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In the wake of the unprecedented rainstorms across central China, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated on Thursday as officials raised the death toll to 33 for the Henan province, according to Reuters. Entire blocks of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, are still submerged after “once in 5,000 years” rainstorms from Sunday to Tuesday devastated the metro area and other surrounding areas. Zhengzhou received eight months of rain within 24 hours earlier this week which triggered flash floods. State broadcaster CCTV said Thursday the death toll stands at 33, with eight people missing across Henan. So far,...

A remarkable situation is evident right now. Fires over the western U.S. are producing a dense veil of smoke that moved across the continent and then descended over the East Coast. And there is a great irony in all this: most of the West Coast has excellent air quality while the air is unhealthy over the northeast U.S. To illustrate this strange situation, here is the latest AIRNOW air quality map showing the air quality based on PM2.5, small particles that can move deep into your lungs. ( I want to acknowledge UW Bothell professor Dan Jaffe, who brought this...

Extremely heavy rains hit the capital of China's Henan Province - Zhengzhou (population 10.3 million) on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, causing massive floods. This was the third and the strongest day of heavy rainfall in the province. Zhengzhou received average precipitation of 457.5 mm (18 inches) within 24 hours to 17:00 LT on July 20, making it the highest daily rainfall since the weather records in the city began. The city has also reported record-high hourly precipitation of 201.9 mm (7.9 inches) between 16:00 and 17:00 LT (08:00 - 09:00 UTC). The accumulated rainfall reached 449 mm (17.6 inches) on...

The world is burning like hell! Oregon wildfire becomes Megafire and biggest in the US after burning over 200,000 acres, while more than 60 wildfires are burning in 10 states on the US West Coast. In the meantime, flames are tearing across 800,000 hectares of forest, and the hardest-hit region of Yakutia in the north has been in a state of emergency for weeks… Terrible! Siberian inferno Russia’s army has sent water-bombing planes to support 2,600 firefighters battling huge wildfires in Siberia. Flames are tearing across 800,000 hectares of forest, and the hardest-hit region of Yakutia in the north has...

More than 150 people across Europe have been killed and more than 600 injured after record-breaking rains caused catastrophic flooding on July 14 and 15, 2021. German authorities said more than 1 000 people are still unaccounted for. The worst affected were Germany and Belgium, followed by France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In western Germany alone, the worst-affected region, more than 130 people have been killed after extremely heavy rains caused rivers to burst their banks, destroying roads, bridges, and homes. Numerous mudslides have contributed to the disaster which happened at an astonishing speed. According to DW, more than...

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency because of hot, dry conditions that have plagued the region and water supply. Citing recent record temperature that killed at least 91 people in the state, increased wildfire activity and drought, Inslee called it “the summer of climate change.” “This is not political hyperbole,” Inslee said. “It is a scientific consensus that is jarring the life of every Washingtonian in some way.” A drought emergency declaration is issued when water supply is projected to be below 75% of average, and poses a hardship to water users and the environment. The declaration...

At least 1,300 people are still unaccounted for Friday after flash floods in western Germany and Belgium left more than 100 dead and several towns devastated. Rescue efforts continue for the second day as the true extent of this tragedy is only being revealed as floodwaters recede. According to CNN, 103 people have died in Germany following torrential rainfalls that swept through the country on Wednesday and Thursday. So far, authorities are saying that 1,300 people are missing and the Europe-wide death toll is 117. The death toll in Rhineland-Palatinate, a southwest German state bordered by France, Belgium, and Luxembourg,...

In another sign, the megadrought is wreaking havoc across the Western half of the US. There are multiple portions of the Mississippi River that are nearing record low water levels that may inhibit commercial or private vessels from traversing the critical waterway. The stretch of the Mississippi River at St. Paul, Minnesota, is around 3.2 feet Wednesday. That’s about six inches from the record low of 2.6 feet set in 1976. A camera on the Wabasha Street Bridge that spans the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul shows the receding waterline.Downstream, the Mississippi River at Red Wing is also near...

Researchers from Colorado State University boosted their prediction for named tropical storms in the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season in a revised forecast issued last Thursday. Colorado State meteorologists predicted 20 named storms, up from 17 in their forecast issued in April. The forecasters also increased the number of expected hurricanes to nine from eight. Colorado State continues to expect four major hurricanes. The total number of forecast named storms includes the five named storms so far in 2021. The season’s first hurricane, Elsa came ashore on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday. “Elsa’s development and intensification into a hurricane...

We outlined Tuesday that multiple heat waves would plague the Western half of the US. The first round struck early in the week and lasted through mid-week, and the second is just beginning. The worst of the second wave is expected to affect upwards of 28 million people from California to Washington State. Excessive heat warnings have already been posted for California, Nevada, western Arizona, and western Utah. Watches have also been posted for interior portions of Oregon and southern Idaho. Large swaths of the West could experience temperatures 20 or more degrees above average. Below is a temperature anomalies...

How much does climate change* actually affect GDP? How much will currently-envisioned climate policies reduce that damage, and thereby raise GDP? As we prepare to spend trillions and trillions of dollars on climate change, this certainly seems like the important question that economists should have good answers for. I'm looking in to what anyone actually knows about these questions. The answer is surprisingly little, and it seems a ripe area for research. This post begins a series. I haven't gotten deep in this issue before, because of a set of overriding facts and logical problems. I don't see how these...

At least 50 million Americans are under flash flood watch Friday morning as Tropical Storm Elsa traverses the East Coast, unleashing torrential rains and tropical force winds. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), as of 0500 ET, Elsa was about 5 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey. As Elsa moves near Long Island and southern and coastal New England today, heavy rainfall could lead to considerable flash and urban flooding. Tropical storm conditions should continue along portions of the mid-Atlantic coast early this morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the southern New England states and...

Oregon is reported 107 deaths as a result of the extreme heat wave that recently the Northwest. Temperatures in the state on June 28 climbed to a record-breaking 116 degrees. In what Oregon officials are calling a "mass casualty event," 67 of the deaths were reported in Multnomah County, which includes Portland. Forty of the deaths have been ruled hyperthermia, which is when the body overheats. The extreme heat continued into the July Fourth weekend. The high in Portland on Thursday was about 79 degree. Some of the deaths were the result of people not having access to fans or...

A huge explosion has been seen off the coast of Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea, sending plumes of black smoke and flames into the sky. The blast, which erupted in an area full of oil and gas fields on Sunday, was caused by a mud volcano. None of the energy stations were damaged and no-one was hurt, it added. The blast took place about 10km (6 miles) from the Umid gas field, which is 75km (45 miles) off the coast of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, state oil company Socar spokesperson Ibrahim Ahmadoc said. The fire continued to smoulder into Monday, but...

A severe thunderstorm buried the Mexican municipalities of Naucalpan, Atizapán de Zaragoza, Tlalnepantla and Huixquilucan, in more than 1 foot (60 cms) of hail and transforming streets into raging rivers. The storm started around 6:20 p.m. and lasted for approximately 20 minutes. Apocalyptic, no? During the storms, a man died of hyperthermia after being trapped in his car. There are no reports of bad injuries. More than 30 houses, an hospital and a governmental office have been flooded as streets became raging rivers. Meanwhile, more than 300 government workers have been deployed to help residents.

Floods hit 27 provinces and territories in China, leaving only 7 untouched, for now. A total of 17 large rivers are above the alarm level. Is the Three Gorges Dam going to resist? From the northernmost province of Heilongjiang to the southernmost province of Fujian, floods destroyed homes and submerged crops on a massive scale. According to Chinese media, nearly 7 million people were affected by the floods. 24 people were reported dead or missing. The floods have washed away more than 6,000 homes, and caused an immediate economic loss of nearly $2 billion across the country. Chinese state media...

Scorching temperatures return to the West, persisting through mid-week, and reappear this weekend as multiple heat waves develop. Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and Nevada, are still grappling with record-setting heat and diminishing water supplies from last month’s heat wave. The next round of daytime highs may climb into the 90s and or triple digits. There’s no end in sight to the hellacious climate. “Excessive and oppressive heat across the Northwest will continue through at least the first half of the week where daytime highs will climb well into the 90s and low 100s,” the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) wrote. “Daily...

Like death and taxes, the annual hurricane season can be counted on as a sure thing. The number and intensity of named storms may vary each year, as well as where they occur and whether or not they make landfall. But there’s no doubt that these storms will develop yearly — it’s a matter of when, not if — and some scientists see increasingly more intense and wetter storms in the future as the climate continues to warm. A report — Preventing the next Katrina — published by Munich RE in 2020 and written by Mark C. Bove, Meteorologist and...

Dozens of people have died in Canada amid an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed temperature records. Police in the Vancouver area have responded to more than 230 sudden deaths within 4 days (Friday-Monday), about 100 more than the average for a four-day period. As of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers had responded to 20 sudden death calls that day alone. Most were elderly or had underlying health conditions, with heat often a contributing factor. Canada broke its temperature record for a third straight day on Tuesday – 49.6°C (121.3°F) in Lytton, British Columbia. The US north-west has also seen record highs...

Everywhere you look, things are getting weird, and I don’t mean that in a good way. Throughout all of our ups and downs over the decades, one thing that our society could always count on for a certain degree of consistency was nature. But now nature is going haywire at the same time that the very fabric of our society seems to be unraveling all around us. In this article, I am going to share with you a number of items that have been brought to my attention over the past month. On their own, each one of these items...