Exit winter mode: weather ≠ climate. Shift to summer mode: weather = climate. “Still don’t believe in climate change? Then you’re either deep in denial or delirious from the heat.”
As I write this, the nation’s capital and its suburbs are in post-apocalypse mode. About one-fourth of all households have no electricity, the legacy of an unprecedented assault by violent thunderstorms Friday night.
Things are improving: At the height of the power outage, nearly half the region was dark.
The line of storms, which killed at least 17 people as it raced from the Midwest to the sea, culminated a punishing day when the official temperature here reached 104 degrees, a record for June. Hurricane-force winds of up to 80 miles per hour wreaked havoc with the lush tree canopy that is perhaps Washington’s most glorious amenity.
One of my neighbors was lucky when a huge branch, headed for his roof, got snagged by a power line.
Another neighbor lost a tree that fell into another tree that smashed an adjacent house, demolishing the second floor.
Yes, it’s always hot here in the summer — but not this hot. Yes, we always have thunderstorms — but never like these. The cliche is true: It did sound like a freight train.
According to scientists, climate change means not only that we will see higher temperatures but that there will be more extreme weather events like the one we just experienced. Welcome to the rest of our lives.
“According to scientists, climate change means not only that we will see higher temperatures but that there will be more extreme weather events like the one we just experienced.”
Ever notice how often so-called scientists use terms like ‘more extreme’. I know of no science which use terms like that, they can’t, there is no agreed upon definition. What exactly does ‘more extreme’ mean?
Nothing, its meaningless really.
I think to journalists and joe public, the term more extreme must mean something bad.
Wow, how stupid can people be?
Extreme weather…makes me think of the Dust Bowl and the Armistice Day Blizzard. Are they saying that we’ll have more of those, only worse (since those were pre-AGW events)? Where’s the evidence of that? It’s important to remind people that there has always been “extreme” weather.
I think that Eugene Robinson is an idiot and that we all should ignore him.
Perhaps if Mr. Robinson and his ilk are compelled not to spread any more hot air like that contained in his July 2 IBD article, the temperature and intensity of thunderstorms in the Washington DC region will moderate commensurately?
“Yes, it’s always hot here in the summer — but not this hot.”
Mr. Robinson doesn’t tell us where ‘here’ is. Makes it tough to check his claims.
Let’s look at zip code 20006. Daily record high temps for June >=100 on 12 days. That’s 12 out of 30.
July has 27 daily highs >=100.
While Mr. Robinson’s 104 may (or may not) be, and may (or may not) be a record, it’s hardly extreme.
One other thing about the data. The record dates are spread over 125 years. There is no trend up to today.
Nothing to see here, folks. Except a journalist playing scientist implying the world is coming to an end because it was hot in D.C. last week. Lame and expected.
And from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (famous for ignoring the heat island effect in Sydney) reported for June; “The mean temperature for NSW was consequently 0.2 °C below the historical average of 10.3 °C and the coldest June since 2007. This is the 7th consecutive cold month for NSW, the longest cool spell since 1984.” Proof positive the new Carbon Tax is working!
That Flannery chap said the dams in most of Australia should be nearly empty by now because of the warming and subsequent drought.. I’ll hop into my aeroplane and check it out. Some other chaps are saying they are full. Somebody’s fibbing I think.