Weather Watch - 2024

From record-breaking heatwaves to devastating hurricanes, extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common and intense. As the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, it's clear that our planet's weather patterns are undergoing significant shifts. These changes not only have profound implications for the natural world, but also for human societies.

As we continue to grapple with the challenges of a changing climate, it's essential that we understand the interconnections between weather, ecology, and human society, and work towards sustainable solutions that prioritize the health and well-being of both people and the planet.

Weather events in the news:

April 2024

* Severe weather in Kenya, compounded by El Nino, has led to catastrophic rainfall, floods, and over 120 deaths during the March-May wet season.

* Philippines faces extreme heat exacerbated by El Nino conditions, leading to official drought declarations in about half of the country's provinces.

* For the first time in the recorded history of Kerala, the India Meteorological Department has confirmed heatwaves in the State.

Photo - The Hindu

* Extreme heatwaves in China follow floods in Pakistan because of an upper tropospheric pathway tied to the Asian summer monsoon system, according to an analysis of more than 40 years of atmospheric data. This pathway emerges due to the system's internal variability and occurs independent of sea surface temperature forcing patterns. In the summer of 2022, Pakistan experienced catastrophic flooding. Right afterward, China was struck by long-running heatwaves followed by severe drought.

* An estimated 20 million people in Southern Africa are facing what the U.N. calls “acute hunger” during one of the worst droughts in four decades. Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have declared national emergencies.

* The United Arab Emirates experienced on 16th April, its largest rainfall event since records began 75 years ago. 254.8mm (9.7in) had fallen on Khatm al-Shakla, in the emirate of al-Ain, over less than 24 hours. The country averages 140-200 mm of rainfall per year, while Dubai typically receives only 97mm. The monthly average for April is only about 8mm. Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. - BBC

* Precipitation is scarce in Oman. Annual average rainfall ranges from 150 to 300mm in the north, with most falling in pre- and post-monsoon storms. Several areas of Oman received over 230 millimeters of rain between 14-17 April.

* A Times climate reporter traveled across America on a train. She later found that flying would have been better for the environment because many Amtrak trains run on diesel. - NYT

* Rising temperatures are making meteorites sink out of view before researchers can collect them. 

March 2024

* Climate cafes are offering a place for Americans to discuss their anxiety about the changing planet. - NYT

* Travellers are racing to see parts of the world that could soon vanish forever due to the effects of climate change, in a trend known as "last-chance tourism". - The Week

February 2024

* A record-breaking heat wave hits West Africa

* Extreme weather is forcing animal refuges across the country to relocate. - NYT

* Monarch butterfly numbers in wintering areas in Mexico have hit a record low after hot, dry conditions in the U.S. and Canada reduced caterpillars’ food supply. - NYT

* Extreme weather in China is disrupting Lunar New Year travel plans.

January 2024

* E.V. batteries struggle in very cold weather, leading to long lines and frustration at charging stations. - NYT

* According to the E.U. climate monitor, this January was the hottest January ever measured.

December 2023

* Nations at the annual UN climate conference, COP28 in Dubai approved ... a roadmap for “transitioning away from fossil fuels” – a first for a UN climate conference – but the deal still stopped short of a long-demanded call for a “phaseout” of oil, coal and gas. - United Nations Sustainable Development Group

* Emergency room visits related to heat illness increased in the U.S. in 2023, the warmest year on Earth in a century and a half. - NYT

* Putting the events of the warmest year on record in perspective, researchers said that in a warmer future, more events involving record-breaking hot temperatures occurring earlier in the year, and cyclones exacerbating rainfall extremes are in order. Droughts in California in the U.S. and the Horn of Africa transitioned into floods in 2023, and more of such events are projected to occur in the coming decades. ...improved predictions and early warning systems to be better prepared for climate hazards...will be required.

W.I.P