The News is the Weather. Again.

[Cereal Kyller]

NBC Nightly News led on July 12 with the heat wave cooking most of the country. This of course after weeks of lead stories on tornadoes, killer thunderstorms, flooding, drought, and we haven't even started on the hurricanes yet!

I'm approaching 50, and when I was a kid, a weather event would be the top story on national newscasts seven, maybe eight times a year. Now it's more like 7-8 times a month.

But hey! No need to worry, cuz it's all just---say it with me---CYCLICAL!
:sarcasm:

[bigwillq]

1. Weather affects a lot of things.

People's health.
Energy (air conditioning, etc).
Farming.

I do think they over cover these stories, but weather issues are a serious concern.

[handmade34]

21. it is serious with many concerns

...there was a thread about the increase in Lyme disease of late and it is directly related to climate change

[gateley]

2. Man - they showed a map of the country and the entire thing

was deep red (except - and I feel guilty about this - the Pacific NW).

Yes, there are cycles, but those have gone out the window in the past several years - we're charting new territory, here!

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. You *should* feel guilty.

What was it, 72 degrees there today?

[gateley]

16. If it got "that high". I do know we haven't turned on the fan

at all this "summer", and there was a long stretch where it didn't even get up to 70! It's unseasonably COOL for this time of year, oddly enough.

I really do feel badly - I don't know how the rest of you are coping. I lived in NC during some hot summers (where the weather map always had "oppressive" written across the State) but we all had A/C in our homes. I don't know if the rest of the country does. Not many homes in Seattle do.

[Shagbark Hickory]

29. Sposed to get 99 here in n. ga today. And the past 24 hours have been 85%+ humidity

That's when all the windows get fogged up.

That's also when more people get heat stroke because when the sweat doesn't evaporate, the body doesn't cool.

[gateley]

32. Boy, I was thinking about you guys this morning -- it's breezy,

overcast, and at about 6:30 the thermometer showed 59 degrees. I have no complaints, I'm just grateful (and guilty!) that I'm not going through what the rest of the country is. I don't know how you can tolerate it (not that you have a choice) because the few times I've been in heat like that, I thought I was going to die.

I'm hoping the people fare well - I remember that horror in France several years back when an unbelievable number of people died due to the heat.

Take care -- I wish I could help! :hug:

[Shagbark Hickory]

35. WEll I'll tell you what. in the winter when it never stops raining, I'll be happy to tell you all

about our clear blue skies.

[gateley]

36. Okay - deal! :-) nt

[muffin1]

31. Doncha need a roommate?

I live in Southeastern Virginia and it is NASTY hot here. Counting the days until October...:)

[gateley]

33. I was thinking about my friends in NC this morning when

I went out to get the paper. It was 59 degrees, overcast and breezy -- actually a tad chilly. When the weather got this "cold" when I was living in NC, they'd be freezing! But I was thinking they'd gladly swap places today. :(

I wish I could help each and every one of you! We have skated this summer, although the kids have kind of gotten the shaft, but I remember occasional summers like this when I was a kid, so they'll survive. :-)

Take care! I hope the EXTREME heat abates, and you get back to your "normal" sweltering soon! :7 :hi:

[Voice for Peace]

5. don't feel guilty.. you guys are getting the radiation from Japan

I hope that helps.

[gateley]

17. You're right -- I feel SO much better! Thanks!!

:7

[rucky]

30. You deserve at least one month of good weather. n/t

[Shagbark Hickory]

3. It's an insult to the viewers intelligence. ABC /Diane Sawyer led with the heatwave too.

I've had enough of that pop candy bullshit.

[Cereal Kyller]

12. So...you're one of the Cyclical Sickos?

Or are you just a misogynist?

[NightWatcher]

6. when it snows they deny global warming (rapid global climate change). Use the heat wave for good

push global climate change education when it's hot as balls out

[Cereal Kyller]

13. We need to be uberaggressive

Good post!

[RandySF]

7. Winter-like weather in the City tonight.

[elehhhhna]

8. Gore wept.

[Texasgal]

9. When you haven't had measurable rain

in 11 months... it is NEWS.

[Cereal Kyller]

14. Yep

Are you in the city or the country? (Not that it matters: We're all screwed.)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

34. No rain, excessive heatwave and record breaking wildfires.

People here are in a stage 5 drought. Yep, it's news. Where I am we've broke all the records and are walking blind into a new territory unprepared.

Give everyone here another year or two, when we have larger communities without water than we have now, then they'll pay attention.

[amerikat]

10. Heat index of 123 in Kentucky today. The high temp of the day

Is usually reserved for Death Valley or Phoenix.

[Cereal Kyller]

15. Shhhh! Don't tell McConnell!

He'll retract his head back into his shell!

[Fla_Democrat]

11. This has never happened

France heat wave death toll set at 14,802
Posted 9/25/2003 10:56 AM Updated 9/25/2003 9:23 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2003-09-25-france-heat_x.htm

PARIS (AP) — The death toll in France from August's blistering heat wave has reached nearly 15,000, according to a government-commissioned report released Thursday, surpassing a prior tally by more than 3,000.

Scientists at INSERM, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, deduced the toll by determining that France had experienced 14,802 more deaths than expected for the month of August.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Chicago_heat_wave

The 1995 Chicago heat wave was a heat wave which led to approximately 750 heat-related deaths in Chicago over a period of five days.<1> Eric Klinenberg, author of the 2002 book Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, has noted that in the United States, the loss of human life in hot spells in summer exceeds that caused by all other weather events combined, including lightning, rain, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes.<2><3> The heat wave heavily impacted the wider Midwestern region, with additional deaths in both St. Louis, Missouri<4> and Milwaukee, Wisconsin,<5> as well.


That it gets so much coverage, that is.

[Cereal Kyller]

18. MSNBC.com: 2011 ALREADY the Costliest Year for Natural Disasters

And most of 'em aren't earthquakes.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43727793/ns/world_news-world_environment/

[Cereal Kyller]

19. Also...

Fourteen states in the southern U.S. are suffering through the nation's worst drought in 60 years: a dry spell that, when all is said and done, might measure against the most severe in the country's history. The New York Times made that news one of its top stories in Tuesday morning's print edition, painting a vivid picture of parched and fallow farmlands from Florida to Arizona, and an agricultural industry buckling against drastically reduced output and a stagnant economy. But one element of the story notably absent from the Gray Lady's analysis is the specter of man-made climate change.

The Times story warns that the current drought could rival those seen during the Dust Bowl days. It also mentions that the dry spell is the result of a familiar meteorological phenomenon called La Niña -- which, it notes, "is an abnormal cooling of Pacific waters usually follows El Niño, which is an abnormal warming of those same waters."

But to what extent are these multiplying abnormalities attributable to anthropogenic climate change? We don't know, because the Times skirts the issue. The Washington Post's weather blog notes that "La Niña wasn't the only force behind the drought," but cautions that "the co-conspirators remain unknown." That article then goes on to quote NOAA climate scientist Marty Hoerling, who said that the current dry spell does not appear to be a "climate change drought" (though he also warned that warming global temperatures have already exacerbated, and would continue to exacerbate, extreme weather in the future).

Given the seriousness of the Southwest dry spell, paired with myriad other examples of unusually severe weather -- the devastating tornadoes and flooding that gripped much of the South and Midwest this spring being the clearest and most recent examples -- it's hard to believe that climate change isn't somehow involved. So why haven't we been hearing more about it in relation to the current drought (which would seem like an obvious example of warming-induced trauma)? Turns out it's tough to peg any one atmospheric event to climate change, even if the consensus is crystal clear about the threat of man-made climate change in a global and historical context.

"No climate scientist will tell you that a dry year is a result of climate change," said Barry Nelson, a senior policy analyst for the National Resource Defense Council's water program. "What they will say is that the decade-long drought in the Southwest that we've seen is consistent with the patterns we're likely to see in the future. The basic weather patterns are what climate change predicts."

http://www.salon.com/news/global_warming/index.html?story=/news/feature/2011/07/12/drought_global_warming

Ooooooh it's MUR-ky, I don't underSTAND!!!

[AverageJoe90]

20. Part of this is definitely sensationalism, but............

There have been quite a few major disasters this year. Not to mention I think your sarcasm is quite justified, btw; many of the ACC(Anthropogenic Climate Change) deniers simply won't listen to even the most detailed and well-thought out evidence. They may be slowly dying out, but unfortunately, Climategate does seem to have given them one last chance.........

[Cereal Kyller]

24. "Climategate" was a non-story

Unlike the True Believers, scientists deal with---and talk about---questions and doubts they may have. That's how the process works.

[pintobean]

27. It was a story with impact

"Only 44 percent say they "believe the theory" that carbon dioxide emissions are warming the Earth, down from 51 percent in 2009 and 71 percent in 2007, but most movement has been into the "not sure" column."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/07/11/Poll-Most-see-disasters-few-climate-turn/UPI-71691310419193/#ixzz1RygHvMEc

[handmade34]

22. so...

why haven't we implemented a mass movement to paint roofs white?? seriously... provide jobs and help with climate change... maybe massive regulation on factory farming while we're at it...

[SoCalDem]

23. One thing to consider though

Media is a big hungry beast, and there always has to be something to report on.. Summers have always included heat & humidity and winter usually involves snow, ice & extreme cold....and every summer we have hurricanes threatening. There was a time when we rarely heard about weather unless it was local or it wiped out major towns/cities..and even then we heard about it afterward.

we just hear about it more now that we have a 24/7/365 media that has to hype everything to the max.

[laundry_queen]

25. Well in my area

which is western Canada, some areas haven't seen this much rain and flooding in over 130 years, so yeah, here it is a big story. The reason you are seeing more stories about it is because the weather IS more extreme.

[Cereal Kyller]

26. Eh?

A Canadian being more perceptive than an American?

Nawww!!!

(Just kidding, l_q...thanks for the sanity.) :-)

[WinkyDink]

28. The Little-Told Story: World weather's effect on CROPS, AKA: the Food Supply.

http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2011/04/climate-change-affecting-crops-around.html

http://www.agriculture.com/news/crops/what-to-do-with-downed-cn_2-ar17614

http://www.ky3.com/sns-ap-heatwaveupdate,0,1676031.story

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/46826/world-counting-on-us-crops-ami.asp
With soaring food prices putting strain on family budgets in the U.S. and raising concerns for civil unrest across parts of the globe, there are major concerns about what will happen if prices continue to rise.

The U.S. plays a vital role, being the world's biggest exporter of wheat and corn. People across the globe are counting on these U.S. crops to come through this year.

According to AccuWeather.com Agricultural Meteorologist Dale Mohler, there are concerns about how the weather this year will affect both the wheat and corn crops.

[Broderick]

37. From my early days, global cooling was the theme

and I think I need some of that right now. Been hot the past few days. Wish I could go back to the old days.

lol

[WCGreen]

38. Two things...

It's a lot easier to cover weather and there are more people living in more places where weather is more of a factor.