WunderBlog Archive » Weather Extremes

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2012 August

Unprecedented snow melt and heat in the European Alps

The recent heat wave in Europe has especially been anomalous at higher altitudes resulting in some of the highest Alpine peaks in Europe being snow-free for the first time on record including the iconic peak Matterhorn.

weatherhistorian, • 8:16 PM GMT on August 25, 2012

U.S. Summer heat wave packs bag and heads to Europe for holiday UPDATED 8/20

After touring the U.S. for two months (since mid-June) the great heat waves of the summer of 2012 have apparently decamped for Europe after a recent visit to the interior of the U.S. Southwest. Record-breaking heat is now forecast to impact the Iberian Peninsula and other portions of Western Europe in the coming week. In fact, a short but very intense heat wave has already afflicted portions of the continent earlier this month.

weatherhistorian, • 8:14 PM GMT on August 18, 2012

July 2012 Global Weather Extremes Summary

July 2012 featured many notable extreme weather events from around the world. It was the warmest single month on record for the continental U.S., beating out the infamous July of 1936 by a slim margin. Record warmth occurred on the summit of Greenland’s ice cap and a possible new Asian heat record of 53.6°C (128.5°F) was set in Kuwait. Deadly floods devastated portions of Russia, China, Japan, and North Korea. The most powerful typhoon since 1999 struck Macao and Hong Kong.Below is a summary some of the month’s highlights.

weatherhistorian, • 7:46 PM GMT on August 10, 2012

Recap of record-breaking heat this past July in the U.S. + Asian heat record?

Although the final ranking of this past July will not be released by the NCDC until around August 7th, it would appear that the month will almost certainly rank in the top five warmest July’s on record since official records began in 1895 (and perhaps even in the top three). Here is a summary of some of the more notable records set so far this summer. In addition, I have included a brief message concerning a potential new heat record for the continent of Asia.

weatherhistorian, • 8:52 PM GMT on August 02, 2012