CLIMATE CHANGE -

DROUGHT, HEAT, WILDFIRES

Items from July 2005 - December 2006
Items from 2000 & 2001

"If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them." - Isaac Asimov

U.S. Drought Monitor.

2007 -

9/14/07 -
NORTH CAROLINA - August 2007 was the HOTTEST IN 113 YEARS OF RECORD-KEEPING with an average temperature of 77.1 degrees across Western North Carolina. That bumped out August 1900 out of the hottest spot with an average of 75.1 degrees. The June-August 2007 summer season ended with a long-lasting heatwave that SET MORE THAN 2,000 NEW DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL UNITED STATES. The record heat helped make this the second warmest August and the sixth warmest summer on record for the contigious U.S.

9/13/07 -
PARAGUAY - The government of Paraguay has declared a state of emergency after large fires destroyed more than 100,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land. The fires have worsened in four provinces. Most of the fires were blamed on farmers deliberately setting small blazes to clear lands for cotton and soybean crop planting.

NORTH CAROLINA has been hit with more than 5400 wildfires this year - before the typical start of the fall wildfire season.

AUSTRALIA - Long-term national weather forecasters believe that despite a La Nina weather pattern, the chances of any good spring rain have decreased for Queensland. While a rain-inducing La Nina weather event continues, cooler sea temperatures north of Australia are lessening the chances of precipitation. Australia's climate is expected to be influenced by the UNUSUAL state of the oceans to the north and northwest which have been cooling strongly since June.

RUSSIA - Russians have had to shoot three UNUSUALLY aggressive polar bears so far this year, in what environmental group WWF said was a sign the bears’ feeding patterns were being disrupted by global warming. The bears used to come ashore in winter along the sea ice to forage for food, but that the ice had retreated UNUSUALLY far from the coast leaving predators with a long swim. “This makes them particularly vulnerable since animals in search of food lose their sense of danger, they enter villages and often attack people." WWF also said the retreating sea ice had hit the walrus population.

Climate change is affecting Europe faster than the rest of the world and rising temperatures could transform the Mediterranean into a salty and stagnant sea, Italian experts said Wednesday. Warmer waters and increased salinity could doom many of the sea's plant and animal species and ravage the fishing industry. Scientists still don't know why the region is more sensitive to climate change, but in the next decades, temperature increases hitting Europe during the summer months could be 40 percent to 50 percent higher than elsewhere. The change is also being felt at sea level, with a surface temperature increase of 1 degree every decade. "The Mediterranean is becoming warmer and saltier" due to increased evaporation. This could disrupt the flow at the Strait of Gibraltar, a key gateway to the Mediterranean. The higher salt concentration in the Mediterranean would cause water to flow out into the Atlantic Ocean, as opposed to Atlantic water coming into the Mediterranean, which serves as the sea's lifeline. Even more worrying, a study conducted by Italy's marine research institute indicates the temperature increases are creeping into the cold depths of the Mediterranean. Measurements conducted last winter off Italy's western coast at a depth of up to 300 feet showed temperatures were about 3.6 degrees above average. Temperature differences between the sea's layers create the currents that allow the Mediterranean's waters to mix and bring up fresh nutrients to feed the algae that form the basic diet of most fish species. These temperature rises could wipe out "up to 50 percent of the species," the study said. The decline in the algae population measured last winter also reduced by 30 percent the sea's ability to absorb carbon dioxide, one of the gases blamed by scientists for heating the atmosphere like a greenhouse.

9/12/07 -
BRITAIN - The wet summer and warmer-than-average temperatures mean that leaves are already starting to change colour and conkers, the traditional harbinger of autumn, have started falling from the trees. Japanese maples were in full autumn colour four weeks early. In Staffordshire, birch and hawthorn trees have started turning from green to gold almost a fortnight ahead of the official start of autumn, the equinox on September 23. Some fruit harvests have also come early as a result of this year's unpredictable weather. English Coxes, often considered the first sign of autumn, usually go on sale late in September but they appeared on supermarket shelves last week. It is the EARLIEST THE FRUIT HAS GONE ON SALE FOR AT LEAST 20 YEARS. Blackberries also ripened early. The blackberry season - not normally in full swing until late September - was now almost over. Mushrooms, which typically appear in late September, were also out early.

U.S. climate change - A Maryland beekeeper's annual records of honey production reveal that flowering trees are blooming nearly a month earlier than they did a few decades ago.

AUGUST RECORDS BROKEN in the U.S. -
Cities where August set a precipitation record (for any month) were:
Waukon, IA (19.11")
Hokah, MN (18.99")
Lacrosse (NWS), WI (17.00")
Madison, WI (15.18")
Rochester, MN (14.07")
Rockford, IL (13.98")

At least seven other locations had their wettest August on record, including Minneapolis, MN; Norfolk, NE; Mansfield, OH; South Bend, IN; Sioux City, IA; Benton Harbor, MI; Waterloo, IA. Though not setting a monthly record, San Antonio, TX had enough rainfall to set a record for wettest summer and wettest year to date.

With an ongoing drought, there were some opposite records also set in adjacent areas both to the north and south of the wet area, such as:
Doniphan, MO - driest August on record (0.00")
North Little Rock, AR - driest month on record (0.01")
Cape Girardeau, MO - driest August on record (0.01")
Poplar Bluff, MO - driest August on record (0.24")
Charlotte, NC - driest August (0.41")
London, KY - driest August on record (0.45")
Marquette, MI - driest May-August period on record
In addition, dry conditions contributed to Lake Superior reaching its record lowest level for August.

Locations where August was the warmest month on record:
Huntsville, Muscle Shoals, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Anniston, AL
Key West, Naples, and Fort Lauderdale, FL
Atlanta, GA
Louisville and Bowling Green, KY
Tupelo, MS
Raleigh-Durham and Greensboro, NC
Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Bristol/Tri-Cities, and Jackson, TN

At least 20 additional locations set all-time August warmth records across at least 13 states. This included Phoenix, AZ; Tallahassee, FL; Paducah, KY; Reno, NV; Asheville; NC; Cincinnati, OH, Columbia, SC; Memphis, TN; Roanoke, VA; Charleston, WV. In addition, Las Vegas, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, and Sterling, VA (Washington Dulles) had their warmest summers on record.

9/11/07 -
Two-thirds of the world's polar bears will be gone by the middle of the century. The US Geological Survey says parts of the Arctic are losing summer ice so fast that no bears will be able to live there within several decades. Scientists believe Arctic ice will hit a record low this year. Some areas where polar bears now roam, such as the Barents Sea north of Norway and Russia, will be unable to support the animals at all by the middle of the century. The bears might persist in other regions; but about 40% of the summer habitat will be gone by 2050, and with it, two-thirds of the current population. This year so far, the Arctic summer ice is almost 30% below the long-term average.

9/10/07 -
GREENLAND - Mini earthquakes and glacier acceleration on the Greenland ice cap are signs climate change is speeding up. The quakes are caused by giant chunks of ice breaking off the rock they have been frozen to for hundreds of years. Though small in magnitude, the earthquakes bolster concerns that the entire ice shelf could collapse, causing a catastrophic change in sea levels worldwide. The speed at which Greenland's glaciers flow into the sea has also accelerated. The Ilulissat glacier is dumping ice chunks into the ocean at a rate of 2 meters per hour - more than three times faster than 10 years ago. Given the changes, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's current prediction sea levels will rise eight to 24 inches this century may be too low. Some estimate the seas may rise by more than two meters.

9/9/07 -
NEW YORK - Central New York SET A NEW RECORD FOR HIGH TEMPERATURES Friday. The mercury reached 95 degrees. The previous record for September 7th was 91 degrees. Friday's temperature also tied the highest for this year, set back in August. They have now hit 90 degrees (or more) 14 days this year. Last year it only happened six times. The average for Central New York is eight. Syracuse BROKE A RECORD HIGH temperature on Friday. The mercury hit 92 degrees before noon breaking the 91 degree record set back in 1960.

GEORGIA - Last month's heat wave in Richmond County BROKE THE 129-YEAR RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR AUGUST.

CALIFORNIA - State officials confirmed on Friday that in the last three days at least five more people died in the southern part of the state due to the intense heat, bringing the death toll from the week-long heat wave to 25.

U.S. - The federal government needs to do a better job addressing how climate change is transforming the hundreds of millions of acres under its watch, according to a congressional investigative report to be released this week. Accountability office officials gathered reports of dramatic changes across the nearly 30% of U.S. land that lies under federal control. Since 1850, the glaciers in Glacier National Park have declined from 150 to 26 and the habitat of bighorn sheep, mountain goats and grizzly bears is vanishing. Wildfires are flaring in Alaska, the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada. Climate-triggered coral bleaching in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is eroding the area's tourist appeal. Sea levels are rising around the low-lying Florida Keys. Global warming is killing off the nation's trees. Spruce bark beetles are chewing their way through Alaska's Kenai Peninsula and the Chugach National Forest, while pine beetles are destroying red spruce woodlands. Even pinyon pines hundreds of years old that have survived droughts before in the Southwest are dying off. Non-native grasses have replaced native shrubs in the Mojave Desert, fuelling hotter and longer-lasting wildfires. For the most part, the men and women overseeing these 600 million acres of land and 150,000 square miles of protected waters have little direction on how to respond to these shifts. "Global warming is and will continue to contribute to species extinctions, flooding of coastal refuges and massive movements of wildlife populations in search of more hospitable habitat. Polar bears and other imperiled species, wildlife refuges, parks and myriad natural resources are at risk and Congress clearly needs to provide more legislative direction because the agencies have failed to do so."

Creators of the Times Atlas have had to make significant changes to their latest edition because of changes to the world's landscapes caused by climate change. Cartographers have had to redraw coastlines and reclassify types of land to reflect changes to geographical features like Lake Chad in Africa, which is now 95 percent smaller than it was in 1963. "We can literally see environmental disasters unfolding before our eyes. We have a real fear that in the near future, famous geographical features will disappear forever. The outline of places are changing, like Bangladesh. Sea levels are rising about three millimetres a year, which has strange effects on the coastline." Some of the changes are influenced by irrigation schemes, like the Aral Sea in central Asia which has shrunk in size by three-quarters in the last 40 years as waters have been diverted to help a cotton-growing scheme.

Several recent studies have drawn a link between animal births and climate change. The sex of Australian central bearded dragons can be "switched" by heat. A team of researchers recently incubated eggs at relatively high temperatures – between 34°C and 37°C and found that the majority of embryos that had ZZ sex chromosomes (genetically male), went on to hatch as females. The team is worried that the lizards may not be able to adapt fast enough to warming temperatures, leading to males being wiped-out altogether.
Female loggerhead turtles in Florida, increasingly rely on long-distance relationships with males in North Carolina. That's because the sex of the loggerhead hatchlings is determined by the temperature at which the egg is incubated: warmer temperatures yield females, cooler ones yield males. So warming temperatures in the US mean that southern populations of loggerheads are increasingly dominated by females.
After the strong El Niño events of 1982–83 and 1997–98 populations of Galápagos penguins declined by more than 60%. There is a 30% chance it will disappear entirely within 100 years, if El Niño events keep happening with the same frequency. If, however, the frequency increases, as predicted by some climatologists, the risk becomes greater. A doubling of the strong events leads to an 80% of extinction within 100 years.

UNUSUAL ANIMAL SIGHTING - CALIFORNIA - An unusual sighting occurred on the coast this week when three large manta rays were spotted about eight miles off Dana Point. A captain for seven years said he has never seen them in local waters before. Marine biologists were surprised and excited about the Monday sighting. A professor of marine science at Orange Coast College said in his 35 years of teaching he's only heard of manta rays being here once - and even that was iffy. His source was a fisherman who enjoyed drinking. "This is EXTREMELY UNUSUAL. VERY RARE, one in a million." The dark gray rays had a white underbelly and a wingspan of 10- to 12-feet wide. "They were just kind of swimming along in a formation, staggering one after the other. They were just cruising right at the surface." When a marine biologist for the Ocean Institute first heard of the sighting, her reaction was "how bizarre is that?" The last official sighting she had heard about in the area was during El Nino. She speculated that the manta rays came here because of the quick change in water temperatures this past week. Water temperatures had dropped to about 59 degrees because of upwelling – when colder water is pushed up to the surface by strong winds. With the hot weather, the water temperatures have shot up drastically since Sunday. There may be a large, temporary current called the "Davidson counter current" coming through from Baja. If the mantas found their way here, other subtropical fish such as the Wahoo barracuda, large sun fish, green sea turtles, and the black jellyfish that washed up on shore a few years ago could also be making their way to the region. "If we're seeing mantas here, there's a chance we'll see stranger creatures here. Tell everybody to keep their eyes peeled, when things like this happen, we can see anything out there." The rays are usually found in tropical areas and coral reefs, as well as the Sea of Cortez and through Baja, and occasionally in San Diego, the highest point of their range. During Monday's sighting, the manta rays came up to the bow, like dolphins sometimes do, and swam with the boat for about five minutes before the boat took off to look for more fish to catch.

9/7/07 -
KENTUCKY - August was Louisville’s HOTTEST MONTH EVER, with an average overall temperature of 85 degrees, about a degree warmer than the previous record set in July 1901. At Fort Knox, temperatures reached the triple digits on four days in August. The two hottest were Aug. 15 and 16, when the mercury rose to 103. Before this summer, the station hadn’t seen triple-digit highs in eight years. August had 24 straight days 90 degrees or higher. Only four days had highs cooler than 90, and all of these were 85 or greater. The average daily high for the month was 94.2 degrees. Last year’s figure was 86.

AUSTRALIA - Drought will become a redundant term as Australia plans for a permanently drier future, according to the nation's urban water industries chief. And climate experts predicted the present drought would continue, signalling a cruel summer for farmers and sparking fears of higher food prices. "The urban water industry has decided the inflows of the past will never return. We are trying to avoid the term 'drought' and saying this is the new reality." Irrigators on the Murray River, including many Victorian citrus growers and dairy farmers, face their worst ever summer. Fresh produce would be hit and food prices would probably rise. More than half of Australia's agricultural land, including all of Victoria's, is now drought-declared. "If rain is not forthcoming (over the next week or two), there's going to be … quite a few farmers, particularly those dairy farmers on the Murray, that will fall by the wayside." Combined storages and inflows in the Murray system are at RECORD LOWS and the situation is deteriorating. "These are the WORST CONDITIONS SINCE 1936 when the Hume Dam was completed. It will take multiple years for storages to recover and the outlook is very grim." "No one predicted how savagely low inflows would be under climate change." Melbourne's water stores were yesterday at 38.7 per cent, 8 percentage points lower than the same time last year. They have risen by only 0.1 of a percentage point in the past 10 days. The city is on stage 3a water restrictions, but may move to stage 4 bans over summer. Adelaide and Brisbane also face a dire summer of restrictions. The La Nina weather system, originally predicted as a drought-breaker, has so far dumped rain over the eastern seaboard and into the ocean without sufficient impact on mainland Australia. Australia could face another El Nino (which would bring more severe drought conditions) within 18 to 24 months.

9/6/07 -
AUSTRALIA - Water restrictions may never end - Australia may never fully recover from the current decade-long drought due to climate change, experts have warned.

CALIFORNIA - At least 25 deaths have been blamed on an eight-day heatwave in southern California that has finally started to cool. Temperatures in inland and mountainous areas of Los Angeles have fallen, with most places down below 38C for the first time in a week. Temperatures are expected to drop further back to seasonal norms over the next two days.

9/5/07 -
RUSSIA - Forty fires covering the area of over 540 hectares of taiga are raging in Russia’s Baikal region. Peat-bog fires, that are also fixed there, are difficult to put out. With that in view, an emergency situation has been announced in Baikal’s Chita region. Access to forests by local residents is banned. Starting from spring, there have been over 1,400 wildfires in the Chita region, which have destroyed over 185,000 hectares of taiga.
SIBERIA - A state of emergency was declared Tuesday in south-central Siberia as four new wildfires raised the number of fires burning to 36. The area affected is in Tuva, where more than 4,700 acres have been burned by the fires in the past week. Officials said weather was frustrating firefighters with temperatures running in the 90s, dry conditions and no rain forecast in the near future. Since April 1, 241 forest fires have been reported in Tuva. The fires have burned more than 94,000 acres, which is double last year's figure. That has raised another problem for regional officials, as the entire year's firefighting budget has been used.

OHIO - a RECORD HIGH of 96 degrees was reached on Tuesday. It was the FIFTH DAILY RECORD this year. August had the most days above 90 of any month: 25; the most number of days above 100: five. Four of those broke records; three were consecutive. It was the hottest August on record with an average temperature of 81.6. Normal is 74.5 degrees.

CALIFORNIA - The week-long heat wave in Southern California has claimed four lives and caused power outages to more than half a million customers, utility and local officials said on Tuesday. Triple-digit temperatures lingered over some of Southern California for the seventh straight day on Tuesday, while most cities in the region saw temperatures in the mid-to-high 90s. The heatwave is expected to break by today.

9/4/07 -
KOREA saw more sleepless tropical nights this summer than ever, when nighttime temperatures stayed above 25 degrees Celsius. There were twice as many of them this summer as in the average year. In August alone, the frequency of tropical nights was four times higher than ever before. Meteorologists cite global warming and the heat island effect as the main culprits. Rainfall was 676.3 mm this summer, 23.6 mm less than before, but Korea saw 46 days of rain this summer, seven days more than in the past.

CALIFORNIA - A heat wave swept southern California for a sixth day on Sunday, claiming the lives of an elderly couple, setting RECORD TEMPERATURES and leaving thousands of customers without power. In downtown Los Angeles, the temperature reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 C), and set records along the coast in Long Beach (103 degrees/39 C) and 56 miles inland in Riverside (112 degrees/44 C). On Sunday, there was RECORD HEAT in Riverside at 113 degrees, topping records for a Sept. 2 registered in 1948 and 1955.
On Monday temperatures were heading back toward triple digits on the seventh day of the heat wave.

OHIO - Dayton remains in a moderate drought despite a record rainfall on Aug. 20 and August was among the HOTTEST ON RECORD.

SOUTH CAROLINA - August set HEAT RECORDS all across South Carolina.

TENNESSEE - Even though temperatures have fallen below the 100-degree mark, some areas of Tennessee are still experiencing RECORD HEAT for this time of year.

9/2/07 -
GREECE - The fires that have reduced vast swaths of Greece to a stinking, charred vision of hell have shocked the world. For those who live in Greece, the catastrophe is the worst thing to have hit the country since the ravages of the second world war. Like the war, the fallout will almost certainly affect their lives for at least the next generation. "This is our tsunami. Our 9/11." The loss of life has been shocking. Who can forget the images of bodies blackened by the side of the road, the nightmarish midnight infernos swallowing up hillsides, or the story of a mother and her four children who died, clinging together in the car, trying to escape? Whole villages have been incinerated, and perhaps even worse, ancient olive groves and pine forests with their attendant history, livelihoods and futures, are now piles of ashes.

AUSTRALIA - Wind gusts well over 100km/h wrought havoc in the Geelong region yesterday morning. The strongest gusts of 119km/h were recorded at 10am at Geelong Airport at Grovedale. The short gusts were in the category of violent storm as defined by the Beaufort Scale, but only for a short time. Only hurricane force winds rate higher. The average winds of 83km/h were the STRONGEST RECORDED SINCE 1983 when the weather station was established at Grovedale. "It's a VERY UNUSUAL event." The winds came on top of unseasonal warm weather, with strong northerly winds driving temperatures up in recent days. August temperatures in Melbourne were about two degrees above normal, making it the WARMEST AUGUST ON RECORD. August was a month of contrasts for Geelong, with a wet and wintry start turning into an early spring for the rest of the month.

NORTHWEST PASSAGE NEARLY OPEN - For over 500 years, arctic explorers have sought a passage between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. This summer, sea-ice melt opened this fabled and long-sought passageway between the oceans.

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8/31/07 -
SOUTHERN EUROPE - Satellite sensors detected far more fire-generated “hot spots” in southern European countries in August than they have even during previous spikes in fire activity over the past 10 years. The Greek wildfires, visible from space, SHATTERED RECORDS. Data is beginning to show how immense the burns really were. Greece “has experienced more wildfire activity this August than other European countries have over the last decade.” August was also the worst month for fires in Greece in the past 10 years by a factor of four. There remains the threat of more fires in the next few days. Another major heat wave is expected this weekend, making natural and human-ignited blazes all the more likely.

GREECE - A distinctly better day dawned across fire-ravaged southern Greece on Thursday, with most wildfires either extinguished or under control, as only four spots - two in the Peloponnese and two on the large island of Evia - were still identified as "problems". Of the four, the worst wildfire was in the verdant Karytaina district of western Arcadia prefecture, in the central Peloponnese. The death toll, meanwhile, of all wildfire-related deaths remained at 64. The week of wildfires in Greece has caused at least $1.7 billion in damage.

MACEDONIA - Wildfires continue to blaze in five sites in Macedonia on Thursday. According to the latest reports, the Galicica mountain fire is still burning in the hamlets of Tumba and Diva Jasika. The blaze scorched dry grass, juniper-trees and beech-trees. The blaze consumed 3.5 hectares of woodland. The fire near the village of Oreska Cuka is still blazing. The firefighters have averted the blaze from spreading onto the village. The wildfire between the villages of Bezikovo and Preseka, Kocani area, is still active. It scorched 50-60 hectares of woodland. Also burning are wildfires in Zajas-Bukojcani, Kicevo area, and on the mountainside in Straza area near Kicevo. The inaccessible terrain hampers the firefighting efforts. Several wildfires have been put under control, including the blaze just outside the Village of Banista, near the border with Albania. The blaze consumed roughly 500 square meters of woodland. Firefighters contained the wildfire just outside the village of Vaksince, Kumanovo area, which consumed 60-70 hectares of pine forest.

ALGERIA is facing an UNPRECEDENTED heat wave resulting in forest fires that are being felt across the entire northern regions. In the Tizi Ouzou province in the central northeast of the country at least four people died from severe burns. The temperature in Algiers reached the 110 Fahrenheit or 42 Celsius, pushing power consumption to peak levels on August 28th. Firefighters are battling fires on 28 fronts; a battle that appears difficult to win. 36 fires are currently destroying forests in Annaba, Guelma and El Tarf. In all, 74 fires have been active over the past couple of days in 19 provinces, affecting 21,000 hectares of land (52,000 acres). Since the beginning of summer, 1,204 fires have been registered, making 2007 the busiest season for Algerian firefighters.

U.S. - RECORD HEAT continues to plague parts of the U.S. - This summer is setting records for heat and drought in the west, southwest and southeastern United States. Charlotte, North Carolina, is about to set a record for most consecutive days in one year with high temperatures over 90 degrees. The west has seen severe heat for months. In California, Palm Springs has seen brutal temperatures hovering near 115-degrees, while in Arizona it's been 110-degrees or hotter for 29 straight days, a new record. Severe drought conditions are drying up lakes, lawns and fields. Farmers are fighting to save crops and cattle in some of the driest areas. In North Carolina there is a "hay emergency," continuing what has been a rough go for several seasons now. "We've had a late freeze that damaged crops in North Carolina, and then we've had a drought that has been very severe, but then couple that with probably the hottest August temperatures that have ever been recorded on record. We've had our three strikes but we're still fighting." Smaller crops and the extra cost for farmers to deal with the conditions will surely mean higher market prices in the fall.

CANADA - Climate change could be causing cougar attacks - A combination of warm winters and Alberta's population boom is causing a recent jump in cougar attacks.

8/30/07 -
LAKE SUPERIOR is headed for a record low water level for August, with more record lows likely in September and October, environment officials from Canada and the U.S. said Tuesday. "We would need a hurricane" to avoid a record. Water levels on the largest of the Great Lakes have been below the long-term average since 1998 - the LONGEST PERIOD OF BELOW-AVERAGE WATER LEVELS IN HISTORY. Portions of the Lake Superior watershed have been drier or in moderate drought conditions since May 2006, and extreme drought conditions now affect most of the watershed. Lake Superior's water level on Aug. 27 was 182.98 metres above sea level, below the August record low of 183.02 metres set in 1926. The all-time record low was 182.72 metres above sea level in April 1926. With the lower water levels, surface temperature has increased by fractions of a degree, but it's enough to increase evaporation, which adds to the problem.

ALGERIA - Massive fires have raged in forests in different provinces in Algeria. In Cherea mountains (23 km west of Algiers), local authorities ordered to evacuate several families living next to the fires. A temperature of 43 degrees has been recorded in coastal cities such as Algiers, Annaba, Tizi Ouzou, Bejaia and Boumerdes. In the wilaya (province) of Tlemcen (west of Algiers), a large number of families had to leave their houses because of fires that raged mountains. In the east, RECORD-BREAKING TEMPERATURES were recorded. At Algiers’ hospitals, emergency departments have received people with respiratory diseases and allergy, especially children and old people, all day long.

AUSTRALIA - THE EARLIEST TOTAL FIRE BANS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIAN HISTORY are in force days before the end of winter, as the state prepares for a dangerously hot and windy day today. Bans came into force at midnight for the West Coast, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, Lower Eyre Peninsula and Mt Lofty Ranges, just four months after last summer's fire bans were lifted in April. The bans are in force until midnight tonight, when much of the state will have baked in unseasonal temperatures up to 30C and been lashed by winds gusting up to 120km/h. The previous earliest ban was October last year. "It's not the highest risk conditions I've seen, but it's certainly the highest (fire risk) I can remember at this time of the year. That's in 20-plus years. The number one issue we've got is the ground is so dry on the West Coast and the Mt Lofty Ranges." Predictions of hot winds also have the state's farmers on edge and such conditions have the potential to financially "devastate" some. "It will ruin crops if it is of the nature we're told (with) strong winds, high temperatures and a very, very drying and crop-destroying day. It's giving rise to many, many concerns...(it will be) absolutely devastating to some and to the economy of the state as well. Who would have predicted two days like this (in one week), and this is going to be worse than the one we had a couple of days ago and we're not even into spring yet." "The stress of a long, dry period on our trees means we're getting a significant number of trees down. This weather pattern, this whole thing is something we expected in summer, certainly not winter. We get storms all year round, we can't dispute that, (but) the weather patterns certainly appear to us to have changed because we don't seem to get as many winter storms now."

ARIZONA - Broiling hot temperatures are gripping the Phoenix area. The heat is shoe-melting, spirit-crushing and now, RECORD-BREAKING. Phoenix hit its 29th day of 110 degree-plus temperatures Wednesday, breaking the record of 28 days set in 1970 and 2002. The average number of days that top 110 degrees in a given year is 10. The weather service is forecasting temperatures of 105 degrees for the rest of the week.

CALIFORNIA - This summer’s outbreak of oakworms is THE MOST SEVERE IN YEARS. Mature worm larvae are found on the Central Coast from May to June and adults emerge June to July. The worms quickly go to work feeding on oak trees. They have a hefty appetite for leaves, and in no time a healthy oak tree can be left practically naked. The worms don’t kill trees, but defoliation can leave them looking sickly. Lack of rain in the winter and spring created ideal conditions for an eruption in the oakworm population. Normally, this area sees two life cycles of oakworms, but the warm dry weather has spawned a recent third generation, which is EXTREMELY RARE, according to arborists.

8/29/07 -
GREECE - The country's worst fires in living memory have killed at least 64 people since they began five days ago, ravaging olive groves, forest and orchards and incinerating homes, wild animals and livestock. Fires burned through about 184,000 hectares, or 454,000 acres, of forest, groves and scrubland between August 24th and 26th. During those three days, more land was burned in Greece than during ALL of 2000, which had been the worst year recorded by the EU's fire information service. Fires kept breaking out despite progress on some fronts, including a blaze just outside Athens in Grammatiko, located near ancient Marathon. Since yesterday 56 new fires have broken out. The worst were concentrated in the mountains of the Peloponnese in the south and on the island of Evia north of Athens. Meanwhile, a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5 struck the fire-ravaged area in the south, panicking residents, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

AUSTRALIA - This month the minimum overnight temperature in the city of Sydney has averaged 11.2 degrees, almost 2 degrees above average. Top daytime temperatures during the month have averaged 19.4, also well above normal. The mercury soared to 27 yesterday afternoon after almost reaching 28 on Monday - 10 degrees above normal. "It is starting to get UNUSUAL."

ARIZONA - Valleywide temperatures hit 110 degrees on Tuesday and TIED AN ALL-TIME SUMMER HEAT RECORD. The "110 degree day record" will most likely fall by Thursday. And it looks as though they will be breaking the record for the most days in a year with a high temperature greater than 110. The current record is 28.

Tropical rainfall is on the rise, NASA scientists have said. Using a 27-year-long global record of rainfall assembled by the international scientific community from satellite and ground-based instruments, the scientists found that the rainiest years in the tropics between 1979 and 2005 were mainly since 2001. The rainiest year was 2005, followed by 2004, 1998, 2003 and 2002 respectively. “When we look at the whole planet over almost three decades, the total amount of rain falling has changed very little. But in the tropics, where nearly two-thirds of all rain falls, there has been an increase of five percent.” The rainfall increase was concentrated over tropical oceans, with a slight decline over land. A warming trend in Earth's atmosphere and surface temperatures would produce an accelerated recycling of water between land, sea and air.

8/28/07 -
GREECE - Firefighters rushed helicopters and buses Monday to evacuate more than two dozen villages threatened by towering walls of flames that had killed 63 people while ravaging swaths of forest and farmland in Greece. The evacuation was THE BIGGEST SEEN IN PEACETIME in Greece.

8/27/07 -
GREECE - More international help was set arrive in Greece today to fight the DEADLIEST FOREST FIRES IN THE PAST 150 YEARS, amid growing suspicion that many of the blazes which have killed more than 60 people and destroyed hundreds of houses were arson.
Wildfires are burning in half of Greece - "This is an UNPRECEDENTED SERIES OF EVENTS that has occurred in Greece, upwards of 170 individual wildfires, mostly in the south of the country." Greece has NEVER EXPERIENCED A DISASTER ON THIS SCALE. Police say it is not clear how many people are unaccounted for and say they fear an even higher death toll. As authorities evacuated hundreds of people trapped by flames in their villages, dozens were hospitalized. Thousands of hectares of agricultural land and pastures have been scorched.
Photos

BULGARIA - The number of people who have died as a result of the wildfires in the Bulgarian municipality of Topolovgrad rose to two. The victims were from the village of Prisadets. The situation in the region remains serious. The fire has engulfed kilometers of forest and is moving towards the Municipality of Svilengrad. The villages of Filipovtsi, Prisadets and Varnik were evacuated.

MASSACHUSETTS - on Saturday, the Attleboro area endured its second day in a row of RECORD-SETTING HEAT. The temperature hit 95 degrees at 4 p.m., just breaking the previous record of 94 degrees, set in 1993.
NEW HAMPSHIRE - A strong line of thunderstorms moved across New Hampshire on Saturday night, tearing down trees and knocking out power to as many as 7,000 people. The line of storms followed a record hot summer day for the Granite State. In Concord, the temperature hit 98 degrees, BREAKING THE RECORD by one degree.
NEW YORK - Temperatures soared Saturday afternoon, SHATTERING THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH for this date by six degrees. The high of 91 degrees, measured at the airport at 2:14 p.m., broke the old record of 85, set in 1993.
GEORGIA - The 100-plus degree heat and the rainfall shortage this month has caused drought conditions so bad that they usually DON'T OCCUR MORE THAN ONCE A CENTURY. The drought in 70 of Georgia's 159 counties — almost half — has now been classified as "exceptional." In an "exceptional" drought, the affected regions experience widespread crop losses, and the water level in reservoirs, streams and wells drop so low that it creates a water emergency. These conditions are RARE. The drought has spared only four Georgia counties - all of which received plentiful rain from Tropical Storm Barry. 40 other counties are in an "extreme" drought. That happens ONCE IN 50 YEARS and also causes crop loss and water shortage, although not as severe as in an "exceptional" drought. The state's rainfall total for the year is 17.51 inches. That's almost half of normal. Add to that the temperature - August has seen nine days when the temperature climbed to 100 degrees or more in metro Atlanta, making it the HOTTEST MONTH SINCE THE WEATHER SERVICE BEGAN KEEPING RECORDS. (map)
ALABAMA - The U.S. Drought Monitor labeled 73 percent of Alabama "exceptional" for its lack of rainfall. Alabama has become significantly drier since Aug. 7, when 52 percent of the state was labeled exceptionally dry. Every county in Alabama has some degree of drought or abnormal dryness. "Not only have our farmers been suffering through the highest level of drought in the entire United States, but now we are experiencing RECORD-BREAKING TEMPERATURES that may cause even more losses."
KENTUCKY - Baking under another RECORD-BREAKING HEAT WAVE, customers of Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities Co. were being asked for the first time this year to conserve electricity. The request for area residents to temporarily turn off their air conditioners, dishwashers and other appliances comes as near 100-degree heat continues to drive record levels of energy consumption. Thursday the mercury climbed to 99, breaking the record set in 1959 of 98 degrees. Records have been dropping like beads of sweat since the heat wave started July 30. The record string of consecutive days with 90-degree heat or more was broken last Monday when the city experienced its 22nd consecutive day. The streak ended Tuesday, the 14th, when the high was only 88. The previous record of 21 straight days had been set three times: August of 1900, July of 1901 and August of 1936.
TENNESSEE - Thursday’s 99-degree heat eclipsed the day’s Tri-Cities RECORD of 94 degrees set in 1968. Relief from the RECORD-BREAKING TEMPERATURES isn’t expected until today, when meteorologists forecast a 40 percent chance of rain and temperatures in the upper 80s.

8/26/07 -
GREECE - A nationwide state of emergency has been declared in Greece, amid a rising death toll from raging forest fires. 47 people have died and many others may be trapped on the Peloponnesian peninsula. Radio stations are being inundated with calls from people in remote mountain villages saying they are surrounded by fire. Almost 200 fires have been reported - there were about 70 new blazes during Saturday, while many others continued to burn from the previous day. Strong winds have blown smoke and ash towards Athens 330km (200 miles) away, starting more fires and blocking out the sun over the capital. Fire crews said they had found at least 30 bodies in villages near Zaharo as they searched burned out cars and houses. "It's a tragedy," an eyewitness told Greek television. "I can see the burnt bodies of a mother holding her child in her arms. Further away there are more bodies. It's terrible." Emergency workers have been finding charred bodies in fields, homes, and in cars. Fire officials confirmed that three firefighters were among the dead. (photos)
Emergency services have been overwhelmed. Friday was previously the deadliest day of a terrible summer of forest fires, a war of attrition against the flames that has now been raging for two months. At least nine people are reported to have burned to death in their cars as they attempted to flee the flames in the western Peloponnese region. The victims, driving near the town of Zahero, were surrounded by a wall of fire and could not break through. A local prefect close to the scene described it as horrific. "The situation is extremely dire... The speed with which this fire has been spreading is astonishing." Scores of other people in the region have been taken to hospital with burns. The biggest fires are still raging out of control, whipped up by dry winds gusting up to gale force, which have hampered the efforts of water-dropping aircraft.
These are the WORST FOREST FIRES TO HIT GREECE IN DECADES.

8/23/07 -
SICILY - Dozens of Italians were forced to leave their homes in Sicily this week as regional wildfires damaged homes and threatened communities.

JAPAN faces electricity shortages as a sustained heat wave pushes demand to RECORD LEVELS, straining a supply grid compromised by the forced shutdown of the world’s largest nuclear plant. Tokyo Electric Power, the world’s biggest private utility, on Wednesday asked about two dozen industrial customers to cut electricity use after temperatures in the capital reached 36 degrees.
"The high temperatures stretch into the night and so odd is the heat that even a huge downpour did nothing to change the conditions. Indeed the heat and late evening shower were simultaneous! Strange but true."

MISSOURI - This year's heat wave TIED A RECORD FOR LONGEST HEAT WAVE IN HISTORY Wednesday morning when the mercury climbed above 90 at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on its way to a predicted high of 99. It marks the 28th consecutive day with a temperature above 90, tieing the record set in August-September 1983. Since July 26, when a high of 90 was recorded, the heat has set four records for daily high temperatures and the airport reading has reached 100 or above four times as well. On 18 days, the temperature has exceeded 95, including a 17-day stretch from Aug. 2 through Saturday. The heat wave has claimed one fatality in Cape Girardeau County. The heat doesn't appear ready to release its grip on the region.

TENNESSEE - LONGEST HEAT WAVE IN HISTORY - The heat wave, with temperatures of 95 and above, has lasted 19 days including Wednesday. The previous record is 18 back on August 15th through September 1st of 1993. Wedensday was the 7th day of 100 or above. The record is 15 in 1952. The hottest summer average, June-August is 82.0 in 1993. This summer so far: 81.0 (could break this). The hottest year in Chattanooga: 1938 with an average of 63.1. So far this year: 61.6 (including the freeze in April).
A periodic disease that is likely the cause of dead deer in Tennessee and surrounding states is being made more severe by the drought and the heat wave.

FLORIDA - RECORD HEAT.

COLORADO - RECORD HEAT - This summer Denver recorded 50 days where the mercury has hit or surpassed 90-degrees Fahrenheit, with a rainfall deficit of nearly three and a half inches.

8/22/07 -
NORTH CAROLINA - Sure, it's supposed to be hot. It's August. But not this hot. Not record-setting hot. Not for a whole month. But it could happen. Greensboro could smash the mark for the hottest August on the books. On top of that, the area could set the record for the driest August ever. "This really has been an exceptional month for heat and dryness." NEW RECORD HIGHS have been set on five days this August in Greensboro. The combination of hot, dry weather has taken a significant toll on crops and livestock, lawns and gardens, lakes and streams, and pets and people. Eighteen of the 20 days this month have seen the temperature hit 90 or above. A typical month might have eight or nine such days. Through Sunday, Greensboro has recorded an average temperature of 83.4 for the month. The previous record for August is 80 degrees, set in 1975. Record highs were set on six days this month and record minimums on another five. As of 5 p.m. Sunday, the state has experienced 471 wildfires this month; that's more than double the average for August. "We're SMASHING RECORDS ALL OVER THE PLACE."

SOUTH CAROLINA - Some areas of South Carolina are approaching the DRIEST AUGUST ON RECORD, which could upgrade the state's drought status to severe.

IDAHO - The relentless spread of large wildfires has prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency and fire managers in three national forests to give up on trying to extinguish the blazes, focusing instead on protecting homes and other structures. Fire managers on some large wildfire complexes said they would need to wait for a different kind of help to fight back the flames: snow. "With the resources we have and the conditions on the ground, we're not going to be able to go in there and put them all out. It's physically impossible to do so. Unless things really change weatherwise, we expect them to burn until the winter snow hits the mountains."

MONTANA, CALIFORNIA - More than 300 homes were evacuated as a wildfire destroyed two houses and cut off the main entrance to a Billings, Montana, subdivision. At some of the surviving homes, firefighters were battling flames "right up to the back door". Gusty winds and low humidity helped spread flames elsewhere in western Montana, prompting more evacuations near several blazes. Southeast of Missoula, Granite County authorities evacuated 213 cabins and homes in the path of a complex of fires that had charred at least 44,000 acres, or 69 square miles, in three national forests. Dozens of ranch properties in California were put on alert Monday as the third-largest wildfire in modern state history raged through Los Padres National Forest backcountry. The blaze had blackened 214,725 acres, or 336 square miles, since starting on July 4. It was 75 percent contained. The firefighters, more than 3,000 strong, faced rugged terrain, temperatures in the 90s and extremely low humidity in an area that hadn't burned in 75 to 100 years.

8/21/07 -
ARCTIC - Previously unknown islands are appearing as Arctic summer sea ice shrinks to record lows, raising questions about whether global warming is outpacing UN projections. Polar bears and seals have also suffered this year on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard because the sea ice they rely on for hunts melted far earlier than normal. "Reductions of snow and ice are happening at an alarming rate. This acceleration may be faster than predicted" by the UN climate panel this year. The thaw of glaciers that stretch out to sea around Svalbard has revealed several islands that are not on any maps. "Islands are appearing just over the fjord here" as glaciers recede...I know of two islands that appeared in the north of Svalbard this summer. They haven't been claimed yet." Islands have also appeared in recent years off Greenland and Canada. The US National Snow and Ice Data Centre said on Friday that Arctic sea ice had "fallen below the 2005 record low absolute minimum and is still melting". Arctic sea ice reaches an annual minimum in September before freezing again.

KOREA has had six days of rain so far this month, an average of one every three days. The showers are so frequent that some people believe Korea's climate is becoming like that of subtropical regions of Southeast Asia. Many people were caught in a sudden rain shower in Seoul's Jongno district around 10 a.m. Monday. At the same time there were also downpours of 0.5 to 4 mm in Seodaemun-gu, Dongdaemun-gu and Jungrang-gu. The Korea Meteorological Administration, however, hadn't forecast any rain for those areas that day. There were tropical nights with nighttime temperatures above 25 degrees once every two nights. That's another reason some people believe in the subtropical climate theory. There is more evidence to support this hypothesis - In Jeju Island, Busan, and some cities in Southern Gyeongsang Province including Masan, Tongyeong, Geoje, and some in South Jeolla Province including Mokpo, Yeosu, Wando Island, features of a subtropical climate began appearing several years ago.

Unpredictable savanna rains may have led to cooperation among birds, a study finds. Delaying having kids to help raise the offspring of others seems like a bad choice if you want to reproduce, but many African starlings have adopted this strategy to deal with the unpredictable climate of their savanna habitats. This behavior, called cooperative breeding, is typical of many animals, from insects and shrimp to birds and even humans, but the reasons underlying its evolution and distribution among such a wide array of species have been unclear. All of the cooperative breeders among the starlings live in savannas - highly seasonal habitats with great variation in rainfall, and thus food, from one year to the next. The species that do not engage in cooperative breeding are found mostly in forests, which have more reliable annual food resources. "Faced with an uncertain and unpredictable environment, it pays evolutionarily to live and breed in social groups that will help you weather the bad times and make the most of the good times." Helping relatives feed their kids increases the chances of passing on some of your genes, since siblings share a large proportion of their DNA. The first humans also lived in the savannas of East Africa. With global warming, weather patterns are expected to become more variable worldwide and could possibly drive social behavior more toward cooperative breeding among temperate species that don't normally live in family groups.

U.S. - A two-week heatwave in the southern and Midwestern US has resulted in the deaths of at least 43 people, many of whom were elderly. On Sunday, temperatures dropped to 94F (34C) in Memphis, Tennessee - the first time in 10 days they did not top 100F. In Memphis, the "heat index", a measure that factors in humidity to describe how hot the weather feels, has risen above 100F every day since 27 June. The heatwave has been responsible for 12 deaths in Tennessee, nine in Missouri, eight in Alabama, four in Arkansas, four in Georgia, three in Illinois, two in South Carolina and one in Mississippi.

ARIZONA - The Phoenix area is approaching a record that most would likely not want to see. It's the record for the number of days in a year the Phoenix area has reached at least 110 degrees. The current record is 28 and the Phoenix area is at 26 and counting. The chances are very good the Phoenix area will break the record soon because of forecasts of above-average temperatures throughout the week. The latest the Phoenix area has hit 110 degrees was Sept. 15, 2000. That means the area has about a month to smash the record.

SOUTH CAROLINA - August has been an UNUSUALLY FIERY MONTH according to experts at the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Fire numbers are up. Wildfire behavior has been more aggressive in recent weeks, due in part to the drought conditions that persist across the state. "We usually don't see flame heights extending beyond tree tops in August."

CALIFORNIA - A massive fire in the Los Padres National Forest grew an additional 11500 acres Sunday, making it ONE OF THE LARGEST WILDFIRES IN MODERN CALIFORNIA HISTORY. "It's growing, and it may become the granddaddy of them all before this is over with." The fire has burned 199,588 acres of wilderness, or 312 square miles. It was 75% contained, with more than 3,000 personnel working on it. Authorities closed a highway and encouraged residents of about two dozen rural Ventura County homes to evacuate. A 45-mile stretch on Highway 33, between Ventucopa and Wheeler Gorge, was closed to all traffic, including residents.

8/20/07 -
Have instances of extreme weather conditions increased over the last few years? There were 26 “major flood disasters” worldwide in the 1990s, compared to 18 in the 1980s, eight in the 1970s, seven in the 1960s and 6 in the 1950s. As per a recent study by U.S. scientists, the proportion of tropical cyclones reaching categories 4 or 5 has risen from 20% in the 1970s to 35% in the 1990s over the globe. In the last 50 years, cold days, cold nights and frost have become less frequent, while hot days, hot nights, and heat waves have become more frequent.

8/19/07 -
U.S. - Nearly three dozen wildfires were burning Friday in Montana and Idaho, fueled by tinder-dry conditions and windy weather. The fires were among 55 large active fires reported from Hawaii to Virginia. In California, the Zaca fire burning in Santa Barbara County since July 4 had jumped to 183,408 acres – 287 square miles. Smoke and ash from the fire continued to fill the air in Santa Barbara and other coastal communities, prompting health officials to issue a health advisory. (photos)

WEST VIRGINIA - People and plants suffered as the temperature rose to 104 degrees Thursday at Yeager Airport, the HOTTEST DAY IN CHARLESTON IN 18 YEARS. The heat BROKE THE ALL-TIME RECORD FOR AUGUST 16, topping the previous high of 98 degrees set in 1998. Records have been kept since 1901. This was the 12th day this month when the temperature hit 90 or more and the 28th day this year. Just half an inch of rain has fallen in Charleston in August, leaving the area with rainfall for the year at 20.91 inches, eight inches short of average for this date. Although more than 5 inches of rain fell in July, greening up the grass, it provided only temporary relief to a prolonged dry spell that began in mid-April. On Thursday, federal officials declared most of West Virginia a disaster area. The summer’s drought has hurt West Virginia’s crops and livestock so badly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared farmers in 49 counties immediately eligible for emergency loans.

JAPAN - The recent heat wave continued in western Japan on Saturday. At least 56 people have died this month in the heat wave, caused by high air pressure from the hot Pacific Ocean. In the west of the Tokai region, the mercury soared to 39C in Takahashi, a RECORD HIGH.
Japan sizzled through its HOTTEST DAY ON RECORD Thursday as a heat wave claimed at least 13 lives and threatened power supplies.

KOREA - A heat wave swept Korea on Thursday and a heat wave warning was issued for the first time for Seoul and other central regions.

UNITED KINGDOM - Climate change is disrupting the habits of birds which normally migrate to and from Britain in winter. With its relatively mild climate and ice-free conditions, Britain attracts over five million birds each winter from cooler climes such as Greenland, northern Europe and Siberia - but the number is falling. Warmer winters mean that some yearly visitors, including mallards, shelducks and turnstones, are choosing not to fly as far as Britain because they can find suitable conditions closer to home. "The UK has had both the perfect climate and perfect habitats for these birds, but the evidence is growing that climate change impacts are starting to bite. Sea level rise and warmer winters are reducing their numbers, undermining our importance for birds." Other birds are now staying in Britain over the winter instead of migrating to warmer climates. The number of waterfowl species wintering in Britain has doubled in the past three decades as migration patterns change.
SCOTLAND - Climate change has caused a decline in the number of birds migrating to the Lothians in winter. There has been a sharp fall in numbers of dunlin and turnstone, of which there are internationally important populations in the Firth of Forth. They believe that birds which are traditionally attracted by the relatively mild winters are no longer forced to fly as far as Scotland to find suitable conditions. A lack of food availability has been blamed for the "worst breeding season on record" for guillemots on the east coast. "If we do get the predicted three to four degree rise in temperature, then many bird species in Scotland could face a precarious future." "Climate change has definitely affected seabirds. We have noticed this year that gannets are having to travel much further to find food, as far as Norway, because of the changes in fish stocks. "The puffin population has also declined as a result of the growth in tree mallow."

KENYA - Climate change is to blame for increasing conflicts between humans and wildlife across East Africa, and is heightening the risk that animal diseases will spread. Climate change is to blame for rivers drying up and species migrating to new habitats, causing changes in ecosystems. This has led to animals, such as lions, killing domestic animals like sheep and goats in villages near the animal parks. Villagers have also complained of elephants, rhinos and buffalo destroying food crops as they wander away from the parks in search of food and water. Kenya's 66 animal parks are all experiencing changes in animal disease patterns.

CANADA - Expanding forests in the Canadian Rocky Mountains are slowly isolating groups of alpine butterflies from each other, which may lead to the extinction of the colourful insects in some areas. A rising tree line in the Rockies is due to global warming. The alpine Apollo butterfly (Parnassius) inhabits open meadows because they, like other types of butterflies, need sunlight to generate enough body heat in order to fly, and forests are generally too shady for them and inhibit their ability to move. However, expanding forests are pinching off the Parnassius from their neighbors in nearby meadows. "The risk of local extinction and inbreeding depression will increase as meadows shrink, the population sizes decrease and the populations become more isolated." One particularly cold winter or summer season may be enough to wipe out an entire meadow of Parnassius.
CANADA - In the York region of Ontario, hot temperatures coupled with a lack of rainfall, have produced RECORD DRY CONDITIONS. "It's almost as if the clouds have forgotten how to rain." The combined rainfall for June, July and August is currently at 82 mm at Buttonville airport and 71 mm in Aurora. 1978 and 1988 are tied as the region's driest on record with about 93 mm of combined rainfall for June, July and August. "We are dealing with 35 or 40 per cent of what rainfall should be." In southwestern Ontario, although extreme conditions often occur, there is usually a balance, so an extremely dry period will be followed by a period with more rain. However, that is not the case this summer with month after month of dry conditions. "What surprises me most is the persistence of the dry. Usually, it balances out." In addition to ponds drying up, farmers are losing crops due to the drought or suffering financially by having to irrigate. And in many ways, the damage the environment suffers due to a drought-like conditions can be worse than an extreme weather event, such as a tornado, because trees and plants suffer long-term damage, leaving them susceptible to disease. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

An amateur meteorologist from Toronto has embarrassed NASA scientists by catching an error in recent climate-change data. The resulting flap has led to accusations and finger-pointing over whether NASA's error was genuine.

8/17/07 -
BRITAIN - A magnolia has flowered for the third time in a year, possibly due to climate change and the unpredictable weather. The pink New Zealand-bred Apollo hybrid normally only blossomed once a year, in spring. It previously blossomed in late November and in April. A gardener for 25 years said, "I'm not a scientist so I can't comment about global warming but I have seen for myself how the seasons are changing, and the past year has been a particularly unusual one. We had a wet but mild autumn and winter, a hot spring and now a wet summer. It's not surprising nature is confused...Ten years ago it would have flowered once a year, then it became twice, and now there is the very real possibility that it will become four."

Historical accounts have drawn attention to the years AD 1315 to 1318 as a period of climatically induced famine often referred to as having been associated with the "Great Rains". Many believe the whole of north-western Europe may have been affected when it rained, in a manner similar to the present, throughout three successive summers, autumns and winters. It was a period without parallel in recent history and coincided with a time of severe food shortages, military raids for food, as well as death due to famine. Irish Annals describe the summer of AD 1315 as " ugly with foul weather, intolerably damagingly and tempestuous ". The year AD 1316 coincided with a "general failure of all fruits of the earth by excessive rains and unseasonable weather leading to famine", while AD 1317 includes accounts of famine-induced cannibalism. "The episodes of exceptional rainfall associated with the famines of AD 1315 to 1318 coincide with ice core measurements that indicate the occurrence of abnormally high Atlantic sea surface temperatures. It is inferred that such ocean surface overheating led to increased evaporation and hence an increased supply of moisture ultimately delivered as summer rains and winter storms.Whatever the causes of such an abrupt change in climate, we would be well served to learn the lessons of history."

ITALY - Wine before its time alarms Italy - Global warming, or perhaps just a hot summer, puts the nation's grape harvest on a fast track. This is AN EARLY HARVEST UNLIKE ANYTHING ITALY HAS EXPERIENCED IN MEMORY. The grapes in the Lazio region, around Rome, are ripening at least 20 days early. In the northern regions of Veneto and Trentino, the home of refreshing Prosecco and other sparkling wines, the grapes were ready to pick in early August, three to four weeks early. In Sicily, there is a rush on now to find seasonal workers; red grapes are primed to ripen in early September, a month early. "I'm a bit scared. I've never picked grapes this early in the season. We're used to picking grapes in October. That's when the grape festivals are. Even my father is saying: What the hell has gone wrong with the world?" The summer heat will improve this year's vintage but it is also a wake-up call to consider how or whether the business is changing. "But it is all very strange. To have two harvests like this in four years. It's never happened before. My father, who's 72, and his father were in the business. They've never seen it before. We see this as global warming. I mean, once is exceptional. But to happen again so fast, something must be happening." If the pattern continues, "this will likely change the variety of grapes in Europe. Growers will have to find grapes that fit the weather cycle."

Unrelenting heat that has baked the U.S. Midwest and South for the past 10 days has killed at least 37 people. In Memphis, Tennesse, the mercury topped out at 105 degrees Thursday, a RECORD and the seventh consecutive day of triple-digit temperatures. There were also eight confirmed deaths in Illinois, four each in Arkansas and Georgia, two in South Carolina and one in Mississippi.
TENNESSEE - Nine people have died in Tennessee from heat-related causes since the wave of RECORD-SETTING triple-digit temperatures washed over the state last week.
SOUTH CAROLINA - The temperature in Columbia hit 100 again Wednesday, marking the ninth time in 11 days the mercury rose at least that high. While it’s difficult to rank heat waves, this one certainly is AMONG THE TOPS SINCE MODERN RECORD-KEEPING BEGAN in Columbia in 1887.
ALABAMA - Another record was reached Wednesday when the temperature reached 107 degrees in the Shoals. Not only was it the HOTTEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED FOR THE DATE, the 107-degree reading marked the second-hottest day on record in the Shoals. Wednesday was the ninth consecutive day of the temperature reaching 100 degrees or hotter in the Shoals. No August on record in the Shoals has seen more consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures. Lately, it has been another day and another high temperature record in the Shoals. Some unofficial weather stations around the Shoals recorded high temperatures as hot as 110 degrees Wednesday. Compounding the problem of the record-setting hot weather is the lack of rain. The last rain recorded at the Muscle Shoals airport was July 31. "It has been as hot and dry in August as anyone can remember."
INDIANA - southern Indiana is sweltering under RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES. It hit 104 degrees in Evansville Wednesday, a record high for the date, which was set in 1896 at 100 degrees. It was the hottest day since 1966. Wednesday also marked the 13th consecutive day of temperatures 95 degrees or higher in the city and was the fourth day in August above 100 degrees.
MISSOURI - On Tuesday in Neosho, the highs reached 103, BREAKING A LONG-STANDING RECORD set in 1902 of 99 degrees. The average for August has been a ghastly 97.1 degrees. “It's probably not your typical summer, because there are some summers where you won't even reach 100 degrees.” Part of the reason why these extended triple-digit temperatures seem so brutal is due to the abnormal amount of rainfall Southwest Missouri received in June and July, which led to flooding situations in both Joplin and Coffeyville, Kansas. All in all, 2007 has been an EXTREMELY ODD YEAR as far as weather's concerned. “I think we've all seen these types of (weather) situations occur before, maybe except for that April freeze, but it's certainly UNUSUAL that we've had several extremes.”
ARIZONA - A RECORD HIGH temperature of 114 degrees was set at Phoenix Sky Harbor on Sunday. That broke the old record of 113 degrees set in 1933.
PENNSYLVANIA - Usually, according to the water-resources extension specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, thunderstorms are random events that pop up in different places and over time, the precipitation they deliver covers the landscape more or less evenly - even in dry summers. But that has not been the case this year. And that is a big reason why the state Department of Environmental Protection declared a drought watch for 58 counties on Aug. 6. "The thing that is most striking to me - what makes this summer different from any other I can remember - is that it seems like the same places are getting hit by thunderstorms and others keep getting missed by the rain. This year it is just incredible how it has been happening...You drive down the road and one agricultural field looks really good and it is obvious it has gotten enough precipitation, but you go a mile or two farther and you see brown fields and stunted crops that are dying from the lack of rain. From what I have seen and heard, it's that way all over the state. The real problem this summer is that the weather systems have been diving deep into the South into places such as Texas - where they have been getting too much rain - and then sliding to our north up into New England, where they have gotten plenty of rain." It's well known that thunderstorms often lose their punch coming down off the Allegheny Plateau, moving east. "But for some reason, the storms this summer are really dying out coming off the plateau, and that has resulted in the central part of the state being the driest." "Ground water levels are declining across the state and some areas have even recorded RECORD LOW LEVELS already, so we need substantial amounts of rain."

8/16/07 -
JAPAN sizzled through its HOTTEST DAY ON RECORD Thursday (8/16), as a heat wave claimed at least six lives across the country and spurred fears of an electricity shortage. The mercury hit 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.62 degrees Fahrenheit) in the western city of Tajimi on Thursday afternoon, breaking a previous national record of 40.8 degrees Celsius set in 1933. Temperatures also soared to NEW RECORDS in Tokyo and across the country, spurring holiday makers to take cover indoors. Rail tracks were bent out of shape in the sun, and firefighters struggled to deal with fire alarms set off erroneously by rising temperatures. The heat also got the best of sumo wrestler Takamisakari, who smashed into his practice room window as he nearly collapsed following practice.

8/12/07 -
Arctic sea ice is at its 'LOWEST EVER LEVELS. Sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere has plunged to the LOWEST RECORDED ICE AREA IN RECORDED HISTORY, the lowest levels ever measured, US polar specialists said, adding they expect the record low to be "annihilated" by summer's end. “The new record came a full month before the historic summer minimum typically occurs. There is still a month or more of melt likely this year. It is therefore almost certain that the previous 2005 record will be annihilated by the final 2007 annual minima closer to the end of this summer.” The drop in sea ice this year is more geographically sweeping than in previous low years. "The character of 2007's sea ice melt is unique in that it is dramatic and covers the entire Arctic sector. Atlantic, Pacific and even the central Arctic sectors are showing large negative sea ice area anomalies."

DEFORESTATION of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil fell by about a third in the 12 months through July to the LOWEST RATE IN AT LEAST SEVEN YEARS.

8/10/07 -
Natural weather variations have offset the effects of global warming for the past couple of years and will continue to keep temperatures flat through 2008, a new study shows. But global warming will begin in earnest in 2009, and a couple of the years between 2009 and 2014 will eclipse 1998, the warmest year on record to date. The Earth is headed for a RECORD-SETTING HEAT WAVE after 2009, a team of U.K. climate experts said in the first such report based on observations from recent years. Scientists unveiled a 10-year climate model, predicting a rapid increase in temperatures between 2009 and 2014. Each year from 2010 through 2014 has at least a 50 percent chance of being warmer than 1998, the hottest on record. The estimate is the first stemming from data collected since 1990 on ocean temperatures, heat-trapping gases and other factors. Other forecasters used information gathered from 1960 to 1990. "Global warming is a problem that needs some action sooner rather than later." The results for years beyond 2014, which haven't been published, suggest that heat records will continue to be set after that. Cooling in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific will forestall record annual temperatures for the next two years. After that, global heat will resume an upward climb that has also been predicted by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The UN's World Meteorological Organization bolstered those estimates with a report saying that global surface temperatures were 1.89 degrees Celsius (3.4 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than average in January and 1.37 degrees above the mean in April. Only a rare event such as the eruption of a major volcano might keep warming at bay, at least temporarily. For example, the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, on Luzon in the Philippines, cooled global annual temperatures by about half a degree Celsius during the following two years. Pinatubo spewed out an enormous cloud of gas and ashes that spread around the earth in two weeks, blocking out some of the sun's rays.

Mexico's glaciers are doomed. Glaciers that crown Mexico's tallest mountains and which inspired Aztec legends of lost love and a snake god could disappear within a few decades, with scientists pointing to global warming as a cause of their demise. “We estimate the glaciers could last another 20 or 30 years." Mexico's two remaining glacial fields hold some of the world's few tropical glaciers, which are also found in South America, Africa and Papua New Guinea but are melting fast as world temperatures rise. On Iztaccihuatl, a dormant volcano and one of two white-capped peaks that can be seen from Mexico City, glaciers have shrunk about 70 per cent since 1960.

A chunk of an Arctic glacier broke into the sea and triggered a huge wave that injured 18 people on a sightseeing boat, almost all of them British tourists. Four people were seriously hurt in the accident by Hornbreen glacier on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. “The glacier calved (split off) and a big wave washed over the boat. The boat rocked back and forth and passengers fell on the deck.” Boats are meant to stay clear of glaciers around Svalbard, which is about 1000km from the North Pole, in case chunks fall off. But there are no fixed rules for how far is safe. Glaciers naturally break apart as they slide downhill but many are shrinking more quickly than usual because of global warming.

MONTANA - Depending upon who's talking, this year's fire season has already passed by the 2000 and 2003 seasons as the WORST SINCE 1910. That supposition is based on where the state is now with maybe one more month of fires ahead before a good rain or snow finally extinguishes the fires for good. To make matters worse, seven new lightning-caused fires were detected Tuesday in the Swan Lake area, despite a light rain. In the worst case scenario posed by some firefighters, the raging Chippy Creek Fire, which exploded across 29,000 acres on a windy Saturday and now may be the largest wildfire in Montana, could burn all the way to the Brush Creek Fire west of Whitefish - crossing U.S. Highway 2 at Marion and covering about 50 miles. Now burning about 26 miles southwest of Kalispell, predominant winds could push the fire into thousands of acres of thick dry timber north and east. The fire was reportedly 5 percent contained but was threatening 50 homes near Hubbart Reservoir. About 1,500 homes are threatened by the Jocko Lakes Fire, which has burned 15,000 acres and cost nearly $1 million to fight so far. (photo)

ALABAMA - RECORD HEAT was recorded in several cities Wednesday. It was 103 degrees in Montgomery, Anniston and Pinson. The heat wave is expected to be even worse today.

NORTH CAROLINA - RECORD-BREAKING TEMPERATURES will again scorch area residents. The morning temperature in Charlotte was the highest on record since 1896.

8/9/07 -
FINLAND - The RECORD TEMPERATURE FOR THIS SUMMER WAS BROKEN in various parts of Ostrobothnia on Tuesday. The highest temperatures of +29.3°C were measured in Ylistaro and Kauhava in Southern Ostrobothnia, while in Haapavesi the readings were +29.1°C at their warmest. On Tuesday, the heat wave swept across most parts of the country. The previous record temperature this year of +29°C was registered on June 9th. It was measured in Suomusjärvi in Western Finland. The warm air mass brought by a high-pressure system, settled on the western side of Finland, is dominating the weather.

SOUTH CAROLINA - Temperatures continued to break records across South Carolina on Wednesday, as residents were advised to stay in air-conditioned buildings. It has never been hotter at the Greenville airport, which recorded a high of 104 degrees. It BROKE THE RECORD for Aug. 8 by six degrees, was THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED IN AUGUST and tied the all-time highest reading, previously reached in 1952, 1954 and 1999. The previous record high for the date was 102 in 1999. Columbia, which is typically the hottest city in the state, due to its sandy soil, low elevation and distance from the ocean, climbed to 105 degrees, BREAKING THE PREVIOUS DAILY RECORD of 102 set in 1900. Columbia has recorded highs of 100 or above for four days in a row. Greenville's high Tuesday of 100 degrees BROKE A DAILY RECORD set in 1935, while both Columbia and Charleston tied previous records. Charleston was predicted to feel the hottest Wednesday because of the coastal humidity. The high reached 98 with the heat index reaching 116 degrees at 5 p.m. Thirteen of South Carolina's 15 official weather stations reported highs of 100 or above Wednesday. Excessive-heat warnings were issued for most of the state. Utility companies are urging residents to conserve energy to both save on their power bills and ensure an adequate supply. "We are seeing RECORD DEMANDS to go with these record high temperatures."

GEORGIA - Albany's high temperature reached a RECORD 106-degrees Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - temperatures at Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport SET A NEW RECORD at 102 degrees beating the previous record of 99 set in 1980.

WISCONSIN - All the talk of this summer's drought in July is suddenly being drowned out by torrential rainfalls in August in a severe swing of the weather from desert sands to sand bags. Two weeks ago, southern Wisconsin was so dry, power plants at dams on the Wisconsin River were barely operating because very little water was flowing downstream to turn the generators. Today, southern Wisconsin is under a flash flood watch because of heavy rains that have fallen every other night since Saturday, with possibly the heaviest rains still to come. Meteorologists hedged on calling the current weather roller coaster a product of global warming, but noted UNUSUAL and severe weather becoming a pattern. "Dry weather, floods, wildfires, all seem to be more amplified, and we could possibly see more of it over the next quarter- to half-century." Bizarre weather is causing worldwide calamity in 2007. Monsoons dropped 14 inches of rain in one day in the Indian subcontinent, temperatures hit the 90-degree mark in Moscow, and the driest April in 100 years was followed by the wettest May ever in Germany. A study says entire climate zones will shift toward higher latitudes - toward the North and South poles - and rise up to higher elevations in mountain ranges as the world starts to experience climates not seen before and traditional extreme climate areas such as the Arctic and Antarctic will disappear entirely.

ITALY - Suspicions that many of the hundreds of fires sweeping Italy this summer were started by organised crime were heightened when a firefighting helicopter was reportedly shot at and saboteurs attacked a communications beacon used by firefighters near Naples. "Behind these simple fires hides a business worth millions, with the Camorra aiming to create new zones for building." The infrastructure minister compared the situation to "the wild west, or worse", and called for the army to be sent in to boost security. The Amalfi coast and a national park on the foothills of Vesuvius are among the areas hit by fire in recent days in Campania, while up and down the country 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of woodland have burned so far this year. On Tuesday alone 197 fires were reported. Holidaymakers were trapped on the beach in the Puglia town of Peschici last month by flames which killed three people. This week a fire in the Monte Mario park in Rome forced residents from their homes and sent smoke drifting towards the dome of St Peter's. The Italian environmental group Legambiente has said more than half of all Italy's fires are started deliberately, whether by organised crime, building speculators or farmers seeking more land to cultivate. There have been similar claims that many of the fires across Greece this summer were started on purpose. Even when authorities step in to ensure burned tracts of woodland are replanted and not built on, investigators have suggested the mafia gains since it is investing in the tree-planting business.

8/8/07 -
January and April 2007 recorded what was likely the HIGHEST LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURES THOSE MONTHS HAVE EVER SEEN since records began in 1880. January was a full 1.89°C (3.4°F) warmer than average and April 1.37°C (2.47°F) warmer than average. Several regions also experienced prolonged heat waves and torrential rains leading to flooding, while devastating cyclones and hurricanes made landfall in several regions, including the first ever recorded cyclone in the Arabian Sea. There has been an increasing trend in the extreme events observed during the last 50 years, particularly heavy precipitation events, hot days, hot nights and heat waves. [see link for a catalog of extreme weather events recorded across the world during the first half of 2007]

U.S. - A dangerous heat wave has settled over large areas of the country this week. Oppressive heat is scorching areas from the South through the Midwest to the East Coast. The upper 90s are expected from the western Plains to the East Coast through the weekend. High temperatures can be more than uncomfortable - they can be deadly. "People don't realize it but heat is generally the number-one killer" among weather-related causes. The hot weather has claimed the life of one elderly person in Arkansas. It is the state's second heat-related death this year. Arkansas had a heat death toll of seven last summer, and 11 died as a result of the heat in 2005. Over the weekend and Monday, Tennessee issued warnings in some parts of the state, admonishing those with heart or lung disease as well as senior citizens and children to avoid prolonged outdoor exposure. Temperatures in most of the state of Missouri are predicted to climb far into the high 90s this week, even hitting 100 degrees in many places. On the East Coast, Delaware Park cancelled its Tuesday horse races because the temperature was expected to hit the 90s with a heat index above 100, a threat to horses and jockeys. Most of Georgia and Tennessee are under a heat advisory. Officials suspect the heat in Oklahoma is responsible for one death. The Central Texas forecast calls for another day of temperatures in the upper 90s today and a heat advisory is in effect for parts of North Texas including Dallas.

8/7/07 -
FLORIDA - The official temperature hit 97 degrees in parts of South Florida on Sunday, setting a NEW RECORD and raising concerns about coping with the heat. The high temperatures are UNUSUAL in South Florida, which usually sees summer heat moderated and cooled by sea breezes. The record of 97 beat the previous record by 1 degree, and is 6 degree above normal. Some areas of South Florida were even hotter. A weather pattern keeping thunderstorms at bay has also caused caused the heat to linger, and when combined with high humidity, created conditions where it feels like it was 104 degrees or more.

8/6/07 -
CROATIA - A state of emergency has been declared in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, whose suburbs are threatened by a major forest fire. The emergency services were ready to evacuate residents from the hillside districts above the city centre. Firefighters and water-bombing planes are struggling to contain the blaze. The fire has been burning for several days, fed by strong gusts of wind. Unexploded landmines left over from the Croatian war in the 1990s are also hampering the efforts of firefighters. Hot weather across southern Europe has led to SOME OF THE WORST FOREST FIRES ON RECORD. More than 3,000 sq km (1,200 sq miles) of forest in southern Europe has already burned this year, almost as much as in the whole of 2006. Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy have all been affected, as well as countries like the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Turkey. Spain and Portugal are also at risk in the days ahead as temperatures soar there as well.

MONTANA has declared a state of emergency following the spread of wildfires. One of them has more than tripled in size and crept to within two kilometres of some 200 homes that have been evacuated. Lighter wind and higher humidity are expected at the fire northeast of Missoula and the wind is largely blowing the blaze back onto itself. However, wind-blown embers are still sparking spot fires up to three kilometres ahead of the main blaze. The wildfire started Friday and exploded to about 20 square kilometres by late Saturday. Now it has more than tripled to about 70 square kilometres.

Lake Superior changes mystify scientists - Deep enough to hold the combined water in all the other Great Lakes and with a surface area as large as South Carolina, Lake Superior's size has lent it an aura of invulnerability. But the mighty Superior is losing water and getting warmer, worrying those who live near its shores, along with scientists and companies that rely on the lake for business. The changes to the lake could be signs of climate change, although scientists aren't sure. Superior's level is at its LOWEST POINT IN EIGHT DECADES and will set a record this fall if, as expected, it dips three more inches. Meanwhile, the average water temperature has surged 4.5 degrees since 1979, significantly above the 2.7-degree rise in the region's air temperature during the same period. That's no small deal for a freshwater sea that was created from glacial melt as the Ice Age ended and remains chilly in all seasons. A weather buoy on the western side recently recorded an "amazing" 75 degrees, "AS WARM A SURFACE TEMPERATURE AS WE'VE EVER SEEN IN THIS LAKE." Water levels also have receded on the other Great Lakes since the late 1990s. But the suddenness and severity of Superior's changes worry many in the region. As the bay heats up, the perch, walleye and smallmouth bass that have lured anglers to campgrounds and tackle shops are migrating to cooler waters in the open lake. Low water has cost the shipping industry millions of dollars, with vessels forced to carry lighter loads. Precipitation has tapered off across the upper Great Lakes since the 1970s and is nearly 6 inches below normal in the Superior watershed the past year. Water evaporation rates are up sharply because mild winters have shrunk the winter ice cap - just as climate change computer models predict for the next half-century. Yet those models also envision more precipitation as global warming sets in - instead, there's drought, suggesting other factors. "It's just not clear what the ultimate result will be as we turn the knob up. It could be great for fisheries or fisheries could crash."

8/5/07 -
WESTERN EUROPE has heated up more than previously thought over the past century. The average duration of heatwaves in Western Europe has doubled since 1880. The frequency of extremely hot days has nearly tripled in the past century. Heatwaves last an average of three days now, with some lasting up to 13 days. This compares with an average of about 1.5 days in 1880. The western European climate in summer is becoming more variable - the range of temperatures has increased. Many previous assessments of daily summer temperature change underestimated heatwaves in Western Europe by about 30%.

BRITAIN'S crazy summer continues as NEXT spring's daffodils bloom. Botanists believe the warm spring and chilly summer fooled the dwarf bulbs into appearing seven months early. Daffodils usually flower at the start of spring before dying off in June. The bulbs then remain dormant in the soil before coming back to life the following year. Britain saw the weather of all four seasons on a day in August! Spring daffodils were in bloom in the North, autumn conkers were ready to drop in the South and wintry storms were lashing parts of Scotland. While Aberdeenshire enjoyed its early spring, southern England is showing signs of a premature August. Apple trees are heavy with fruit in Kent, holly berries are bringing colour to Hampshire's hedgerows and conkers are ready to drop in Essex.
This year, following the mild winter, flowers appeared weeks early. In places, daffodils burst into life in February. April was the hottest for England in 348 years, but May, June and July the wettest. June saw giant hailstones splatter London and torrential floods submerge Yorkshire. And last month's deluges were the worst England has seen in 60 years. Leylandii trees are turning an ugly shade of brown as the WORST OUTBREAK OF CYPRESS APHIDS FOR 26 YEARS sees millions of the insects swarming over them.

8/3/07 -
CANADA - The third day of a scorching heat wave hit Peterborough hard with RECORD-SETTING TEMPERATURES and near-dangerous air quality.
This has been ONE OF THE DRIEST SUMMERS ON RECORD across Alberta.

European fires near RECORD levels - Forests fires that have ravaged southern Europe during the past month were SOME OF THE WORST ON RECORD. More than 3,000 sq km (1,200 sq miles) of forest have already burned this year, almost as much as in the whole of 2006. There are warnings of more fires in the days ahead, with Spain and Portugal, where temperatures are soaring, most at risk. Most recently, fires in the Canary Islands have forced thousands to flee. Firefighters there are continuing to battle two major fires. Experts described the fires on Tenerife and Gran Canaria as an environmental catastrophe. Some 20% of forests have been destroyed, and recovery is expected to take years. The normal fire season in Europe has only just started, but blistering heat and hot dry winds have already fanned wildfires across parts of southern Europe. July 2007 was one of the worst-ever months on record, according to figures from the European Forest Fire Information System, which date back some 20 years. Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Italy have all been affected, as well as countries like the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Turkey.

8/2/07 -
SOUTH AFRICA - The wildfires that have been raging across South Africa have been described as the WORST THE COUNTRY HAS EXPERIENCED SINCE THE 1980s.

CANADA - Record-breaking rainfall in June led to excess moisture, which raised the humidity index during July's heat wave. It has been more than half a century since the city of Saskatoon has experienced such heat. The three hottest Julys on record were in 1936, 1937 and 1947. 2007 is the fourth hottest.

8/1/07 -
BRITAIN - A growing number of experts believe that this year’s unpredictable weather, which brought spring on early, then deluged Britain with record rainfall, has now taken them straight to autumn - bypassing summer altogether. Holly berries are appearing in the hedgerows, conkers and apples are falling from the trees and mushrooms are springing up in the fields. All the signs are that the briefest of brief English summers is coming to an end and autumn is already upon them. Fruiting holly has been spotted in Hampshire, conkers are appearing in Essex, blackberries are ripe in Devon and the nation’s orchards are preparing for an early harvest. Early apple varieties are already being harvested. “Autumn has definitely come earlier this year. We expect varieties like Discovery to be in the shops as soon as next week. Later varieties, like Cameo, are already showing really good colour, which is extraordinarily early. Normally we wouldn’t expect to see that until the last week of September.” Many of those working in agriculture had already noticed the signs of an early autumn. “From my office in Devon I can see ripened blackberries, which I would not have usually expected to see for several weeks yet. There is concern that seasons are becoming a lot less predictable and that will clearly have an impact on British farmers.” The early onset of autumn can be explained in part by record high temperatures in spring, when average temperatures of 48F (9C) – the highest since records began in 1914 – led to plants and trees like the Hawthorn flowering early. By mid-April, fields were filled with tulips and rhododendrons were making an early appearance. Migrating birds have also been confused by this year’s weather, with flocks of swifts arriving in April rather than May. The soaring spring temperatures were followed by the wettest summer in more than 200 years. The recent downpours and relatively cool weather tricked some plants into thinking winter was on its way. A spokesman for the Met Office’s Centre for Climate Change said it was too early to say whether this year’s conditions were evidence of global warming.

A mounting wave of invasive species migrations are being seen all around the world. From pythons in the Everglades to voracious Tilapia in Lake Victoria, plants, animals and microbes are spreading rapidly into niches in which they didn't evolve, often with disastrous results. Scientists ("invasion ecologists") are studying the spread of non-native species and the possible restoration responses to that change and are finding that not only climate change and local environmental carelessness, but larger forces as well, are driving a biological blender effect, where plants and animals from various places are scattered all over the world. Across huge swathes of the United States, climate zones have already shifted: such zones may already be marching northwards at a rate of tens of kilometers a year. And, of course, climate change has only just begun.

CANARY ISLANDS - More than 12,000 people have fled their homes on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, where five days of fires have burnt 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres) of land. The fires are now under control, but the situation remains dangerous as more high temperatures are expected. "These are the BIGGEST FIRES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS on the archipelago. The rugged landscape of these islands makes firefighting very complicated, except from the air. But while there is a lot of wind and very high temperatures, helicopters generally cannot operate."

GREECE overnight declared a state of emergency on the Cyclades islands, including the popular holiday destinations of Mykonos and Santorini, because of water shortages caused by a drought and heatwave. The mayor of the island of Kimolos warned the island was without water and the situation was unlikely to improve any time soon. Locals and tourists in the Cyclades have complained of lengthy cuts in water supply after a year-long drought. Greece, along with other parts of southern Europe have been hit by a heatwave over the last week with temperatures reaching up to 46 degrees Celsius. In Athens alone, where nearly half the Greek population lives, water reserves have fallen by 26.4 per cent in July from the same month last year.

7/31/07 -
Heat wave wreaking havoc across Southeast Europe - Drought, fire, electricity outages and water shortages are among the effects of a heat wave that has afflicted Southeast Europe during the past weeks. Rivers are drying up, and crops are being destroyed at an UNPRECEDENTED level. Even when the searing temperatures have abated, the impact – in terms of the economy – could be felt for a long time to come. Romania has already lost almost 1.7 million hectares of its grain crop, out of a total 2.8 million. Experts project that up to 90% of the crop will eventually be destroyed. Meanwhile, specialists with the Romanian Waters Administration warn that rivers will dry up in the coming weeks. Hydropower production is down. The largest plant in Romania saw a drop in power production of 40%. Authorities warn that the heat wave could lead to the closure of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and the suspension of bilateral energy export contracts. At least 33 heat-related deaths have been recorded. Serbia has also been sweltering, with temperatures soaring as high as 42 degrees Celsius in some areas. The heat has also resulted in several fires, the biggest of which broke out in the Stara Planina mountains, about 300km southwest of Belgrade. An estimated 300 hectares of grassland and shrubbery have burned, and firefighters were unable to control the blaze for three days. In Kosovo, the authorities decided July 24th to declare a state of emergency. Fires have broken out in the municipalities of Gjilan, Kamenica, Ferizaj, Peja, Prizren and Suhareka Hani i Elezit. Heat has caused a number of fires across Montenegro. The heat and drought have further exacerbated Albania's perennial summer energy shortages. The country depends on hydropower, which has sunk to HISTORICALLY LOW LEVELS. The state energy corporation has been cutting power for consumers for two to four hours a day. Officials also report fires across the country, In Macedonia, a state of emergency was already in effect, due to a previous heat wave in June. Temperatures that have reached 43 degrees Celsius have caused more than 200 fires in Macedonia, destroying more than 4,000 hectares of forests and pastures. Fires burned all over Greece last week as temperatures remained high. Scientists warn that loss of forest acreage has an effect on Athens that is equivalent to a doubling of vehicles overnight. In other words, Athens seems to have lost an essential part of its natural cooling mechanism. In Croatia, the number of drownings has doubled as people flock to the water in an attempt to seek relief from the heat. Although meteorologists are saying the temperatures are due to break, no rain is forecast for the region.

VIETNAM - A heat wave threatens to accompany droughts and spark epidemics in Vietnam until September, experts say. Localities in the northern-lowlands, northern-central provinces and the west-Central Highlands region will be hardest hit by the hot spell, which might bring water shortages and human and cattle disease outbreaks. However, the heat will also be accompanied by heavy rains in all other areas of the country through October. Severe hot spells have already hurt the central region, triggering in several forest fires and prolonged droughts in Nghe An province, where rivers and lakes have dried up, causing a serious shortage of water.

7/30/07 -
ISRAEL - Even as temperatures began to drop on Sunday, the heat wave that has rocked Israel continued to wreak havoc. Electricity consumption in Israel reached a NEW HIGH on Sunday, hitting a RECORD 10,040 megawatts consumed by 3 p.m. On Sunday afternoon, a French tourist died of heat stroke while hiking. Over the weekend, a 15-year-old yeshiva student collapsed and died during a hike, due to dehydration. Another 14 people in northern Israel have been hospitalized for dehydration since the heat wave started last week. Injuries resulting from direct exposure to the sun were not the only dangers of the most recent heat wave. Fires have been flaring up all over the country. Over the last thirty years, Israel's average temperature at dawn has risen by over two degrees centigrade.

7/29/07 -
ALBANIA, MACEDONIA - Disasters have been declared in both countries due to loss of property and livelihoods as a result of the wildfires that have swept through. In Albania, wildfires are active in 21 of the country's 36 districts, and the flames have destroyed 15 homes, consumed 4 fire trucks, and ravaged 4,942 acres of forest land. In addition, widespread smoke is causing health issues, particularly for women and children. In Macedonia, heat wave-related wildfires have consumed 7,413 acres of forests in 32 municipalities, directly impacting approximately 1 million people, half of Macedonia's population. The fires have caused one death in Macedonia due to smoke inhalation and they continue to threaten vital infrastructure and lives as they approach major urban areas.

U.S. - Wildfires in the United States in the first six months of 2007 have been significant, with hundreds of thousands of acres affected in Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Minnesota, and even Catalina Island, California. The National Interagency Wildfire Center has predicted the hot zones of wildfire risk through August. The wildfire forecast includes all of Florida and the southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Additionally, western North Carolina and Virginia and portions of Alaska are at high risk. One obvious factor is the drought conditions in many of these states. Alarmingly, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed abnormally dry conditions in wide areas of the United States as of June 1 - well before the tinder dryness of later summer months.

CALIFORNIA - Non-native grasses in the Mojave Desert are fueling wildfires that have charred large swaths of native plants and killed local animals, dramatically changing the face of the desert. In addition to competing directly with native plants for scarce desert resources, non-native grass species have increased the length of the western fire season and made wildfires more widespread. The grasses have been spreading across the Southwest ever since they were brought over as feed for animals by Spanish colonists hundreds of years ago. Historically, wildfires rarely bothered the Mojave because of gaps between shrubs that made it difficult for fire to jump from plant to plant. But red brome and other invasive grasses have changed all that by filling in the spaces between the native shrubs, allowing fires to spread more quickly and wiping out all the shrubs in the process. Data compiled by USGS scientists show that wildfires are happening more often and are much bigger in certain parts of the Mojave now than in the past because of the grassy invasion. In 2005, for example, the area of the Mojave burned by wildfires was 132% of the total area burned in the previous 25 years.

7/27/07 -
EUROPE - Three heat-related deaths were reported in Greece overnight as southern Europe blistered under a devastating heatwave and environmentalists blamed many of the fires raging in Italy on arsonists. Greek authorities said two elderly women were found dead in the Peloponnese village of Diakofto where a fire was raging for a third day. A 76-year-old man died on Wednesday evening in another fire in the village of Mamoussia. The blaze destroyed homes there and in two other towns, Pyrgaki and Melissia. The inferno broke out in the area some 200km from Athens on Tuesday and has yet to be brought under control. A dozen other fires were still burning across the country, much of which wilted under temperatures of 45 C. There were major blazes on the islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos in the Ionian sea, at Chios island in the Aegean, Hydra south of Athens and in Kastoria and Kozani, in the north. Two Greek Canadair pilots have already died while trying to douse a forest fire, as well as three firefighters. In Italy, at least 4500ha of protected areas have burned in the past three weeks. "Most of the fires of the past few days have been of a criminal nature. It is well known that fire almost always serves to get rid of trees and other natural obstacles to make way for new hotels, villas or pastures." In Bulgaria, some 950ha in the centre and northeast were on fire, prompting Sofia to seek aid from the European Union, NATO and Russia. A state of emergency was declared Wednesday in the central Kazanlak region and northeastern Dabovo. Temperatures have dropped, but winds are still fanning the fires. In Slovakia, a fire sparked by lightning raged overnight through the Slovensky Raj national park in the country's east. Croatia's Dalmatian coast was ablaze with dozens of fires, and 1400 tourists and residents were evacuated on Wednesday from the island of Solta, where some 400ha of forest and olive groves burned down and homes were threatened. Worst-hit Hungary, where up to 500 people may have died last week from heat-related causes, was enjoying a significant drop in temperatures with the welcome arrival of a cool front.

SYRIA - An explosion at an ordnance depot that was blamed on summer heat killed at least 15 soldiers Thursday and wounded 50 others. Witnesses said high temperatures, which reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 Deg C), also caused fires in northern Syria starting Wednesday night that might have spread to the military complex.

SOUTH DAKOTA - 1,100 cattle died in a heat wave on Monday through Wednesday - Feedlots affected mainly in northeast. As many as 1,100 cattle, most of them being finished for sale in feedlots, died in the high heat and humidity. It's a RARE occurrence that caught many off guard. The lethal combination of heat and humidity, coupled with a lack of breeze and continued hot temperatures overnight, contributed to the deaths. Most are not covered by insurance for such a scenario, which means operators and cattle producers lost thousands of dollars this week. Cattle in feedlots, especially those almost finished, tend to be more susceptible to heat because of their heavier, fatter condition. Cattle huddle close to protect against flies. The combined body heat of the huddling herd probably increased the stress on each animal in the group. The extreme heat even has range animals struggling to survive.

MONTANA - RECORD HEAT in the Big Sky state, where Missoula, Montana, recorded 9 days with highs of 100°F or greater during the first 23 days of July.

MINNESOTA - In International Falls, Wednesday's high of 95 degrees BROKE THE 1949 RECORD of 92 degrees. Heat indices, or "feels-like" temperatures have been hovering near 105 degrees.
Minnesota is dry and getting drier. A band of severe drought now extends from the southwestern corner of the state, through the Twin Cities, up to the northeastern tip. The only part of Minnesota that isn't short on rain is a portion of the northwest. Eighty-two percent of the state is now rated abnormally dry, while 35 percent is in moderate drought and 24 percent is in severe drought, according to the drought center. Only 18 percent of the state is close to normal. "We had very good rainfalls in April and May and then it just stopped." The situation is most critical for corn. As of last Friday, 60 percent of the state's corn crop was rated in fair to very poor condition. It's less critical for soybeans and sugarbeets, which can do their developing later. But the dry weather has already meant less alfalfa and hay. This is normally the wettest time of year for Minnesota. The areas where the drought has been developing over central and southern Minnesota are 4 inches to 5 inches short on precipitation. "It's the equivalent to missing the whole month of June's rainfall."

CANADA - NO PLACE IN CANADA HAS EVER BEEN AS HOT AND HUMID as Carman was Wednesday, at least since Environment Canada started keeping records more than 125 years ago. The humidex reading topped out at a whopping 53 C, BREAKING THE ALL-TIME CANADIAN HUMIDEX RECORD of 52.1 C set in Windsor, Ont., in 1953. The humidex is a Canadian invention that measures how the combination of heat and humidity feel to your body.

Antarctic ozone depleted naturally, researchers say - British researchers have found large quantities of natural ozone-depleting chemicals in Antarctica. They reported finding high concentrations of halogens, such as bromine and iodine oxides. "The springtime peak of iodine oxide [20 parts per trillion] is the highest concentration recorded anywhere in the atmosphere." The bromine came from sea salt and the iodine from "almost certainly bright orange algae that coat the underside of the sea ice around the continent." The finding may raise questions about the belief that chemicals made by humans are behind the disappearance of ozone over the continent. It has been a common belief that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) produced by humans are what is breaking down the oz