Remember the WEATHER this past summer…??
- In June, July and August 13 States of the Eastern US registered historical record temperatures. In October PJM, the regional electricity interconnect organization, published a statement to the effect that consumers, in the 13 states it operates, used as much electricity during June, July and August as the whole country of Mexico during a full year.
- The summer of 2010 show record temperatures in 17 countries: Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, Finland, Qatar, Niger, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Chad, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Burma, Ascension Islands, Salomon Islands and Columbia. See details here and here.
- In September, torrential rains in Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala caused mudslides that killed people in Guatemala and displaced about half million people in Mexico. See details on this story here.
- In June, on the other side of the planet, India and Pakistan experienced a heat wave where temperatures reached 130 F – 53.7 C. See details on this climate event here.
- In August, continuous high temperatures and dry conditions created the conditions for large scale forest fires that burned through hundreds of square miles of Russian forest. See details here and here.
- In July and August a fifth of Pakistan experienced floods of biblical proportions that affected an estimated 14 million people. See details here and here.
The summer of 2010 is just a taste of what is coming.
In August 2010 the National Wildlife Federation published an update to their 2009 study linking Global Warming and Heat Waves. That report shows that through the end of July, Philadelphia has had 25 days above 90 degrees, that number is predicted to grow to at least 55 by year’s end. By 2050, Philadelphia is projected to have 40 days above 90 degrees under a low-emissions scenario and 60 such days with high emissions.
