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Summer Closes with Floods, Fire, and Heat

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Meteorological Summer is in its closing days. Wildfires continue to consume thousands of hectares of land in Canada. Hilary is bringing flooding rains to Baja California and southern California. Houston has seen its highest temperature in a decade. Alexandria, LA reached 110° for the first time. Manhattan, KS reached a searing 115°.

Already, the summer has seen incredible records for heat. Highlights include:

  • Austin: Ongoing streak of 44 consecutive 100° days (old record: 27)
  • Baton Rouge: 25 days with 80° or above low temperatures (old record: 4)
  • Del Rio: 10 days at 109° or above this month, which is the prior August high temperature record
  • Junction, TX: 31 days at 105° or above (old record: 14)
  • Phoenix: 31 consecutive 110° days (old record: 18) and 56 consecutive 105° days (old record: 34)
  • San Antonio: 15 105° or above days (old record: 4)

Climate change tends to make heatwaves more intense, more frequent, and more prolonged. Climate change has played a predominant role in producing an unrelenting series of heat domes responsible for the above records.