

Extreme Weather Accelerates in Frequency and Destructive Power

Ida hit Louisiana with extreme force, causing damage and mayhem, and leaving hundreds of thousands without power earlier this week. The remnants of that destruction have now moved Northeast. Next, Hurricane Larry is expected to become a major storm by Friday according to the National Hurricane Center.

Effects of Hurricane Ida unloaded in the New York City metro area, creating, unprecedented extreme rainfall. So much so that for the first time ever, a “flash flood emergency” was initiated and both New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared states of emergency starting late Wednesday. 

“This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!,” the National Weather Service wrote. And example of the extreme nature of the deluge comes via the stat that Central Park got more rain in one hour than it normally would in the entire month of September. More than 2.5 times the previous highest count even, which was tallied just recently.

Parts of New York City and the Tri-State, covering a population of where near 9 million people reside have been affected. Roads flooded, transforming the paths to looks more like raging rivers and rendering subways, cars, and basements of homes useless. 

At least 9 people have been reported dead as a result of storm. 

Images posted throughout social media overnight showed the insane amount of watering surging over roads as public transportations attempt to navigate and cars get stuck in the water. Even a frightening video of tornado happening in real time in Mullica Hill, New Jersey. 

All too familiar the Elephant in the room needs acknowledgment

Although barely mentioned in the midst of chaos and people desperately trying to get to work on Thursday, climate change is giving a kind of early warning signal via extreme weather evens like this, as well as influencing the severity of the massive drought worsening daily in the west, immense wildfires and natural disasters that are being seen with unprecedented frequency and intensity.

If there was ever a wake up call to change and respond with speed and action, this is it.

On twitter there was a thread that likened the photos and videos to the prescient sci-fi film “The Day After Tomorrow” which depicted an ice-age occurring as a result of climate change, and also had scenes of massive flooding (due to the sea level rising which is currently happening, day by day).

The comparison is a stark one, with the Hollywood generated special effects stills not nearly as chilling as the current reality showed in photos being shared and tweeted.

There’s an all too familiar thread building here – larger more intense and devastating events that many keep saying are a coincidence or “random”. I think any child can see (@gretathunberg ?) that there is zero chance anymore that coincidence plays any more that a minuscule role in these tragedies growing, expanding and increasing exponentially.

Unfortunately, we can expect more of the same, no only here in this country, as mentioned above with Larry queuing up of shore, but around the world with extreme and dangerous droughts, heatwaves, polar vortex episodes, floods, deadly wildfires and more becoming the “norm”.

The time to recognize the origin of these mounting calamities has passed, but any proactive, powerful response by governments and industry has barely begun. Perhaps the images and tragedies now being documented and shared (such as below) can help to harden our resolve to see that a change, toward the drastic measures required to combat this climate emergency will finally begin in earnest.

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And just 1 year ago:

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Hot-Lynx

According to NOAA, July was the hottest month ever recorded

Above: Photo Credit / NOAA.gov

The new NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) report comes on the heels of the U.N. climate report, released last week, which warned of the “extreme” impacts of climate change, already and continuing to be felt around the globe. The increasing temperatures have been linked to not-so-welcome heatwaves, obviously, but also to the more intense weather systems like hurricanes and droughts.

In a statement to CBS News, NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad commented on the latest alarming record; “July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.” 

Read it at NOAA

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Climate Solutions, Earth and Ecology

Sicily Reports Highest Temp Ever Recorded in Europe as Wildfires Scorch Mediterranean

Above:collage Lynxotic / adobe stock

As wildfires swept through the Italian island of Sicily, fueled by an extreme heatwave, officials in one city recorded a Wednesday recorded what is believed to be the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe.

Local meteorologists in Siracusa reported that temperatures reached 48.8ºC or 119.8ºF, breaking the continent’s previous record of 118.4ºF, which was set in 1977 in Athens. 

The World Meteorological Organization still needs to independently confirm the high temperature. Local reports of the new all-time record are in line with the weather extremes that have been seen in the Mediterranean region. 

“The climate crisis—I’d like to use this term, and not climate change—the climate crisis is here, and it shows us everything needs to change.”

—Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek prime minister

Firefighters in Sicily and Calabria have carried out more than 3,000 operations in the last 12 hours. Thousands of acres of land have burned, and at least one death was reported in Calabria when a 76-year-old man’s home collapsed in flames.

“We are losing our history, our identity is turning to ashes, our soul is burning,” Giuseppe Falcomata, the mayor of the historic city of Reggio Calabria, said in a statement on social media. 

Francesco Italia, the mayor of Siracusa, told La Repubblica that the area is “in full emergency.”

“We are devastated by the fires and our ecosystem—one of the richest and most precious in Europe—is at risk,” Italia said.

As Common Dreams reported Wednesday, wildfires driven by extreme heat have devastated other parts of the Mediterranean. 

In Algeria, at least 65 people have been killed in wildfires in recent days, including 28 soldiers who had been deployed to battle the flames. Twelve firefighters were also in critical condition in hospitals on Wednesday. 

Tunisia recorded its highest temperature ever on Tuesday, registering 49ºC (120ºF). 

In Greece, most of the wildfires that have burned through the country this week were under control on Thursday. Surveying the damage, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the fires “the greatest ecological catastrophe of the last few decades.”

“We managed to save lives, but we lost forests and property,” Mitsotakis said at a Thursday press conference in Athens.

The wildfires started amid an intense heatwave that lasted several days and forced officials to call on firefighters from 24 other countries across Europe and the Middle East to help fight 100 active fires per day. 

Mitsotakis did not express confidence that the situation will remain under control in the coming weeks, as the country’s wildfire season continues. 

“We are in the middle of August and it’s clear we will have difficult days ahead of us,” the prime minister told reporters. 

“The climate crisis—I’d like to use this term, and not climate change—the climate crisis is here, and it shows us everything needs to change,”

—Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek prime minister

Published on Common Dreams By JULIA CONLEY via Creative Commons.

Articles around the Web:

Greek wildfires a major ecological catastrophe, PM says

At least 65 killed in Algerian wildfires, Greece and Italy burn

‘Unimaginably Catastrophic’: Researchers Fear Gulf Stream System Could Collapse

From California to Greece to Siberia, Wildfires Rage Worldwide—and More Expected

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Accessories, AI, Apple, Apple Services, Apple TV+, Apple Watch, Breaking News, FaceTime, iOS 15, iPad, iPhone, Mac, macOS 12 Monterey, OS Software, Tech, WWDC2021

iOS 15: It’s not just about the new Weather Animations, there’s a lot more

Video

For what seems like a long time many of us have been living inside our iPhone, immersed in a metaverse of our digital lives.

And the deeper into Apple’s walled garden we are submerged, the more monumental the yearly OS upgrades become. That’s because, when you are in a digital life, we’ll, lots of things are worse than the “real” world. The sensual experience is built of fractions of the full sensory bandwidth of life.

But there’s one thing about the metaverse, the fact that, since it’s artificial and human engineered, it can, and does, improve.

In the case of Apple’s universe, the yearly upgrades and constant, sometimes nearly imperceptible changes in a thousand different parameters add together, over time, and suddenly, the world comes alive with vibrant, super sensual satisfaction …

Sure, the weather animations just got sent to a 3rd convolution level of better-ness, that’s true. But add this to all the thousands of better feelings and deeper interactions with yourself and the spirit of ourselves, and you will find: the future

Photo credit: Apple

WWDC 2021 was a pure upgrade fest with a lot of detail to sift through

We are in the middle of our ongoing coverage of the Apple event and all that was revealed. There are so many features and so many important details and interdependent uses for this features that it can be more easily digested in bites.

What we are witnessing is the growing interdependence and interoperability of iOS 15, iPad OS 15 and macOS 12 Monterey, particularly with the built in apple apps they all have built in.

Safari, though still with slight variations between the three OSs, is becoming more powerful everywhere, FaceTime got a huge upgrade in the new systems, and utilities connected to iCloud such as the Find My network are also extensively revamped.

While some find the sheer width and breath of Apple’s hardware, software and services conceptually off-putting, it is, at this early stage of the monumental changes that are being wrought by Apple Silicon, a wonder to behold how all the various products and underlying software for those products is evolving in a way that is constant and deep.

As put forth in articles published by Lynxotic years ago the changes that are underway are vast and were conceived and put into motion based on Steve Jobs’ core concepts for the future of Apple many years ago. And Tim Cook and the rest of Apple have not deviated from that vision, in fact are reaping benefits on behalf of users that could barely be imagined a decade ago.

One bite we’ve started to delve into is the dual and interdependent features from macOS Monterey; Airplay to Mac and Universal control. It turns out that compete interoperability for Airplay to Mac is still in the future, the list of the various models and vintages that it functions on is as follows:

  • 2018 or later MacBook Pro or MacBook Air
  • a 2019 or later iMac or Mac Pro
  • an iMac Pro
  • the 2020 Mac mini

As you can see this is a fairly exclusive list. What is most conspicuously missing is the possibility to use and older mac, such as a 2018 27” 5k iMac to take advantage of the beautiful screen.

Universal Control, meanwhile appears to work with most devices that run on iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey. It allows you to a single mouse and keyboard and flow from ‌iPad‌ to Mac and back, pretty much as you would imagine using the cursor and keyboard for either, and, thankfully there is no setup required.

FaceTime just got a Facelift

FaceTime’s big jump ahead is somewhat more complex since the iPhone, iPad (various models of both) and the mac each have a UX and screen size that varies, as well as different computing advantages. One interesting note on the various technical enhancements, pretty much across the board from what was announced at WWDC 2021, M1 chips and Apple Silicon based devices get the biggest boost from all the new capabilities.

Rather than being a marketing ploy, at least so far there’s no evidence of that kind of approach, this is an organic by product of the underlying “big picture” goal – to unify the experience and potential of the three device categories even as they cross pollinate one-another.

All the various, and gradually hard to list, OS flavors, macOS 12 Monterey, iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15, watchOS 8 and all the various accessories that benefit from the upgrades such as AirPods pro spatial audio, HomePod mini liaison with Apple TV 4k and tvOS 15, as well as SharePlay where FaceTime can allow multiple users to share streaming audio or video content for a synchronized experience.

Please stay tuned for the many articles to come that will further dive into the changes and improvements that are on the way, free of charge, for Apple users with this massive roll-out that will culminate in fall 2021.

As per Apple:

Redesigned Weather and Notes Apps

Weather includes more graphical displays of weather data, full-screen maps, and dynamic layouts that change based on conditions. Beautifully redesigned animated backgrounds more accurately reflect the sun’s position and precipitation, and notifications highlight when rain or snow starts and stops. Video animation below:

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/videos/apple-iphone12pro-ios15-weather-app/large_2x.mp4

Notes adds user-created tags that make it easy to quickly categorize notes, and mentions allow members of shared notes to notify one another of important updates. An all-new Activity view shows the recent history of a shared note.

Notes adds user-created tags that make it easy to quickly categorize notes in line with relevant content:

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Cutting Edge, Lifestyle, Observation

Northern Lights Visible Tonight from U.S.: Where and When to Watch

Above: Photo / Unsplash

Potential Spectacular light show will wow from some locales

If you always wanted to see the aurora borealis, a.k.a. the northern lights but didn’t have time to take a voyage to Iceland, Alaska or the North Pole, tonight will be your chance. 

December 2020 is shaping up to be a celestial bonanza. On the 23rd we will get the “Great Conjunction” also known as the Christmas Star, while the 14th there will be a solar eclipse. And as above, tonight we get the light show of a lifetime, conditions permitting. Not to mention the best meteor shower of the year.

Read More: Christmas Star: alignment of Jupiter and Saturn will be closest in 800 years

The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), issued, for the nights of Wednesday, December 9, and Thursday, December 10, G1, G2, and G3 geomagnetic storm watches which indicate the possibility of the aurora borealis being visible. If these solar activity surges are as predicted, folks could have  a view as far south as parts of northern Illinois and Indiana, along withPennsylvania, as well as various other locations across the nation. 

In the best case scenario which is a G3 magnetic event, some light may be visible in northern Idaho, a small portion of Northern Illinois and Indiana, northern Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, northern Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, in addition to all of Alaska and Canada. No surprise on the Canada and Alaska part.

In the case that the event only reaches G1 magnitude, the list would be similar but not nearly as long. 

The SWPC data corresponds to a G1-3 alert with a possible event beginning at 5 pm ET on the evening of December 9, with possible continuation until 5 am on December 10. It is safe to view with the naked eye and photograph.

The disclaimer is that these are only predictions and, naturally you would need to be in a cloud free weather setting for the lights to manifest to your view brightly enough to be seen. 

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Climate Solutions

Devastating West Coast wildfires and the tangible effects of the Climate Crisis

Video

An Inextricable Relationship with an Ominous Outlook

The sky is a solid orange haze. Ash fills the air as flames chase residents from their homes and smoke blocks the city’s outline upon the horizon. No, this is not the beginning of a post-apocalyptic novel— it is an accurate description of what is going on right now in the Western United States.

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For the past month, California (as well as other Western states) have been experiencing devastating wildfires. Unprecedented in magnitude, heat, and frequency, these fires have already taken several lives, destroyed hundreds of structures, and have caused thousands of people to flee their homes in terror.

Read More: “The Uninhabitable Earth”: an Apocalyptic Climate Study that Just might Shock you into Action

Perhaps the most devastating aspect of these fires, however, is the fact that they may be a ‘new normal’. According to several scientists, these fires may be just the beginning of an era where climate change starts reaping very tangible effects on our planet.

National Geographic’s coverage of the fires explains that wildfires require three things to come about: the right weather, the right fuel, and a spark. While the spark can evidently come from anything from a fallen cigarette to a miscalculated gender reveal, the weather and fuel depends heavily on the surrounding environment, something that is changing for the drier in California right now.

Wildfires burn quicker and more fiercely in dry weather. Given that much of California is a desert, it is no surprise that the state is frequently at a higher risk. However, climate change has been rendering the state even hotter than usual. While the world’s average temperature has gone up about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since pre-Industrial times, California’s temp has accelerated to almost 3 degrees hotter, rendering the Golden State and its neighbors even more vulnerable.

These hotter average temperatures create weather conditions conducive to burning. The hot air thirsts, and thus evaporates what little water the environment gets. It also messes with the seasons, creating longer dry seasons, and hotter Springs and Summers. For this, California and other Western states have experienced some of their hottest years on record within the past decade.

In such a scorching dry environment, California’s vegetation inevitably becomes more flammable, creating ideal fuel for the fire. The longer dry season limits these already-parched plants’ hydration needs. Likewise, the soil loses necessary nutrients to self-regulate. Consequentially, the forest loses a degree of biodiversity necessary for naturally containing the fires.

While wildfires are oftentimes natural and even ecologically helpful phenomena, the current crises that scalds the West Coast is inseparable from human interaction. However, the relationship is not necessarily immediate. Instead, these fires are able to grow so intensely due to centuries of industrialization and disregard for anthropocentric infringement on the environment.

The problem is global and unprecedented

California’s situation is very similar to the Australia wildfires that gripped the Oceanic nation at the beginning of the year. The unparalleled blazes may seem like anomalies on the surface, but science suggests something far more complex, systemic, and foreboding at hand.

Now, brave firefighters are rushing into the flames on a near constant basis, but nature is wading through the numbers effortlessly. Meanwhile, President Trump blames the fires on natural elements as well as forest management issues rather than addressing climate change. In fact, he blatantly denies climate change as a cause, or even as a reality.

The sad truth is that we can send as many firefighters into the crisping forests as possible. We can sweep the landscape and redirect our management techniques time after time again.

But if we really want to change things. If we really want to save people and put out the fires for good. Then we may have to address the bigger picture— climate change, global warming, and a culture that has sidelined nature for profit and human activity far too many times.

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Breaking News, Earth and Ecology

West Coast in Excessive “Record-Setting” Holiday Heat – Rest of Nation not spared

Video

Climate Change is potentially responsible for creating scorching temperatures and health hazards

A record-breaking heat wave is coming. Moving in today and peaking to coincide with the upcoming Labor Day weekend, excessive heat watches and resulting warnings are ready go into effect. From Friday, September 4th, throughout the Southwest and particularly on the West Coast temperatures are expected to range from 104 to 117 degrees, especially in cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix.  These all-time high seasonal temperatures will last throughout the holiday including Monday. 

Read More: 2020 likely to be Hottest Year on Record Despite Isolation and Economic Slow-down Lowering Emissions

With excessive heat, the National Weather Service’s in Los Angeles posted an official warning that it “is not recommended to spend any extended period outside during the heat of the day.”

The Weather Service also warned residents that there is higher risk for heat illnesses along with heightened fire weather concerns during this time. Near normal temperatures are likely to return by the end of next week. 

Southwest States not alone as entire Nation in climate crisis crosshairs

The increased temperatures are said to be worse than the recent heat wave, in August, that hit California and which also resulted in widespread destructive wildfires.  These extreme hot and dry conditions will further complicate matters for firefighters that continue to battle active fires. To date th current rash of fires have been responsible for more than 7,000 fires that have burned nearly 1.4 million acres of land.

The extreme changes to the climate make for heat waves to last longer and be more intense. It’s not just the West and Southwest effected by the weather. Other regions of the United States are also set to face extreme weather in the next coming days, with approximately 20 million people in the mid-Atlantic facing threats of severe storms.  Those in parts of the South and Midwest that make up nearly 4 million people will be under flash flood advisories. 

“From a hazards perspective, it is the Desert Southwest and throughout California’s Great Valley that stand out most with record breaking high temps likely this weekend and into early next week.”

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Climate Solutions, Earth and Ecology, Lifestyle

Climate Wake Up Call: Europe Breaks Heat Records Again

Photo / Adobe Stock

Human Toll High Across Continent…

While New York City might seem to experience a heat wave almost every summer, while perhaps not of the intensity we’ve seen lately, Europe, most definitely, does not.

In the second extreme weather event so far this summer, Paris, hit an all time record high on Thursday, after the recent, record breaking heatwave in June. This time, the thermometer hit an unheard of 108.6 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 42.4 Celsius) and, since 30 degrees Celsius is considered extreme heat in Europe, this is a truly astonishing stat.

The highest temps ever recorded also went into the books in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium causing extreme distress and discomfort and potentially dangerous conditions.

Climate-change Becoming More Likely As Cause

In the past 17 years, with records being shattered seemingly on a yearly basis, a trend has been noted, with all the most extreme temperatures occurring during that span. Climate change, due to the influence of mankind, is becoming more difficult to doubt as the most likely cause.

While a direct link is not 100% traceable, the statistical likelihood of more extreme events happening is clearly rising, according to experts. According to the climatology institute in Potsdam, Germany, the five years with the most extreme summer heat, since the year 1500, were all recorded since the year 2000.

The situation is considered life threatening all across Europe with London hitting record high temperatures, also.

When northern France has the same temperature as Death Valley in the summer, that is a serious and alarming trend. Not only because that is a standard for the most extreme heat on earth, but more so because Europe has, historically, a milder climate overall than much of the world, relative to its latitude.

While seeing the temperature rise to above 100 degrees in not uncommon in many parts of the USA, in particular the South and Midwest, as well as the deserts of the Southwest, Europe is buffeted and, in normal times, cooler in summer and warmer in winter, due to the influence of the Gulf Stream.

Death Valley-like Heat in Traditionally Mild Europe Sending Shockwaves

In Europe, unlike in the US, many homes and even business, in particular restaurants where tourists congregate during the summer months, do not have air conditioning. Even refrigeration of food is, in many home, much less of a “given” than here in the US. Many apartments have only small units and the internal temps are set warmer than would be the case in the US.

Partly cultural, with grocery shopping a daily ritual and fresh food a “must have”, this kind of extreme weather will be felt, in some ways, far more that an equivalent heat event in many parts of the US, such as we had last week on the East Coast.

This cultural expectation of mild weather is a real factor in the danger and seriousness of these events in Europe, making then even more concerning than similar situations like we had last weekend in the US. The UK’s national weather service went so far as to state that “Climate change has increased the likelihood and severity of heatwave episodes across Europe”.

In France, the ministry of health warned people to stay home and avoid commuting or travel of any kind, where ever possible.

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Breaking News, Lifestyle, News

Heatwave Hits Hard Across East and Midwest: Precautions and Predictions

After Hellish Weekend Worst Should Abate Next Week

Practically the entire east coast and most of the Midwest are sweltering in an intense humidity enhanced wave of record temperatures.

Large outdoor events such as festivals and even the NYC Triathlon were cancelled. A heat emergency was declared in Boston, anticipating a rise in heat related health and safety issues.

They are taking this seriously in New York, and have set up 500 “cooling centers” around the city.

Also in NYC, after various electricity related problems and the blackout last weekend, the 5 boroughs are on edge with massive demand from air conditioning and cooling appliances expected to stress the system further. Washington D.C. and Chicago are anticipating the same dangers to their systems due to the high demand.

Man is refreshing himself in Public square under summer high temperature with Fire hydrant water

The blistering barrage is being felt as far west as Texas and north to Canada and even Alaska. The Great Lakes region and as far as Colorado and Kansas are also being affected

The entire weekend is expected to remain hot, with possible relief coming as soon as Monday, as many areas of the US are expecting rain to start the work week ahead.

The wave is being seen as a worsening of summer extremes related to the climate crisis. After France and Europe experienced all time record high temperatures and even the arctic seas are being monitored at unheard of temps.

To Stay Cool, The Key is to Fight Back with Awareness: A Few Tips to Reduce the Danger

Stay Out Of It

This is obvious and sometimes not possible if you work outdoors, but it is important to alter your routine and stay low. Simply avoiding the heat by staying indoors or maximizing shade will at least reduce the temperatures that you are exposed to. If you are stuck in a place that is oppressively hot you can at least try to work with your body to stay cool.

Hydration

Water is paramount and this is the most obvious way to help your body stay cool. Iced peppermint tea can also give a cooling lift.

Homemade AC

A throwback to days before widespread electricity, a makeshift “swamp-cooler” can be devised using pre-frozen filled plastic water bottles on the floor in front of a fan.

Nighttime Tricks to Sleep Cool

Cooling your bed and your body before bed can help enhance your rest during the stress. The so-called “Egyptian Method” uses cold water sprinkled on sheets before laying down to help your body fight back. The new twist on this is to take your folded sheets and put the I’m the freezer for 30 minutes before laying them out.

Beware of Baking Car Interiors

Cars are heat collectors and generators, unless necessary, it’s better to stay our of them, naturally the AC is a natural attraction, but the heat all around the car will rise and inside, without ac will likely be hotter than the surrounding temps. Obviously, leaving pets or children (!) in a parked car is a recipe for disaster.

If You are Out In it or have Special Health Issues, Get Help

Big cities have emergencies “Cooling Centers” set up and across the country city governments and city service workers are on alert to help those in need. If we stick together and reach out to lend a hand we’ll all make it cool into next week, when the temperatures are expected to come down.

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News

Polar Vortex Slams Airports

Photo © Adobe Stock

Across huge swaths of the USA the so-called “Polar Vortex” is wreaking havoc as sub-freezing temps hit hard. Thousands of flights were cancelled, with over 1200 cancelled in the Chicago area alone. Blizzard warnings in Michigan, multi-car crashes, all the usual winter storm occurrences, only more so.

Closed schools, ice and snow covered roads, even the Super Bowl travel outlook appears sketchy and daunting. Of course, in Atlanta the game will go on, and, one way or another the fans will find a way to get there.

Although many, such as the POTUS, are prone to see any cold weather as a counter argument to Global Warming / Climate Change, science easily refutes this simplistic stance.

Measuring the temperature on a given day or even season is not enough to sway results culled from extensive research. Data points such as daily temperature anomalies, which measure variations from a long standing baseline, continue to show overall warming at an alarming rate.

So, not only is it C-O-L-D, but we have to expect extremes of heat, flooding, storm events, and then all the rest to boot. Even as our heartland freezes there is a massive heat wave in Australia (where it Summer, of course).

Some meteorologists are predicting that the Vortex may linger this time. For not too long, let’s hope , just in time for that little football match this weekend.

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