WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

27 June- 1 July 2016

DataStreme Earth Climate System will return for Fall 2016 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 22 August 2016. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Welcome -- to the weather, climate and ocean educators attending the 2016 AMS DataStreme LIT Leader Summer Training Workshop that is being held in Gulfport, MS from 28 June to 2 July 2016.
Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2016 Campaign resumes -- The seventh in a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2016 will commence on Monday (27 June) and continue through 6 July. GLOBE at Night is a worldwide, hands-on science and education program designed to encourage citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of their night sky by matching the appearance of a constellation (Hercules in the Northern Hemisphere and Scropius in the Southern Hemisphere) with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The next series in the 2016 campaign is scheduled for 28 July-6 August 2016. [GLOBE at Night]
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 2016 will occur at midnight local standard time on Saturday, 2 July 2016.
"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)
"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] Note: For comparison, a corresponding national map is available that shows the "Coldest Day of the Year" based upon the occurrence of the lowest daily minimum temperatures over the 1981-2010 climatological normals interval. [NOAA Climate.gov News]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Mid-June heat wave scorches the American Southwest -- During the second and third weeks of June 2016, an atmospheric circulation regime became established over a large section of the North American continent that resulted in many locations in the Southwestern US reporting record or near-record high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Some locations not only set high temperature records for the June, but reached readings that rank within the top five all-time for their respective locations. Consequently, June 2016 is expected to rank historically very high if not record-setting with respect to temperature at many of these locations. With some locations in Arizona reaching above 110 degrees between 18-22 June, conditions became life-threatening, as evident by the deaths of four hikers in Arizona due to the heat. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Unusual weather pattern responsible for recent floods in western Europe described -- A somewhat unusual weather event that became stationary over Europe was responsible for the record rainfall across sections of France and Germany beginning in late May and continuing into June. This event is called a "cut-off" low pressure system in which the column of cold air extending upward through the troposphere became detached from the typical west to east flow of the atmosphere, which resulted in a stalled low pressure area accompanied by a persistent pattern of clouds and rain across a wide area of Europe. Some scientists are linking these unusual weather patterns that brought persistent heavy rains to climate change signals. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Demise of the recent El Niño event is chronicled -- An ENSO blog was written by a NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) researcher describes the life cycle the 2015-16 El Niño event, detailing its recent demise, which the writer called the "discharging" period as warm surface waters in the equatorial waters of the Pacific travel poleward. A block diagram showing the waters of the Pacific in three-dimensions is animated to demonstrate the cooling of the subsurface ocean and then the near surface waters over a several month span as the El Niño event ends. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Track historical hurricanes using a map viewer -- An interactive website is available to emergency managers and the public that permits tracking the development and movement of more than 6000 tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, extending back to 1851 in the Atlantic basin using a Geographic Information System (GIS) map viewer. [NOAA Climate.gov Maps] or [NOAA National Ocean Service]
Improvements being made to estimating Earth's planetary energy budget -- A team of researchers with NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, the University of Hawaii's Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research and NASA's Langley Research Center have found that a strong agreement in between two independent measurement schemes of the Earth's energy imbalance made by the Argo Profiling Floats and the CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) satellite. The former method is an in-situ measurement of the near-surface ocean heating rates and the latter technique involves monitoring of the "top of the atmosphere" annual energy flux. The Earth's annual energy imbalance, which amounts to approximately 0.7 Watts per square meter, is a consequence of planet Earth gaining energy due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases and to the large thermal inertia of the oceans. [NOAA Climate Office News]
Monitoring global sea level for climate change -- A feature article was written for NOAA's Climate.gov News that describes the observed changes in global sea level that have taken place over the last century, with rises in sea level becoming more rapid in more recent decades because of a combination of melting glaciers and ice sheets, and thermal expansion of seawater as it warms. An interactive graph of observed sea level change from 1880 to 2016 has been produced that permits the reader to display different parts of the graph. Attention in this article is also directed to how these measurements have been made over the last 130 years, why the rise in global sea level is important and why the rise has been the result of a changing climate. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Monetary grants awarded for ocean observing -- NOAA's US Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) has recently awarded over $31 million in grants to support ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observing efforts throughout the United States, Caribbean and Pacific. Five-year cooperative agreements have been made with a variety of federal and local agencies for eleven projects, with the focus on increasing the availability and accessibility of data, and on maintaining and expanding the ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing capabilities throughout the country. [NOAA News]
NOAA's first space weather satellite cleared to go operational -- After months of tests involving instrument validation, NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) will become operational on 27 July, making it NOAA's first space weather satellite in its role of monitoring potentially damaging space weather storms approaching Earth. DSCOVR, which was launched in February 2015, will replace NASA's aging research satellite, the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). DSCOVR is in an orbit one million miles from Earth, positioned at the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L1) where the gravitational influence of the Sun and the Earth are in equilibrium. Sensors onboard DSCOVR include the Faraday Cup plasma sensor, which measures the speed, density and temperature of the solar wind, and a magnetometer, which measures the strength and direction of the solar wind magnetic field. Together, the instruments will provide forecasters at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) necessary information to issue geomagnetic storm warnings. [NOAA News]

CLIMATE FORCING

Examining the influence of North Atlantic Oscillation on global weather -- A scientist with NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Dr. Tom Delworth, was recently interviewed on the research he and colleagues conducted involving the examination of how the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) modifies the ocean currents in the North Atlantic Ocean and the role that the NAO has upon affecting the weather, including melting Arctic sea ice and affecting the formation of tropical cyclones (especially hurricanes) in the tropical regions of this ocean basin. Apparently, the NAO can drive multidecadal climate variability in the basin through its influence on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). A positive phase of the NAO results in stronger westerly winds that extract heat from the Labrador Sea and subpolar gyre, reducing Arctic sea ice and warming the Northern Hemisphere, which could result in more tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. [NOAA Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research News]
Satellite measures methane leaks from California storage facility -- Data collected by the Hyperion spectrometer on NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite were used to measure the quantity of methane gas that was leaking from a large underground storage facility in California on three separate orbital overpasses last winter. These findings were confirmed by NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) that was flown on a NASA ER-2 aircraft. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Methane emissions appear stable as Alaska warms -- Researchers from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, NOAA, NASA and other university partners recently reported on their analysis of a nearly 29-year continuous record of air samples collected at NOAA's Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory on Alaska's North Slope. The team supplemented these continuous Barrow measurements with those made by a five-year, NASA-led airborne campaign known as CARVE (Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment). Their analysis shows relatively small change in long-term concentrations of atmospheric methane despite significant Arctic warming over that corresponding time span. However, they did see a seasonal variation, with increased atmospheric methane in in late fall and winter. Interestingly, the warming of Alaska's Arctic is causing a melting of the permafrost that contains large quantities of carbon. Apparently, the methane produced by the melting of the permafrost is being consumed by bacteria, leading to little net change in methane gas concentrations. [NOAA News]

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

Increased bleaching of US coral reefs in Pacific as ocean water temperatures rise -- A recently released NOAA Coral Reef Watch reveals that a 90 percent chance of widespread coral bleaching should occur in the Pacific Island nations of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia with the anticipated transition into a La Niña event in the next several months. La Niña conditions can create relatively high ocean temperatures in the western Pacific. Currently, NOAA forecasters are predicting a 75 percent chance of La Niña development before the end of this year. Officials with the NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program also report that a global coral bleaching event, which began in 2014 is ongoing. Global warming, coupled with an intense El Niño, continues to make this current coral bleaching event the longest and most widespread on record. Since its onset, all U.S. coral reefs have experienced above normal temperatures and more than 70 percent of them have been exposed to the prolonged high temperatures that can cause bleaching. [NOAA News]

CLIMATE AND HUMAN HEALTH

Two strategies could be used to limit number of heat-related deaths due to climate change -- Health care researchers at Columbia University examined the anticipated change in the frequency of heat waves in the New Your City metropolitan area by the year 2080 due to projected global climate change and found that as many as 3331 people could die annually from exposure to heat during the summer months in New York City. The researchers based their projections upon a new model that accounts for variability in future population size, greenhouse gas trajectories, and the extent to which residents adapt to heat through interventions such as the use of air conditioning and public cooling centers. Furthermore, the scientists found two potential ways for limiting the number of heat-related deaths, which would involve cutting fossil fuel emissions and improving adaptation efforts, including efforts to reduce the urban heat-island effect. [Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com]

Historical Events:

27 June 1915...The temperature at Fort Yukon, AK soared to 100 degrees to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel)
27 June 1988...The afternoon high of 107 degrees at Bismarck, ND was a record for the month of June, and Pensacola, FL equaled their June record with a reading of 101 degrees. Temperatures in the Great Lakes Region and the Ohio Valley dipped into the 40s. (The National Weather Summary)
27 June 1994...The temperature reached 122 degrees at the Waste Isolation Treatment Plant east of Carlsbad, NM to set the state high temperature record for New Mexico. In Oklahoma, the temperature at the mesonet station near Tipton reached 120 degrees, setting an all-time record for the Sooner State. (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
28 June 1892...The temperature at Orogrande, UT soared to 116 degrees to establish a record for the Beehive State. This record was broken by one degree in July 1985. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders)
28 June 1954...The temperature at Camden, SC reached 111 degrees to establish an all-time high temperature record for the Palmetto State. (NCDC)
28 June 1960...The maximum 24-hour precipitation record for the Bluegrass State was established at Dunmor, KY when 10.40 inches fell. (NCDC)
28 June 1976...Temperature reached 96 degrees in Southampton, England's Mayflower Park for the highest temperature ever in June in England. (The Weather Doctor)
28 June 1980...The temperature at Wichita Falls, TX soared to 117 degrees, their highest reading of record. Daily highs were 110 degrees or above between the 24^th of June and the 3^rd of July. (The Weather Channel)
28 June 1994...Laughlin, NV reached 125 degrees, the state's all-time record high temperature. (Intellicast) The temperature at Monahans, TX reached 120 degrees to set a new high temperature record for the Lone Star State. (NCDC)
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)
30 June 1999...Mount Baker, Washington closed out a record snowfall season both for the United States and the verifiable world record as the seasonal total from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999 finished with 1,140 inches. (National Weather Service files)
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 1931...The summer flood along the Yangtze River during July and August 1931 was the most severe in history, with over 51 million Chinese affected. 3.7 million people perished from this greatest disaster of the century due to disease, starvation or drowning. This flood was preceded by a prolonged drought in China during the 1928-1930 period. (National Weather Service files)
1 July 1979...Nearly half a foot (5.8 inches) of snow fell 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)

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