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Once In A Lifetime Heatwave Bakes Northwestern U.S./Southwestern Canada

Written by Team Morecast

The U.S. Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada are currently in the midst of a dangerous and historic heatwave, unlike ever seen before in this region of the world. Since Saturday, record high temperatures across the region have not just been broken, but have been downright obliterated. These records have not been just daily and monthly, but all time records. This heatwave, the result of an extensive dome of upper level high pressure, known as a ridge, is so rare that the likelihood of occurrence is once a millennium or greater.

When looking at the numbers, they are truly staggering, and more typical of the American Southwest than the Northwest. Sunday’s high of 104 degrees (40 C) in Seattle, Washington is the highest temperature ever recorded in that city, besting the previous record of 103 degrees (39.4 C) set in 2009. That was after hitting 102 degrees (38.8 C) on Saturday. The first time that the city reached the century mark during two consecutive days. Previously, Seattle has only hit 100 degrees (37.7 C) or above on three other occasions. The city even had a record high low when the minimum temperature on Sunday morning only reached 73 degrees (22.7 C), the highest low ever recorded.

Even more impressive than Seattle, were the numbers reached in Portland, Oregon. On Sunday the mercury rose to a sweltering 112 degrees (44.4 C) shattering the previous all time record high of 107 degrees (41.6 C) set in 1981, and that’s after Saturday’s high of 108 degrees (42.2 C) already hit that milestone. Most noteworthy, however, is the high of 116 degrees (46.6 C) in Lytton, British Columbia. This temperature is the highest temperature ever recorded in all of Canada, surpassing the previous all time high of 113 degrees (45 C) set in 1937.

These extremely high temperatures would be tough to handle in any other location, but what makes this situation more dangerous and unique is that many people that live in this corner of the globe do not have air conditioning. With average daytime highs in the mid to upper 70s (23-25 C) during the summer, the need for air conditioning is minimal, and heatwaves of this magnitude, or in general, are not common.

The searing heat has already led to thousands of people throughout Oregon and Washington losing power, as well as countless others being admitted to the hospital with heat exhaustion. Because of this, cooling centers have been opened without any limits on capacity. Hotels have also been booked solid, a boon for an industry decimated by Covid, as residents seek an air conditioned refuge.

More records are likely to fall by the waist side in the coming days as the heat rages on. The forecast highs of 111 degrees (43.8 C) in Seattle and 113 degrees in Portland (45 C) on Monday would again be new all time record highs. Areas further to east may top out in the 115-120 degrees ( 46-49 C) range. Exacerbating the heatwave is the ongoing severe drought throughout much of western North America.

Tropical Storm Claudette Brings Tornadoes, Flooding Rainfall to the Gulf Coast

Written by Team Morecast

 

Slow-moving Tropical Storm Claudette, named early Saturday morning, moved ashore later in the afternoon. However, heavy rains from the outer bands of the cyclone have been affecting the central Gulf coast for days. Portions of far southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and southern Alabama have been particularly hard hit. Widespread rains of 5-10 inches (125-250 mm) have fallen across this region. Isolated totals of 12-14 inches (300-350 mm) have been reported, leading to serious flooding.

 

 

 

 

Strong winds have been less of an issue with the storm. A few stations have reported gusts in the 50-60 mph (80-100 kph) range. However, Claudette has also spawned several tornadoes over the Mid-South. Ten tornado reports were received by the Storm Prediction Center. The most intense tornado destroyed a mobile home park near East Brewton Saturday morning, injuring almost two dozen people. Claudette has been downgraded to a tropical depression as of Saturday evening. The remnant low is also picking up speed, moving to the northeast. As the storm speeds up and weakens, the threat for tornadoes and flooding will diminish tonight. Claudette is the first named tropical cyclone of 2021 to make landfall in the Atlantic basin. Experts predict a fairly busy season which will peak in mid-September. Lead photo courtesy Flickr user Tom Good.

 

Brutal Heat Bakes the Western US, Intensifying the Extreme Drought

Written by Team Morecast

 

A heat wave is pushing temperatures to all-time record marks from the Intermountain West into interior California and the Desert Southwest. Triple digit heat has expanded as far north as Idaho and Montana, and as far east as Iowa and Missouri. Several cities have seen or will see record-shattering temperatures. The high on Tuesday in Salt Lake City was 107 deg F (42 deg C), tying the all-time record. Only twice before (2002 and 1960) has this mark been reached. It’s all the more impressive since these records are being broken in mid-June, typically a significantly cooler month than July and August. Las Vegas nearly matched their all-time record of 117 deg F (47 deg C) on Wednesday afternoon. Billings, Montana saw temps reach 105 deg F (41 deg C) on Tuesday, hottest ever recorded in the month of June. Temperatures may get even warmer for some areas from Thursday into Friday. The forecast for Phoenix, Arizona is for highs to exceed 115 deg F (46 deg C) on four consecutive days, tying the all-time record.

 

 

 

This blast furnace of a heat wave is only exacerbating an already critical drought emergency in the Southwest. The current drought dates back to the fall of 2020. Little to no rainfall has fallen in the past several months. As spring has turned to summer, this has created a vicious cycle of increasingly dry soil contributing to hotter air temperatures, which leads to drier soils, and so on. The crippling drought is putting intense pressure on freshwater supplies. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US, provides fresh water for farms and homes from Nevada to Mexico. Steadily increasing water consumption and climate warming have put a strain on lake levels that dates back at least two decades. However, the recent hot, dry weather has accelerated the process. June is already the peak of irrigation demand for farmland in the Southwest and recently the lake level has been dropping up to a foot per week. It’s currently at 36% of full capacity, the lowest since the lake was originally filled in the 1930s. This has triggered sweeping restrictions on water usage in the Southwest. Federal officials promise even tighter restraints if the lake levels continue to drop as forecasts indicate they will.

Major Winter Storm Smashes Southeast Australia with Flooding Rains, Winds, and Snow

Written by Team Morecast

 

A powerful early winter storm is crawling up the southeast coast of Australia today, bringing abnormally cold and moist air into Victoria and New South Wales. A steady stream of heavy rain has been funneling into the Gippsland region of eastern Victoria since Wednesday. Rainfall totals there have exceeded 200 mm in many areas, leading to serious flooding. Rivers and creeks have risen swiftly overnight with several gauges at major flood levels, the highest in nearly a decade. These surging waters are flooding homes and businesses in many towns, leading to hurried evacuations. The State Emergency Service (SES) has fielded nearly 6,000 calls for assistance. Numerous roads are now closed, and officials are concerned that major arteries like the Princes Highway could be next. Most of the heaviest rainfall has already fallen, but runoff from smaller tributaries could cause significant flooding issues along the region’s bigger rivers in the coming days.

 

 

Winds have also been a widespread hazard late Wednesday into Thursday morning over central and eastern Victoria, including the Melbourne metro. Gusts in the city peaked in the 70-100 kph range, but surrounding higher elevations saw gusts as high as 125 kph. These high winds combined with soil weakened by the heavy rains have led to numerous downed trees and power lines. Hundreds of thousands are reported without power. Flooded roads will only delay repair and power restoration efforts. The story further north in the Dividing Ranges of eastern New South Wales is anomalous low-level snow. Parts of the capital district of Canberra saw unusual snow flurries with a dusting of accumulation on Wednesday. However, surrounding higher elevations are seeing much heavier totals, upwards of 50 cm by week’s end. The heavy snows combined with high winds are causing dangerous blizzard conditions with high drifts and near-zero visibilities. Lead photo courtesy Facebook user Melina Bath.