Antarctica Sets Record High Temperature: 64.9 Degrees

Antarctica, the coldest, windiest and driest continent on Earth, set a record high temperature on Thursday, underscoring the global warming trend, researchers said.

The previous record high temperature for Esperanza, the Argentinian
 research station, was 63 degrees, which was set in March 2015.

Esperanza, Argentina’s research station on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, reached 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18.2 degrees Celsius, breaking the previous record of 63.5 degrees set on March 24, 2015, according to Argentina’s National Meteorological Service. The station has been recording temperatures since 1961.

The temperature at Esperanza, where it is summer, was comparable to the weather in Los Angeles and Huntsville, Ala., where the high temperatures were 64 on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Weather and Climate Extremes Archive, a committee of the World Meteorological Organization, will verify the temperature, the organization said in a news release.

Read the story from The New York Times by Derrick Bryson Taylor - “Antarctica Sets Record High Temperature: 64.9 Degrees.”

Heat Wave Nudged the Planet to Its Hottest June, European Forecasters Say

The heat wave that smothered much of Europe at the end of June helped raise average global temperatures to a record for the month, a European weather forecasting agency has said.

Seeking respite from the heat last week at the
Lustgarten on Museum Island in Berlin.

The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts said Tuesday that global temperatures for June were about 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0.1 degree Celsius, higher than the previous record for the month, set in 2016. Europe itself was even warmer, about 2 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 2016 record.

During the last week of June temperatures spiked by as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit above normal across Central and Western Europe. It was 115 degrees in a village in southern France on Friday, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country. 

Research groups are studying whether the hot weather in Europe was linked to climate change. In many previous heat waves in Europe and elsewhere, analyses have determined that climate change increased the likelihood that the events would occur. 

Read the story from The New York Times by Henry Fountain - “Heat Wave Nudged the Planet to Its Hottest June, European Forecasters Say.”

‘Blown away': rooftop solar PV installations surge by almost half

Australian rooftops added a record of almost 500 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic capacity in the March quarter, as Victoria's incentive scheme stoked a 90 per cent increase in that state's installations.

Solar panel installation on Michael Peters' house in Balgowlah Heights.

Data gathered by Green Energy Markets show the sector added about 45 per cent more capacity of solar PV - in systems of 100 kilowatts or smaller in size - compared with the January-March period a year earlier.

Read the story from The Age by Peter Hannam - “‘Blown away': rooftop solar PV installations surge by almost half.”

Climate change a burning issue (again) in voters' minds

This piece of backroom intelligence shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the summer we are all still enduring. Record high temperatures, the hottest January on record; storms; floods in some places, droughts in others; mass fish kills in ailing rivers.

 ‘Climate change is not only a hot-button issue on its
own terms. Some of the research suggests it has
also become a proxy for political dysfunction.’ 

Climate change is back as a vote-changing issue – top of mind for many Australian voters. Private polling conducted for the environment movement and for the major parties suggests community concern about climate change is currently sitting at levels not seen since the federal election cycle in 2007.

If you can remember the events of 2007, you’ll recall that John Howard was forced into a significant about-face on the issue. Within sight of the election that swept Kevin Rudd into power, Howard signed the Liberal party up to emissions trading, a “world’s best-practice” cap and trade scheme, and declared Australia must prepare for a “low-carbon future”.

Read the story from The Guardian by Katharine Murphy - “Climate change a burning issue (again) in voters' minds.”

Australia swelters through record-breaking heatwave

Australia has just sweltered through at least five of its 10 warmest days on record, authorities estimate.

Australians have flocked to beaches and watering holes to cool off

An extreme heatwave has afflicted the nation since Saturday, causing wildlife deaths, bushfires and a rise in hospital admissions.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said preliminary readings showed daily national temperature highs of 40C (104F).

The town of Noona in New South Wales hit a night-time temperature of 35.9C.

Read the BBC story - “Australia swelters through record-breaking heatwave.”

Last night was Australia's hottest on record

The record for Australia's all-time highest overnight temperature was smashed last night, just one of the marks to fall in what is becoming a heatwave for the history books.

There may be some respite from the heat
over the weekend before ramping back up.

Dr Blair Trewin, senior climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said a minimum of 35.9 degrees Celsius was recorded at Noona, between Wilcannia and Cobar in western New South Wales, while 35.6C was measured at Borrona Downs.

"Both of those broke the previous record which was 35.5C set in 1982 in Arkaroola, South Australia, and was equalled in 2003 at Wittenoom in WA.”

He said the current heatwave was shaping up as one of the most significant on record in inland New South Wales.

Read the ABC News story - “Last night was Australia's hottest on record.”

Australia’s emissions rise again in 2017, putting Paris targets in doubt

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 were again the highest on record when unreliable data from sectors including land clearing and forestry are excluded, according to consultants NDEVR Environmental.

Rising greenhouse gas pollution comes despite
 decline in electricity sector emissions.

Even including land clearing, overall emissions show a continued rising trend, which began in about 2011, putting Australia’s commitment under the Paris agreement further out of reach.

The rising greenhouse gas pollution comes despite continued decline in emissions from the electricity sector, following increased renewable energy generation and the closure of Australia’s dirtiest coal power station, Hazelwood.

Read Michael Slezak’s story from The Guardian - “Australia’s emissions rise again in 2017, putting Paris targets in doubt.”

Britain reaches new wind power output record

Britain reached a new record of wind power output on 17 March, as wind farms generated 14.2GW.

New wind power record for Britain.

The National Grid confirmed that at 14:30 GMT, wind power accounted for 34.2% of all energy generated in Britain.

Gas was producing 20.3% of energy, Nuclear created 17.6%, and coal only accounted for 12.9%.

“2017 was a record year for green energy and it’s looking likely 2018 is set to exceed that,” commented Fintan Slye, Director of the System Operator at National Grid.

Read the Energy Digital story by Sophie Chapman - “Britain reaches new wind power output record.”

Petition: Matthew Guy, get serious on climate change.

In 2017, the world witnessed concerning climate change impacts, from record-breaking hurricanes and wildfire in the United States to bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef.

Closer to home we're seen parts of Victoria experienced the driest conditions on record and the state has faced a heightened bushfire risk in summer. 

It’s time for Matthew Guy and the Victorian Liberal and
National party to get serious about climate change.

Unchecked climate change exposes Victorian families and regional communities to intensifying heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, and extreme weather. These climate impacts threaten public health, infrastructure, and agricultural production.

Communities across the state are now taking action. Victorians are reining in emissions by getting energy efficient and installing solar. Others are working on projects to prepare their local communities from climate impacts that are now unavoidable.

Read the Friends of the Earth story - “Petition: Matthew Guy, get serious on climate change.”

Last year was one of Earth's hottest years on record and I can't believe I'm writing this story again

It's unanimous: 2017 was one of Earth's warmest years on record, continuing an impressive and quickening trend seen since the dawn of the industrial revolution. 

It's unanimous - 2017 was Earth's warmest year on record.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, the UK Met Office, and other groups that monitor the planet's thermostat, 2017 was by far the warmest year to occur without an El Niño event, which can boost ocean and air temperatures and was partly responsible for propelling 2016 to the top spot on the list of warmest years. 

While each group differs slightly in their final numbers and rankings, the numbers they came up with differ mainly because of the way they calculate temperatures in data-poor regions, such as the rapidly warming Arctic.

Read the Mashable Australia story by Andrew Freedman - ”Last year was one of Earth's hottest years on record and I can't believe I'm writing this story again.”

2017: Record-Breaking Year for Heat and Extreme Weather

THE HOTTEST PERIOD on record has been officially confirmed, with the world experiencing its hottest five-years from 2013 through 2017, according to new climate data released today.

The Climate Council’s ‘2017: Record-breaking Year for Heat and Extreme Weather’ report coincides with this morning’s release of climate data from peak climate observation body the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The global temperature averaged over the last five years (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) has been confirmed as the highest ever on record for any five-year period. This record is part of a sharp, long-term upswing in global temperatures, with 17 out of the 18 years hottest years on record all occurring in this century.

Read the Climate Council story - “2017: Record-Breaking Year for Heat and Extreme Weather.”

Weather disasters cost the US a record $390 billion in 2017

Washington: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria combined with devastating Western wildfires and other natural catastrophes to make 2017 the most expensive year on record for disasters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported on Monday.

Firefighter Ryan Spencer battles a wildfire as it burns
along a hillside toward homes in La Conchita, California in December. 

The disasters caused $US306 billion ($390 billion) in total damage in 2017, with 16 separate events that caused more than $1 billion in damage each. The bulk of the damage, at $265 billion, came from hurricanes in particular.

Read Chris Mooney’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Weather disasters cost the US a record $390 billion in 2017.”

Record warmth in the east made 2017 Australia's third-hottest year on record

Australia's posted its third-warmest year on record in 2017, with the eastern half including NSW and Queensland notching their hottest annual readings.

Another relatively hot year across the nation, with
 conditions on the dry side in eastern Australia.

The Bureau of Meteorology's annual report showed the nation's area-averaged mean temperatures – taking in daily highs and lows – were 0.95 degrees above its 1961-90 baseline at 22.75 degrees.

Read Peter Hannam’s story from today’s Melbourne Age - “Record warmth in the east made 2017 Australia's third-hottest year on record.”

2017 brought another year of weather extremes as drought and heat took its toll

Australia is set to finish one of its hottest years on record, leaving fire authorities pinning their hopes a La Nina in the Pacific will bring soaking rains before heatwaves build through the summer.

Cooling off was a popular pastime for many in Victoria and NSW from spring onwards. 

Sydney is on track to post its fourth warmest December on record, according to Weatherzone. For the year, the city's mean, maximum and minimum temperatures will be in the top five warmest on records going back to 1858, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “2017 brought another year of weather extremes as drought and heat took its toll.”

UN says 2017 set to be among top three hottest years, as Bonn climate talks seek action despite US stance

This year will be among the three hottest on record, the United Nations says, as almost 200 countries begin talks in Germany to bolster a global climate accord that the United States plans to quit.

A polar bear greets delegates at a UN
climate change conference in Bonn.

Temperatures this year will be slightly less than during a record-breaking 2016 and roughly level with 2015, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said, part of a long-term warming trend driven by greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.

"We have witnessed extraordinary weather," WMO head Petteri Talaas said, pointing to extreme events including a spate of hurricanes in the Atlantic and Caribbean, monsoon floods in Asia and drought in East Africa.

The WMO attributed the small dip from last year to the fading effects of a natural El Nino event that released extra heat from the Pacific Ocean in 2016.

Read the ABC News story - “UN says 2017 set to be among top three hottest years, as Bonn climate talks seek action despite US stance.”

Driest September on record through Murray-Darling Basin

The severity of drought in NSW has been backed up by Bureau of Meteorology data that shows that last month was the driest September in the Murray Darling Basin on record.

 Drought impacted crops are a common sight
 through the Murray-Darling Basin this year.

Many centres in the region recorded no rainfall for September at a time when falls are critical for crop development.

The data is compiled using an aggregation of rainfall data across the BOM’s network of weather stations and can be averaged out to a regional basis.

Worryingly, the record dry comes without a major climate driver pushing the weather towards drier conditions.

Read the farmonline story by Gregor Heard -  “Driest September on record through Murray-Darling Basin.”

Dam levels across NSW continue to hold despite record dry winter

Despite a record dry winter and extremely warm daytime temperatures in New South Wales over the last four months, the state's dams are still relatively full.

One of the world's largest, Hume Dam is
still nearly full despite a record dry winter.

"It is counterintuitive, I know, but despite the long dry winter with almost four months without decent rainfall the dam storages are still very high," said Tony Webber, a spokesman for Water NSW.

"On-farm storages are being drawn down, but the big state-run dams are still holding between 80 and 90 per cent.

"From the point where dams are full, even if we have zero inflow, we still have between two and three years of water stored in our state dams.

Of the big dams, Hume Dam near Albury — one of the biggest in the world — is at 91 per cent, Wyangala is at 85 per cent, Blowering Dam is at 79 per cent, Burrendong is at 77 per cent and irrigation dam Burrinjuck at 61 per cent.

Read the ABC News story by Michael Condon - “Dam levels across NSW continue to hold despite record dry winter.”

Parts of Central Australia driest on record, according to Bureau of Meteorology

Parts of Central Australia are experiencing their driest period on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Many parts of the southern Northern Territory
have not had any rain since February.

It was a wet Christmas and a very wet New Year for many properties throughout the district, with up to 100 millimetres falling in some areas.

But since then, it has been quite a different story.

Greg Browning, regional climate services manager for the Bureau of Metrology, said after the rainy summer, the tap basically turned off.

"Since February, pretty much all the southern third of the Territory has received single figure rainfall totals, but they did start the year quite well," he said.

Read Katrina Beavan’s ABC News story - “Parts of Central Australia driest on record, according to Bureau of Meteorology.”

Heat records for September set at many places in NSW and VIC

Last weekend was dominated by the breaking of record high maximum temperatures for September. 61 recording stations in NSW and 35 recording stations in Victoria had their hottest September day on record; some places have had over 120 years of records and few other places had their coldest September morning on record only a week beforehand.

Temperature records tumbled throughout
 Victoria and New South Wales last weekend.

Quite a few other stations broke their previous September record by two degrees. In Victoria Mildura took the prize with a reading of 37.7 as the highest ever September temperature recorded in the State, followed closely by Echuca, 36.0, Swan Hill also 36.0.

In NSW Wilcannia took the State's prize with a reading of 40.5 as the highest ever September temperature, followed by White Cliffs, 40.3 , and then Bourke with 40.0 degrees . No place in NSW has ever recorded 40 degrees during any September in the last 140 years. Walgett's 39.2 broke a September record which had stood since 1882.

Read Peter Nelson’s story on Country News - “Heat records for September set at many places in NSW and VIC.”

Spring heat shock

Shepparton experienced its hottest September day on record on Saturday with the mercury hitting 34°C at 3.41 pm.

Melbourne Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Rod Dickson confirmed the figure as a September record for the bureau’s weather station at Shepparton airport.

He said weather stations at Kyabram and Tatura also recorded record September temperatures of 32.4°C.

Mr Dickson said a pool of hot air sitting over the Australian interior was brought down in the eastern states ahead of a cold front causing temperatures to soar.

He said parts of NSW saw 40°C on Saturday.

Mr Dickson said the highs were an extraordinary event for this time of year.

‘‘It’s not unusual to see temperature swings in September, but this really was an extreme event,’’ he said.

Temperatures will settle this week to more normal spring weather patterns.

Today and tomorrow are forecast to reach 18°C with a slight chance of a shower, Wednesday will climb to 23°C, while Thursday drops to 19°C and Friday to 17°C, with a possible late shower.

Mr Dickson said Shepparton had experienced an abnormally dry September with only 7 mm recorded against a typical September average rainfall of 38 mm.

He said while the three-month spring forecast for the district contains no clear indication of rain, temperatures were expected to be above average.

Story from the Shepparton News by John Lewis - “Spring heat shock.”