Australia’s record breaking heat continues: warmest 12 months on record

Sometimes a picture says it all:

From the BoM FaceBook page.

The entire continent is experiencing above-average-to-highest-on-record temperatures.

Summer looks grim.

Australia’s record breaking heatwave: summer of 2012-2013 hottest on record

According to the Karl Braganza and Blair Trewin of BOM and we have just experienced the hottest summer on Record:

This summer hasn’t just felt hot. It’s been hot. In fact, the summer of 2012-13 is now the hottest on record. Average temperatures beat the record set in the summer of 1997-98, and daytime maximum temperatures knocked over the 1982-83 record. January 2013 has been the hottest month since records began in 1910.

Nor is it just Australia, as reported in The Age. What we are seeing is the effects of a warming planet:

Australia was not alone in feeling the heat over the past three months, with large regions of southern Africa and South America registering well-above normal temperatures. Land areas had their hottest January and February months.

‘‘There’s a pretty good chance it will turn out to be the hottest summer on record for the southern hemisphere as a whole,’’ Dr Trewin said.

Tony Mohr, climate change program manager at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the warming planet is making “Australia’s already extreme weather more extreme and more unsafe”.

“If this doesn’t wake up our politicians to the need for concrete action to prevent this ongoing acceleration in global warming, I’m not sure what will.”

The new normal: parts of Australian observatory destroyed in fires

Stunning and haunting images. To lose some of these facilities is sad:

Twelve properties have been destroyed by a “fast-moving, large and dangerous” bushfire that tore through a national park in northern NSW on Sunday, but the main telescope at a world-leading observatory is believed to have survived the blaze.

The New Normal: BOM predicting temperatures to reach >50c next week (but now revised downward)

The BOM maps showing Australia awash with red were scary enough. But it’s going to get worse. Much worse:

Update: BOM has revised their estimates. It would be remiss of me not to mention that – however, the predictions are still looking grim.

News flash: new Victorian temperature records for spring – November records smashed

I’ve been watching the BOM site for Victoria: we have seen some truly incredible temperatures today. In at least two locations we saw the temperature exceed 45.

• Hopetoun – 45c at 2;50pm
• Mildura 45.5 at 3;37pm

Swan Hill saw the temperature reach 44.8c.

In November . And yes, we are still officially in Spring. Here are previous records, this tells you what records got smashed.

If I read it correctly, a 32 year record was just smashed. 

Official records for Victoria in November: Records valid as of 30 Sep 2012

Rank	Value (°C)	Date	Station Name	Station Number	Elevation (m)	Latitude (°)	Longitude (°)
1	44.5	17 November 1980	Mildura Airport	76031	50	-34.23	142.08
2	44.0	25 November 1997	Swan Hill Aerodrome	77094	71	-35.38	143.54
2	44.0	25 November 1997	Ouyen Post Office	76047	50	-35.07	142.32
4	43.6	16 November 1980	Mildura Airport	76031	50	-34.23	142.08
5	43.5	26 November 1997	Bairnsdale Airport	85279	49	-37.88	147.57

I’ll keep readers updated as more information becomes available.

The new normal (part 20): 4,000 acre wildfire in California

Yes, that is an entire hill on fire.

The US wildfire season is not over:

A wildfire burning in the Angeles National Forest has grown by another 500 acres and fire officials have stepped up the response to fighting the blaze.

U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Angie Lavell said Monday that an incident management team was set up early in the morning to map out a long-term strategy to contain the 4,000-acre fire and to request additional firefighting resources.

The fire is currently five percent contained and is heading deeper into a wilderness area away from any structures.

But let’s not mention climate change eh?

Image of the day: fire and smoke cover most of North America

Because this is normal and nothing to worry about:

Fire and smoke map for August 20. Red dots = active fires. White = smoke. (Click for larger live version.) NOAA | OSDPD

Image of the day: US drought worsens

Hat top Planet 3.0. Note the prevalence of “exceptional” drought conditions:

Image of the day: Lake Medina drops 16m in Texas drought

Quite a stunning image from National Geographic;

 

Are you Nevil Chamberlain, or will you be Winston Churchill: Joe Romm’s powerful testimony

Joe Romm speaking:

The consequences are here, now, just as climate scientists predicted. 

If we fail to take action, many scientists predict ruin for large parts of this country – ruin for large parts of your districts – ruin that lasts 50 generations. 

Americans have fought for generations to defend government of the people, by the people, for the people. In the hour of crisis, we need that government to do its job. Now is that hour.