WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

17-21 August 2015

DataStreme Ocean will return for Fall 2015 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 24 August 2015. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

NASA's role in studying hurricanes described -- A feature prepared by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center describes how agency scientists are helping provide their NOAA colleagues at the National Hurricane Center with a variety of information on tropical cyclones (including hurricanes and tropical storms) obtained from NASA satellites, aircraft, field missions, instruments and computer modeling capabilities. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]
Special collection of satellite images and animations for Hurricane Katrina and the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season are available -- As the 10th anniversary of the formation of the infamous Hurricane Katrina approaches, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is making available a special collection of videos and still images associated with that devastating hurricane and the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. [NOAA News]

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

July 2015 weather and climate for the nation reviewed -- Scientists at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), (formerly the National Climatic Data Center) recently reported on their analysis of preliminary weather data collected during the month of July 2015:

National weather and climate -- The average temperature for the contiguous US during July was 73.9 degrees F, or 0.2 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century (1901-2000) average. Therefore, July 2015 was the 56th warmest July since comprehensive nationwide temperature records began in 1895. Above to much above average July temperatures were reported across the Southeast, the South Central States, the Middle Atlantic States and the Northwest. The statewide July temperature in Louisiana was the third highest July temperature in 121 years of record, while Washington state had its fourth warmest July on record. Florida had the fifth highest July temperature. On the other hand, ten states running from the Great Basin eastward across the central Rockies and Plains to the Midwest and Ohio Valley had below average July temperatures. The maximum (or daytime) temperature for the July 2015 when averaged across the 48 contiguous United States was nearly 0.8 Fahrenheit degrees below the 20th century average, while the minimum (nighttime) July temperature for the "Lower 48" was slightly more than 1.2 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century average.
The nationally-averaged July precipitation total across the contiguous United States was 3.16 inches (or 0.38 inches above the 20th century average), which made July 2015 the 14th wettest July in the 121-year record. Nearly half of the states (23) across the Ohio Valley, the Great Plains and the much of the West had July 2015 statewide precipitation totals that above or much above the 20th century average. Kentucky experienced its wettest July in 121 years, while California reported its second wettest July on record. Other states that had statewide precipitation totals in the top ten were West Virginia, Indiana and Missouri in the Midwest, along with New Mexico and Nevada in the West. Drier than average conditions were found across the Southeast, the Great Lakes and the Northwest. Louisiana reported the ninth smallest July precipitation total on record. [NOAA NCEI State of the Climate]
NOTE: A description is provided of the climatological rankings employed by NCEI for their monthly and seasonal maps. [NOAA/NCEI]

July national drought report -- The National Climate Data Center has posted its July 2015 drought report online. Based on the Palmer Drought Index, severe to extreme drought affected about 14 percent of the contiguous United States as of the end of July 2015, a slight decrease in areal extent from the previous month. About 24 percent of the contiguous U.S. fell in the severely to extremely wet categories.

Heat index readings in Iran reach astounding levels during late July -- Residents across southwestern Iran experienced an episode of triple-digit air temperatures coupled with high atmospheric humidity levels during late July. During the afternoon of 30 July 2015, the ambient air temperature at the coastal city of Bandar Mahshahr reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit, while the dewpoint temperature (the temperature where saturation of the air with respect to water vapor would occur) reached a relatively rare high of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. On the following day (31 July), the air temperature rose to 115 degrees during the late afternoon, while the dew point was 90 degrees. Therefore, the heat index, (or "apparent temperature" that is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature), soared to an incredible 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The exceptionally high dewpoints in Bandar Mahshahr were due to southerly winds carrying winds onshore from the Persian Gulf, where sea surface temperatures had reached at least 90 degrees. [NOAA Climate.gov News]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

New approach to processing precipitation data is implemented at US Climate Reference Network stations -- Starting this week, NOAA's Climate Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) will change how it processes precipitation data collected by the instruments at the 134 stations throughout the US Climate Reference Network (USCRN). These stations make three independent measurements of precipitation at five-minute intervals, followed by a process that determines the best precipitation total from the three measurements. The new approach uses a weighted averaging technique to ascertain the correct data. USCRN stations are high-quality automatic weather stations designed to monitor changing climate in areas where land-use changes are expected to be minimal over the next 50 years. [NOAA NCEI News]
Diminishing Arctic sea ice points to changing climate -- A feature produced by NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) highlights how the scientific community has been monitoring the thickness and volume of Arctic sea ice from satellites, aircraft and submarines over the last 50 years. According to the collected data, the thickness and volume of Arctic sea ice have diminished over the last three decades due to changing climate. [NOAA NESDIS News]

CLIMATE IMPACTS ON THE BIOSPHERE

Carbon dioxide spewed from underwater volcano causes coral to be displaced by algae -- Researchers from NOAA and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami have discovered that vibrant coral communities were replaced by carpets of algae in those in waters of the Pacific Ocean in the Northern Mariana Islands that were in proximity to an underwater volcano spewing carbon dioxide. The researchers warned that this ecosystem shift could serve as an example of what could happen with future ocean acidification due to the absorption of elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide from human activity. [NOAA Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research News]
Toxic algae bloom in North Pacific sets record along West Coast -- NOAA scientists and their colleagues have been monitoring a record-setting algal bloom that continuing to expand across the eastern North Pacific Ocean and along the West Coast of North America, extending from Alaska's Aleutian Islands southward to the southern California as of the first week of August. This algal bloom, which contains some toxic species, has had far-reaching consequences for marine life and therefore, the regional and local economies that depend upon the resources from the waters of the North Pacific. A map of the average chlorophyll concentrations during the month of July was produced from data obtained from sensors onboard the NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP satellite data. This algal bloom, which is a record in terms of size and duration, is coinciding with much above average sea surface temperatures along the West Coast and the eastern North Pacific. [NOAA Climate.gov News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion & El Niño advisory -- NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society recently released their El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion that showed an El Niño event was underway due to the continuation of above-average sea surface temperatures (SST) across most of the equatorial Pacific during July 2015. SST values ranged from one to two Celsius degrees above normal from the central into the eastern equatorial Pacific. Consequently, forecasters at CPC have continued their El Niño advisory that indicates the continuation and possible strengthening of an El Niño event during the next six months. These forecasters foresee a greater than 90 percent chance that this El Niño event would continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2015-16, with an approximately 85 percent chance of the event continuing into early spring 2016. A detailed El Niño/Southern Oscillation Diagnostic Discussion with supporting maps and charts is available from CPC.
An ENSO blog written by CPC staff suggests that this current El Niño event could peak in late autumn or early winter (in the Northern Hemisphere), but not before becoming one of the strongest El Niño episodes since 1950. Consequently, this El Niño could have a major impact upon the autumn and winter seasonal climate outlooks across the United States. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
A map of the spatial pattern of SST across the eastern Pacific Ocean basin for the week of 10 August is available. [NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Efforts are made to protect vulnerable people from summer heat -- The efforts made by the National Weather Service and various local emergency management officials to protect the elderly, the poor and the sick during a heat wave in the New York City metropolitan area during early August 2006 are documented. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

17 August 1885...Amos, CA hit 130 degrees to set the unofficial August U.S. high temperature record. (Intellicast)
18 August 1924...A record August rainfall for the United Kingdom occurred when 9.4 inches deluged Cannington (Somerset) England. (The Weather Doctor)
18 August 1927...Pressure in unnamed tropical storm fell to 887 millibars (26.18 inches of mercury) over the Pacific Ocean east of Luzon in the Philippines, one of the lowest surface measurements on record. (The Weather Doctor)
18-19 August 1935...The temperature soared to record high levels in each of the Maritime Provinces, with a 98 degree reading at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, 101 degrees in Collegeville, Nova Scotia and 103 degrees in Rexton, New Brunswick. (The Weather Doctor)
18 August 1936...Iowa had its hottest ever August day with the average high temperature for 113 stations being 106.5 degrees Fahrenheit. (Intellicast)
18-19 August 2007...A cooperative observer near Hokah in southeastern Minnesota recorded 15.10 inches of rain, establishing a new 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Gopher State. (NCDC)
19 August 1939...Tuckerton, NJ received 14.81 inches of rain, which established a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Garden State. (NCDC)
19 August 1955...Rains from tropical Storm Diane fell on ground saturated from Tropical Storm Connie a week before. Westfield, MA recorded 18.15 inches in 24 hours, to set a statewide record for the Bay State, while the 24-hour precipitation record for the Nutmeg State was set at Burlington, CT with 12.77 inches. Extreme flooding occurred in all of New England. (Intellicast)
19 August 1960...The heaviest recorded 24-hour precipitation accumulation to date for the Arctic drenched Mould Bay, Northwest Territories with 1.88 inches of rain. (The Weather Doctor)
19 August 1969..."Never say die" Camille let loose a cloudburst in Virginia resulting in flash floods and landslides that killed 151 persons and cause 140 million dollars damage. Massies Hill in Nelson County, Virginia received an estimated 27 inches of rain in 24 hours. This amount is an unofficial record for the state, while the official 24-hour maximum precipitation record is 14.28 inches at Williamsburg on 16 September 1999. (David Ludlum) (NCDC)
19 August 1986...The temperature at San Antonio, TX soared to an all-time record high of 108 degrees. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders 1987)
21 August 1983...The temperature at Fayetteville, NC soared to 110 degrees to establish a state high temperature record. (The Weather Channel)
21 August 1992...The earliest recorded snowfall in Edmonton, Alberta since record keeping began in 1884. (The Weather Doctor)
21 August 2007...Hail with diameters of up to 5.25 inches fell in southeastern South Dakota, resulting in considerable damage to roofs of buildings. The largest hailstone had a circumference of 18.00 inches and weighed 1.0 pound, which represents the largest documented hailstone in South Dakota since records began in 1950. (NCDC)
22 August 1816...The growing season for corn was cut short as damaging frosts were reported from North Carolina to interior New England in the "Year-without-a-Summer". (David Ludlum)
22 August 1976...The temperature soared to record high for Newfoundland: with a 98.1-degree reading at Botwood. (The Weather Doctor)

Return to DataStreme ECS website