WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

17-21 June 2013

DataStreme Earth Climate Systems will return for Fall 2013 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 2 September 2013. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought -- This Monday, 17 June 2013, has been declared World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This year, the theme is "Don't Let Our Future Dry Up." In December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared that World Day to Combat Desertification would be observed on 17 June of each year; this international observance would highlight the urgent need to curb the desertification process. In addition, the goal is to strengthen the visibility of the drylands issue on the international environmental agenda. [UNCCD]
HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE! The summer solstice will occur early Friday morning (officially, 21 June 2012 at 1051 Z, or 6:51 AM EDT, 5:51 AM CDT, etc.). At that time, the earth's spin axis is oriented such that the sun appears to be the farthest north in the local sky of most earth-bound observers. While most of us consider this event to be the start of astronomical summer, the British call the day the "Midsummer Day", as the apparent sun will begin its southward descent again. For essentially all locations in the northern hemisphere, daylight today will be the longest and the night will be the shortest of the year. Starting Saturday, the length of darkness will begin to increase as we head toward the winter solstice on 21 December 2013 at 2303 Z. However, because the sun is not as perfect a time-keeper as a clock, the latest sunsets of the year at many mid-latitude locations will continue through about the first week of July -- a consequence of the earth being near aphelion (during the evening of 3 July 2013) and the apparent sun moving across the sky well to the north of the celestial equator.
World Hydrography Day celebration -- The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) will celebrate its annual World Hydrography Day on Friday, 21 June 2013, the 92nd-anniversary date on which the IHO was created in 1921. The theme for this year's celebration is "Hydrography -- underpinning the Blue Economy." This year's theme was selected because hydrographic expertise, which involves numerous disciplines including the weather, ocean and climate sciences, is needed to help maintain the so-called "global blue economy." [International Federation of Hydrographic Societies]
New "extreme weather" summit museum planned for Mount Washington Observatory -- Officials with Mount Washington Observatory located on New Hampshire's 6288-foot high Mount Washington recently unveiled plans for a new summit museum called "Extreme Mount Washington" that will provide summer visitors to Mt. Washington State Park and interactive winter experience. The Observatory, with a trademark of "Home of the World's Worst Weather," is a private, nonprofit, member-supported research and educational institution with a mission to advance understanding of Earth's weather and climate. The "Extreme Mount Washington" portion of the museum is planned to be completed by spring 2014. [Mt Washington Observatory Newsroom]
GOES-13 returns to service after "micrometeoroid" strike -- During the last week NOAA, NASA, Boeing and Exelis engineers were able to return the GOES-13 satellite to service after it shut down on 22 May following an apparent hit by a "micrometeoroid" or possibly "space junk." The GOES-13 satellite has been identified as GOES-East as it provides primary satellite coverage of the eastern three-quarters of the North American continent and western North Atlantic. The GOES-West satellite and a backup satellite were used to provide nearly continuous supply of weather data and imagery over the eastern U.S. and the Atlantic Ocean. [NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory] [Climate Central] [Editor's Note: The return of GOES-13 has meant the return of the familiar satellite images to the AMS Education websites. EJH ]
Celebrating the centennial of the world's highest recorded temperature -- The National Park Service and the National Weather Service at Las Vegas, NV will co-host a celebration on 10 July 2013 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the measurement of the world-record high temperature at Greenland Ranch in California's Death Valley. The thermometer on the afternoon of 10 July 1913 registered 134 degrees F, which has now been deemed the world's record high temperature. The Centennial Celebration will be held at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley National Park and several prominent scientists will speak at the occasion. [Las Vegas, NV National Weather Service Forecast Office]

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

National weather and climate reviewed for May and spring 2013 -- Scientists at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently reported that their analysis of preliminary data indicates that the monthly temperature averaged across the coterminous US for May 2013 was 0.9 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th-century (1901-2000) average. This temperature meant that this month was the 40th warmest May since 1895 when comprehensive climate records became available nationwide. Eight states across the West and nine states from the Midwest into the New England reported statewide May temperatures that were above the long-term average. Nine states extending from the Southeast across the Mid-South to Oklahoma had below to much below average temperatures. Florida experienced its eleventh coldest May while Georgia had its twelfth coldest.
The nationwide average temperature for the just-concluded meteorological spring (March, April and May 2013) was the 0.5 Fahrenheit degrees below the 20th-century average, making this spring the 38th coolest since records began in 1895. The nation's midsection had an unseasonably cold spring, with 14 states across the Mississippi Valley and Southeast having statewide temperatures for the three months that ranked in the ten lowest on record. On the other hand, the West had above average spring temperatures, with California reporting the seventh warmest spring and Arizona its twelfth warmest since 1895.
Precipitation across the coterminous US for May 2013 was 0.47 inches above the 20th-century average, making this month the 17th wettest May on record. Five states (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Idaho and Ohio) had below average May precipitation. Twenty states extending from the Pacific Northwest to New England had above to much above average precipitation. Iowa experienced its wettest May in 119 years, while North Dakota had its second wettest May. This pattern was also reflected throughout the spring, as many of the Western States had below to much below average precipitation for March through May. New Mexico experienced its second driest spring on record, while California its eighth driest. Several states in the Upper Mississippi and Missouri Valleys had three-month precipitation totals that were much above the 20th century average. Iowa also had its wettest spring on record. The March-May precipitation for the coterminous US was 0.21 inches above average. [NOAA NCDC State of the Climate]
Additional information and maps of temperature and precipitation anomalies for spring 2013 across the coterminous United States are also available. [NOAA Climate.gov]
May drought report -- The National Climate Data Center has posted its May 2013 drought report online. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index, approximately 21 percent of the coterminous United States experienced severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of May, while ten percent of the area had severely to extremely wet conditions.
From last spring -- Describing the importance of "drought indicators" -- In a series pertaining to how scientists monitor the drought across the nation, NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has highlighted the various "drought indicators" used in addition to several quantitative indices, such as the Palmer Drought Severity Index, to describe the degree of soil moisture deficiency over a region. These indicators, which are considered in the production of the weekly US Drought Monitor, may include vegetation stress levels, agricultural productivity, streamflow, lake levels and incidents of wildfire in addition to accumulated precipitation totals. [NOAA/NCDC News]

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] /////

CLIMATE FORCING

Hurricane mission to study Saharan dust in 2013 -- Officials with NASA's 2013 Hurricane and Severe Storms Sentinel (HS3) mission announced that they will continue investigating the role of Saharan dust on the development of tropical cyclones over the Atlantic Ocean. This year's HS3 campaign is continue the efforts of collecting dust layer data in 2012 in an attempt to understand whether Saharan dust and its associated warm and dry air, known as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) favors or suppresses development of Atlantic tropical cyclones. [NASA H3 Hurricane Mission]
Seeding for ocean carbon dioxide sequestration questioned -- A group of scientists conducted X-ray analysis of phytoplankton at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory to study the feeding habits of ocean microbes. These researchers call into question the potential use of algal blooms to trap carbon dioxide in an attempt to offset rising global levels. They found that the diatom, a type of phytoplankton, uses more iron that it needs for photosynthesis, which reduces the amount of iron left over to support the carbon-eating plankton. [Argonne National Laboratory]
Antarctic ice shelf loss appears driven mainly by warm ocean water -- In a study conducted by scientists at the University of California, Irvine and colleagues, relatively warm ocean waters melting the undersides of Antarctic ice shelves appear to be more effective at reducing the continent's ice than the calving of icebergs along the coast. [University of California, Irvine News]
Long-term changes in global ocean chemistry are worrisome -- An international team of researchers have recently completed a global study of the ocean chemistry involving the nitrogen cycle since the end of the last Ice Age. These researchers raise concern that recent changes in climate have increased ocean temperatures, which harm marine food webs, and increased nitrogen runoff from fertilizer applications was creating coastal dead zones. Although the oceans appear to be balancing the nitrogen cycle on a global scale presently, changes in the ocean could occur over centuries. [McGill University News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

Southern California could suffer a significant snowfall loss by 2050 -- A climate expert at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) claims that the mountains of southern California surrounding the Los Angeles basin could receive between 30 to 40 percent less snow by 2050 than it received in 2001 due to changes in climate. He also predicts that these mountains could receive only one-third of recent snowfalls by the end of the century. The lower snowfall totals would not only affect recreational interests, but also cause changes in the seasonal timing of local water resources and flood control. [UCLA Newsroom]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Extreme weather events across nation made 2012 second costliest year on record -- Scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center recently announced that according to their information, eleven weather and climate disasters across the nation each resulted in losses exceeding $1 billion in damages. With a year's total amount in excess of $110 billion in damages for 2012, the year was the second costliest on year in terms of weather and climate related disaster events trailing 2005, which had $160 billion due in part to four land-falling hurricanes. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy was responsible for approximately $65 billion, while the persistent and widespread severe drought resulted in nearly $30 billion in damage. [NOAA National Climatic Data Center]
Dust Bowl times return to the nation -- Some climate scientists warn that the United States is now experiencing the worst drought since the infamous "Dust Bowl" days of the 1930s when approximately 50 million acres of farmland were barely usable. The loss of farmland at that time was due in part to widespread and persistent drought conditions that were exacerbated by poor agricultural practices. The devastated economy of the Great Depression also contributed. The current drought started in 2012, which was the hottest year on record in the US was resulted in drought conditions across two-thirds of the country. Economists estimate that this current dry spell could cost Americans $50 billion in agricultural losses. [Scientific American]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

17 June 1965...Holly, CO was deluged with 11.08 inches of rain to establish a state 24-hour rainfall record. (The Weather Channel)
18 June 1991...Atlanta, GA set a new record for the amount of the rain in one hour as 3.47 inches fell between 6:52 and 7:52 PM EDT. (Intellicast)
19 June 240 BC...On the summer solstice, Eratosthenes estimated the circumference of the Earth using two sticks.
19 June 2004...An all-time record high temperature of 93 degrees was set: at Annette Island, Alaska. (The Weather Doctor)
20 June 1921...Circle, MT received 11.50 inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the state. The town of Circle received a total of 16.79 inches of rain that month to establish a rainfall record for any town in Montana for any month of the year. (The Weather Channel)
20 June 1970...Norway's hottest day on record occurred, as the temperature at Nesbyen, Norway peaked at 96.1 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
20 June 2000...The town of Barrow on Alaska's North Slope experienced its first recorded thunderstorm, which dropped 0.16 inches (4.1 mm) of rain in just a couple minutes. (The Weather Doctor)
21 June 1942...The temperature at Tirat Tsvi, Israel reached 129 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in Asia. (The Weather Doctor)
22 June 1947...Heavy rains deluged Holt, MO as a foot of rain fell in 42 minutes, still a world's record rainfall rate for the fastest foot of rain accumulation. (The Weather Doctor)
22 June 1987...Thunderstorms in New York State produced 5.01 inches of rain in 24 hours at Buffalo, an all-time record for that location.
The temperature at Fairbanks, AK soared to 92 degrees, establishing a record for the date. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
22 June 1988...Tucson, AZ reported an all-time record high of 114 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 112 degrees established a day earlier. Highs of 98 degrees at Pittsburgh, PA and 100 degrees at Baltimore, MD tied records for the month of June. (The National Weather Summary)
22 June 2003...The largest recorded hailstone in the United States fell on Aurora, NE. The diameter of this hailstone was 7 inches, and its circumference was 18.75 inches. (Northern Indiana NWSFO) The National Weather Service reported this hailstone was the largest ever documented in the U.S. by size, but the second largest hailstone by weight.
The mercury peaked at 95 degrees in the northern community of Moosonee, Ontario, the hottest June day ever recorded here. (The Weather Doctor)
23 June 1902...The temperature at Volcano Springs, CA soared to 129 degrees to set a June record high temperature for the U.S. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders)
23 June 1982...The temperature fell to all-time record low of 117 degrees below zero for Antarctica's South Pole Weather Station. (The Weather Doctor)

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