Catastrophic floods in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Korea, Venezuela, China, India, South Africa, West Virginia, Burundi, Congo, Romania | Killer Heat and Wildfires in Balkans, France, Portugal, Spain, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Evacuations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Megafire and Fire clouds in Grand Canyon and Utah. More Alpine landslides.
Wildfires in US west spur ‘fire clouds’ and their own weather systems
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 Grand Canyon Lodge and is responsible for burning 164 sq miles. It is one of the top ten fires 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 in the fire’s path, as the conflagration ate up up power lines and caused electricity to be shut off in communities in south-central Utah.
Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have hung ominously over Arizona’s blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds. 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.
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.
See entries below for details on catastrophic floods in:
Texas, New York, New Jersey, Korea, Venezuela, Moscow China, India, South Africa, West Virginia, Burundi, Congo, Romania, UK
See entries below of details on record wildfires in:
Canada, Utah, Arizona, Colombia, Portugal, Spain, Manitoba, Sardinia, Turkey, Crete, British Columbia.
More heat records burn as Emirates hits 125 °F
UAE temperatures rose to their highest level so far this year on Friday, August 1, with the mercury soaring to a sweltering 125°F in the desert city of Sweihan.
The temperature surge followed the UAE’s hottest April and May on record.
Inland areas repeatedly experienced daily temperatures above 122°F in June and July, while coastal cities Dubai and Abu Dhabi consistently posted highs around 113°F.
Out of Control Wildfires in Turkey shut down Dardanelles
Wildfires in Turkey forced authorities to suspend shipping in the busy Dardanelles Strait, evacuating villages on both shores as blazes were fanned by high winds.
Authorities evacuated three villages and a care home that housed 52 elderly people, the provincial governor’s office said in a statement.
Images broadcast by Turkish media showed firefighters being forced to abandon one of their trucks on a forest road as the flames engulfed it.
Authorities warned of further strong winds mid-month with temperatures expected to reach 95°F.
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Kabul running out of water fast
The usual triple whammy of dumb human activities combined with the relentless onslaught of global warming is rapidly depleting clean water supplies for the 7 million inhabitants of Kabul. Population growth, the climate crisis, and over-extraction have depleted groundwater levels. About half the city’s boreholes have already gone dry.
In the midst of the crisis, the expected gouging of citizens by criminal water companies is making the situation into a humanitarian crisis that will not be solved.
“We hope for more rain, but if things get worse, I don’t know how we’ll survive.”
Japanese rice crop threatened as high temp records drop daily
Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops.
Record high temperatures in Japan could curb the country’s rice production, threatening to create shortages of the staple grain and fresh price spikes as public resentment mounts over cost of living.
Wildfires force Sardinian tourists to flee by boat
Dozens of beachgoers in Sardinia were forced to flee by boat on Sunday when a huge wildfire broke out nearby, blocking other escape routes, firefighters on the Italian island said.
Strong winds were hindering rescue efforts and a number of automobiles had also torched..
Hong Kong killer floods as 14 in. of rain falls in one day
Hong Kong has been hit with record-breaking rains that have seen schools and courts shuttered, hospitals disrupted, and roads badly flooded.
More than 14 of rain drenched the territory by 2pm on Tuesday – the highest daily rainfall ever recorded for August. More than 9,600 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded between 5am and noon.
Weather authorities extended their highest “black” rainstorm warning until 5pm local time (09:00 GMT).
This was the fourth such warning issued in just eight days, breaking the record for the most frequent issuance of the city’s highest weather alert within a single year, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
Romanian flooding kills one displaces hundreds
The National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management issued Code Red and Code Orange warnings early Monday for the northeastern provinces of Suceava and Neamț after rainfall exceeded 20 gallons per square meter in just three hours, causing the Bistrița River to breach historic levels..
Wildfires force Sardinian tourists to flee by boat
Dozens of beachgoers in Sardinia were forced to flee by boat on Sunday when a huge wildfire broke out nearby, blocking other escape routes, firefighters on the Italian island said.
Strong winds were hindering rescue efforts and a number of automobiles had also torched..
Severe Drought Threatens 25% of Russian Crops
Farmers in southern Russia are facing the potential loss of up to 25% of key crops due to worsening drought conditions in the country’s leading agricultural regions. Krasnodar, traditionally among Russia’s most productive farming areas, has seen yields fall precipitously this year as drought takes its toll. Authorities have declared states of emergency in 30 districts as extreme weather devastates fields of wheat, barley, corn and sunflowers.”
Coastal Trump loving communities fucked by Trump
Cancellation of a FEMA disaster mitigation program is a blow to the flood-prone Trump loving town of Crisfield and a wetlands restoration effort in South Baltimore
For years, a low-lying town at the southern point of Maryland pored over engineering plans to raise its roads, expand wetlands and build a bulwark along the Chesapeake Bay to insulate itself against rising seas.
Federal disaster officials awarded the town $36.2 million for a project to build infrastructure (pointless) to delay multiple feet of flooding every day at high tide..
The Trump administration cancelled Crisfield’s grant earlier this month, along with $882 million around the country through a program designed to reduce communities’ long-term natural disaster risks. According to the state Department of the Environment, the Eastern Shore grant is among $83 million in federal disaster infrastructure taken away from the state of Maryland.
Iran drought grows worse as water supplies reach limits
Iranian authorities have asked people to limit water consumption amid severe heatwaves and a water crisis across the country. Iran is experiencing its hottest week of the year, according to the national meteorological service, with temperatures exceeding 115 °F in some areas.
On top of the extreme heat, the country is in a serious water crisis. Iran has been in drought for five years, with rainfall even lower this year. Negotiations to import water were under way with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The country has hundreds of dams, built from the 1950s onwards but the drought has significantly reduced their output. This, as well as problems with infrastructure and the heatwaves, has led to power cuts across the country.
Record Moscow deluge follows brutal heat wave up to 100 °F
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.
Wildfires still raging in the Balkans & Eastern Europe
High temperatures and wildfires continue to afflict the Balkans and much of Eastern Europe, continuing a streak of what some are calling apocalyptic.
The extreme weather is torching Greece, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, and North Macedonia. Dozens of wildfires were reported in Macedonia and Albania.
Serbia is bracing for 104°F highs on Friday and Saturday.
Killer heat, killer 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.
The shifting weather patterns are driven by a rogue high pressure system, which has been intensified by record sea surface temperatures.
“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 Indexes of 133 °F and 140 °F in Dubai and Qatar
The tendency for global warming deniers and skeptics is to downplay temperature reports of excessive heat indexes (or apparent temperatures” because it’s not the “real” temperature. Not surprisingly, this is the opposite of good sense. The combination of the air temperature with humidity is what actually affects the “real” human body and it’s what kills people real fast in these increasingly uninhabitable regions of the planet.
Don’t worry. The “real” temperature related to these heat indexes is a cooooool 115 °F or so.
The region has been setting outrageous high temperature records since May, as the decades long trend continues. The number of extremely hot days has tripled in the past 30 years.
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.
New York | New Jersey floods prompt 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.
Heat driven rains overwhelm UK sewage systems
This is a single example of what is 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.