WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

20-24 August 2012

DataStreme Earth Climate Systems will return for Fall 2012 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 27 August 2012. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

ITEMS OF INTEREST

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

CHECK & update (either for last week or this week) --
Review of US weather and climate for July 2012 -- Scientists with the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently released their preliminary monthly climate statistics for July 2012, which indicates that....
From http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/national/2012/7
[NOAA NCDC State of the Climate]
CHECK & update (either for last week or this week) --
July drought report -- The National Climate Data Center has posted its July 2012 drought report online. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index, approximately ?? percent of the coterminous United States experienced severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of July, while ?? percent of the area had severely to extremely wet conditions.
From http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2012/7
CHECK & update (either for this week or next) --
Review of global climate for July 2012 --Relying upon preliminary data, scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center have noted that the combined global land and ocean temperature for July 2012 was ...
According to the scientists, the Arctic sea ice in July was .... [NOAA/NCDC State of the Climate] ....
From http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/2012/7

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

...
An All-Hazards Monitor -- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, fire weather, marine weather, severe weather, drought and floods. [NOAAWatch]
Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]

CLIMATE AND IMPACTS ON HUMAN HEALTH

....

PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION

....

CLIMATE FORCING

CLIMATE FORECASTS

NOTE: According to http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/schedule.html
-- SON 2011 outlook to be issued 16 Aug 2012
Check these sources:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/seasonal.php?lead=1
and for National Drought Outlook
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/season_drought.gif
Remove before posting ///
Fall season climate outlook for the nation issued -- Last week, forecasters with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center issued their outlooks for temperature and precipitation across United States for the three months of September through November 2012, which are defined as meteorological autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. The temperature outlook indicates that //// fill in the geographic areas/// would have a better than even chance of experiencing higher than normal temperatures. On the other hand, //// fill in the geographic areas/// could expect a good chance of below average temperatures. Elsewhere, the outlook for sections of the Northwest and the Southeast does not appear to have a strong signal, resulting in an outlook that calls for equal chances of above or below average fall temperatures.
The precipitation outlook for Fall 2012 indicates that the //// fill in the geographic areas/// would have a better than even chance of above average precipitation. The forecasters anticipate that //// fill in the geographic areas/// would have a good chance of below average fall rainfall. Elsewhere, the outlook called for equal chances of above or below average precipitation. [NOAA Climate Prediction Center]
UPDATE --Next Outlook issued: August 16, 2012 at 8:30 AM EDT
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html

National seasonal drought outlook issued -- The forecasters with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center also issued their US Seasonal Drought Outlook that would run from late August through November 2012, covering meteorological autumn. These forecasters foresee improvement in the current drought conditions //// fill in the geographic areas/// . However, current drought conditions were expected to persist or new drought areas develop over //// fill in the geographic areas///. [NOAA Climate Prediction Center]
Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence.

CLIMATE IMPACTS ON THE BIOSPHERE

....

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

...
Website for human dimensions of climate change -- An interagency effort within the US federal government that included NOAA, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, has resulted in a website called HD.gov (for HumanDimensions.gov) that provides users, such as natural resource managers, with information on the human dimensions on a variety of topics of interest such as climate change. [HD.gov]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

21 August 1983...The temperature at Fayetteville, NC soared to 110 degrees to establish a state high temperature record. (The Weather Channel)
21 August 1992...The earliest recorded snowfall in Edmonton, Alberta since record keeping began in 1884. (The Weather Doctor)
21 August 2007...Hail with diameters of up to 5.25 inches fell in southeastern South Dakota, resulting in considerable damage to roofs of buildings. The largest hailstone had a circumference of 18.00 inches and weighed 1.0 pound, which represents the largest documented hailstone in South Dakota since records began in 1950. (NCDC)
22 August 1816...The growing season for corn was cut short as damaging frosts were reported from North Carolina to interior New England in the "Year-without-a-Summer". (David Ludlum)
22 August 1976...The temperature soared to record high for Newfoundland: with a 98.1-degree reading at Botwood. (The Weather Doctor)
24 August 1992...Hurricane Andrew slammed into south Florida, devastating the community of Homestead with 181-mph winds. With a central pressure at landfall of 922 millibars (27.22 inches of mercury), which at the time was the third lowest ever recorded in a hurricane at landfall in the United States. Camille (1969) and the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) were more intense. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the third most intense landfalling hurricane with a 920-millibar pressure reading (or 27.17 in Hg) when it reached the Louisiana Gulf Coast. (The Weather Doctor)
25 August 1910...The temperature at Bowen, MT dropped to 5 degrees, the lowest ever for the 48 states in August. (Intellicast)
25 August 1940...New Jersey experienced its coldest August morning of record, with lows of 32 degrees at Layton and Charlotteburg. (The Weather Channel)
25 August 1987...A new record for monthly rainfall was set at Chicago when a storm brought the total to 15.73 inches erasing the previous record for any month, which had been 14.17 inches in September, 1961 (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
26 August 1883...Krakatoa Volcano exploded in the East Indies. The explosion was heard more than 2500 miles away, and every barograph around the world recorded the passage of the air wave, up to seven times. Giant waves, 125 feet high and traveling 300 mph, devastated everything in their path, hurling ashore coral blocks weighing up to 900 tons, and killing more than 36,000 persons. Volcanic ash sent into the stratosphere was carried around the globe in thirteen days producing blue and green suns in the tropics, and then vivid red sunsets in higher latitudes. The temperature of the earth was lowered one degree for the next two years, finally recovering to normal by 1888. (David Ludlum)
26 August 1935...San Francisco, CA had their heaviest 24-hour rainfall for August when 0.25 inches fell. (Intellicast)
26 August 1989...Anchorage, AK was soaked with a steady rain, and the 24-hour total of 4.12 inches smashed their previous 24-hour precipitation total of 2.10 inches. It also pushed their rainfall total for the month past their previous record for August. (The National Weather Summary)

Return to DataStreme ECS website