Catastrophic floods in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Venezuela, China, India, South Africa, West Virginia, Burundi, Congo | Killer Heat and Wildfires in Europe, Evacuations in Manitoba. More Alpine landslides.
More evacuations in 3 provinces as Canadian wildfires still rage
Air quality alerts are in place across Canada and the northern United States due to smoke from wildfires, with officials warning residents to “limit time outdoors”.
Environment Canada issued alerts for much of Ontario, warning that wildfire smoke had significantly degraded air quality. On Monday, Toronto’s air quality ranked among the worst in the world.
In the US, officials issued similar alerts for Chicago through Tuesday evening, with additional precautions advised for babies and the elderly.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet emergency responders to assess the situation in Ottawa, as fires burning in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and northern Ontario have forced thousands out of their homes.
Lethal New York | New Jersey flash floods prompts emergency declaration
New Jersey Gov. Murphy has 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.
Hottest night in Kenyan history comes during “cool” season
82 °F doesn’t seem unbearable until you realize that is a new overnight LOW temperature for Kenya. and that it was set during the “cool” season for the region.
Kenya is now experiencing unprecedented nighttime warmth, breaking a national record on July 11th at Lodwar in the northwestern part of the country.
July is usually one of the mildest months of the year, especially at night, with average minimums in most expect in the 70’s or lower. The new record is 15°F higher than usual and is furthermore part of an emerging trend.
The previous national record for highest July minimum temperature was set in 2024, illustrating These rising minimums are a critical metric in climate science, as elevated nighttime temperatures increase heat stress, reduce the body’s ability to recover from daytime heat, and threaten public health, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Smith Island, Maryland sinking as seas rise
The sea is claiming 12 feet of shoreline annually as Smith Island off the coast of Maryland disappears beneath the encroaching waves of Chesapeake Bay. Nevertheless, the natives of the Atlantic seaboard island – who describe themselves as gritty and self reliant – will not give up the fight, especially if they can get federal grants to build infrastructure with other people’s tax money. The remaining 200 residents have rejected the State of Maryland’s offers of relocation. It’s another perfect model of subsidized climate change denial.
Last of the “stable” glaciers now in accelerated retreat
Picturesque Perito Morena glacier in Patagonia, Argentina was regarded for centuries as one of the few remaining stable glaciers on the planet. That condition began to change in the past decade as global temperatures accelerated their rate of increase.
Over the past seven years, the glacier has lost 0.74 sq miles of ice cover and its thickness is decreasing by up to 26 ft a year.
“Perito Moreno’s size no longer matches the current climate; it’s simply too big. It can’t withstand the heat, and the current ice input isn’t enough to compensate.” – Dr. Lucas Ruiz.
Of particular concern is the fact that the ice mass once rested on the lakebed, secured by it’s tremendous weight. Now, the ice has thinned to the point that is floats, a condition that will now rapidly accelerated the collapse of the iconic ice sheet.
Hottest night in Kenyan history comes during “cool” season
82 °F doesn’t seem unbearable until you realize that is a new overnight LOW temperature for Kenya. and that it was set during the “cool” season for the region.
Kenya is now experiencing unprecedented nighttime warmth, breaking a national record on July 11th at Lodwar in the northwestern part of the country.
July is usually one of the mildest months of the year, especially at night, with average minimums in most expect in the 70’s or lower. The new record is 15°F higher than usual and is furthermore part of an emerging trend.
The previous national record for highest July minimum temperature was set in 2024, illustrating These rising minimums are a critical metric in climate science, as elevated nighttime temperatures increase heat stress, reduce the body’s ability to recover from daytime heat, and threaten public health, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Latest Alpine mudslide buries Austrian valley
Dozens of people were evacuated by helicopter in Austria after a mudslide covered homes and mountain huts in the Gschnitztal valley in Tyrol, the southwestern region of the Alps.
In May, about 300 people were evacuated from Blatten, Switzerland days ahead of a huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier before it thundered down a mountainside, sending plumes of dust skyward and coating nearly all of the town with mud.
The problem is that permafrost that is the “glue” holding rocks and soil together is melting, with predictable results.
New heatwave overwhelms eastern China
Hot ocean waters threaten South Korean fisheries
An early occurrence of intense ocean heat has triggered alarms for Korea’s coastal fisheries, already causing mass fish deaths. Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Institute of Fisheries Science issued high sea temperature advisories for 23 regions including Jeju, the West Sea and the southern coast.
The sea temperature warning level was elevated from level 1 “attention” to level 2 “caution” in a five-tier system, after average water temperatures spiked by by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over a five day period.
The 2025 high-temperature trend is developing faster and more intensely than last year, with advisories issued more than a week earlier than in 2024..
Olive oil might be the first thing you take for granted to go
Along with coffee, wine and lobster, olive oil will be among the first “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” food stables that wake the general population to reality.
Greek olive oil is a cornerstone of Mediterranean cuisine and a major export product. For a few years now, it has been under under increasing threat from climate change, with both quality and yield in jeopardy.
-
Heatwaves and droughts have become more frequent and intense in Greece. Olives are drought-tolerant, but prolonged extreme heat during key growth phases (flowering and fruit setting) can significantly reduce yields.
-
2023 and 2024 saw some of the lowest olive oil outputs in decades, with 2024 production in Greece reportedly down by more than 60%.
Rare Arctic birds getting rarer fast as tern numbers plummet
Numbers of Arctic terns nesting at a key breeding site have dropped by nearly a third this year, as experts warn climate change and disease are hitting the rare birds.
Some of the UK’s rarest seabirds, including Arctic terns and little terns, nest at Long Nanny, near Beadnell in Northumberland, which is cared for by the National Trust.
But reports from the charity suggest the number of occupied Arctic tern nests at the breeding site has fallen from 1,037 in 2024 to 724 this year, a drop of 30%.
Nuke water is too hot to cool as plants shut down
A record-breaking heat wave in Europe warmed up river water that some nuclear power plants use for cooling, prompting operators to shut down at least three reactors at two separate sites.
“This is the first time the plant has had to be shut down due to water temperature.”
Late on Sunday, operators shut down one of the two reactors at the Golfech Nuclear Power Plant in southern France after forecasts that the Garonne River could exceed 82 °F.
The Beznau Nuclear Power Plant in Switzerland shut down one reactors on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.
Sudden catastrophic Texas flood kills dozens in growing disaster
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.
Killer heat and wildfires all across Southern Europe
A massive, relentless high-pressure system is trapping 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 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
California wildfires devastate grasslands near LA
A fast-growing wildfire in central California has become the largest in the state this year, surpassing the size of January’s wildfires that devastated parts of Los Angeles, as the flames spread in hot, windy conditions.
Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for tiny communities near State Route 166 as the flames moved through hilly terrain toward the Carrizo Plain national monument. The region, which lies about 125 miles north-west of Los Angeles, contains vast grasslands that draw visitors in the spring to enjoy its wildflowers.
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.
Deadly landslides in Colombia kill dozens
A wall of mud and debris cut loose by torrential rains buried dozens of home and killed dozens of people in Medellin and Bello, Colombia. Fifteen people are missing with the numbers expected to get worse. .
Burundi inundation becomes permanent
Surface temperatures of Lake Tanganyika have continued to climb relentlessly for the past decade, cause heavier rains and increased flooding in the central African nation of Burundi. 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. In the most recent round of flooding 29 people in Burundi were killed with deaths in neighboring countries recorded at 260 in Kenya and 155 in Tanzania. Floodwaters covered entire neighborhoods.
The situation deteriorated further in 2023 as thousands near the capital were evacuated. The floods returned in 2024 and again this spring. With water levels exceeding floods stage more or less permanently, residents adapt by moving to rooftops and traveling by makeshift boat.