Fire Clouds and Mega Fires Scorching US West

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Wildfires in US West spur ‘fire clouds’ along with Grand Canyon “mega fire”

Two wildfires burning in the western United States are so hot that they are spurring the formation of “fire clouds” that can create their own erratic weather systems.

In Arizona, a superhot wildfire system has already destroyed the iconic Grand Canyon Lodge is responsible for burning 164 sq miles. It is one of the top ten recorded in Arizona history.  

An emergency was declared in Utah as a megafire near Monroe continued to consume 75 sq miles. Evacuation orders for several towns Utah in the fire’s path, as burned up power lines caused electricity to be shut off in communities in south-central Utah.

Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona’s blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes superheated and rises in a large smoke column. The giant menacing anvil shaped clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles away..

In this photo provided by Lin Chao, 'fire clouds' form near the Bright Angel Trailhead at the South Rim in the Grand Canyon, Ariz., Sunday, July 27, 2025. (Lin Chao via AP)

Pyrocumulonimbus: Fire Cloud

Fire-fueled thunderstorms known as pyrocumulonimbus clouds are sending intense winds shooting in all directions this week as smoke columns form and then collapse on themselves. 

a fire burns in the grand canyon

A megafire along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

The US is woefully underprepared for wildfire season in spite of the bullshit spewed by the Trump administration. Twenty-five percent of the force has been fired.

Monroe Canyon Fire generating fire clouds

Monroe Canyon, Utah generating fire clouds

The Monroe Canyon Fire burning near Richfield in Sevier County continues to grow amid high winds and high temperatures.

Climate emergencies Summer 2025

Global update: Summer 2025 climate catastrophe.

 

Rapid Planetary Heating is Driving Summer’s Catastrophic Floods

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More heat, more water vapor drive extreme weather world wide

The essential conditions for this decade’s violent storms to form are moisture and atmospheric instability. Those are the conditions we are now experiencing on a planet wide basis, accounting for a crazy uptick in devastating storms. 

First, in order for a storm to develop, the air needs to contain enough moisture. That moisture comes from water evaporating off oceans, lakes and land, and from trees and other plants.

The amount of moisture the air can hold depends on its temperature. The higher the temperature, the more moisture air can hold, and the greater potential for heavy downpours. This is because at higher temperatures water molecules have more kinetic energy and therefore are more likely to exist in the vapor phase. The maximum amount of moisture possible in the air increases at about 7% per degree Celsius.

Texas tragedy one for the record books

Texas Hill Country was beset by death and disaster Friday as at least 70 people were killed and about 20 girls attending a summer camp were reported missing after months worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours, leaving search teams to conduct boat and helicopter rescues in the fast-moving water.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said somewhere between 6 and 10 bodies had been found so far in the frantic search for victims. Meanwhile, during a news conference conducted at the same time as Patrick’s update, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha reported that there were 13 deaths from the flooding.

At least 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain poured down overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River and leading to desperate pleas for information about the missing.

 

Moscow rain and heatMoscow deluge

A record-breaking 3.6 inches of rain fell on Moscow, during the night of July 21, 2025, flooding roads, metro stations, and underpasses, and causing widespread transport disruptions.

The extreme storms follow an extended period of record heat, and will likewise be followed by more record heat, with temps expected in the mid-nineties F.

Emergency floods shock New York and New Jersey

New Jersey Gov. Murphy declared a state of emergency covering all counties after severe storms crashed through the area, killing at least two. 

In northern New Jersey, between 3 and 6.5 inches of rain fell, with continued flood impacts expected on July 15, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly said.

Smith Island disappearing as seas rise

 

Record floods as South Korea hits 100 °F

A lethal pattern of extreme heat, high humidity and record downpours is continuing in South Korea and expected to last the summer. 

In mid July, areas of South Gyeongsang Province saw  accumulated rainfall over the five days at 32.5 inches. The aftermath of the storms have raised humidity levels to dangerous levels, producing heat indexes of over 100 °F.   The record breaking rainfalls caused flood and landslides, killing dozens of people.   

“With the seas surrounding Korea heating up, the atmosphere is increasingly saturated with moisture. The necessary conditions for intense weather events like this are being met every year.” – Prof Kim Kim Baek-min,  Pukyong National University’s Division of Earth and Environmental System Sciences.

Heat driven rains overwhelm UK sewage systems

This is a single example of what kind of nasty weather events are coming for most places that smugly think they are immune from the effects of global warming: Hundreds of sewage spills were recorded across England this as torrential rain overwhelmed water companies’ infrastructure.

Popular tourist spots from Northumberland to Cornwall were polluted with raw waste, as water companies were forced to discharge sewage through ‘storm overflows’. 

The causal chain is the usual: Rapid increase in atmospheric water vapor provides more energy for extreme storms combined with short sighted infrastructure decisions and privatization of public water systems.

Rising flood risks threaten water, sewage treatment plants

 

Floods devastate Venezuela

Epic floods devastate Venezuelan towns

Tropical Wave 9 interacting with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) brought intense rainfall to Venezuela on June 24, resulting in severe floods, landslides, and river overflows across multiple states.

According to the Venezuelan Civil Protection and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), over 4 700 people were affected, either displaced, evacuated, or in need of urgent assistance.

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Romania smashed by flash floods, killing three

Flash floods triggered by torrential rains have displaced hundreds, left dozens stranded and killed a 66-year-old man in Romania. as July ends. Record torrential rainstorms triggering flash floods in the country’s northeast and killing at least three people, officials said.

Hundreds were forced to leave their homes as Romania’s rescue services deployed in the hard-hit counties of Neamt and Suceava. Helicopters and firefighters rescued residents, some of whom were trapped in their homes by floodwaters. Authorities said that 890 people were evacuated.

In this image released by the Romanian Emergency Services Suceava (ISU Suceava) a house is damaged after a flash flood in the village of Brosteni, northern Romania, Monday, July 28, 2025. (Romanian Emergency Services - ISU Suceava via AP)

Wrecking weather warning systems on purpose

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Trump making climate science reporting disappear

Three current stories that are clearly part of the same story:

  • Methane detention satellite disappears mysteriously
  • National Severe Weather Labs to be shut down
  • Mona Loa CO2 monitoring station to be shut down.

MISSING SATELLITE: The MethaneSAT satellite was launched in March 2025 and began monitoring methane emissions from human activities with unprecedented accuracy. Operators have suddenly lost contact with no explanation so far.  MethaneSAT was able to pinpoint CH4 sources with unprecedented accuracy, especially oil and gas wells, pipelines, and storage facilities. Who can we think of that might want to make this satellite get lost in space? And has the power and money to do it? Methane is far more powerful than CO₂ as a greenhouse gas and its levels are increasing precipitously.

GUTTING  NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS LABORATORIES In the wake of the catastrophic, lethal Texas floods, the Trump administration remains committed to shutting down the nation’s network of Severe Storms Laboratories. These facilities are credited with saving countless lives by developing better prediction and warning capabilities. 

ICONIC CO2 MONITORING STATION WILL BE TRUMPED Mauna Loa has been collecting data on CO₂ emission for more than 65 years, producing the Keeling curve graph, the most dramatic and iconic demonstration of how human activities are collectively affecting the planet.

When it was established in the 1950’s  CO₂ levels were around 320 parts per million. Now they’re over 420 ppm. That’s a level unseen for at least three million years: the rate of increase far exceeds any natural change in the past 50 million years. Is this something we should know?

Mona Loa CO2 station to close

shutting down severe weather labs

 

Killer European Heat Dome Smashes Records

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July 2025 climate events

Current updates on the planet wide global warming emergency.

2,300 people died in Europe’s June’s heat wave

 

A massive, relentless high-pressure system trapped scorching air from North Africa over Europe, bringing at least one more week of debilitating  heat. The atmospheric condition has resulted in sustained extreme heat, with daytime highs over 40 °C (104 °F) in many regions and unusually warm.

 

  • France:  two deaths , 300 hospitalized
  • Italy: red alerts in 18 cities; two men dead on beach
  • Swiss reactor shut down due to high river-water temperatures
  • Spain: Four dead in Spain, two of them in wildfire
  • Turkey: 50,000 evacuated as wildfires spread. 
  • Crete: 1,000 evacuated ahead of wildfires

Highest June temperature ever recorded in Portugal: 115°F: June 29, 2025  in Mora

Record-breaking temperatures
June was among the hottest ever recorded across Europe. Cities from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean saw readings typical of mid-summer — reaching 115 °F in southern Spain and Portugal and across the Straits of Gibraltar , frying Ben Guerir, Morocco a record smashing  117 °F reading. Southern and central Europe will continue to bake with no real cooling trend expected through early to mid-July .

Eiffel Tower Closed As Paris Temps Hit 102°F

Fatalities & severe health challenges
At least 8 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain, France, Italy, and the UK, with emergency rooms seeing significant increases in heat-stress cases. In Sardinia alone, hospital traffic spiked up to 20% above average.

Wildfires and environmental damage
Heat has sparked major wildfires in Catalonia, Crete, Turkey, Greece, and other regions. The conflagrations have led to evacuations and serious damage to agriculture and infrastructure. Crete saw over 1,000 people evacuated, and Italy, Portugal, and France face heightened wildfire danger.

Economic disruption
Heatwaves could shave as much as 0.5 percentage points off Europe’s GDP in 2025 — up to 1.4 % in heat-stressed countries like Spain. Productivity losses are comparable to half-days of strikes.

Eiffel Tower's Top Floor Closed Through Wednesday Due to Heatwave

Europe is now the fastest warming continent: Scientists are clear: global warming is making Europe’s heatwaves more frequent, more intense, and longer. June heatwave events are now around ten times more likely than in pre-industrial times, and heatwaves are approximately 2–2.5 °C hotter.
Europe is now the fastest warming continent: Scientists are clear: global warming is making Europe’s heatwaves more frequent, more intense, and longer. June heatwave events are now around ten times more likely than in pre-industrial times, and heatwaves are approximately 2–2.5 °C hotter.
Monster wildfire over Torrefeta i Florejacs, Spain
Monster wildfire over Torrefeta i Florejacs, Spain
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Lethal Rain and Floods Swallow Gujarat, India

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Apocalyptic Gujarat rainfall event dumps 13 inches in a day, killing dozens

Rushing currents dragged Indians downstream to their death as record rainfall across Saurashtra caused led to widespread flooding. The tragedy unfolded amid widespread weather-related disruption across Gujarat. On Tuesday alone, eighteen people lost their lives in various rain-linked incidents across the state

As the 2025 monsoon continues, the effects of global warming are increasingly obvious each year. July opens with alerts for very heavy rainfall in multiple regions, including northwest, central, east, northeast and southern India. Key states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP and Kerala are likely to see intense rainfall between 27 Jun and 3 Jul.

 

Torrential rains battered South and Central Gujarat since early morning, leaving streets waterlogged and chaos unfolding across cities.

 

Gujarat flood: Nine people travelling in a car were swept away in Botad amid heavy rains with the NDRF recovering 4 bodies while search was underway for three missing persons

 

Antarctic Seal Population Down 50%

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Antarctic seal population crashing as sea ice continues collapse

 

Several species of Antarctic seals are discovering that looking cute is not enough to save them from extinction. The latest research from the British Antarctic Survey indicates that Weddell seals, Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals have all declined precipitously in the past 50 years. That is primarily because the ice they live on is melting, so they have nowhere to live. The ice is melting because of global warming.

Populations have declined roughly 7 % per year since peaking in 2009

Seals are apex predators, meaning that these declines are indicative of deep disruption in Antarctic marine food webs, especially krill and fish. As sea ice loss affects weather patterns and ocean currents, the cycle of ecological damage has become irreversible. The overall disruption also triggers new diseases in the form of viral outbreaks.  Marine life across the spectrum is not only affected by sea ice decline, but also the changing chemistry of the oceans as the increasing acidity threatens the web of life across the board. When the oceans are done, we are done.

Weddell Seals: A long-term study on Signy Island reveals Weddell seal numbers have plummeted by 54 % since 1977, largely due to melting sea ice, which they depend on for resting, breeding, and hunting. 

Antarctic Fur Seals: Their population has dropped about 47 % since 1977 in the same region. Especially vulnerable at Bird Island, populations have declined roughly 7 % per year since peaking in 2009—a dramatic crash linked to rising sea temperatures reducing krill, their primary food source.

 

Flooding in Burundi is now perpetual

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Lake Tanganyika floods have no end as Burundi citizens move to the roof tops

Lake Tanganyika is Africa’s second largest lake. It has naturally fluctuated for eons, but global warming has changed the cycle. Surface temperatures of the lake have continued to climb relentlessly since 2018. This is turn causes heavier rainfall and increased flooding, to the point that the waters in the region never recede. 

“We’ve been underwater for years.” – Asha

 

With the lake swollen, the Ruzizi River is unable to drain into it, resulting in persistent floods that inundate surrounding areas like Gatumba on the northern shore. Death in neighboring countries included 260 in Kenyaand  155 in Tanzania.

The situation deteriorated further in 2023 as thousands near the capital were evacuated. The floods returned in 2024 and this spring as residents adapt by moving to rooftops as floodwaters engulfed entire neighborhoods. Twenty-nine people in Burundi were killed.

In the West, some degree of mitigation would be possible by deploying infrastructure upgrades to stave off the inevitable. But that won’t happen in Burundi.

 

An area affected by floods in the Gatumba district of Bujumbura, Burundi, April 19.

 

Collapsing glacier wrecks a Swiss mountain village

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Ice is the key to the future climate collapse | Polar ice is melting fast, with multiple scenarios and surprising consequences | The collapse of mountain glaciers is equally alarming, but in different ways | Rapid permafrost thaw in Arctic regions leads to unforeseen consequences: especially CH4 release | READ MORE ABOUT THE ROLE OF ICE IN GLOBAL WARMING

“We’ve lost our village!”

The disaster in Blatten is only the most recent of an increasing number of catastrophic landslides caused by melting ice and permafrost. As Europe rapidly warms, rain is falling more often than snow, providing the heat and lubrication that brings glaciers to collapse. 

 

Unstable permafrost, melting glaciers are unleashing more deadly Alpine ice slides

A huge chunk of glacier in the Swiss Alps broke off in mid-May, dumping a deadly mash of ice, mud and rock down the mountain, burying most of a mountain village. The village of Blatten had already been evacuated was 90% buried by rubble. While this particular catastrophe was unprecedented in terms of damage, the frequency of Alpine disasters such as rockslides and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) has been increasing.  Permafrost in Alpine locations and also in the Arctic is no longer so “perma,” causing accelerated destabilization of tundra and mountainsides.

 ITALY 2022: Marmolada glacier landslide kills 11.The glacier melt has been accelerating, losing mass and volume for years.

READ MORE ABOUT THE KEY ROLE OF ICE IN GLOBAL WARMING

M

Europe’s Alps and Pyrenees lost 40% of their glacier volume from 2000 to 2023. 

Glacier Lake Outburst Floods

Similar to Alpine rockslides but even more insidious are Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF). While the Batten, Switzerland catastrophe was unprecedented in terms of damage, the frequency of Alpine disasters such as rockslides and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) has been increasing.  Similar to Alpine rockslides but even more insidious are Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF).

WHAT CAUSES GLOF:

As glaciers melt at a frenetic pace new lakes back up behind newly formed ice dams in the Andes, Alps and Himalayas. When these dams break, massive torrents rushe downstream, often in a cataclysmic flood. These floods have become more common as global warming causes rapid melting of glaciers around the world.

Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Juneau Alaska
Flash glacier outburst flood in Juneau as GLOF events increase globally. In a repeat of a 2023 catastrophe, an “outburst flood” from the Mendenhall Glacier sent millions of gallons of rock and water into a neighborhood in Juneau. About 100 homes were evacuated and a state of emergency was declared. According to authorities, shocked residents managed to swim out of their homes in the middle of the night.

Glacial floods in high mountain Asia (The “Roof of the World”) projected to triple by 2100.

For the past decade, the valley has filled with rain and meltwater as the glacier recedes.  Then the water burrows a tunnel into the ice dam, which eventually breaks through and pouring into the city below.  

 

Multiple glacier landslides

Tibet 2016 double glacier landslides kill dozens

A glacier in Tibet’s Aru mountain range suddenly collapsed in 2016, killing nine people and their livestock, followed a few months later by the collapse of another glacier. The avalanche of rock and ice carried 60 cubic meters and covered about seven square miles. It was followed by another major collapse months later.

 

 

Glacial break causes major flooding in Alaska, officials issue emergency declaration - ABC News

Juneau’s Mendenhall glacier repeats 2023 slide, an ongoing warning with extensive damage to homes

More than 100 homes in Juneau, Alaska, were damaged by flooding in August 2024 after a glacial lake overflowed, sending surging water to nearby neighborhoods in what has become a recurring problem for people in the state’s capital.

Summer flooding is an annual concern for people who live near the Mendenhall Glacier, which last year unleashed flooding that swept away trees and homes, including two buildings that collapsed into the Mendenhall River, which flows through parts of Juneau.

 

 

  • ITALY 2022: Marmolada glacier landslide kills 11.The glacier melt has been accelerating, losing mass and volume for years.

The world has a third pole – and it's melting quickly | Glaciers | The Guardian

The rapidly melting “third pole” is essential to fresh water for billions.

Glaciers are melting away in all mountain regions on the planet, including the Alps, the Andes and the Himalayas.

Beyond the sadness of incomparable beauty lost, glaciers provide fresh water sources for several billion humans, especially downstream from the Himalayas. 

This global catastrophe will  manifest itself in two stages:

  • Increase in mountain lake water level, followed by extreme flooding (Glacier Lake Outbreak Flood)
  • Extreme drought and lack of fresh water on a massive scale, especially Asia.

Chicago dust storm was a toxic event

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historic dust storm chicago

“These are man-made ecological disasters, driven by a form of agriculture that exploits and depletes the land, leaving millions of acres of soil exposed and eroding for half the year. We can’t keep farming this way.” – Robert Hirschfield, Director of Water Policy at Prairie Rivers Network.

Chicago’s dust storm was complex, and worse than you thought

A massive wall of dust and dirt particles enshrouded the city of Chicago in mid-May, causing ground stops at O’Hare and Midway and bringing the region of 10 million residents to a halt. Driven by 60 MPH winds, the violent storm brought near-zero visibility to highways and wrecked crops and agricultural infrastructure. 

While the global warming related implications of this event are obvious, there are other consequences, specifically, the toxic chemicals that comprised the storm-driven particles. As with most climate driven disasters, this one is also a reflection of the unsustainable practices of human industrial agriculture. The “dust” that showered down on the city contains heavy doses of lead and other toxic farm chemicals, including pesticides.

ONGOING CROP DAMAGE / MORE HERBICIDE IN THE SOIL

While the effects in the big city got most of the press, the petite haboob was bad news for downstate soy and corn farmers, as millions of tons of chemical doused topsoil ended up in Lake Michigan. These businesses will now be re-applying fertilizer and weed killer (Roundup) to their damaged fields, compounding the ecological suicide at the heart of industrial agribusiness. 

Strictly in terms of weather, this is a highly unusual event for the Midwest…but “highly unusual” is rapidly losing its meaning.

 

Record floods kill five in Australia

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Record floods in Australia: Global warming comes to haunt the climate perp nation 

About 50,000 people were trapped by record floodwaters, said to be the worst in memory, if not all time. The event has been declared a natural disaster as more torrential rains move toward Sydney and Newcastle. 

The NSW State Emergency Service responded to over 535 flood rescues in 24 hours as six months of rain fell in one day. More than 100 schools have been closed and 10,000 of homes and businesses have been damaged. 

It is somehow appropriate that Australia – with its commitment to massive coal mining for export – is considered by climate scientists to be the planet’s canary in a coal mine. To repeat: these sorts of lethal and extreme weather events are increasingly more intense and frequent as global warming accelerates.

DROUGHT FLOOD DROUGHT

At the same time, large swathes of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are severely -affected due to some of the lowest rainfall on record.

Drone shot of floods in NSW, Australia