Category: Posts EN

Hot Weather Pattern This Week For Southeast Asia

Written by Meteo Expert Josef Lukas

A hot high pressure system will set up near the Korean Peninsula this week bringing a prolonged period of heat to eastern China, Korea, and Japan.

Hot Weather Pattern

The hot temperatures have already moved into Japan this weekend. On Saturday, Tokyo reached a high of 35.4 C which is the hottest day so far in 2018. This value is expected to be topped, perhaps several times, through this Friday.

High pressure will meander near the Korean Peninsula through the upcoming week and supply the region with a favorable environment for hot temperatures. The most anomalous temperature departures are expected across southern Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and eastern China.

The hot temperatures combined with a rather stagnant flow will magnify air quality concerns across southeast Asia.

Beside Tokyo, other major cities expected to feel the heat include Seoul and Beijing. High temperatures will be several degrees above average, and in some areas temperatures will challenge monthly record highs.

Looking beyond the upcoming week, the hottest of the weather will likely shift westward and center itself from the Korean Peninsula to eastern China. Cities like Seoul and Beijing may see event hotter high temperatures materialize after the forecast period through 20-July.

2018 Precipitation Trends: Wet In The Mid-Atlantic, Drought Expands In Southwest

Written by Meteo Expert Josef Lukas

Earlier in July UBIMET meteorologists looked at temperature trends so far in 2018 for the US. This article will analyze precipitation trends across the US through the first 193 days of 2018. 

2018 US Precipitation Data

Climate records from the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC) show that 545 stations are having a wetter than average 2018, compared with 277 stations seeing a drier than average year. Stations in the SERCC database have a period of record of at least 30 years.

In general, the eastern half of the US and parts of the northern Rockies have experienced above average precipitation, while the Plains and Southwest have seen below average precipitation. As a result of the drier weather in the Southwest and Plains, drought conditions have worsened so far in 2018.

The ratio of wetter than average to drier than average locations is about 2:1.

Out of the 822 US climate stations, 282 have a period of record that is greater than or equal to 100 years. Within this data set a similar ratio of wetter than average to drier than average locations is observed.

Looking even further into the data, 32 stations are seeing a top 3 wettest year on record through 12-July, while 16 locations are having a top 3 driest year.

Richmond, Virginia and Wilmington, North Carolina, are off to their record wettest year for their period of record, which is 122 years and 144 years, respectively. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is having their 3rd wettest year on record with precipitation records dating back to 1875.

2018 Temperature Trends: Most US Cities Warmer Than Average

Written by Meteo Expert Josef Lukas

2018 is more than halfway over, and temperatures across most of the United States are warmer than the long-term average.

2018 US Temperature Data

Climate records from the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC) show that 731 stations are experiencing temperatures that are warmer than average, while 97 stations are colder than average. Stations in the SERCC database have a period of record of at least 30 years.

The city with the most anomalous warmth is Kotzebue, Alaska which is 2.4°C (4.3°F) above their 30-year average temperature, while Havre, Montana is the city with the most anomalous cold at 1.7°C (3.0°F) below their 30-year average.

Out of the 828 US climate stations, 285 have a period of record that is greater than or equal to 100 years. Within this data set a similar trend of warmer than average to colder than average temperatures are observed.

Looking even further into the data, 39 stations are seeing a top 3 warmest year on record through 11-July, while there are no stations currently experiencing a top 3 coldest year.

Just in July alone, record-breaking warmth gripped parts of the Great Lakes, Northeast, and southern California with several dozen record highs.

The US temperature data so far from 2018 is in line with predictions made in the latest version of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from 2014.

Heavy Rains and Winds Batter Taiwan; Maria Headed for China Next!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Typhoon Maria has been holding a steady west-northwest course overnight, raking northern Taiwan with heavy rains and gust winds. Now the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang are in the crosshairs.

Maria has been marching west-northwest at 35 kph overnight. It’s now located about 80 km north of Taipei in northern Taiwan. It’s about the same distance east of the Fujian province of China, meaning at the current pace landfall will happen in a few hours. The eye of the storm will be near or just north of Ningde, China by mid-morning local time. Maria is slowly weakening but still capable of producing destructive winds up to 200 kph! Heavy, flooding rains and a significant storm surge are also likely near and north of the landfall point.

 

 

Northern Taiwan and adjacent islands have been hit hard overnight. Pengjia Yu island, home to a manned weather observation station and not much else, was the closest to Maria’s eyewall. Gusts to at least 120 kph were measured there. Much of northern Taiwan has seen torrential rainfall over the past two days (see maps below), around or exceeding 300 mm in many areas. Maria will weaken quickly as the circulation moves into the mountains of eastern China later tonight into Thursday. Lead photo courtesy Wikipedia contributor Stephen Wheeler.