WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

7-11 August 2017

DataStreme Earth Climate System will return for Fall 2017 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 21 August 2017. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

A Nighttime Show -- The annual Perseid meteor shower should peak during the daytime hours of Saturday (12 August 2017), but the meteor shower should be able to be seen Friday and Saturday nights. The Perseids, which are associated with the some bits of Comet Swift-Tuttle, are noted for being fast and bright, and often leave persistent trains. Typically, the Perseids are usually very active for several days before and after the peaks, often producing 30 to 60 meteors per hour. This year, approximately 150 meteors per hour are anticipated. However, with a waning gibbous moon (last quarter on Monday, 14 August) rising before midnight local time, illumination from the moon should interfere with viewing the Perseids. If the skies are clear in your area, go to a region that has few lights and look up and to the northeast during the early morning hours. [NASA]
Map displays record highest temperatures for stations across the nation -- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has produced an interactive map that shows the highest daytime high temperatures recorded at several thousand current weather observing stations across the nation. Clicking on a color-coded dot on the map shows that all-time record high temperature at the station, along with the date of occurrence and the station's period of record. NOTES: Displayed data are for currently active stations and may not include the highest temperature for a city that may have been recorded at another earlier station. Attention should be directed to the discussion to the left of the map concerning the influences of topography and proximity to oceans and the Great Lakes. Temperature data for weather stations for Alaska and Hawaii can be viewed by dragging the cursor to the left and up, causing the map to be shifted toward the west and north. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Monitoring weather changes during a total solar eclipse across Southeast in 1900 -- With the "Great North American Eclipse" set to occur in the next two weeks (21 August 2017), NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information has posted an interesting feature that describes the efforts made by teams of scientists and volunteers to document a variety of atmospheric conditions during a total solar eclipse on 28 May 1900 that produced a shadow track across the Southeastern States, running from New Orleans, LA to Norfolk, VA. Scientists from the US Weather Bureau (USWB), the predecessor to today's National Weather Service, traveled to Newberry, SC to conduct an in-depth meteorological study of the event. In addition, 62 USWB stations across the region made 25 sets of observations before, during and after the eclipse. A report made after the event indicated that the passage of the lunar shadow caused a temperature drop of as much as 3.5 Fahrenheit degrees in the total shadow, a slight drop in near-surface wind speed and only slight changes in barometric pressure. "Shadow bands" or alternating light and dark lines of shadows surrounding the eclipse were also studied. [NOAA NCEI News]
Editor's notes: NASA and the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) Program are encouraging the public to make observations of the atmosphere on the day of the total solar eclipse as the eclipse path passes from west to east across the nation. The public is invited to make observations of the clouds (type and amount of cover) and air temperature and then post their results using a special GLOBE Observer app. [Globe Observer]
The National Weather Service has an informative webpage entitled "2017 Total Solar Eclipse" http://www.weather.gov/source/crh/eclipse.html that contains an interactive map allowing the user to obtain up to seven-day weather forecasts along the eclipse path (beginning on 15 August). One final note: Follow the recommended eclipse viewing safety rules provided on the NOAA and NASA websites to protect your eyes from potential damage. EJH
Historical clues about past climates can be found in "world weather libraries" -- A recent article describes how daily weather observations archived at three major data centers around the world serve as "world weather libraries" that can provide interested users with much information about past climates. These three World Data Centers for Climate are found in Asheville, NC; Hamburg, Germany; and Obninsk, Russia. The article also has an interview with Deke Arndt, the Chief of the Climate Monitoring Branch at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, NC. [Newsworks]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

Atlantic hurricane season outlook is updated -- As the month of August started at the beginning of last week, the team of hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University led by Dr. Philip Klotzbach issued its updated August forecast for the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Their "Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and Landfall Strike Probability for 2017" continues to call for above-average Atlantic hurricane activity through the remainder of the season. In addition, the forecasters indicate that the probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean would be above-average, a consequence of their forecast for an above-average season. The forecasters foresee that ENSO-neutral conditions should persist, while most of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic would remain anomalously warm.
The forecasters anticipate eleven additional named tropical cyclones (maximum sustained surface winds of 39 mph or higher) could form after the end of July. Five named tropical cyclones (Tropical Storms Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don and Emily) formed across the basin between April and July. Consequently, a total of 16 named tropical cyclones are now forecast for the entire 2017 season. Eight of these systems could become hurricanes (maximum sustained surface winds greater than 73 mph) in the Atlantic basin. The forecasters also anticipated three major hurricanes (category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, with winds of at least 111 mph). Furthermore, they also anticipate a 62 percent probability of at least one major hurricane making a landfall along the coast of the continental United States. [The Tropical Meteorology Project]
Canadian national seasonal outlook issued -- Forecasters with Environment Canada issued their outlooks for temperature and precipitation across Canada for August, September and October 2017, which represents the last month of meteorological summer and the first two months of autumn. The temperature outlook indicates that essentially all of Canada should experience above normal (1981-2010) summer-early fall temperatures. Only a few scattered areas across northeastern and northwestern Canada could have normal to below normal late summer-early fall temperatures.
The Canadian precipitation outlook for late summer and early autumn 2015 indicates that many locations should experience near-average precipitation. However, several scattered sections of the Prairie Provinces and the east-facing slopes of the southern Canadian Rockies could have below average precipitation. Below average precipitation for the next three months could occur in the Canadian Maritimes. On the other hand, scattered sections across northern Canada that include the Northwest and Nunavut Territories and the Canadian Archipelago could have above normal precipitation for these upcoming three months.
Note for comparisons and continuity with the three-month seasonal outlooks of temperature and precipitation generated for the continental United States and Alaska by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, one would need to use Environment Canada's probabilistic forecasts for temperature and precipitation.]
NOAA' global forecast modeling effort takes another step -- NOAA Research is currently developing its next generation global weather prediction system using the "Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere dynamical core (FV3)" as its centerpiece to replace the National Weather Service's (NWS) U.S. Global Forecast System (GFS). The dynamical core uses equations describing movement of key properties such as water in the atmosphere and translates them into computer-solvable language. The FV3, which was initially developed at NOAA Research's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory to power climate models, is expected to resolve the path of storm systems on the scale of counties, resulting in a more detailed global weather prediction model. The new global weather prediction model is scheduled to become operational in late 2019. [NOAA NWS News]
Rising temperatures may limit aircraft takeoff operations around the globe -- Researchers at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory report that increasing global temperatures since 1980 have been responsible for limiting aircraft takeoff operations at many airports around the world. Their report indicates that 10 to 30 percent of fully loaded planes may have to remove some fuel, cargo or passengers when attempting takeoffs during the hottest times of the day, or else wait until times of the day with lower temperatures. Increased temperatures reduce atmospheric density and the needed lift for an aircraft, especially at tropical or high elevation airports. The researchers warn that anticipated increases in temperature and heat waves could further limit aircraft takeoffs. [Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

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

Historical Events:

7 August 1918...Philadelphia, PA established an all-time record with a high of 106 degrees. New York City experienced its warmest day and night with a low of 82 degrees and a high of 102 degrees. Afternoon highs of 108 degrees at Flemington, NJ and Somerville, NJ established state records for the month of August. (The Weather Channel) (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
7 August 1949...The hottest day on record for Winnipeg, Manitoba occurred when the temperature reached 105 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
7 August 1969...Cuba's hottest day on record when the temperature reached 101.5 degrees at Guantánamo, Cuba. (The Weather Doctor)
7 August 1983...The temperature at Thunder Bay, Ontario reached an all-time record high of 104 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
7-8 August 1995...Lockington Dam, OH recorded 10.75 inches of rain, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Buckeye State. (NCDC)
7 August 2004...Iceland's hottest August day on record as the temperature at Skaftafell, Iceland reached 84.4 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
8 August 1878...The temperature at Denver, CO soars to an all-time record high of 105 degrees. (The Weather Channel)
8 August 1983...The temperature at Big Horn Basin, WY reached 115 degrees to establish a state record for the Cowboy State. (The Weather Channel)
9 August 1930...The temperature reached 113 degrees at Perryville, TN to establish an all-time maximum temperature record for the Volunteer State. (NCDC) (Intellicast)
9 August 1960...Vancouver (British Columbia) International Airport's hottest day on record as the mercury hit 91.4 degrees (The Weather Doctor)
9 August 2003...The Bavarian city of Roth, Germany had a temperature that hit 105 degrees, a new national record. (The Weather Doctor) The temperature reached 100.2 degrees in London, England, which was an all-time record for England. (National Weather Service files)
10 August 1898...The temperature at Pendleton, OR climbed all the way to 119 degrees to tie the state record set two weeks previously at Prineville. (The Weather Channel)
10 August 1936...The temperature soared to 114 degrees at Plain Dealing, LA, and reached 120 degrees at Ozark, AR, to establish record highs for those two states. (The Weather Channel)
10 August 1988... The temperature reached 102 degrees at Ely, NV breaking the all-time record there. (Intellicast)
10 August 2003...A heat wave continued across the British Isles. At Gravesend in southern England, a new national heat record was set as the mercury soared to 100.58 degrees. The heat forced rail service officials across Britain to limit train speeds to 60 mph because of fears the tracks could buckle. Londoners experience their hottest recorded day in the London's history when the temperature hit 100.22 degrees Fahrenheit, which was the first ever time that the temperature went over 100 degrees at Heathrow Airport. (The Weather Doctor)
11 August 1812...A volunteer weather observer began taking daily weather observations at New Bedford, MA. Observations continued to be taken by subsequent generations and continued until 31 May 2002, making it the longest continuous weather record taken by public weather observers for any one U.S. location. (National Weather Service files)
11 August 1914...The temperature at Northwest River, Labrador soared to an all-time Labrador record high of 107 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
11 August 1933...The unofficial shade temperature at San Luis, Mexico reached 58 degrees Celsius (136.4 degrees Fahrenheit), for share of the world record with Aziziyah, Libya. (The Weather Doctor)
11 August 1944...The temperature at Burlington, VT soared to an all-time record high of 101 degrees. (The Weather Channel)
11 August 2003...The temperature at Turin, Italy hit 107 degrees, marking the hottest day in over the 250 years that temperature readings have been recorded. (The Weather Doctor)
11 August 2004...The temperature at Reykjavík, Iceland reached 76.6 degrees, the hottest day ever recorded in the city where record have been kept since the 19th century. (The Weather Doctor)
11 August 2007...Dutch Harbor/Unalaska Airport, AK set its all-time high temperature with a reading of 81 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
12 August 1891...An 80-minute deluge, possibly related to a tropical storm system, pelted Vampo, CA with between 11.5 and 11.8 inches of rain. The observer measured, then emptied the rain gauge several times as it filled. No other U.S. storm has come close to producing this much precipitation in an 80-minute span. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
12 August 1933...The temperature at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, CA hit 127 degrees to establish the officially recognized U.S. record for the month of August. (The Weather Channel)
12 August 1936...The temperature at Seymour, TX hit 120 degrees to establish a state record. This Lone Star State record was later tied in June 1994. (The Weather Channel)
12 August 1985...With the span of two hours, 17.32 inches of rain fell at Gajo, Gansu, China, marking a worldwide record rainfall event for such a length of time. (NWS)
12 August 2001...The temperature at Osoyoos, British Columbia: rocketed to an all-time August record high for the province of 107 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
13 August 1991...The first rainfall recorded on this date in Stockton, CA since weather records began in 1906, when 0.05 inches of rain fell. (The Weather Doctor)
13-14 August 1987...Slow-moving thunderstorms deluged northern and western suburbs of Chicago, IL with torrential rains. O'Hare Airport reported 9.35 inches in 18 hours, easily exceeding the previous 24-hour record of 6.24 inches. The airport was closed due to extensive flooding, the first time ever for a non-winter event. Flooding over a five-day period resulted in 221 million dollars damage. It was Chicago's worst flash flood event, particularly for northern and western sections of the city. Kennedy Expressway became a footpath for thousands of travelers to O'Hare Airport as roads were closed. The heavy rains swelled the Des Plaines River above flood stage, and many persons had to be rescued from stalled vehicles on flooded roads. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)

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