Creeping floodwaters threaten Washington’s cherry blossoms – “The infrastructure is breaking down because of the daily flooding”

By Ashraf Khalil 3 April 2019 WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – Washington’s cherry blossom season has gone well this year, thanks to warm weather that has coincided perfectly with the annual blooming that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each spring. But officials are claiming that Washington’s iconic trees are under a looming threat that requires […]

Canada warming at twice the global rate, government report finds – “Northern Canada has warmed and will continue to warm at more than double the global rate”

1 April 2019 (CBC News) – Canada is, on average, experiencing warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world, with Northern Canada heating up at almost three times the global average, according to a new government report. The study — Canada’s Changing Climate Report (CCCR) — was commissioned by Environment and Climate […]

Iran hit with 3rd major flood in 2 weeks – “The water has risen by as much as three meters in parts”

TEHRAN, 1 April 2019 (Agence France-Presse) – The authorities on Monday ordered the immediate evacuation of flood-stricken cities in western Iran as rivers burst banks, dams overflowed and vast areas were cut off from communication. The highest level of alert was declared in Lorestan Province with four or five cities “completely critical,” state television reported […]

More than 1 million acres of U.S. cropland ravaged by record floods and dozens of levee breaks – “There’s thousands of acres that won’t be able to be planted”

By P.J. Huffstutter and Humeyra Pamuk29 March 2019 CHICAGO/COLUMBUS, Nebraska (Reuters) – At least 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) of U.S. farmland were flooded after the “bomb cyclone” storm left wide swaths of nine major grain producing states under water this month, satellite data analyzed by Gro Intelligence for Reuters showed. Farms from the Dakotas […]

Massive disaster relief bill at risk of stalling as Trump, Democrats fight over help for Puerto Rico

By Erica Werner and Jeff Stein 29 March 2019 (The Washington Post) – President Trump’s opposition to aid for Puerto Rico has sparked a partisan standoff over a major disaster bill covering much of the United States, threatening to derail the legislation when it faces a critical Senate vote Monday. The stalemate has caused days […]

25th anniversary edition of WMO’s State of the Climate report shows accelerating global warming impacts – “The data released in this report give cause for great concern”

28 March 2019 (WMO) – The physical signs and socio-economic impacts of climate change are accelerating as record greenhouse gas concentrations drive global temperatures toward increasingly dangerous levels, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2018, its 25th anniversary edition, highlights […]

Record floods in U.S. Midwest have reached Superfund sites in three states

By Christopher Flavelle 26 March 2019 (Bloomberg) – Major flooding across the U.S. Midwest has reached at least eight Superfund sites in three states, and kept EPA staff from determining whether any are leaking toxic chemicals as a result. The Environmental Protection Agency said it is unable to access the sites containing arsenic, benzene, cyanide […]

“Doomsday vault” town warming faster than any other on Earth – “The brutality of nature used to bring joy, but now it scares people”

By Sarah Lazarus 27 March 2019 (CNN) – In 2014, Mark Sabbatini noticed cracks in his apartment walls. Then a mysterious bulge appeared in his bedroom and the apartment block’s communal staircase became crooked. “Doors and windows weren’t shutting properly,” he says. Sabbatini, the editor of a local newspaper, was living in Longyearbyen, the world’s […]

U.S. farmers hit by tariffs see crops swept away by flood – Midwest flood risk to persist for months – “The most widespread destruction we have ever seen in our state’s history”

By Jim Salter 23 March 2019 ST. LOUIS (AP) – Even as floodwaters receded in hard-hit places in in the Midwest, experts warned Saturday that with plenty of snow still left to melt in northern states, the relief may only be temporary. Rainfall and some snowmelt spurred flooding in recent weeks that’s blamed in three […]

Retirees flee Florida as climate change threatens their financial future – “We will miss the warm winters”

By Rebecca Mordechai 19 March 2019 (Money) – Florida, with its plentiful beaches, warm weather, and lack of a state-income tax, is the most popular destination for older adults in the U.S. But some who have lived in the Sunshine State for years are moving in the opposite direction. As damaging storms and other effects […]

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