Dear Diary. The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track global extreme or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😉
Main Topic: Temperatures Sizzle As Drought Remains Anchored Over The West
Dear Diary. With each passing day it’s becoming more apparent that most of the nation’s summer heat problems, exacerbated by carbon pollution, will occur in the West. Some extreme heat, from time to time, will spill eastward of the Continental Divide, but due to the ongoing megadrought, the worst effects will be in the West.
This will especially be true once the fire season gets rolling later this summer as all of us in the weather and climate world watch with fear.
I’ve started to post notes on the first heat wave of the season, which has gotten up to my CAT 2 status:
Large mainstream newspapers are beginning to pick up on this dire situation. For today’s main subject here is a New York Times summary:
Western States Sizzle Under Triple-Digit Temperatures
Temperatures in parts of California could reach well above 100 on Wednesday, and areas across Nevada and Washington State will continue to see sweltering conditions.
Lake Oroville, Calif., on Tuesday. A heat wave in the West this week comes as a severe drought has ravaged the region. Credit…Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
By Derrick Bryson Taylor June 1, 2021
Dangerously hot conditions and triple-digit temperatures are forecast for the Western United States this week, leading to a wave of excessive-heat warnings and heat advisories from Central California and Nevada up to Washington.
Temperatures were forecast to hit 107 on Wednesday in the San Joaquin Valley in the center of California, according to the National Weather Service. While temperatures in Fresno were 16 to 18 degrees above normal for this time of year, they fell short of breaking records. The high temperature in Fresno on Tuesday was 104 and was forecast to reach similar heights on Wednesday.
In Redding, in Northern California, temperatures reached 107 on Tuesday, a day after peaking at 109 and breaking the previous record of 103 set in 2016, meteorologists said. An excessive-heat warning will remain in place over portions of the valley and foothills through Thursday with highs around 100 to 105.
In Nevada, Las Vegas saw its first 100-degree day of the year on Monday, followed by another triple-digit day — 103 — on Tuesday. It’s forecast to hit 105 on Wednesday and 106 on Thursday. Areas around the city and just across the California state line in Death Valley will be under an excessive heat warning through Friday night, the Weather Service said. Temperatures may climb up to 119 in Death Valley.
An expanded heat advisory is also in effect through Thursday night for the central and southeastern portion of Washington, the Weather Service said. High temperatures could reach the upper 90s or lower 100s. Similar sweltering conditions are forecast for portions of Oregon, where temperatures could reach 105.
Seattle reached a high of 86 degrees on Tuesday, falling short of the 94-degree daily record. However, the city has reached the mid-80s on June 1 only four percent of the time over the past 75 years.
Hot weather is also forecast for Montana over Wednesday and Thursday with high temperatures climbing into the upper 80s and upper 90s. High temperatures could reach 15 to 25 degrees above normal, meteorologists said.
Warmer-than-average temperatures have been the trend in recent memory. Last year tied 2016 as the hottest year on record, according to European climate researchers. To complicate matters, a severe drought is ravaging the entire western half of the United States, from the Pacific Coast, across the Great Basin and desert Southwest, and up through the Rockies to the Northern Plains.
Meteorologists have advised residents to stay hydrated, wear light clothing when outside, limit outdoor exposure and be mindful of any signs of heat related-illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Older adults and children are the most vulnerable, the Weather Service said.
A recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change suggested that more than a third of heat-related deaths in many parts of the world can be attributed to the extra warming associated with climate change. The research found that heat-related deaths in warm seasons were boosted by climate change by an average of 37 percent, in a range of a 20 to 76 percent increase.
Claire Fahy contributed reporting.
Here is some May 2021 climatology:
Here are some “ET’s” from Thursday:
Here is more climate and weather news from Thursday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)
Now here are some of today’s articles and notes on the horrid COVID-19 pandemic:
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Guy Walton “The Climate Guy”