WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

20-24 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

State of the Climate in 2014 report indicates record warm year -- During this past week NOAA scientists and their colleagues released a 288-page report entitled State of the Climate in 2014.
This peer-reviewed study compiled by 413 scientists from 58 countries was based upon their examination of trends in temperature and precipitation, extreme weather and climate events, increases in greenhouse gas concentrations and changes in the polar sea ice around the world in 2014. The report confirmed that 2014 was the warmest year since a reliable global weather observing network began in the mid-19th century, as greenhouse gas concentrations continued in the atmosphere. The study, which represents the 25th annual report by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly National Climatic Data Center), also is published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. [NOAA News] Two of the US authors were interviewed in a Q&A session by Deke Arndt of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Peak in the annual temperature curves -- This upcoming week is the fourth full week of July, which for many locations across the nation typically marks the warmest week of the year, as indicated by the daily normal high and low temperatures. Usually, those stations located away from the moderating influences of the oceans reach their highest temperatures during the third to fourth week of July, or a roughly one month after the summer solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere receives the most hours of daylight and the largest amounts of solar radiation. During July, temperatures continue to rise to their highest typical values as radiational heating continues. However, the length of daylight and the amount of sunshine during this month begin decrease and the normal daily temperatures will begin to fall toward their lowest levels in mid to late January.
Zenithal Sun -- Residents of Hawaii's Big Island will experience a noontime sun that would be directly overhead during this week (22-23 Jul). This occurrence of a zenithal sun is one of the two times during the year when the noontime sun is directly overhead to residents of Hilo and elsewhere on the Big Island. The other time when the Big Island experienced a zenithal sun was in mid May [US Naval Observatory, Data Services]

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

National weather and climate reviewed for June 2015 -- Scientists at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) (formerly National Climatic Data Center) recently reported on their analysis of preliminary weather data collected during the month of June 2014. They found:

The monthly temperature averaged across the coterminous United States for that month was 71.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 2.9 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th-century (1901-2000) June average. Consequently, this past June was the second warmest June since 1895 when comprehensive climate records became available nationwide. Only June 1933 had a higher nationwide temperature with a reading of 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit. A majority of the states experienced above to much above average June temperatures. California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington had record high June statewide temperatures in the 121 year period of record. In addition, Arizona, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming in the West along with Delaware, Florida, the Carolinas, Maryland and Virginia in the East had statewide temperatures that ranked in the highest ten temperature readings. On the other hand, several states in New England and around the Great Lakes reported below average statewide temperatures for June 2015. The maximum (or daytime) temperature for the 48 contiguous United States was 2.2 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century average, which was the 14th highest in 121 years, while the minimum (nighttime) temperature for the "Lower 48" was 3.4 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century average, which was the highest minimum June temperature on record.
The nationwide average precipitation for June 2014 was 3.53 inches, which was 0.60 inches above the 20th-century average, making that month the ninth wettest June in 121 years.
Many of the states running from the Southwest to the Midwest and the Northeast reported above to much above or even record high precipitation totals. In the Midwest, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio experienced their wettest June on record, while Pennsylvania had its second wettest June, with New York State and Maryland having their third wettest months. In the Southwest, Arizona had a June precipitation total that was the second highest since 1895. Conversely, states across the Northwest had below to much below average June precipitation, with Washington state having its third driest June on record and Oregon its ninth driest June in 121 years. Dry conditions were also found across the Southeast, with Alabama having their 30th driest June on record. [NOAA NCEI State of the Climate]
NOTE: A description is provided of the climatological rankings employed by NCDC for their monthly and seasonal maps. [NOAA/NCDC]

June national drought report -- The National Centers for Environmental Information has posted its June 2015 drought report online. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index, approximately 15 percent of the coterminous United States experienced severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of June, while 19 percent of the area had severely to extremely wet conditions.
Alaska experiencing a record setting wildfire season -- An image obtained from the MODIS sensor onboard NASA's Aqua satellite during this past week shows numerous active wildfires burning across sections of Alaska and widespread haze from the smoke produced by these fires. As of mid-July, over 4.8 million acres have burned across Alaska during the current year, which is on a pace for exceeding the totals set in state during the record year of 2004. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]
An animated sequence of images obtained from data collected by the Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS) onboard the NASA/NOAA satellite covering the first half of July shows the progression of smoke plumes around much of the Northern Hemisphere from the wildfires in Alaska and northwestern Canada. [NASA Earth Observatory]
According to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, May and June 2015 represent the 12th driest May-June interval in the statewide climate history that commenced in 1925. [NOAA NCEI Drought-June 2015]
Europe experiences a summer heat wave -- A wide section of Europe was experiencing record to near record high temperatures during the last week of June and the first week of July, with average temperatures over this span as much as 12 to 13 Fahrenheit degrees above the long term average according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. London's Heathrow Airport reported a record high temperature on 98 degrees Fahrenheit, which represents the highest July maximum temperature on record for the United Kingdom. The weather station in Kitzingen, Germany had a record high of 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which represents a new national record high temperature for Germany. An persistent atmospheric flow pattern that featured high pressure over Europe appears responsible for the heat wave. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
A land surface temperature anomaly map for Europe during this time span was generated from data collected by the MODIS sensor on NASA's Terra satellite. The temperature anomaly map represents the difference in the land surface temperature measured by the satellite sensor and the long-term average land temperatures. A global map from the MODIS sensor also shows that the heat wave was also apparent across western sections of North America, including the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Crowdsourcing project could improve historical record of tropical cyclones -- An ambitious, innovative crowdsourcing project called "Cyclone Center" is asking for the public's assistance in improving the historical record of tropical cyclones, which would eventually help improve the climatology of these hurricanes and tropical storms. The public is invited to look at some of the nearly 300,000 satellite images of tropical cyclones from 1978 through 2009 in the North Atlantic Ocean. The "Cyclone Center" was launched by scientists from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites along with the Citizen's Science Alliance with a mission to help interpret tropical cyclone cloud patterns on satellite images using a modified Dvorak technique to quantitatively estimate the intensity of the tropical system.[The Weather Channel Hurricane Center News]

CLIMATE FORCING

Clouds over Southern Ocean brightened by marine plankton -- Researchers from the University of Washington and the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report that tiny marine plankton drifting in the near surface waters of the Southern Ocean appear to be helping generate brighter clouds in the overlying atmosphere. The researchers speculate that the plankton produce airborne gases and organic matter that seed cloud droplets, which lead to brighter clouds that reflect more sunlight. [UW Today -- University of Washington News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

New Seasonal Climate Outlooks for late summer and early fall issued -- Near the end of last week, forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) released their new national Three-Month (Seasonal) Climate Outlooks new three-month seasonal national climate outlooks for August through October 2015, corresponding to the last month of the meteorological summer season (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the first two months of meteorological autumn. Specific details of their outlooks include:
- Temperature and precipitation outlooks -- According to their temperature outlook, the southern Rockies, the southern and central Plains and sections of the Midwest should experience a high chance of below average temperatures for these three upcoming months. This region would be centered on sections of New Mexico, west Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. In contrast, states along the West Coast and the Intermountain West, as well as along the Atlantic Seaboard were given a better than even chance for above average temperatures running through the end of October. The region with the highest probability for above average temperatures would be in the Northwest, especially in Washington State. The CPC outlook indicates that the remainder of the nation would have nearly equal chances of warmer or cooler than normal conditions.
  Their precipitation outlook calls for better than even chances of wet conditions for late summer and early autumn of 2015 across a large section of the nation running from the Southwest across the southern and central Rockies, the central Plains and into the mid-Mississippi Valley. The region with the highest probability for above average precipitation was centered on the Four Corners area (AZ, UT, CO and NM). On the other hand, sections of the Pacific Northwest, the northern Great Lakes and northern sections of New York State and New England were considered to have a good chance of a dry three month span. The rest of the 48 contiguous states should have equal chances of below and above average summer precipitation.
  A summary of the prognostic discussion of the 3-month outlook for non-technical users is available from CPC. These forecasts were based in part that current El Niño conditions continue to strengthen due to warming water in the equatorial Pacific, with an El Niño event expected to continue into early spring of 2016 (through at least March). A description is also provided as how to read these 3-class, 3-month Outlook maps.
- Seasonal Drought Outlook -- The forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center also released their US Seasonal Drought Outlook last week that would run from late-July through October 2015. Their outlook would call for persistence or development of drought conditions along the West Coast, the Intermountain West and the northern Rockies. This region would include essentially all of California, Nevada. Oregon, Washington and Idaho, along with sections of Utah and Montana. In addition, scattered sections of Alabama and the Carolinas in the interior Southeast could also find a continuation or development of drought conditions. However, sections of the Southwest centered upon Arizona and scattered coastal sections of the Southeast could experience some improvement in drought conditions, including their removal from drought conditions. Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence.
NOAA's ecological forecasts for 2015 summarized -- NOAA's National Ocean Service recently provided a summarization of the ecological forecasts that NOAA scientists and their colleagues from other agencies and academic research institutions made for 2015. These ecological forecasts included regional harmful algal bloom, dead zone, and coral bleaching outlooks for a variety of the nation's ecosystems along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. These forecast products involved the prediction of changes in ecosystems and their components as a response to some environmental driver such as climate variability, extreme weather events or pollution. [NOAA National Ocean Service News]

CLIMATE AND HUMAN HEALTH

Atmospheric sulfur dioxide remains a concern for asthmatics despite decreased emissions -- Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio claim that sulfur dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere still poses a problem for people with asthma despite a reduction in the amount of sulfur dioxide in the ambient air in the United States by more than 80 percent over the past 35 years. [University of Texas Medical Branch Newsroom]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Impacts of diminishing Arctic sea ice discussed -- During this past week the 6th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations was held in Washington, DC. This symposium, which was co-hosted by the US National Ice Center (NIC) and the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC), focused upon naval operations and strategic issues for the US and several other nations in an "ice-free Arctic." [NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

20 July 1965...The 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Show-Me State was set at Edgarton, MO as 18.18 inches of rain fell. (NCDC)
20 July 1989...Showers and thunderstorms in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region soaked Wilmington, DE with 2.28 inches of rain, pushing their total for the period May through July past the previous record of 22.43 inches. Heavy rain over that three-month period virtually wiped out a 16.82-inch deficit that had been building since drought conditions began in 1985. Thunderstorms in central Indiana deluged Lebanon with 6.50 inches of rain in twelve hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
20 July 1997...A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC)
20 July 1930...The temperature at Washington, DC soared to an all-time record of 106 degrees. The next day Millsboro reached 110 degrees to set a record for the state of Delaware. July 1930 was one of the hottest and driest summers in the U.S., particularly in the Missouri Valley where severe drought conditions developed. Toward the end of the month, state records were set for Kentucky with 114 degrees and Mississippi with 115 degrees. (David Ludlum)
20 July 1934...The temperature at Keokuk, IA soared to 118 degrees to establish an all-time record high temperature for the Hawkeye State. (The Weather Channel)
20 July 1965...The 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Show-Me State was set at Edgarton, MO as 18.18 inches of rain fell. (NCDC)
20 July 1997...A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC)
20 July 1986...The temperature at Charleston, SC hit 104 degrees for the second day in a row to tie their all-time record high. (The Weather Channel)
20 July 1988...The temperature at Redding, CA soared to an all-time record high of 118 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
20 July 1994...Seattle-Tacoma, WA sizzled at 100 degrees, the highest ever temperature recorded there. (Intellicast)
20 July 1997...A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC)
21 July 1911...The temperature at Painter, WY dipped to 10 degrees to equal the record low for July for the continental U.S. (The Weather Channel)
21 July 1930...The record high temperature for Delaware was set with 110 degrees at Millsboro. (Intellicast)
21 July 1934...The temperature reached 109 degrees at Cincinnati, OH to cap their hottest summer of record. The state record for Ohio was established that day with a reading of 113 degrees near the town of Gallipolis. (David Ludlum)
21 July 1983...The temperature at Vostok, Antarctic (elevation 11,220 ft) fell to 129 degrees below zero, establishing the all time lowest temperature ever recorded at a surface station on earth, as well as for the Antarctic continent. (NCDC)
21 July 1991...Windsor Locks, CT hit 101 degrees, the third day in a row with temperatures over 100 degrees. Providence RI reached 102 degrees, their second day of 100-degree readings, very rare for this location. (Intellicast)
22 July 1926...The temperature at Troy, NY reached 108 degrees to set a high temperature record for the Empire State. The record high temperature for Connecticut was set at Waterbury with 105 degrees; this record for the Nutmeg State was broken by one degree in July 1995 at the same city. (Intellicast)
22 July 1972...Fort Ripley, MN received 10.84 inches of rain, to establish a new 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Gopher State. (NCDC)
22 July 1987...Barrow, AK received 1.38 inches in 24 hours on the 21^st and 22^nd, an all-time record for that location. The previous record was the 1.00 inch water equivalent in a 15 inch all-time record snowfall of 26 October 1926. The average annual precipitation for Barrow is just 4.75 inches. (The National Weather Summary) (The Weather Channel) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
23 July 1923...Sheridan, WY was drenched with 4.41 inches of rain, an all-time 24-hour record for that location. (22^nd-23^rd) (The Weather Channel)
23 July 1987...Thunderstorms produced a record ten inches of rain in six and a half-hours at Minneapolis, MN, including 5.26 inches in two hours. Flash flooding claimed two lives and caused 21.3 million dollars damage. Streets in Minneapolis became rushing rivers, parking lots became lakes, and storm sewers spouted like geysers. A tornado hit Maple Grove, MN causing five million dollars damage. Baseball size hail was reported at Olivia, MN. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
24 July 1928...Wahluke, WA hit a high temperature of 118 degrees, which tied a record high for the state. In August 1961, this all time state record high was tied at Ice Harbor Dam. (Intellicast)
24 July 1936...Record high temperature for Kansas was tied at 121 degrees near Alton. The record high for Nebraska was also tied at Minden with 118 degrees.
24 July 1942...The temperature at Las Vegas, NV hit 117 degrees to set an all- time record for that location. (The Weather Channel)
24 July 1952...The temperature at Louisville, GA soared to 112 degrees to establish a state record. This record for the Peach State was tied in August 1983. (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
24-25 July 1979...Claudette, a weak tropical storm, deluged southeastern Texas with torrential rains. The Houston suburb of Alvin received 43.00 inches, a 24-hour precipitation record for not only the Lone Star State, but for the U.S. Freeport reported a total of 30 inches. Total damage from flooding was over $400 million. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum) (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
25 July 1979...Tropical Storm Claudette produced phenomenal rainfall totals in southeast Texas. Thirty to forty inches fell in 24 hours around Alvin. Freeport reported a total of 30 inches. Total damage from flooding was over $400 million. (Intellicast)
25 July 1987...Sixteen cities in the eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Beckley, WV equaled their all-time record high of 91 degrees, established just the previous day. It marked their fourth day in a row of 90-degree heat, after hitting 90 degrees just twice in the previous 25 years of records. The water temperature of Lake Erie at Buffalo, NY reached 79 degrees, the warmest reading in 52 years of records. (The National Weather Summary)
26 July 1943...Tishomingo, OK baked in the heat as the mercury soared to 121 degrees, a Sooner State record high temperature. (The Weather Channel)
26 July 1960...The temperature at Salt Lake City, UT hit 107 degrees, an all-time record high for that location. (The Weather Channel)

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