JULY HEAT RECORDS:
- 113°F Somerville, TX
- 111°F College Station, TX
- 109°F Waco, TX
- 107°F Dallas, TX
- 110°F Austin, TX
- 107°F Pueblo, CO
- 100°F Denver, CO
- 111°F McCook, NB
- 111°F Hill City, KS
- 111°F Andalusia, Spain
- 106°F Shanghai, China
“This has been the hottest weather I’ve ever seen. It’s pretty brutal out there.”
– Damon Slater, Parks & Rec Supervisor, Houston
TEXAS:
The historic heatwave continues in Texas and the Southern Plains continued this week and is expected to get worse. Houston, Harris County and the surrounding region have been suffering extreme heat since May, with the most recent resurgence reporting temperatures of 105°F in the city and 113°F inland on July 11. The humidity, as always, is suffocatin
There is nothing novel about miserable weather in Houston, save for the fact that each incidence of extreme weather is more violent and prolonged than the last. In the past few years, the city has been slammed with a succession of extreme rain, catastrophic floods, drought and heat waves.
It is doubtful that the members of the resource plundering industries have noted the irony of Houston suffering for its status as a major global fossil fuel industry hub. It’s almost as if the creator god…..never mind.
ALASKA
Out of control Alaskan fires force evacuation of mining camps, towns and parks
Over 500 fires have sent more than 3 millions acres up in flames since spring, with over 250 still burning. May and June were record breaking months for drought.
Drought, early snowfall melt, high winds and a significant increase in lightning strikes are the immediate causes, with global warming being the overarching driver. The lightning strikes are a result of steadily increasing water vapor in the atmosphere`, which generate more thunder storms which in turn are the result of higher temperatures in the region. Four days in July recorded 40,000 strikes, about two thirds of what would have been expected for a year in pre-climate crisis times.
The warming climate is also increasing the amount of vegetation in the state, which means there is more fuel to burn.
The Arctic regions as a whole is warming about four times faster than the rest of the planet.
EUROPE
Meanwhile in Europe, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the rest of the Western Mediterranean are experiencing an epic drought amidst epic heat. In the northern regions of Spain, where extreme heat is rare, temperatures soared to 108°F in places with 113°F reported near the Portugal border. An unprecedented 80% of mainland Portugal is under an “exceptional” risk of fire warning.
Wildfires raged out of control in France, Croatia and Portugal in the second killer heatwave in two months. Thousands have been evacuated.
In France, fireworks displays honoring Bastille Day have been cancelled, with dangerous temperatures expected across France and up into the UK. In northern Italy, a chunk of the iconic Glacier broke away, killing 10 people. The Po River is running dry.
CHINA
China’s unrelenting heatwaves continue to scorch megacities in the populous Yangtze River basin. 84 cities across the country on Wednesday issued their highest-level red alert warnings, which means temperatures will exceed 104°F.. The crisis is an extension of a lethal one two flood drought flood pattern that has caused hundreds of deaths.