Australia’s record-breaking winter warmth linked to climate change

On the first day of spring, it’s time to take stock of the winter that was. It may have felt cold, but Australia’s winter had the highest average daytime temperatures on record. It was also the driest in 15 years.

This winter had some extreme low and high temperatures. 

Back at the start of winter the Bureau of Meteorology forecast a warm, dry season. That proved accurate, as winter has turned out both warmer and drier than average.

While we haven’t seen anything close to the weather extremes experienced in other parts of the world, including devastating rainfalls in Niger, the southern US and the Indian subcontinent all in the past week, we have seen a few interesting weather extremes over the past few months across Australia.

Read the piece on The Conversation by a Climate Extremes Research Fellow from the University of Melbourne, Andrew King -  “Australia’s record-breaking winter warmth linked to climate change.”

Pence is defiant in the face of irrevocable science

Donald Trump's U.S. presidential running
mate, Mike Pence, and yes, it seems 'birds
 of  a feather do flock together'.

It was a winter of record snowfall two years ago when Donald Trump's reported running mate made a daring comment about climate change.

"We haven't seen a lot of warming lately," Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) said during a February interview with Chuck Todd on MSNBC.

It turns out that same year, 2014, would go down as the warmest since records began in 1880. The status was short-lived. The following year would supplant it as having the highest average temperature in the instrumental record, according to NASA.

Pence, a Tea Party favorite, is seen by many Republicans as someone who would be a calming choice for vice president in Trump's unconventional candidacy. He would add legislative and executive experience to a party ticket headlined by a television celebrity who has never before run for political office.

Trump was expected to formally announce his choice of running mate this morning but announced last night that he would postpone his plans, citing the "horrible attacks" in Nice, France, that left at least 84 people dead. Authorities said a truck crashed into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day.

Read Evan Lehmann’s story on Climate Wire -  “'Global warming is a myth. ... There, I said it'.”

(Donald Trump has since named Indiana Governor, Mick Pence, as his running mate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election)