11-15 August 2008

• July weather extremes -- The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is complying a list of extreme weather events that have produced notable records of temperature and precipitation during the month of July 2008 across the nation in "Selected U.S. City and State Extremes for July 2008". Note that this site may be updated during the following several weeks as more data are received and analyzed.
• A review of the weather and climate of July 2008 -- Scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center recently announced that preliminary data would indicate the recently concluded month was warmer than the 20th century average across the coterminous United States and represented the 30th warmest July since the present nationwide climate network was established in 1895. Many of the Western States, along with the Northeastern States, had statewide July temperatures that ranged from above to much above average. However, those Midwestern States along the Ohio and Mid-Mississippi Valleys, along with New Mexico, reported below average statewide temperatures for the month. Precipitation across the "Lower 48" was slightly above the 20th century July average, with the Northeast, Midwest and southern Rockies experiencing above to much above average rainfall. The Gulf Coast States and a large section of the West had below to much below average monthly precipitation. [NOAA News]
• The Northwest Passage opens -- An image obtained from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite during early August shows open water in Canadian Archipelago that would form the southern route through the Northwest Passage. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Floods accompany Asian monsoon rains -- An image obtained from the data collected by NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite shows the rainfall anomaly (difference between actual and average rainfall totals) for a recent 31-day span across the south-facing slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, where torrential summer monsoon rains caused deadly flooding in Pakistan and neighboring countries of south Asia. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• African drought may be linked to warmer Indian Ocean -- Researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the University of California, Santa Barbara and the US Geological Survey have found from their analysis of data from surface weather stations and satellites along with output statistics from computer models that decreased rainfall across eastern and southern Africa during the last two decades can be linked to a warming of the Indian Ocean. [NASA GSFC]
• More extreme rainstorms foreseen -- Researchers at the University of Miami and the United Kingdom's University of Reading have concluded from their studies of satellite observations over the last two decades and climate model output statistics that the projected higher global temperatures could result in more intense precipitation events. [EurekAlert!]
• Response of ecosystems to climate considered -- Scientists attending last week's 93rd annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America described their research into how projected changes in temperature and precipitation could result in loss of habitat for animal and plant species. [EurekAlert!]
• Necessary improvements in climate forecasting detailed-- Researchers at Arizona State University announced that they have made a breakthrough in understanding the effect on climate change of carbonaceous aerosols, a key component of urban pollution, which would ultimately lead to more accurate forecasting of possible increases in global temperature. [EurekAlert!]
• South American glacier helps in study of global climate change -- An international group of scientists have been collecting and analyzing ice cores from glaciers in Patagonia so as to determine the response of these midlatitude South American glaciers to changes in climate. [EurekAlert!]
• Atlantic could be invaded by shellfish from Pacific - Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the California Academy of Sciences warn that the current warming of the Arctic Ocean could cause Pacific basin shellfish to invade the waters of the North Atlantic, for the first time in at least 3 million years. [EurekAlert!]
• Major marine biodiversity hotspots are studied -- A team of scientists from Australia, Spain, Holland, Malaysia, Panama, the United Kingdom and the United States recently published the results of their study of the evolution of marine diversity over the last 50 million years at several hot spots for biodiversity, including the Indo-Australian Archipelago. [EurekAlert!]
• 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]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• 11 August 1944...The temperature at Burlington, VT soared to an all-time record high of 101 degrees. (The Weather Channel)
• 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)
• 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)
• 15 August 1946...Saint Louis, MO was deluged with a record 8.78 inches of rain in 24 hours. (The Weather Channel)
• 15 August 1995...Apalachicola, FL soared to 103 degrees to set all-time high temperature. (Intellicast)
• 16 August 1909...A dry spell began in San Bernardino County of southern California that lasted until the 6th of May in 1912, a stretch of 994 days! Another dry spell, lasting 767 days, then began in October of 1912. (The Weather Channel)
• 17 August 1885...Amos, CA hit 130 degrees to set the unofficial August U.S. high temperature record. (Intellicast)

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Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2008, The American Meteorological Society.