WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

29 June- 3 July 2015

DataStreme Earth Climate System will return for Fall 2015 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 24 August 2015. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Change in seasons -- The beginning of July marks the beginning of the new heating season. Traditionally, meteorologists and climatologists define the heating season to run from 1 July to 30 June of the following year. Heating degree day units are accumulated commencing on 1 July. Likewise, the snow season runs from 1 July through 30 June. Seasonal snowfall totals for next season will be summed from Tuesday.
High-quality maps of July temperature and precipitation normals across US available -- The PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University's website has prepared high-resolution maps depicting the normal maximum, minimum and precipitation totals for July and other months across the 48 coterminous United States for the current 1981-2010 climate normals interval. These maps, with a 800-meter resolution, were produced using the PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model) climate mapping system.
July weather calendar for a city near you -- The Midwestern Regional Climate Center maintains an interactive website that permits the public to produce a ready to print weather calendar for any given month of the year, such as July, at any of approximately 270 weather stations around the nation. (These stations are NOAA's ThreadEx stations.) The entries for each day of the month includes: Normal maximum temperature, normal minimum temperature, normal daily heating and cooling degree days, normal daily precipitation, record maximum temperature, record minimum temperature, and record daily precipitation; the current normals for 1981-2010.
The half-way point -- Midpoint of calendar year 2015 will occur at noon local standard time on Thursday, 2 July 2015.
"Dog days" of summer begin -- The "Dog Days" traditionally begin on the third day of July of each year and continue through the eleventh day of August. The hot weather period received its name from Sirius, the brightest visible star in the sky and known as the Dog Star. Sirius rises in the east at the same time as the sun this time of the year. (The Weather Channel)
Weather in Philadelphia for the 4th of July 1776--This Saturday is the 4th of July or Independence Day. Sean Potter, a consulting meteorologist who has an interest in history, wrote an article four years ago that describes the weather observations made during July 1776 in Philadelphia by Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence. [Weatherwise Magazine] Have a happy and safe 4th of July! EJH
"Warmest day of the year" approaches -- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly National Climatic Data Center) has created a "Warmest Day of the Year" map for the contiguous United States based upon the highest daily maximum temperatures of the year as calculated from the 1981-2010 climate normals. Additional maps are available for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Many places across the nation will experience their highest daily temperatures within the next two to three weeks. However, some locations in Arizona and New Mexico affected by the Southwest Monsoon reach their maximum temperatures during the last two weeks of June. On the other hand, coastal locations along the Pacific Ocean and in Hawaii would have the highest temperatures in September because of the thermal lag due to proximity of the ocean. [NOAA National Climatic Data Center News]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Tracking trends of heavy and extreme precipitation events across the nation -- Climate scientists from NOAA and their colleagues in academia have been tracking the changes in precipitation patterns across the nation and the world over the last 120 years, finding that the annual precipitation across the US has increased by nearly five percent since the start of the 20th century. Furthermore, precipitation intensity has increased in many areas due to a higher frequency of heavy and extreme precipitation events, defined as daily totals between one and three inches for heavy precipitation and daily totals exceeding six inches for extreme events. These types of events can result in damaging and potentially deadly flooding. [Earth Gauge]
Track historical hurricanes using a map viewer -- An interactive website is available to emergency managers and the public especially along the nation's costs that permits tracking the development and movement of more than 6000 tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, over the last 150 years using a Geographic Information System (GIS) map viewer. [NOAA Climate.gov Maps]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

El Niño cannot be blamed for all this summer's unusual weather events-- A blog has been posted on the NOAA Climate.gov website that attempts to explain that the current El Niño event that is unfolding cannot be blamed for all the unusual weather events and anomalous short-term climate patterns that are occurring this summer across the nation and elsewhere around the world. Attention is also directed to how forecasters with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center are interpreting the presence of this El Niño event as they produced their three-month Seasonal Outlooks that were issued in mid-June. [NOAA Climate.gov News Feature]
Second-quarter 2015 Regional Climate Impacts and Outlooks reports released -- During the last week, NOAA and its partners released a series of two-page regional climate outlooks for seven regions around the nation that are designed to inform the public of recent climate impacts within their respective regions for the second quarter of 2015. Major climate events that occurred during the three months from March through May 2015 are discussed and historical seasonal assessments made. In addition, regional future climate outlooks are provided that span the upcoming three months of July through September 2015. [NOAA NDIS US Drought Portal]
Possible forthcoming "solar minimum" may not change Earth's long-term warming trend -- Scientists in the United Kingdom's Met (Meteorology) Office and their colleagues report that the anticipated upcoming reduction in the solar energy reaching Earth (a "solar minimum" in the quasi-periodic cycle in solar activity) may not be sufficient to cancel the observed long-term trend in increasing global temperatures. However, occurrence of this future solar minimum that could be one of the lowest in several centuries could result in relatively colder winters across sections of northern and western Europe and eastern North America. The scientists used a climate model to simulate climate conditions for the second half of the 21st century using reduced solar output scenarios rivaling those of the historic Maunder Minimum (ca. 1645-1715). [UK Met Office News]

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

Relating climate and coffee -- In a Climate.gov News feature, the relationship between the growth of coffee beans and climate is explored and discussion is made of the potential consequences of increased global temperatures on future coffee production across the world's tropical climates. Coffee production is an important crop that supports the economies of many of the nations across the tropics. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of 2014, reductions in the area suitable for coffee cultivation is foreseen by the year 2050. In addition, increased temperatures could result in more coffee plant pests. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Status of invasive species in Alaska explored in association with changing climate -- Scientists with NOAA Fisheries have been exploring how increasing temperatures due to changing climate conditions are causing changing regime shifts in Alaska's ocean ecosystems, especially involving the potential increases in invasive species and other types of infectious diseases and parasites that could impact the state's fisheries. An example is provided that focuses on the Bitter Crab Syndrome, a parasitic disease affecting snow crabs and Tanner crabs in Alaska that appears to be becoming more prevalent in the North Pacific Ocean due to the changing climate. [NOAA Fisheries News]

CLIMATE MODELLING

New center opening to advance drought research and preparedness -- The NOAA-led National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) has funded the Drought Research Center at the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) that is located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This new center will focus on research to improve drought monitoring, impacts assessment and risk management in close partnership with NIDIS and its federal, state, tribal and local partners. These efforts are intended to advance preparedness for drought events and contribute to mitigation of its impacts. [NOAA Climate Program Office News]

CLIMATE AND HUMAN HEALTH

Efforts made to forecast next dengue outbreak -- Several federal agencies including NOAA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center and the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites-North Carolina have been developing methods for predicting outbreaks of dengue, a viral mosquito-borne disease that annually infects approximately 390 million people across the globe. Scientists believe that weather, climate and other environmental data can be used to provide advance warning of possible dengue outbreaks, with a sufficient lead time to allow health care providers to anticipate, prepare for and respond to outbreaks, significantly reducing the health impacts. [NOAA Climate.gov News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Additional Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative sites are announced to prepare natural resources for climate change -- NOAA together with the US Departments of Interior and Agriculture, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers made a recent joint announcement recognizing three new collaborative landscape partnerships across the country where these Federal agencies will focus efforts with partners to conserve and restore important lands and waters, making them more resilient to a changing climate. These partnerships include the California Headwaters, California's North-Central Coast and Russian River Watershed, and Crown of the Continent. [NOAA News]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

29 June 1931...The temperature at Monticello, FL hit 109 degrees to establish an all-time record for the Sunshine State. (The Weather Channel)
29 June 1975...Litchville recorded 8.10 inches of rain for North Dakota's state 24-hour precipitation record. (NCDC)
29 June 1988...Jackson, MS equaled their record for the month of June with an afternoon high of 105 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
29 June 1994...The mercury hit a scorching 128 degrees at Lake Havasu City, AZ to set a new all-time record high temperature for the Grand Canyon State. This reading also tied the one at Death Valley, CA on the same day for the US June record. The previous state record for Arizona was 127 degrees set at Parker on 7 July 1905. The temperature at Laughlin, NV reached 125 degrees, which also set an all-time record high temperature for the Silver State. (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar) (The Weather Doctor)
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Australia: was a 9.4 degree below zero reading at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales, Australia. (The Weather Doctor)
30 June 1912...The deadliest tornado in Canadian history struck Regina, Saskatchewan, as 28 people were killed. (The Weather Doctor)
30 June 1983...Tasmania's coldest night on record was observed as the temperature at Shannon dropped to 8.6 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
30 June 1989...The remains of tropical storm Allison dropped copious amounts of rain on Louisiana. Winnfield, LA reported 22.52 inches of rain in three days, and more than thirty inches for the month, a record for June. Shreveport received a record 17.11 inches in June, with a total for the first six months of the year of 45.55 inches. Thunderstorms also helped produce record rainfall totals for the month of June of 13.12 inches at Birmingham, AL, 14.66 inches at Oklahoma City, OK, 17.41 inches at Tallahassee, FL, 9.97 inches at Lynchburg, VA, and more than 10.25 inches at Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh had also experienced a record wet month of May. (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)
Month of July 1861...The greatest one-month of precipitation ever measured globally (366 inches) was recorded at Cherrapunji, India. Total rainfall for the period 1 August 1860 to 31 July 1861 was the greatest rainfall in one year ever recorded (1041.78 inches). (The Weather Doctor)
Month of July 1931...The July- August 1931 flood in the Yangtze basin of China affected over 51 million people or one-quarter of China's population. As many as 3.7 million people perished from this great 20^th century disaster due to disease, starvation or drowning. (The Weather Doctor)
1 July 1911...The high temperature of just 79 degrees at Phoenix, AZ was their lowest daily maximum of record for the month of July. The normal daily high for 1 July is 105 degrees. (The Weather Channel)
1 July 1915...Pawtucket, RI received a deluge with 5.1 inches of rain in 24 hours. (Intellicast)
1 July 1979...It snowed almost half a foot (5.8 inches) at Stampede Pass, WA, a July record. (The Weather Channel)
1 July 1988...Twenty-six cities in the north central and northeastern U.S. reported record low temperatures for the date --an unusual cool spell in what turned out to be one of the hottest summers on record. Lows of 48 degrees at Providence, RI, 48 degrees at Roanoke, VA, 49 degrees at Stratford, CT, and 48 degrees at Wilmington, DE, were records for the month of July. Boston, MA equaled their record for July with a low of 50 degrees. Barre Falls, MA dropped to 34 degrees. Five inches of snow whitened Mount Washington, NH. (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)
1 July 1987...Lake Charles, LA was drenched with a month's worth of rain during the early morning. More than five inches of rain soaked the city, including 2.68 inches in one hour. (The National Weather Summary)
2 July 1908...The temperature at Dumfries, Scotland reached 91 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded in Scotland. (The Weather Doctor)
2 July 1942...The temperature at Portland, OR hit 107 degrees, an all-time record for the city. This record was subsequently reached on three other occasions. (ThreadEx) (Intellicast)
2 July 1989...Midland, TX reported an all-time record high of 112 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
2 July 1998...Italy's highest recorded temperature was 108.5 degrees, set at Catania, Italy: (The Weather Doctor)
2-6 July 1994...Heavy rains from the remains of Tropical Storm Alberto produced major flooding across northern and central Georgia. Three-day rains exceeded 15 inches at Atlanta. An impressive 21.10 inches of rain fell at Americus, GA on the 6^th to establish a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Peach State. Numerous road closures and bridge washouts. Thirty people were killed and 50,000 were forced from their homes, as 800,000 acres were flooded. Total damage exceeded $750 million... (NCDC) (Intellicast)
3 July 1975...Shangdi, Nei Monggol, China received 401 mm (15.78 inches) of rain, the greatest 1-hour rainfall ever recorded on Earth: (The Weather Doctor)
3 July 1966...The northeastern U.S. was in the midst of a sweltering heat wave. The temperature at Philadelphia reached 104 degrees for a second day. Afternoon highs of 102 degrees at Hartford, CT, 105 degrees at Allentown, PA, and 107 degrees at La Guardia Airport in New York City established all-time records for those two locations. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
3 July 1995...The lowest temperature ever recorded in New Zealand was 6.9 degrees below zero at Ophir, New Zealand. (The Weather Doctor)
4 July 1911...The northeastern U.S. experienced sweltering 100-degree heat. The temperature soared to 105 degrees at Vernon, VT and North Bridgton, ME, and to 106 degrees at Nashua, NH, to establish all-time records for those three states. Afternoon highs of 104 degrees at Boston, MA, 104 at Albany, NY, and 103 at Portland, ME, were all-time records for those three cities. (The Weather Channel)
4 July 1956...A world record for the most rain in one minute was set at Unionville, MD with a downpour of 1.23 inches. (The Weather Channel) (The National Severe Storms Forecast Center)
4 July 1989...Independence Day was "hot as a firecracker" across parts of the country. Nineteen cities, mostly in the north central U.S., reported record high temperatures for the date, including Williston, ND with a reading of 107 degrees. In the southwestern U.S., highs of 93 at Alamosa, CO, 114 at Tucson, AZ, and 118 at Phoenix, AZ, equaled all-time records for those locations. (The National Weather Summary)
4 July 2007...The temperature at St. George, UT hit an unofficial temperature reading of 118 degrees, which would have topped the state's all-time record of 117 degrees, set in St. George in 1985. (The Weather Doctor)
5 July 1925...An immense hailstone weighing 227 grams (0.5 lb) fell at Plumstead in London, England, the heaviest hailstone ever recorded in the United Kingdom. (The Weather Doctor)
5 July 1936...The all-time state record high of 120 degrees was set at Gann Valley, SD. (Intellicast)
5 July 1937...The temperature at Medicine Lake, MT soared to 117 degrees to establish a state record. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
Midale and Yellow Grass in Saskatchewan hit 113 degrees to establish an all-time record high for Canada that same day. (The Weather Channel)
5 July 1985...The temperature at St. George, UT reached 117 degrees, setting a record high temperature for the Beehive State. (NCDC)
5 July 1986...The low temperature at Boise, ID dropped to a crisp 35 degrees, the coldest ever for the month. (Intellicast)
5 July 1988...Afternoon and evening thunderstorms spawned eleven tornadoes in Montana and three in North Dakota. Baseball size hail was reported at Shonkin, MT, and wind gusts to 85 mph were reported south of Fordville, ND. Twenty cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Fargo, ND with a reading of 106 degrees. Muskegon, MI equaled their July record with a high of 95 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
5 July 1989...Moisture from what once was Tropical Storm Allison triggered thunderstorms over the Middle Atlantic Coast Region, which deluged Wilmington, DE with a record 6.83 inches of rain in 24 hours, including 6.37 inches in just six hours. Up to ten inches of rain was reported at Claymont, northeast of Wilmington. July 1989 was thus the wettest month in seventy years for Wilmington, with a total of 12.63 inches of rain. Alamosa, CO reported an all-time record high of 94 degrees, and Pierre, SD hit 113 degrees. Denver, CO reached 101 degrees, topping 100 for the second straight day, only happened once before in 1972 (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
5 July 1993...Heavy rains deluged the Central Plains as one of the greatest floods in U.S. history began to unfold. Twenty-four hour totals included 5.90 inches at Columbia, IA, 5.15 inches at Centralia, KS and 4.80 inches at Haddam, KS. (Intellicast)

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