Flash Drought in the South Brings Record Heat Without Rain

It was a hot summer in the American South, and droughts have affected tens of millions of people there after one of the driest and hottest Septembers on record.

The grass is dry outside Atlanta, one of the areas
meteorologists marked red for “extreme drought.”

Because this dry spell began quickly — instead of creeping in gradually, as droughts usually do — it’s being referred to as a “flash drought.” 

In other words, “some of these areas have basically seen the faucet turn off,” said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“Then you couple that with well-above-normal, record-setting heat for this time of year,” he added. “Lots of places saw not only the driest September on record, but they also had their warmest temperatures on record.”

Read the story from The New York Times by Jacey Fortin - “Flash Drought in the South Brings Record Heat Without Rain.”

Dry, hot summer on the cards with no relief for drought-stricken farmers

Australians should brace for a dry, hot summer, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with no relief for drought-stricken farmers.

 Queensland is already sweltering through 40C temperatures,
up to 10C above average for October. The Bureau of Meteorology’s
 summer forecast offers no relief for drought-stricken farmers.

The bureau’s climate outlook for November to January, released on Friday, says there is an 80% chance temperatures will be higher than average for most of the mainland.

“You don’t often see odds that high,” said Dr Andrew Watkins, the bureau’s manager of long-range forecasts. “It’s astounding honestly.”

Read the story from The Guardian by Naaman Zhou - “Dry, hot summer on the cards with no relief for drought-stricken farmers.”

New Zealand: hot summer leads to a tenfold explosion in rat population

A record-breaking long, hot summer has led to a tenfold explosion in New Zealand’s rodent population, with the country’s urban areas worst hit.

A ship rat attacks a fantail nest in New Zealand. The
country is committed to becoming predator-free by 2050. 

The 2017-2018 summer in New Zealand was the hottest since records began, and fertile breeding conditions have led to a surge in rat and mice numbers.

New Zealand has committed to becoming predator-free by 2050, wiping out all introduced species of rats, mice, possums and stoats in a mere 32 years.

If successful, it would be the first country in the world to be completely pest-free.

Read Eleanor Ainge Roy’s story from The Guardian - “New Zealand: hot summer leads to a tenfold explosion in rat population.”

Summer’s sting in the tail: Sizzling temperatures arrive just in time for final weekend

Sydney's long, hot summer shows no sign of wavering in its final days, bringing with it some unwelcome guests.

Blue bottles cover the shore at North Bondi Beach 

as the last weekend of summer approaches. 

Beachgoers who head to the coast to make the most of the last weekend of summer can expect sunny skies and warm temperatures, as mild weather heats up in coming days.

However, they have also been warned to look out for bluebottles, with lifeguards at North Bondi dodging big waves, as well as armadas of the creatures strewn across the sand this week.

Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott said north-easterly winds sweeping through the city would keep a lid on hotter temperatures in the city, but the west was set to swelter.

"For Sydneysiders, the week has been quite cool. It's been a nice reprieve and not too humid.

Read the story by Megan Gorrey in The Age - “Summer’s sting in the tail: Sizzling temperatures arrive just in time for final weekend.”

Australian weather forecasters say autumn will be dry and warm

A dry and warmer-than-average autumn has been forecast for nearly all of Australia, worrying farmers in southern states hoping for rain after a hot summer.

The chance of above-median maximum
temperatures forecast for the Australian autumn.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest outlook, released on Thursday, has predicted higher temperatures across the country – apart from eastern New South Wales and the upper Northern Territory.

Rainfall is also forecast to be lower than usual in much of central Queensland, the southern NT, north-west Victoria and parts of Western Australia. The bureau’s initial autumn report said these areas had a 70% chance of below-median rainfall.

Agata Imielska, a climatologist from the bureau, said the dry season was a result of high-pressure systems and the weakening of the La Niña system in the Pacific Ocean.

Read the story by Naaman Zhou on The Guardian - “Australian weather forecasters say autumn will be dry and warm.”

Sweltering European summer has human fingerprints

Parts of Europe are having a devastatingly hot summer. Already we’ve seen heat records topple in western Europe in June, and now a heatwave nicknamed “Lucifer” is bringing stifling conditions to areas of southern and eastern Europe.

Fires burning across Greece (pictured), Portugal,
Italy and Croatia have been exacerbated by extraordinary heat 

Several countries are grappling with the effects of this extreme heat, which include wildfires and water restrictions.

Temperatures have soared past 40C in parts of Italy, Greece and the Balkans, with the extreme heat spreading north into the Czech Republic and southern Poland.

Some areas are having their hottest temperatures since 2007 when severe heat also brought dangerous conditions to the southeast of the continent.

Read the ClimateHome story by Andrew King - “Sweltering European summer has human fingerprints.”

Southeast Europe swelters through another heatwave with a human fingerprint

Parts of Europe are having a devastatingly hot summer. Already we’ve seen heat records topple in western Europe in June, and now a heatwave nicknamed “Lucifer” is bringing stifling conditions to areas of southern and eastern Europe.

Searching for respite from the heat in one of Rome’s fountains.

Several countries are grappling with the effects of this extreme heat, which include wildfires and water restrictions.

Temperatures have soared past 40℃ in parts of Italy, Greece and the Balkans, with the extreme heat spreading north into the Czech Republic and southern Poland.

Read the piece by a Climate Extremes Research Fellow from the  University of Melbourne,  Andrew King, in The Conversation -  “Southeast Europe swelters through another heatwave with a human fingerprint.”