82 F. average high on August 2.
88 F. high on August 2, 2014.
August 3, 1896: Violent hailstorm destroys two thirds of the crops in Swift County.
88 F. high on August 2, 2014.
August 3, 1896: Violent hailstorm destroys two thirds of the crops in Swift County.
"...General Mills is committed to doing our part to tackle climate change and we fully support the effective implentation of the Clean Power Plan", said Jerry Lynch, Chief Sustainability Officer at General Mills. "In particular, we applaud the efforts off our home state of Minnesota for the progress its energy officials are making in building a plan that will work cost-effectively for the families, farmers, municipalities and the business community alike..."
Generation Clean
Today's official launch of the Clean Power Plan represents the biggest action the USA (or any nation) has ever undertaken; the rough emissions equivalent of taking 150 million cars off the road. It goes beyond addressing climate change; it goes to the health of our children today.
"One in four kids has asthma, autism, ADHD or allergies - linked to how we use fossil fuels and petrochemicals" said Reverend Mitch Hescox, CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network. Full disclosure: I'm on their Board of Directors.
A record 365 companies and investor groups have announced support for the EPA's Clean Power Plan, including General Mills and Aveda. They believe we can find clean, carbon-free ways to power up the economy and keep people working.
There are viable, cost-effective alternatives to "drill baby drill". We didn't leave the Stone Age because we ran out of stones. We exited the Stone Age because we found a better way forward.
Welcome to September. A remarkably persistent northwest wind flow aloft ushers in a taste of mid-September this week with a streak of 70s. The heatwave gripping much of America will remain well south of Minnesota.
We may see a little smoke from western wildfires but Heat Index won't get much traction here for at least the next 2 weeks.
Obama Unveils Major Climate Change Proposal Today. Here's an excerpt of a summary at CNN.com: "...The
plan will call for a reduction power-sector carbon pollution of 32%
from 2005 levels in 2030 -- a 9% increase over the 2014 draft proposal,
the official said. It will also call for a more aggressive transition to
renewable energy. "Power plants are the single biggest source of
harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change," Obama said
in the video. "Until now, there have been no federal limits to the
amount of carbon pollution plants dump in the air..."
The Dangers of Mercury Poisoning.
Even if you don't care one whiff about man-made climate change, weather
and water volatility or the implications for your kids and grandkids,
you should be aware of the side effects of fossil-fuel generated power;
specifically mercury poisoning downwind of these plants. Taller stacks
have turned this from a local into a regional issue and scrubbers can't
catch all the carcinogenic pollutants released. There's only so much you
can do to clean up inherently dirty fossil fuels. Here's an excerpt
from EEN, The Evangelical Environmental Network that caught my eye: "Mercury
emitted from power plants drops from air to earth and presently
contaminates over 6 million acres of freshwater lakes, 46,000 miles of
streams, and 225,000 wetland acres across the U.S. Every state has a
fish consumption advisory. Mercury contaminated fish are often eaten by
pregnant women. Mercury and other heavy metal toxins pass across the
mother’s placenta and enter the bloodstream of her unborn child. A
protective shield around the developing child’s brain is not fully
formed until the first year of life. Mercury easily crosses into the
developing child’s brain causing brain damage, developmental
disabilities, neurological disorders, lowered intelligence, and learning
difficulties..."
Persistent Kink in the Jet Stream.
The "ridiculously resilient ridge" out west is, in turn, treating the
north central USA, Great Lakes and New England to more of a Canadian
breeze with frequent outbreaks of cooler, drier, more comfortable air
over the northern tier of the USA (east of the Rockies). This trend
should continue into the first half of August. The map above shows 250
mb winds today, as predicted by the GFS, courtesy of Climate Reanalyzer.
Comfortable and (Relatively) Dry Week Shaping Up.
NOAA's 84-hour NAM guidance shows the heaviest showers and T-storms
staying south and west of Minnesota into Thursday morning. The best
chance of some rain may come Thursday PM into Friday, with partial
clearing in time for next weekend. Stay tuned.
7-Day Rainfall Potential.
The best chance of heavy rain looking out the next week or so comes
from Kansas City and St. Louis across the Ohio Valley into southern New
England, where some 2-4" amounts are possible. More heavy rain is likely
from Tampa to the Outer Banks, although the risk of tropical formation
in the next 7-10 days is low.
What August?
Are you sure it's not September 3 - did I sleep through the entire
month of August? Hate it when that happens. Expect a very comfortable
week with winds easing up a bit by Tuesday; the best chance of showers
and a few T-showers late Thursday into Friday as surface winds peak.
More showers may slosh into town late Sunday - right now Saturday
appears to be the nicer outdoor day of the weekend.
Faint Whiffs of Warmth.
GFS guidance is hinting at a few blips of 90-degree heat by mid-August,
but there's little doubt the core of heat and beastly humidity will
stay to our south and west, a persistent heat dome over the southern
2/3rds of America, with the worst heat out west where more records may
fall. 500 mb wind forecast (GFS) valid the evening of August 16 courtesy
of GrADS:COLA/IGES.
Graphic credit above: "Chart showing temperature, dew point in index in Bandar Mahshahr over last 36 hours, using National Weather Service heat index value calculations." (Brian McNoldy)
Dry Days Bring A Ferocious Start To The Fire Season. Here are a couple of excerpts from a story at The New York Times: "...It is all part of an extensive nationwide scorching. About 63,312 wildfires
destroyed 3.6 billion acres of land across the country last year, at a
cost of $1.52 billion to fight the fires. Early projections have placed
this year’s cost even higher, at up to $2.1 billion,
well beyond the $1.5 billion set aside by the federal Interior and
Agriculture Departments, which administer more than 600 million acres of
public lands. The Obama administration has asked Congress to place wildfires in the same category as hurricanes and floods, with a dedicated disaster fund to pay for their suppression..."
TODAY: Blue sky and a stiff wind. Winds: NW 10-20+ High: 79
MONDAY NIGHT: Clear and comfortably cool. Low: 59
TUESDAY: Sunny, less wind. Dew point: 52. High: 77
WEDNESDAY: Fading sun, still comfortable. Wake-up: 58. High: near 80
THURSDAY: Unsettled, passing T-shower possible. Wake-up: 60. High: 76
FRIDAY: Heavy showers & T-storms around. Wake-up: 59. High: 75
SATURDAY: More sun, a fine lukewarm day. Wake-up: 60. High: 80
SUNDAY: Sunny start, PM T-storm risk. Wake-up: 62. High: 81
Climate Stories....
Obama To Unveil Tougher Climate Plan With His Legacy in Mind. He's
also considering future generations of unborn and the world they'll
inherit. Here's the intro to a New York Times article: " In the strongest action ever taken in the United States to combat climate change, President Obama
will unveil on Monday a set of environmental regulations devised to
sharply cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s
power plants and ultimately transform America’s electricity industry.
The rules are the final, tougher versions of proposed regulations that
the Environmental Protection Agency announced in 2012 and 2014.
If they withstand the expected legal challenges, the regulations will
set in motion sweeping policy changes that could shut down hundreds of
coal-fired power plants, freeze construction of new coal plants and
create a boom in the production of wind and solar power and other renewable energy sources..."
* A Facebook video from President Obama and the White House explaining the need for the Clean Power Plan is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment