Tag Archive for: Heat Wave

Heat Wave Grips US West Amid Fear of a New, Hotter Normal

/in , , /by /AP News by Anita Snow

An unusually early and long-lasting heat wave brought more triple-digit temperatures Wednesday to a large swath of the U.S. West, raising concerns that such extreme weather could become the new normal amid a decades-long drought.

Phoenix, which is seeing some of the highest temperatures this week, tied a record for the second day in a row when it reached 115 degrees (46 Celsius) Wednesday and was expected to hit 117 (47 Celsius) each of the next two days, the National Weather Service said.

Scientists who study drought and climate change say that people living in the American West can expect to see more of the same in the coming years.

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Double Whammy: Heat, Toxic Algae Bedevil Water Sector

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Hannah Northey

One of the two rivers flowing into the heart of Iowa that provide 500,000 residents with drinking water is slowly being infiltrated by toxic algae as temperatures climb.

The other river is drying up and dipping to dangerously low levels as a historic drought grips the United States.

The Hawkeye State’s plight underscores why climate change is seen as a threat multiplier for the drinking water sector — from cratering water levels and drought to floods and extreme weather. And then there are toxic algal blooms that can kill fish, foul water, and threaten human and ecosystem health.

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California’s Biggest Heat Wave of the Year Heightens Drought and Fire Fears

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith and Lilia Seidman

With a worsening drought gripping the West and wildfire season looming, California is bracing for the most severe heat wave of the year — one that promises to tax the state’s power supplies while also offering a grim preview of challenging months to come.

The heat wave will bring triple-digit temperatures to the valleys and inland regions of Southern California as well as many parts of the rest of the state, heightening fire risks. It comes as parts of Northern and Central California are turning to water restrictions as the drought rapidly alters the landscape.

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Are Marine Heat Waves the New Normal for the Pacific Ocean?

/in , /by /OPB Newsby Cassandra Profita

This year brought one of the biggest marine heat waves on record in the Pacific Ocean, and it’s one of several record-setting spikes in ocean water temperatures over the last six years.

The string of warm water events has scientists wondering if this is actually the new normal for the Pacific Ocean.

A series of heat waves started in 2013 with what was nicknamed “the blob,” which brought water temperatures up to nearly 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal across a 1,000-mile stretch of the West Coast.

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2020 May Be The Hottest Year On Record. Here’s The Damage It Did

/in , /by /Cap Radioby Rebecca Hersher and Lauren Sommer

With just a few weeks left, 2020 is in a dead-heat tie for the hottest year on record. But whether it claims the top spot misses the point, climate scientists say. There is no shortage of disquieting statistics about what is happening to the Earth. The hottest decade on record is coming to a close, with the last five years being the hottest since 1880. 2020 is just two-hundredths of a degree cooler than 2016, the hottest year ever recorded.

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Dry Heat, Wet Feet: Record Temperatures and King Tides Collide in Southern California

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Towering high tides hitting the Southern California coast were met with record-high temperatures Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

The astronomical tides, known as king tides, occur when the moon is closest to Earth and are often the highest tides of the year, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Combined with high surf, king tides can bring tidal overflows, minor beach erosion and an increased risk of drowning.

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California Blames Blackouts On Poor Planning For Extreme Heat

/in , , /by /Reutersby Nichola Groom and Aurora Ellis

California energy officials on Tuesday said the state’s power planning processes were insufficient to address a crushing heat wave in August that led to rolling blackouts for two days. In a preliminary analysis that was requested by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the heads of three state energy bodies said there was no single cause of the outages.

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Navy Helped San Diego Avoid Power Outages During Heat Wave

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Elizabeth Ireland

The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday it was again instrumental in helping California avoid power outages during Labor Day weekend’s statewide extreme heat event. The Navy’s efforts contributed a potential savings of approximately 16 megawatts (MW), keeping the peak load on Sunday under 47,000 MW, and saving enough energy to help prevent rolling blackouts through local neighborhoods and California.

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California Allows Polluting Power Plants to Keep Running. Recent Blackouts Helped Save Them

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Two weeks after California was hit with rolling blackouts, state regulators extended the lifespan of a fleet of gas-fired power plants Tuesday, saying the facilities are needed to maintain reliability of the electricity grid. The State Water Resources Control Board voted 4-0 to allow nine generating units to operate up to three more years before they’re mothballed, overriding objections from environmentalists and some local officials complaining about air and water pollution.

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Ocean Water Has Record Temperature Off San Diego Coast

/in , /by /KPBS San Diegoby Erik Anderson

San Diego ocean temperatures hit record territory this past weekend, as a heatwave also baked the San Diego Region. The record comes just weeks after the unseasonably cool ocean temperatures were recorded. Someone has taken the temperature at the end of Scripps Pier every day for more than 100 years. Sunday’s reading tied for the hottest on record 79.5 degrees Fahrenheit. It tied the record that was set just two years ago.

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