Category: Posts EN

Record Heat Continues To Bake Western U.S.

Written by Team Morecast

After a summer filled with scorching temps across the globe, the epicenter of heat has now shifted into the western half of the United States, with the state of California being particularly hit hard. While this region of the world is no stranger to heat, this current heatwave, which has been ongoing since late August, is proving to be exceptional, and in some cases unprecedented. It’s also coming on the heels of a very hot summer, in which many records were already broken. The fact that it is occurring during the month of September makes it even more astounding.

The numbers coming out of the region have truly been staggering. Not only are records for the month of September being obliterated, but so are all time records. The Central Valley of California has been the spot with the most broken records. Case in point, Sacramento, the state’s capital, saw the mercury rise to an all time high of 116 F (46.6 C) on Tuesday. This breaks the previous all time record high of 114 F (45.5 C) was set on July 17th, 1925. Nearby San Jose also set a new record for all time high, coming in at a stifling 109 F (42.7 C).

Shifting to another region of California, Death Valley, which already holds the record for all time highest temperature ever recorded on Earth (134 F, 56.6 C) has broken even more records. On 9/3, the low in Death Valley only dropped to 102 F (38.8 C), making it the highest minimum temperature ever recorded anywhere on Earth during the month of September. Yesterday the high was 125 F (51.6 C), which tied the all time record high for September, while today the high was 122 F (50 C), tying the daily record high set just last year. The first seven days of this month have featured highs at 120 F (48.8 C) or greater. This establishes a new record for September, with the most days reaching 120 F (48.8 C).

And California is not alone in this heat. The state of Utah has also seen records smashed lately. Salt Lake City hit 107 F (40.5 C) on Wednesday, setting a record for the highest temp ever recorded in September, and tying its all time record high. This breaks the previous record of 105 F (41.6 C) set just on Tuesday. In fact, the city known for its proximity to great ski resorts, has topped the century mark 34 times this year. The most ever recorded.

The culprit of this heat wave in the West, has been a stagnant area of high pressure known as a “Heat Dome”, centered over The Great Basin. It has worked in conjunction with the preexisting drought conditions, which have been in place for the better part of this century. The dry ground allows the air to heat much more efficiently, due to less evaporation. Both the heat and drought have set the stage for wildfires to become an increasingly common threat across the West. Another serious threat is rolling blackouts, however, they have not been too prevalent during this heatwave thus far. The good news is that the end of extreme heat is near. This is partly due to Hurricane Kay, currently off the Mexican coast. The storm is poised to move northward in the coming days, bringing clouds and rain to parts of California and Arizona.

Worst Flooding in Decades Leaves Millions Homeless in Pakistan!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A historically wet monsoon season has resulted in catastrophic flooding across much of Pakistan. The provinces of Balochistan and Sindh in the south and west of the country have been particularly hard hit. Five times the normal monsoonal rainfall has fallen there, the most in six decades. More than one thousand people have perished with millions more displaced or homeless.

 

 

 

As recently as June, Pakistan was baking in record-breaking heat and drought. Highs soared to 124 deg F (51 deg C) in the Sindh city of Jacobabad. Then the heavy rains began falling. Typically the monsoon effect peaks in July and begins to diminish in August. However, an unusual surge of tropical moisture has prolonged and enhanced the seasonal flooding. Officials report that more than 400,000 homes and two million acres of crops have been washed away. Terrifying footage of large industrial buildings and hotels collapsing into roaring rivers has been uploaded to social media (see below). Highways and bridges are also destroyed, severely restricting the flow of evacuees and supplies. Most of the telecommunications networks in the worst-hit provinces were down as of Friday evening, an unprecedented break. With the Pakistani economy still reeling from the pandemic and international market turmoil, these additional strains could lead to a food crisis in the coming weeks and months. Lead photo courtesy International Rescue Committee.

 

 

Southern China Crippled by Extreme Heat and Drought!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A severe drought has been affecting portions of the south-central and southwest US. Among other impacts, it has caused dangerously low levels of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US. But the US drought is being dwarfed by an unprecedented heat wave in southern China. Extremely high temperatures and bone dry conditions have dominated the weather pattern there for more than two months.

 

 

 

This past Saturday, the city of Chongqing, home to nine million people, saw an overnight low of 35 deg C (95 deg F). This is warmer than the average high temperature for August. It’s also the warmest minimum temperature ever recorded in China in the month of August. As dangerous as any extreme high temperature, overnight lows that warm eliminate the period of relief that residents and air conditioning systems need to operate effectively. Numerous major cities have seen record highs near or above 43 deg C (110 deg F) recently. Hundreds of millions of citizens have been affected. Beibei reported a high of 45 deg (113 deg F), the highest temperature ever recorded in China outside of the desert province of Xinjiang.

 

 

 

The extreme heat and drought have drastically lowered lake and river levels. The impacts for drinking water and agriculture are obvious. However, these regions also depend heavily on hydroelectric power production that has been significantly hindered. Key industrial plants like car manufacturer Toyota and battery maker CATL have been forced to shut down. These restrictions will place additional strain on the already disrupted international supply chain.

Severe Monsoon Floods Ravage Portions of India and Pakistan!

Written by Team Morecast

 

The summer months always mean heavy monsoonal moisture spreading across India. Farming in this region depends entirely on the monsoonal rainfall so the rains are typically both expected and welcome. However, rains that fall too fast can still lead to dangerous flooding. This is particularly true if the heavy rain affects areas unaccustomed to the tropical downpours. Such has been the case in the past few weeks over central Pakistan (see map below).

 

 

The Punjab is a region that spans the border between Pakistan and India. A slow-moving area of tropical low pressure has been enhancing the normal monsoonal moisture flow (see satellite animation below). The Sindh district reported 355 mm of rain on Friday, the heaviest one-day total ever recorded there. The Balochistan region has seen three times their normal rainfall amounts, leading to the worst flooding in 30 years. The direct death toll from this flooding is approaching 1,000 in Pakistan and India. Almost a million people have been displaced from their homes. These floods have also destroyed billions worth of crops, leading to soaring food price inflation.

 

 

 

Another tropical cyclone is moving into northeast India. Model guidance projects this low to move slowly towards the Punjab in the coming week. Unfortunately this will mean an extended threat for severe flooding persisting into early September. Lead photo courtesy of UN photographer Evan Schneider.