WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

9-13 July 2018

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Webinar in the Climate Science Special Report Seminar Series will be conducted this week -- The first seminar of eight in the Climate Science Special Report Seminar Series will be held at noon (Eastern Time) on Thursday (12 July). This webinar, entitled "Climate Science: What's New?" will feature Katharine Hayhoe, Atmospheric Scientist, Texas Tech University as the speaker. She will highlight key results from the first volume of the Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment, on which she was a lead author. In addition, she will outline what can be expected from the second volume on how climate change is affecting regions and sectors across the U.S. The Climate Science Special Report Seminar Series is co-sponsored by the U.S. Global Change Research Program and NOAA's National Ocean Service. [NOAA Climate.gov Teaching News]
Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2018 Campaign for July is underway -- The seventh in the series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2018 will continue through Friday, 13 July. GLOBE at Night is a worldwide, hands-on science and education program designed to encourage citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of their night sky by matching the appearance of a constellation with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. These constellations are Hercules in the Northern Hemisphere and Scorpius for the Southern Hemisphere. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The eighth series in the 2018 campaign is scheduled for 2-11 August 2018. [GLOBE at Night]

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

Satellites track Saharan dust layer spreading westward across the Atlantic Ocean -- A map was generated that displays a relatively thick dust layer spreading westward across the tropical North Atlantic from the Sahara Desert to the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in late June. A map shows the dust column mass density that was generated from data collected by the MODIS sensors on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. The dust plume that continued for approximately 10 days was affecting the air quality in North and South America and could also be responsible for suppressing formation of Atlantic hurricanes and in the decline of coral reefs. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Measuring snowfall in Antarctica's harsh environment -- Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the University of Colorado-Boulder and UNAVCO, a non-profit university-governed consortium, have recently deployed four precipitation monitoring stations as part of the first suite of advanced snowfall measuring tools in Antarctica designed to more accurately determine the snowfall budget on the Antarctic continent. The snowfall feeds the ice sheets that hold approximately 90 percent of the world's ice. Snowfall data from Antarctica is needed to help predict the future of Antarctica's ice and, ultimately, global sea level. The four stations measure snow height, snow mass, snowflake size, wind speed, and number of snowflakes falling in a specified time period. A snowfall collection system was designed that can make the distinction between falling snow and blowing snow, as well as having the ability to withstand hurricane-force winds and temperatures well below -40 degrees (Fahrenheit/Celsius). [NCAR/UCAR AtmosNews]
Drones and other remotely piloted aircraft collect data and help in future weather and climate research across the Arctic -- NOAA scientists have been participating in several field campaigns in which autonomous unmanned vehicles such as drones and tethered weather balloons have been used as platforms to collect environmental data over tundra, ice and water in northern Alaska. These data are then used to help improve weather and climate predictions. The field campaigns, which have been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, have been conducted along the Beaufort Sea coast of northern Alaska near Prudhoe Bay. Later this summer, two additional field campaigns will be conducted, with one in support of the Year of Polar Prediction, while the second will be in support of Stratified Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (SODA), which is an interagency effort led by the US Office of Naval Research. [NOAA News]
Forecasting wildfires around the globe -- Researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies recently created a computer model that analyzes various weather factors, such as rainfall, that lead to the formation and spread of wildfires. This model, which is called the "Global Fire WEather Database" (GFWED), accounts for local winds, temperatures, and humidity, while also being the first fire prediction model to include satellite–based precipitation measurements. An animation was generated that shows the fire danger around the world that was calculated by GFWED for the three calendar years running from 2015 to 2017. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CLIMATE FORCING

New primary driver of extreme Texas heat waves has been found -- A team of scientists from Columbia University and several universities in China recently reported finding that a strengthened gradient or change in ocean temperatures from west to east across the tropical Pacific during the preceding winter appears to be the main driver of more frequent heat waves in Texas during the following summer. With the enhanced ocean temperature gradient, convection is enhanced in the western Pacific, while convection is suppressed in the eastern Pacific. These changes in convection can affect the atmospheric flow pattern, which eventually forms a high pressure circulation pattern over the Texas region in the summer. [NOAA Research News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

Updated Atlantic hurricane season outlook foresees less activity -- Philip Klotzbach and fellow hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University, issued their updated July forecast for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season that contained changes to their earlier April and late May forecasts. In their newly issued forecast they now foresee below-average tropical cyclone activity, which is in contrast to their April forecast when they envisioned slightly above-average activity. They changed their current outlook for the number of named tropical cyclones (hurricanes and tropical storms with sustained surface winds of at least 39 mph) from 14 to 11 because of the formation of Subtropical Storm Alberto over the Gulf of Mexico in late May; thus, the total seasonal forecast for named storms would remain the same as earlier envisioned. They also reduced their number of anticipated hurricanes (maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) from six at the end of May to four and their number of projected major hurricanes (category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) would drop from two to one. The probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean also has been decreased. This change in their outlook is due to colder than average surface waters in the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic and the increased odds that a weak El Niño would develop during the next several months, which would include the main portion of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. [The Tropical Storm Project]
New temperature and precipitation outlooks help bridge gap between weather and climate -- A researcher from the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory recently wrote an ENSO blog for the EarthWatch Magazine in which he describes the Week 3-4 temperature and precipitation outlooks for the contiguous United States and Alaska issued weekly by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC). These CPC outlooks, which were made operational in May 2017, are probabilistic forecasts with a lead time of three to four weeks into the future, are meant to bridge the gap between the operational 8- to 14-day weather forecasts and the monthly climate outlooks already prepared by CPC. He notes that research efforts over the last decade into dynamical model forecast systems involving the impacts of ENSO (El Niño/Southern Oscillation), the Madden-Julian Oscillation, long-term trends, the influence of sudden stratospheric warmings, and soil moisture have helped provide increased forecast skill for this time frame lying between the short-term weather and longer-term climate domains. [NOAA Climate.gov News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com]

Historical Events:

10 July 1913...The mercury hit 134 degrees at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, CA, the highest temperature reading of record for the North American continent. Sandstorm conditions accompanied the heat. The high the previous day was 129 degrees, following a morning low of 93 degrees. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) [Note: In September 2012, this 134-degree reading was determined to be the world record high temperature as a World Meteorological Organization panel disqualified the previously recognized world record temperature of 136 degrees set at El Azizia in Libya on 13 September 1922 due to errors made in recording the temperature at that location.]
10 July 1936...Afternoon high temperatures of 112 degrees at Martinsburg, WV, 109 degrees at Cumberland, MD and Frederick, MD, 110 degrees at Runyon, NJ, and 111 degrees at Phoenixville, PA, established all-time record highs for those four states, and marked the hottest day of record for the Middle Atlantic Coast Region. (The Weather Channel)
10 July 1977...Athens, Greece reported a temperature of 118 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. (National Weather Service files)
11 July 1888...The temperature at Bennett, CO reached 118 degrees, setting a record high temperature for the Centennial State. (NCDC)
11 July 1911...The highest temperature ever recorded in Maine was at North Bridgton, with a reading of 105 degrees. (NCDC)
11 July 1936...The temperature at St. Albans, Manitoba reached the provincial high temperature record of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, while the temperature at Atikokan, Ontario peaked at 108 degrees, tying the highest temperature ever in Ontario. (The Weather Doctor)
11 July 1990...The costliest hailstorm in U.S. history occurred along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. In Denver, CO, softball-sized hail destroyed roofs and cars, causing more than $600 million in total damage. (National Weather Service files)
12 July 1900...The record high state temperature reading of 114 degrees in Wyoming was reached at Basin. This record has since been eclipsed in 1983 by a 115-degree reading. (Intellicast)
12 July 1910...Cherrapunji in India's northeastern Meghalaya State -- one of the rainiest places on Earth -- recorded 839 mm (33 inches) of rainfall on this day. (The Weather Doctor)
12-14 July 1936...The hottest three-day period in US history was recorded, with average temperatures of 88.5 degrees Fahrenheit; the second warmest such period had occurred three days earlier. (The Weather Doctor)
12 July 1995...An intense heat wave affected much of the Midwest for a 4-day period beginning on this day. The worst effects of the heat were noted in the Chicago metropolitan area, where 583 people died from the heat. Temperatures across the area reached as high as 104 degrees, overnight lows on falling to the upper 70s to low 80s. Dew point temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s created heat indexes peaking at 125 degrees. Electricity and water usage reached record levels, causing periodic outages. (National Weather Service files)
13 July 1975...Dover, DE was deluged with 8.50 inches of rain to establish a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the state. (The Weather Channel)
13 July 1996...Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Bertha caused roads to washout in the Camden, ME area. Two people were hurt when they drove into a 600-pound boulder that had fallen onto the roadway due to the heavy rain. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
13 July 2005...The highest temperature ever recorded in Greenland, 78 degrees, was measured at Tasiilaq. (National Weather Service files)
14 July 1886...Los Angeles, CA had its greatest 24-hour July rainfall with 0.24 inches. (Intellicast)
14-15 July 1911...Baguio, Luzon, Philippines reported 46 inches of rain, which represents Asia's greatest 24-hour rainfall: (The Weather Doctor).
14 July 1886...Los Angeles had its greatest 24-hour July rainfall with 0.24 inches. (Intellicast)
14-15 July 1911...Baguio, Luzon, Philippines reported 46 inches of rain, which represents Asia's greatest 24-hour rainfall: (The Weather Doctor).
15 July 1888...The Bandai volcano erupts on the Japanese island of Honshu on this day in 1888, killing hundreds and burying many nearby villages in ash. (National Weather Service files)
15-16 July 1916...A dying South Atlantic Coast storm produced torrential rains in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Altapass, NC was drenched with 22.22 inches of rain, a 24-hour rainfall record for the Tarheel State, and at the time, a 24-hour record for the U.S. (The current 24-hour rainfall record for the US is 43 inches set 25-25 July 1979 at Alvin, TX). Flooding resulted in considerable damage, particularly to railroads. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast) (NCDC)
15 July 1983...The Big Thompson Creek in Colorado flooded for the second time in seven years, claiming three lives, and filling the town of Estes Park with eight to ten feet of water. (The Weather Channel)
15 July 1989...Thunderstorms drenched Kansas City, MO with 4.16 inches of rain, a record for the date. Two and a half inches of rain deluged the city between noon and 1 PM. Afternoon thunderstorms in South Carolina deluged Williamstown with six inches of rain in ninety minutes, including four inches in little more than half an hour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
15 July 1993...Four-inch diameter hail fell at Hot Springs, SD. In North Dakota, Jamestown recorded 6.40 inches of rain, Fargo 5.09 inches and Bismarck 4.08 inches. (Intellicast)
15 July 2001...Rain fell at 3.91 inches per hour in Seoul, South Korea, the heaviest amount since 1964. In total, 12.2 inches of rain fell in Seoul and Kyonggi. The rain was responsible for 40 reported fatalities. (The Weather Doctor)
16 July 1914...The 30-minute rainfall record in the US was set at Cambridge, OH with exactly seven inches. (National Weather Service files)

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