Heat Wave Triggers Health Alerts in Europe
Spain set a June heat record of 46C (114.8F) near El Granado in the south of the country, according to preliminary data. Amber health alerts have been issued for large parts of England, including London, where temperatures could reach 34C on Tuesday, according to the UK Met Office. Heat warnings are also in place for much of France, with peaks above 40C through Wednesday.
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News24
14 minutes ago
- News24
Turkey battles wildfires amid strong winds, heatwave
Firefighters were battling several blazes across Turkey on Monday when the country sweltered in a summer heatwave, officials said. Wildfires across Turkey over the past week have led to at least 14 deaths. Nineteen villages and more than 3 500 people have been evacuated from their homes. Turkey is experiencing a heatwave that peaked with temperatures above 40°C across much of the country last week and even reached a record high of 50.5°C on Friday in the far southeast, in Silopi, near the Iraqi and Syrian borders. Firefighters are currently battling blazes around the city of Bursa in the northwest, the Karabuk region in the north and the Kahramanmaras region in the south. "Five fires have been brought under control in four provinces," said Agriculture and Forestry minister Ibrahim Yumakli. But he said the efforts were hampered by strong winds that are fanning the flames. "Given the size and intensity of the fires, the state's ability to respond quickly to such disasters is sometimes limited," he said. "If there's wind, there are no planes and it takes hours, even days, for you to take control," he said. In recent days, 19 villages had to be evacuated in the Safranbolu region in the north, and more than 3 500 people around Bursa. A firefighter battling the flames died of a heart attack on Saturday evening. Three more people died Sunday in an accident involving a water tanker truck that was used to battle a blaze, the Bursa governorate announced. On Wednesday, a wildfire killed at least 10 forest workers and rescuers who were battling a blaze near Eskisehir in western Turkey.
Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Are 1 in 1,000 year floods getting more common?
BY There have been five '1 in 1,000 year floods' this summer alone in the continental U.S. Heavy rains have poured over Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico, Illinois, and Florida over the past months causing streets to flood, homes to suffer irreparable damage, and people losing their lives', loved ones, and pets. The death toll alone in Texas is at 135 as of July 25, as search efforts begin to end with only three more persons still missing—the result of over three weeks of searching. The .1% chance of these floods occurring makes their recent frequency alarming. This, coupled with other recent flash floods across major East Coast states like New York, Boston, and New Jersey and projected flash floods to continue in central and southwestern U.S., makes for increasingly unsettling future forecasts. But are these weather patterns actually out of the norm—or are these floods becoming more common? How 'rare' are 1,000 year floods? The phrase '1 in 1,000 year floods' comes from the fact that statistically, floods of that intensity and destruction are likely to happen once every 1,000 years (or a .1% likelihood). In 2024, there were 35 1,000-year floods across the U.S. and more than triple that number of 100-year floods, which have a statistical probability of happening 1% of the time. 'As far as I'm aware, if we tracked 1 in 1,000 year flood events over time, you wouldn't necessarily see a discernible increase in the number of events per year,' says Allie Mazurek, a climatologist at the Colorado Climate Center. 'However, on a more general scale, we are expecting to see more extreme precipitation events in a warmer climate.' An interactive map from the Colorado Climate Center—which is updated in near real-time—tracks high precipitation events across the country. It combines past research and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Atlas 14, a precipitation frequency data interface, to track high-precipitation events from 2002 to today in every state but Washington and Oregon (their data has yet to be updated on NOAA's precipitation server). The data sets visually depict the number of 1,000 year heavy precipitation rates from 2002 to 2024. Each year follows similar patterns and frequency. But that doesn't mean rainfall and subsequent flooding isn't intensifying. Mazurek says there are two factors at play for these natural disasters: the frequency in which rain falls, and the intensity: how much it rains in a short amount of time. According to independent climate research group Climate Central, 88% of 144 locations across all nine climate regions in the U.S. have experienced a 15% increase in hourly rainfall intensity since 1970. Nearly two-thirds of those locations experienced at least a 10% increase or more in the same period. Mazurek says these trends come down to one primary effect of climate change—humidity. Rising temperatures create 'wet' air 'Essentially, when you have warmer temperatures, that allows more water to exist in the vapor phase, and therefore, you get more water up in the atmosphere,' Mazurek said. 'Then when you get a thunderstorm, there is more water available to it when it starts to precipitate and make rainfall. If you're adding more water to the atmosphere, you'll get more rainfall as a result.' Climate Central says that for every single Fahrenheit degree of Earth warming, the air holds 4% more moisture. Give that the Earth's temperature has risen by roughly two degrees Fahrenheit since the pre-industrial era, there's simply often more water available to create intense rainfall. So while the statistical probability of these floods occurring won't change, their severity could get worse 'Mitigation and adaptation' Flash floods aren't expected to subside anytime soon this summer, with Accuweather meteorologists warning that additional flooding events can be expected due to this summer's continued trend of high precipitation predictions. 'I think there's definitely more work that all of us together could work on for extreme rainfall and flood events from meteorologists to emergency managers,' Mazurek said. 'We all obviously have more work to do communicating those kinds of events and keeping people safe. I think that is still a very active area of research.' However, with recent Trump administration changes to climate policy, emergency weather cuts at NOAA, and the dismantling of FEMA, these efforts may become more and more difficult, even as climate-driven natural disasters increase. 'We expect kind of both sides of the extremes to get more extreme,' Mazurek said. 'Heavy precipitation, extreme rains, flooding events, as well as drought. They each work off their own feedback.' The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is tonight, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dangerous heat dome begins baking more than 125 million across Southeast
July will make a potentially record-breaking exit this week as a heat dome will create triple-digit feels-like temperatures for millions from Florida to Virginia, prompting heat alerts across the East Coast. A massive "dome" of high pressure known as a heat dome continues to shift extreme temperatures around the U.s. Now, it's the Southeast feeling the heat. On Sunday, areas from southern Georgia to southeastern Virginia will feel the most oppressive heat, where Extreme Heat Warnings are in place. "We are dealing with a lot of heat alerts once again, Extreme Heat Warnings over into the Carolinas for (Sunday), once again, as well as a bit into Florida. That's where the extreme heat is going to be kind of parking itself today, tomorrow, and potentially even into Wednesday," FOX Weather Meteorologist Bayne Froney said. Monday will be the most brutal day, with record highs possible and an extreme heat risk for more than 30 million people, according to Noaa and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HeatRisk forecast. According to the FOX Forecast Center, high temperatures will be in the upper 90s and lower 100s, with heat indices as high as 120 degrees. Areas across the Southeast could see record-high temperatures. If Charlotte, North Carolina, hits 100 degrees, it will be the first time in 20 years. Nashville, Tennessee, and Jacksonville, Florida, could also surpass 100 degrees this week. In the Carolinas, heat advisories were expanded on Sunday to include most areas east of the mountains. City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County officials are warning residents and visitors to stay cool and safe. "If you are out and about, be sure to find air-conditioned spaces, wear loose-fitting clothing, drink plenty of fluids, and avoid the midday heat," County officials wrote on Facebook this weekend. Cooling centers are open at Senior Centers and some Charlotte-Mecklenburg library locations. For once, South Florida is the only part of Florida not included in heat alerts lasting through Tuesday. The heat will build early this week, with highs for Orlando flirting with triple digits by Tuesday. Record-breaking temperatures continued to hit new highs on Sunday. Tampa soared to 100 degrees by 3:30 p.m., breaking the Florida city's all-time record-high temperature since record-keeping began in 1890. For the Southeast, heat relief won't arrive until next weekend, with the highest temperatures expected through midweek. Froney said this area of high pressure packing extreme heat will next move back toward the western U.S. "We've been talking about this for about a week now. Just a couple of days ago, it was over the Northeast. Now it's shifted back south. It's going to move back towards the west in the coming days," she said. With extreme heat in the forecast, anyone spending time outdoors should take steps to avoid heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Young children and babies, along with older adults, should avoid prolonged time outdoors. When outdoors, it's important to drink plenty of water with electrolytes and spend time in the shade. For your pets, if the sidewalk or road is too hot for your hands after several seconds, it's too hot for your dogs to be walking article source: Dangerous heat dome begins baking more than 125 million across Southeast Solve the daily Crossword
