Hurricane Sally Takes Aim At New Orleans, As NOAA Hires Climate Denier for Leadership Post

Hurricane Sally Takes Aim At New Orleans, As NOAA Hires Climate Denier for Leadership Post

Evacuations have begun as Tropical Storm Sally is picking up strength and heading straight for southeastern Louisiana.  Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expect it to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane sometime early on Tuesday, according to CNN.

Why This Matters:  Trump voters in Florida are less likely to heed severe weather warnings — they believe conservative media outlets that claim that weather forecasts are exaggerated because the liberal media is hyping climate change.

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Heat Wave Broils Southern Half of the Country

Heat Wave Broils Southern Half of the Country

We told you earlier this month that Phoenix had broken its record for the most days of 110 degrees or higher — and they just keep wracking them up.  The city has now had 50 days when the temperature reached 110 degrees or more, shattering the old record of 33.  And now the Gulf states are also experiencing record hot temps this week.

Why This Matters:  Heat waves in the summer in the south and southwest seem like par for the course.  But they are actually getting worse and are more deadly than other severe weather.

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More Extreme Weather Makes Life Harder for Millions of Americans This Week click button

More Extreme Weather Makes Life Harder for Millions of Americans This Week

The extreme weather events this summer keep piling up. Phoenix set a record for the most number of days over 110 degrees in a year with 35 — so far as of yesterday.  Plus a derecho, which is akin to an inland hurricane, swept 700 miles across the midwest Monday.

Why This Matters:  President Trump is trying to remove $50 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to pay for needed unemployment benefits he unilaterally ordered.  Given the increased number of hurricanes predicted (a new storm is forming in the Atlantic), it seems like a particularly bad time to raid FEMA’s emergency funds.

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Now NOAA Predicts So Many Hurricanes This Year They May Run Out of Names – YIKES

Now NOAA Predicts So Many Hurricanes This Year They May Run Out of Names – YIKES

Late last week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its annual update on this year’s outlook for tropical hurricanes and they are now predicting the conditions are ripe for a huge season, with 19-25 named storms with sustained winds over  39 mph or greater, and even worse, 7 to 11 are expected to become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater.

Why This Matters:  Hurricane season really gets serious only now, so the worst is still ahead of us. And the revised forecast is a big increase over what had been forecast at the beginning of the season when NOAA said it there was a 70% chance of 13 to 19 named storms.

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Heatwaves Will Be As Deadly As Diseases Globally — Should We Name Them To Raise Awareness?

Heatwaves Will Be As Deadly As Diseases Globally — Should We Name Them To Raise Awareness?

A new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that if we don’t get global warming under control, the number of deaths globally from heat-related illness will rival the current number of deaths from all the infectious diseases combined.

Why This Matters:  Heat is considered a “silent killer” because there is little awareness about its health risks. To raise awareness many experts have recommended naming heat waves just like we do hurricanes and now winter storms.

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Tropical Storm Bertha Makes Landfall In South Carolina After Flooding South Florida

Tropical Storm Bertha Makes Landfall In South Carolina After Flooding South Florida

The second named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Bertha, strengthened quickly overnight Tuesday and made landfall yesterday morning about 20 miles east of Charleston.   On Tuesday, as a result of the storm, Miami experienced more than 7 inches of rain — 6 of which fell in 2 hours, flooding streets across the city.

Why This Matters:  Tropical Storm Bertha is following an increasingly familiar pattern of unprecedented amounts of rainfall along with strong winds that persist into the interior portions.

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