19-23 July 2010

DataStreme Earth Climate Systems will return for Fall 2010 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 30 August 2010. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

• Zenithal Sun -- Residents of Hawaii's Big Island will experience a noontime sun that would be directly overhead during this week (22-23 Jul). This occurrence of a zenithal sun is one of the two times during the year when the noontime sun is directly overhead to residents of Hilo and elsewhere on the Big Island. approximately one more week.. The other time when the Big Island experienced a zenithal sun was in mid May. [US Naval Observatory, Data Services]
• The solar eclipse from space and Easter Island--A composite image was recently constructed showing the 11 July 2010 solar eclipse from a photograph made by the Williams College Expedition to Easter Island that was superimposed upon an image of the outer solar corona made from data collected by Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) on NASA's SOHO spacecraft. [NASA]
• Tracking hurricanes on the Web, iPad or iPhone --Text Scientists with NASA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, have developed a technology that continually provides updated satellite imagery from NOAA's geosynchronous satellites to produce an animation of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins. The public can access these animations or "movies" on-line from the Web, or from iPhone and iPad. [NASA GSFC]
• Violent storm killed half a billion trees in Amazon forest --Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tulane University and Brazil's National Institute for Amazon Research report that their research indicates a major storm containing a squall line, or linearly arranged strong to severe thunderstorm cells, was responsible for killing approximately 500,000 trees in the Amazon forest in 2005. Previously, the trees were assumed to have been killed by drought. [NASA JPL]
• Major collaboration on weather and climate research by US and UK centers -- Officials with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the US and the United Kingdom's UK Met Office recently signed a memorandum of agreement that launched a major collaboration on weather and climate research between these two leading research centers. [UCAR/NCAR]
• "Footloose" glaciers behave erratically --A glaciologist with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and his colleagues who studied several glaciers in Alaska report that those "footloose" glaciers that become detached from the seafloor appear to be more erratic in behavior, with bigger icebergs than those that remain grounded and attached. [USGS Newsroom]

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

• State and city weather extremes for June 2010 -- The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has posted a listing of some of the notable extremes in temperature, precipitation and other weather elements across the nation for the recently completed month of June in "Selected U.S. City and State Extremes for June 2010." Note that this site may be updated during the following several weeks as more data are received and analyzed.
• Review of US weather and climate for June 2010 -- Scientists with the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently released their preliminary monthly climate statistics for June 2010, which indicates that the nationwide average temperature was well above (2.2 Fahrenheit degrees) the 20th-century average temperature for June. In fact, this past June was the eight warmest June since relatively dense and reliable climate records began in 1895. Above average to much above statewide temperatures were reported from the Southwest to the Southeast and into sections of the Midwest and the Northeast. North Carolina had its warmest June in 116 years. On the other hand, the Oregon and Washington in the Northwest experienced below much below average temperatures. The nationwide average June precipitation was 0.44 inches above the 20th-century value, with above to much above average precipitation found in the Northwest, the northern Rockies, the northern Plains, the Midwest and the Northeast. Michigan had its wettest June on record. Below to much below average precipitation was found across areas of the Southwest, the Southeast and Middle Atlantic States. [NOAA News]
• June drought report -- The National Climate Data Center has posted its June 2010 drought report online. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index, approximately one percent of the coterminous United States experienced severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of June, while 18 percent of the area had severely to extremely wet conditions.
• Coastal areas threatened by rising Indian Ocean level --Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have found that the sea level of the Indian Ocean has been rising at an uneven rate and that the rise could be partially due to changes in climate. The largest sea level rise has been along the coasts of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Java, which could threaten residents of some of the densely populated regions. [UCAR/NCAR]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

• Seasonal outlooks for the nation released -- This past week, forecasters with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center recently released their new three-month Seasonal Outlook running through October 2010. Much of the nation was expected to have a better than equal chance of having above average temperatures through the end of meteorological summer and the first two months of meteorological autumn. The signal for above average temperature appears strongest over the Southwest. However, the Rockies and the high Plains were thought to have equal chances of above or below average temperatures. Much of the Great Basin could experience an above average chance of below average precipitation for the next three months. On the other hand, sections of the northern and central Plains along with the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast in the Southeastern States were expected to stand a good chance of receiving above average rainfall. Elsewhere, no clear cut signal appears, meaning equal chances of below and above average precipitation. [NOAA Climate Prediction Center]
In addition, the NOAA forecasters released their Seasonal Drought Outlook that is to run through October. They foresee persisting drought across sections of the West, primarily along the Sierras and the Great Basin, together with a development of drought conditions across the Southwest. On the other hand, improvement of drought conditions were expected across sections of the Upper Midwest, the lower Mississippi Valley and the Middle Atlantic States. [NOAA News]
• La Nina watch is posted --Forecasters and other scientists with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center have issued a La Nina watch as they are expecting a cold-phase La Nina event to develop by August and continue through early 2011. They base their prediction upon the observance of a large reservoir of colder-than-average subsurface water in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and several other signs of coupling of the ocean circulation with the atmospheric circulation that would suggest the development of a La Nina. [NOAA CPC]

CLIMATE IMPACTS ON THE BIOSPHERE

• More carbon dioxide levels and acidity levels found in Washington State waters --Scientists from NOAA, the University of Washington, the Washington State Department of Ecology and the US Environmental Protection Agency report finding the waters of the state's Hood Canal and the main Puget Sound basin have become more acidic as increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have resulted in more of that gas being absorbed by the waters of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The researchers are concerned that the increased acidity of the state's waters could impact the shellfish industry of the region in coming decades. [NOAA News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

• Website for human dimensions of climate change -- An interagency effort within the US federal government that included NOAA, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, has resulted in a website called HD.gov (for HumanDimensions.gov) that provides users, such as natural resource managers, with information on the human dimensions on a variety of topics of interest such as climate change. [HD.gov]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

• 19 July 1886...A hurricane from the Gulf of Mexico crossed Florida causing great damage from Cedar Keys to Jacksonville. This was the third hurricane in one month to cross the Florida peninsula. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 19 July 1955...The Yarkon Water Project was opened to supply water to Negev desert in Israel. The Yarkon "flows" through the most densely populated areas of the country to the Mediterranean. The river has deteriorated rapidly since the 1950's due to excessive draining for irrigation by the National Water Carrier, with marked decline in water quality, animal habitats, flora and fauna. The National Water Carrier (1964), which crosses Israel from north to south, is the 81-mile main artery connecting all regional water projects in the State. (Today in Science History)
• 19 July 1974...A severe thunderstorm with winds to 80 mph and up to two inches of rain washed out four to five foot deep sections of roadway in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Three persons in a station wagon died as it was carried 3000 feet down a wash by a ten foot wall of water. (The Weather Channel)
• 19 July 1977...Thunderstorms produced torrential rains over parts of southwestern Pennsylvania. Some places in the Johnstown area received more than twelve inches in a seven-hour period. The heavy rains cause flash flooding along streams resulting in widespread severe damage, representing the "second Johnstown flood", second to the more disastrous flood in May 1889. The cloudburst flooded Johnstown with up to ten feet of water resulting in 76 deaths, countless injuries, and 424 million dollars damage. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 19 July 1994...Hurricane Emilia was the first of three Category-5 hurricanes to develop in the Central Pacific in 1994 as unusually warm sea temperatures prevailed south of Hawaii. Sustained winds reached 160 mph. (Intellicast)
• 19 July 2006…Charlwood, England melted under the highest temperature ever recorded in Britain in July at 97.3 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
• 20 July 1965...The 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Show-Me State was set at Edgarton, MO as 18.18 inches of rain fell. (NCDC)
• 20 July 1989...Showers and thunderstorms in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region soaked Wilmington, DE with 2.28 inches of rain, pushing their total for the period May through July past the previous record of 22.43 inches. Heavy rain over that three-month period virtually wiped out a 16.82-inch deficit that had been building since drought conditions began in 1985. Thunderstorms in central Indiana deluged Lebanon with 6.50 inches of rain in twelve hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 20 July 1997...A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC)
• 20 July 1930...The temperature at Washington, DC soared to an all-time record of 106 degrees. The next day Millsboro reached 110 degrees to set a record for the state of Delaware. July 1930 was one of the hottest and driest summers in the U.S., particularly in the Missouri Valley where severe drought conditions developed. Toward the end of the month, state records were set for Kentucky with 114 degrees and Mississippi with 115 degrees. (David Ludlum)
• 20 July 1934...The temperature at Keokuk, IA soared to 118 degrees to establish an all-time record high temperature for the Hawkeye State. (The Weather Channel)
• 20 July 1965...The 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Show-Me State was set at Edgarton, MO as 18.18 inches of rain fell. (NCDC)
• 20 July 1997...A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC)
• 20 July 1986...The temperature at Charleston, SC hit 104 degrees for the second day in a row to tie their all-time record high. (The Weather Channel)
• 20 July 1988...The temperature at Redding, CA soared to an all-time record high of 118 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
• 20 July 1994...Seattle-Tacoma, WA sizzled at 100 degrees, the highest ever temperature recorded there. (Intellicast)
• 20 July 1997...A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC)
• 21 July 1911...The temperature at Painter, WY dipped to 10 degrees to equal the record low for July for the continental U.S. (The Weather Channel)
• 21 July 1930...The record high temperature for Delaware was set with 110 degrees at Millsboro. (Intellicast)
• 21 July 1934...The temperature reached 109 degrees at Cincinnati, OH to cap their hottest summer of record. The state record for Ohio was established that day with a reading of 113 degrees near the town of Gallipolis. (David Ludlum)
• 21 July 1983…The temperature at Vostok, Antarctic (elevation 11,220 ft) fell to 129 degrees below zero, establishing the all time lowest temperature ever recorded at a surface station on earth, as well as for the Antarctic continent. (NCDC)
• 21 July 1991...Windsor Locks, CT hit 101 degrees, the third day in a row with temperatures over 100 degrees. Providence RI reached 102 degrees, their second day of 100-degree readings, very rare for this location. (Intellicast)
• 22 July 1926...The temperature at Troy, NY reached 108 degrees to set a high temperature record for the Empire State. The record high temperature for Connecticut was set at Waterbury with 105 degrees; this record for the Nutmeg State was broken by one degree in July 1995 at the same city. (Intellicast)
• 22 July 1972...Fort Ripley, MN received 10.84 inches of rain, to establish a new 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Gopher State. (NCDC)
• 22 July 1987...Barrow, AK received 1.38 inches in 24 hours on the 21^st and 22^nd, an all-time record for that location. The previous record was the 1.00 inch water equivalent in a 15 inch all-time record snowfall of 26 October 1926. The average annual precipitation for Barrow is just 4.75 inches. (The National Weather Summary) (The Weather Channel) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 23 July 1923...Sheridan, WY was drenched with 4.41 inches of rain, an all-time 24-hour record for that location. (22^nd-23^rd) (The Weather Channel)
• 23 July 1987...Thunderstorms produced a record ten inches of rain in six and a half-hours at Minneapolis, MN, including 5.26 inches in two hours. Flash flooding claimed two lives and caused 21.3 million dollars damage. Streets in Minneapolis became rushing rivers, parking lots became lakes, and storm sewers spouted like geysers. A tornado hit Maple Grove, MN causing five million dollars damage. Baseball size hail was reported at Olivia, MN. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 24 July 1928...Wahluke, WA hit a high temperature of 118 degrees, which tied a record high for the state. In August 1961, this all time state record high was tied at Ice Harbor Dam. (Intellicast)
• 24 July 1936...Record high temperature for Kansas was tied at 121 degrees near Alton. The record high for Nebraska was also tied at Minden with 118 degrees.
• 24 July 1942...The temperature at Las Vegas, NV hit 117 degrees to set an all- time record for that location. (The Weather Channel)
• 24 July 1952...The temperature at Louisville, GA soared to 112 degrees to establish a state record. This record for the Peach State was tied in August 1983. (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
• 24-25 July 1979...Claudette, a weak tropical storm, deluged southeastern Texas with torrential rains. The Houston suburb of Alvin received 43.00 inches, a 24-hour precipitation record for not only the Lone Star State, but for the U.S. Freeport reported a total of 30 inches. Total damage from flooding was over $400 million. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum) (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 25 July 1979...Tropical Storm Claudette produced phenomenal rainfall totals in southeast Texas. Thirty to forty inches fell in 24 hours around Alvin. Freeport reported a total of 30 inches. Total damage from flooding was over $400 million. (Intellicast)
• 25 July 1987...Sixteen cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Beckley, WV equaled their all-time record high of 91 degrees, established just the previous day. It marked their fourth day in a row of 90-degree heat, after hitting 90 degrees just twice in the previous 25 years of records. The water temperature of Lake Erie at Buffalo, NY reached 79 degrees, the warmest reading in 52 years of records. (The National Weather Summary)

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Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2010, The American Meteorological Society.