Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake

Unexpected summer snowfall in Skardu, Pakistan breaks 18-year record

Snow in July is a sentence you don't hear everyday
© Qasim Butt.Snow in July is a sentence you don't hear everyday
Skardu's famed tourist spot, Deosai, has received unexpected snowfall in the past few days, giving the warm month of July a feel of winter.

Local authorities say that this is the first time it has snowed in Skardu in July in the last 18 years.

Temperatures have dropped in the Skardu valley and everything in sight is covered in white.

While the snowfall was unexpected, it has turned into a surprising delight for tourists hoping for a summer get away.


Arrow Up

Africa to the west: you are not hearing us!

For the first time in centuries, nations of the world have a choice. Tectonic changes lie ahead.

A very major event took place in Paris last week, only it got crowded out of the media coverage by Evgeny Prigozhin's weekend non-coup coup attempt in Russia. France's President Emmanuel Macron took the lead in bringing the global community together to develop a new financial architecture for the future and hosted the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris on 22 and 23 June. Among the attendees were many of the leaders of Western European, African and Latin American nations as well as the heads of the IMF, World Bank, US Department of the Treasury, the ECB and the European Commission.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa
© Alex Krainer's TrendCompassSouth Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa speaking at the Summit For a New Global Financial Pact in Paris, 23 June 2023.
We need a new financial pact because climate change...

The need for a new Global Financial Pact, supposedly, is due to the risk of climate change and the transition from fossil fuels to clean, sustainable energy sources. Western experts estimate that this transition will require an expenditure of about $1 trillion per year through 2030. That's a lot of money, but it is actually among the more moderate projections of what it will take to Build Back Better. Western leaders are proposing to fund the transition by levying a global tax. The specific objective with respect to climate would be to limit global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels. Presumably, the new financial architecture for the world would entail a global tax paid to a supra-national governing structure - perhaps the World Economic Forum's partner organization, the UN - who would use that money to fix the climate emergency for us and save the planet.

Snowflake

Falls Creek, Australia, has bumper weekly snow dump of nearly 3 feet

A great start into the school holidays at Falls Creek, Australia.
© Falls Creek Facebook PageA great start into the school holidays at Falls Creek, Australia.
Falls Creek, Australia, has seen a whopping 90cm (35 inches) of snow fall in the last seven days.

After a slow start to the season, which saw Falls Creek unable to open for snowsports on Opening Weekend, the weather gods have made up for it, taking the average depth at the Victorian ski resort to 97cm (38 inches).

The area saw a nice top up of 23 cm (9 inches) in the last 24 hours.


Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall in the Eastern Cape and very cold temperatures across South Africa

Snow falls in Barkly East, Eastern Cape on 29 June, 2023.
© Brenda MollentzeSnow falls in Barkly East, Eastern Cape on 29 June, 2023.
There are no road closures currently but roads in the north-eastern Cape are slippery because of snowfalls, includinig the Barkly Pass.

Some road network and mountain passes connecting communities on the southern Drakensberg in the Eastern Cape could be closed on Thursday, following the potential disruptive snow on the roads and railways, especially during the morning hours.

Areas of potential impacts include Molteno, Barkley East, Lady Grey and Matatitele and there could be isolated loss of livestock in this northern region. Counterparts of the South African Weather Service in Lesotho have issued a forecast for bitterly cold temperatures with heavy snowfall over Lesotho and these conditions may spill over to QwaQwa in the north-eastern Free State.


Better Earth

Rare 'omega sun' mirage photographed over the Outer Banks of North Carolina

omega sun
© Rodney ChaiA photo of an “omega sun” caused by an “inferior mirage” over the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this month.
Meteorologist Rodney Chai has seen a lot. As lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vt., he has dealt with his fair share of wild weather. But when he glanced at the setting sun from the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this month, he spotted something new. Chai snapped a photo of an "omega sun," also known as an "Etruscan vase." In his photo, the sun appears to have morphed into a shape reminiscent of a cartoon keyhole. The solar disc resembles a circle balanced atop another circle.

What was actually happening was an "inferior mirage," the product of sunlight being bent upward by a layer of warm air over the water. Contrary to popular belief, mirages are not relegated to hot arid deserts, and instead frequently appear over bodies of water where air temperature varies considerably with height. That can bend, or refract, light, distorting what we see. The result? A picture-perfect peachy omega, sunny side up.

Comment: Various kinds of unusual, rare, and newly discovered, atmospheric phenomena appear to have been on the increase in recent years: And check out SOTT radio's:


Sun

Northern China swelters in record temperatures

People shelter from the sun under umbrellas in Beijing on Saturday
© Greg BakerPeople shelter from the sun under umbrellas in Beijing on Saturday.
Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors.

The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing on Saturday for the first time recorded temperatures above 40C (104F) for a third consecutive day, according to the newspaper Beijing Daily, citing the national weather bureau.

Temperatures have also soared above 40C in recent days in nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin, prompting authorities to issue red alerts for extreme weather.

In China's four-tier weather alert system, red indicates the most severe conditions.


Comment: Meanwhile elsewhere in the country: Floods force thousands to evacuate in South China


Boat

Floods force thousands to evacuate in South China - heatwave in the north

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Floods batter parts of China following rainstorm. Major flooding has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in southern China, with more rain expected.


Comment: 4 dead, 900 evacuated after landslides triggered by flash floods in southwest China


Better Earth

Earth's thermosphere reaches highest temperature in 20 years after being bombarded by solar storms

aurora
© ShutterstockA vibrant aurora display during a geomagnetic storm.
The atmospheric temperature spike, which was caused by successive geomagnetic storms, suggests the "solar maximum" is fast approaching.
Earth's thermosphere recently hit a near 20-year temperature peak after soaking up energy from geomagnetic storms that bashed Earth this year. The temperature in the second-highest layer of the atmosphere will likely continue to climb over the next few years as the sun's activity ramps up, which could impact Earth-orbiting satellites, experts warn.


Comment: That's unless the sun's activity collapses into sporadic, albeit unprecedented outbursts, which is what mathematician and astrophysicist Valentina Zharkova predicts is occurring amidst what she's calling the Grand Solar Minimum.


The thermosphere extends from the top of the mesosphere, at around 53 miles (85 kilometers) above ground, to the bottom of the exosphere, which begins at around 372 miles (600 km) above the ground, according to NASA. Beyond the exosphere is outer space.

For more than 21 years, NASA has measured the thermosphere temperature via infrared radiation emitted by carbon dioxide and nitric oxide molecules. Scientists convert data collected by NASA's Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite, into the Thermosphere Climate Index (TCI), which is measured in terawatts, or TW. (1 TW is equal to 1 trillion watts.)

Comment: Below is a recent interview by Oppenheimer Ranch interview with mathematician and astrophysicist Valentina Zharkova mentioned above:




Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Over 300 severe summer storm reports across US as dangerous weather continues

Lightning lights up the sky as storms move over
© Al Camardella Jr.Lightning lights up the sky as storms move over Abington, Pa., June 26, 2023.
There were more than 300 severe storm reports in the United States on Monday, mostly along the East Coast from New Hampshire to South Carolina, as threatening weather and dangerous heat plagues the nation.

Gusty winds of 60 to 66 miles per hour were reported from New York to North Carolina, with golf ball-sized hail damaging cars in the latter.

Some areas in New Jersey received close to half a foot of rain, which flooded roadways. There were even tornado warnings in the Garden State but, as of Tuesday morning, no actual twisters reported.


Better Earth

Sea ice unusually close to coast of northern Iceland

sea ice
Icelandic Coast Guard. Sea ice north of Iceland, June 21, 2023.
The Coast Guard flight yesterday discovered plenty of sea ice unusually close to Iceland's northern coastline, which could pose a risk to seafarers. At the same time, parts of the North Atlantic Ocean are warmer than ever before. RÚV reported first.

"We have some very scattered ice coming up to the shore some eight to nine nautical miles from Hornstrandir [nature reserve in the Westfjords], which is closer than we've been seeing lately," sea ice expert Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir, who was on the flight yesterday, stated. Thicker sea ice was also present further out to sea. Although the ice is thin in many places, it could be dangerous for smaller ships, according to Ingibjörg.


Comment: Hornstrandir on a map:

Hornstrandir
Hornstrandir

While the sea of Iceland's north coast is currently cold, south of the island it has reached higher temperatures than ever before.

Comment: Despite the warming in some ocean regions, it seems likely that the unusual accumulation of sea ice further confirms the overall cooling in the region:

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