I'd heard of wet-bulb temperatures but it was reading Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future which made it clear in my mind. This page on the NOAA website, coincidentally from the same year as KSR's novel was published, is about wet-bulb temps. And it *still* contains the following phrase: "The southeastern United States, especially along the *Gulf of Mexico*..." Heady stuff in more than one way.

#WetBulb #humidity #NOAA
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/featured-images/brief-periods-dangerous-humid-heat-arrive-decades-early

@andrewdessler.com

what's particularly concerning too is that these are not models or conclusions drawn from data about heat deaths - they made people walk into thehot chambers

#WetBulb

#Climatechange added 41 days of #DangerousHeat around world in 2024

By ALEXA ST. JOHN
December 27, 2024

"People around the world suffered an average of 41 extra days of dangerous heat this year because of human-caused climate change, according to a group of scientists who also said that climate change worsened much of the world’s damaging weather throughout 2024.

"The analysis from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central researchers comes at the end of a year that shattered climate record after climate record as heat across the globe made 2024 likely to be its hottest ever measured and a slew of other fatal weather events spared few.

"'The finding is devastating but utterly unsurprising: Climate change did play a role, and often a major role in most of the events we studied, making heat, droughts, tropical cyclones and heavy rainfall more likely and more intense across the world, destroying lives and livelihoods of millions and often uncounted numbers of people,' Friederike Otto, the lead of World Weather Attribution and an Imperial College climate scientist, said during a media briefing on the scientists’ findings. 'As long as the world keeps burning fossil fuels, this will only get worse.'

"Millions of people endured stifling heat this year. Northern #California and #DeathValley baked. Sizzling daytime temperatures scorched #Mexico and #CentralAmerica. Heat endangered already vulnerable children in #WestAfrica. Skyrocketing southern #European temperatures forced #Greece to close the #Acropolis. In #SouthAsian and #SoutheastAsian countries, heat forced school closures. Earth experienced some of the hottest days ever measured and its hottest-yet summer, with a 13-month heat streak that just barely broke."

Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-dangerous-heat-extreme-weather-06157ede7ea4a22ea6431f135cda275f

#Heatwaves #ClimateCatastrophe #GlobalWarming #GlobalBurning #ClimateChange #2024Weather #ExtremeHeat #WetBulb

This recent work has analyzed data from Mexico that included wet bulb temperatures and excess mortality data. Researchers determined that younger people, not the elderly, are particularly vulnerable to heat.

#ClimateChange #health #research #science #WetBulb #ExtremeHeat #ExtremeWeather

https://www.labroots.com/trending/earth-and-the-environment/28191/heat-deaths-shown-primarily-affect

Heat-related mortality risk for younger people

"Climate change may lead to a greater number of heat-related deaths in younger people."

"As the world heats up, it will be younger people that will suffer disproportionately as the mortality burden shifts, with the new study estimating a 32% increase in deaths of people under 35 years old this century from heat if greenhouse gases emissions aren’t radically cut."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/06/young-adults-heat-related-deaths-climate-crisis
#ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #ExtremeHeat #heatwave #children #parenting #mortality #inequality #WetBulb #temperature #risks #habitability

Argh. 9am and its already 25°Cʷᵇ. Only 29°C dry, but humidity is 70%+ so dry temp is irrelevant. It's gonna be a tough one!

#weather #wetbulb #heat

"We also find ongoing regional climate changes after net-zero CO2. Global temperature stabilisation doesn’t mean climate stabilisation. In fact, the climate system is out of equilibrium and it will take centuries for the system to find it’s new ‘steady’ state. "
From a Bluesky thread about a new paper on "overconfidence in overshoot" #Schleussner et al 2024

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08020-9 #openaccess!

https://bsky.app/profile/carlschleussner.bsky.social/post/3l63s75tfcx2c

They also developed a heat-stress calculator. it lets you pick a city. Pick a level of heatstress , say, "high"=28°C #wetbulb ,
or 50 #heatwave days like in the 🖼️

And then you can swivel a lever as to how many days you want to let a hotspot in Vienna experience this #heatstress per year.

The result then is at which policy_for_overshoot your set threshold is exceeded. https://climate-risk-dashboard.climateanalytics.org/impacts/avoid

Based on the climatology 2011-2020. Which is unusually short for a science paper or app. But makes so much sense, seeing that the #ClimateCrisis didn't kick Vienna in the butt before 2015.

When heat turns deadly
"A world-first study challenges our understanding of how humans cope with #ExtremeHeat."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-02/deadly-heat-limits-tested-in-world-first-human-experiment/104242788

The #WetBulb temperature of 35C serves as an indication of when heat turns deadly for humans, but it doesn't work as well at very high temperatures.

#HeatDeaths

Good article in aunty today about the work being done to redefine dangerous wet bulb temperatures. A good reminder that heat can (and does) kill - great timing considering the off the charts winter heat wave in Aus.

#climate #ClimateChange #WetBulb #Heat #YourABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-02/deadly-heat-limits-tested-in-world-first-human-experiment/104242788

What the heck is “#CornSweat” and is it making the Midwest more dangerous?

It’s pretty much just as gross as it sounds.

"In one 2020 study, researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics analyzed a past summer heat wave in the Midwest and found that cropland — most of which comprised corn in this part of the country — can increase moisture in the air above it by up to 40 percent."

by Benji Jones
Aug 29, 2024

"Ah, yes, late August in the Midwest: a time for popsicles by the lake, a trip to the county fair, and, of course, extreme humidity made more miserable by … corn sweat.

"Corn sweat. It’s a thing! And people are talking about it.

The term refers to the moisture released by fields of corn during hot and sunny weather. Like all other plants, corn transpires — meaning, it sucks up water from the ground and expels it into the air as a way to stay cool and distribute nutrients. Moisture also enters the air when water in the soil evaporates. Together with transpiration, this process is called #evapotranspiration.

"So, where you find loads of plants packed tightly into one place, whether the Amazon rainforest or #Iowa, humidity can skyrocket during hot and especially sunny periods, making the air feel oppressive.

"That’s what happened this week: A late-summer #heatwave brought record and near-record temperatures to parts of the Midwest where there also happen to be vast fields of corn. With plenty of sunlight and temperatures in the high 90s, it was enough to make corn sweat, producing extremely uncomfortable weather.

"It’s not that corn sweats more than other plants — an acre releases less moisture on average than, say, a large oak tree — but the Midwest has a lot of corn in late August. In Iowa, for example, more than two-thirds of the area is farmland, and corn is the top crop (followed by #soybeans, which, by the way, also sweat)."

[...]

"Again, it’s not just crops across the #Midwest that release moisture, increase humidity, and make summers feel disgusting (I know firsthand; I grew up in Iowa). The millions of acres of #prairie that industrial farmland replaced — mostly to feed livestock and make ethanol — would have also produced loads of moisture, Basso said.

"But there are some key differences between native #ecosystems and #IndustrialFarmland, he added. '#NativePrairies are diverse ecosystems with a variety of plant species, each with different root depths and water needs, helping to create a balanced moisture cycle,' he told me. 'In contrast, corn and #soy #monocultures are uniform and can draw water from the soil more quickly.'"

Read more:
https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/369117/corn-sweat-explained-heat-wave-midwest?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

#CimateChange #IndustrialAgriculture #BigAg #Wetbulb #Fieldworkers #HeatWaves

Southern US Meteorologist Maiya May gives info to help regular folks start preparing for weather emergencies.

#BlackFriday
#Weather
#DisasterPreparedness
#ClimateChange
#PBS
#Camping
#DeepPantry #GoBag #Hurricane #EmergencyManagement #Crisis #Evacuate #Refugee #Fire #Earthquake #WetBulb #Blizzard #Flood #Tornado #TrainDerailment #OilSpill #ChemicalSpill #Diseases #ShelterInPlace #CivilUnrest #PowerOutage
#CommunityBuilding #Civics #WomenInSTEM #preps
https://youtu.be/BiqlUC--R6k?si=1bIycv_x3Gd8z_ag

@breadandcircuses

"The oft-cited 35C value comes from a 2010 theoretical study. However, research co-authored by Kenney this year found that the real threshold our bodies can tolerate could be far lower. “Our data is actual human subject data and shows that the critical wet-bulb temperature is closer to 31.5C,” he says."

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jul/31/why-you-need-to-worry-about-the-wet-bulb-temperature

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00738.2021

#WetBulb #HeatStress

As Indian Summer Breaks Temperature Records, Birds Feel The Heat

Rescue organisations like PETA India, Wildlife SOS and Wildlife Rescue received more calls of birds with sunstroke and dehydration symptoms this summer

ByTanvi Deshpande,Jahnavi Thotakuru|
4 Aug, 2024

"The impact of #ExtremeHeat has been seen and felt on the ground for a long time now.

"#WildlifeSOS, a non-profit organisation working in #wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in India, reported an increased number of calls about birds affected by extreme heat this summer. In June 2024, the organisation received 35-40 rescue calls daily in Delhi-National Capital Region, higher than in April and May. Until June, the organisation had rescued over 220 birds suffering from heat, including species such as #BlackKites, #sparrows, #BlueRockPigeons, #BarnOwls, and #Peacocks.

“'The recent heat waves have had severe impacts on the avian population in India,' said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS. 'Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to dehydration, as birds struggle to find adequate water, impairing their bodily functions and potentially leading to severe health issues or even death. Heat stroke is a significant risk, with symptoms such as laboured breathing, drooling, lethargy and hyperthermia, which can cause organ failure and be fatal if not treated promptly.'

"On receiving a call about a bird in distress, most organisations guide the caller on immediate steps to be taken to stabilise the bird. Based on the bird’s situation, an ambulance might be sent and the bird moved to a facility.

“'We ask the caller to secure the bird, to take it to a place where there is shade and away from predators like cats, dogs or other birds because the bird is already in a comatose state,' said Bandhanpreet Kaur, manager of veterinary services at PETA India. 'Then we ask them to either pour cold water over its body or wrap the bird in a cold towel/any moist cloth…to reduce their body temperature immediately. And if electrolyte is available, we ask them to use a syringe or damp cloth to put a few drops in the bird’s mouth.'

"PETA India handled 90 cases of birds affected by extreme heat this year."

Read more:
https://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/as-indian-summer-breaks-temperature-records-birds-feel-the-heat-918696

#India #Biodiversity #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #GlobalWarming #ExtremeHeat #HeatWaves #Wetbulb #Environment #Extinction #Wildlife

From 2022, via #BulletinOfTheAtomicScientists. Unfortunantely, it seems their "good news" section is wrong about how fast and how much the global temperature would rise in just 2 years!

‘Silent killer’: A series on surviving the extremely hot future

What happens if the world gets too hot for animals to survive?

"This is not something that human beings or other animals can rapidly evolve out of."

By Matthew Huber | July 20, 2022

"[In June 2022], during a slow-moving #HeatWave that smothered much of the United States, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported at least 2,000 cattle had died from heat stress. In 2021, as the Pacific Northwest sweltered under a heat dome, more than 650,000 farm animals perished in British Columbia alone. And in 2015, a deadly heat wave in India killed more than 17 million chickens.

"Hot, humid conditions can lead to massive heat casualties in animals—in #livestock as well as #WildAnimals. These events will become more extensive, longer lasting and more damaging as the world warms, potentially threatening economies and #ecosystems. While many studies have demonstrated the impact of individual events or gradual trends in #HeatStress on livestock, there is a Panglossian tendency among many working in livestock agriculture to believe in a nearly infinite capacity for modern agricultural practices and breeding to overcome heat-stress induced challenges.

"Much of the warming that has occurred in places like the United States or Europe can be dealt with through breeding in key traits from variants from warm countries like India or North Africa. But as high heat conditions travel beyond the upper ranges of temperatures recently experienced (over the past few thousand years) in North Africa, India, or South America, there will limited genetic diversity to draw upon to prepare for these conditions. There are temperature ceilings that humans and mammals (and many other animals) cannot survive, if breached. What those limits are, and what happens when they are crossed, will have profound implications for agriculture and #biodiversity in a warming world."

https://thebulletin.org/2022/07/extreme-heat-animals-livestock-wildlife/

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #GlobalWarming #ExtremeHeat #HeatWaves #Wetbulb #Environment #Extinction

do you know about #WetBulb temperatures? with global temps and humidity rising, you should know for the safety of you and your family

"Too HOT and HUMID to Live: Extreme Wet Bulb Events Are on the Rise"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBrL8BokSk

#globalwarming #climatecrisis

We had 3 days last week where the air temp exceeded 37°C and the humidity was above 90%...in Europe last year 50,000 people died as a direct result of excessive heat. I wonder how many of those days were wet bulb?

Wet Bulb events need to be explained better to everyone &, where there's a risk of a 'wet bulb' they need to be added to the weather forecast, so people can be better prepared to protect their health.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/12/heat-aggravated-by-carbon-pollution-killed-50000-in-europe-last-year-study

#wetbulb #temperature #excessiveheat #climatechange

@heatwave

35C wetbulb in one area of China.

That will kill anyone who doesn't have aircon or a cold basement.

Read "The Ministry for the Future" if you want to know what that will be like (content warning: horrific).

#Climate #ClimateCrisis #WetBulb #MinistryForTheFuture #ChildrenOfKali

#AndroscogginCounty, #Maine

Average #WetBulb Seasonal Summary (°F)

Data last updated 7/30/2024 19:50.

https://www.southturnermaineweather.com/wxwetbulbseason.php

#TurnerMaine

Today (August 1, 2024) in #Maine weather (western York County), we had a combination of #Wildfire #Haze and some heat and humidity -- but no #WetBulb advisories. 90°F temperature, 56% humidity. [Source: #Accuweather]

#ClimateChangeWeatherWheel #ClimateDiary #ClimateDiaryMaine

New sweltering #HeatWave to feature 100 F temperatures in East

A new round of heat combined with high #humidity will build in the #EasternUnitedStates from Sunday to Tuesday and some areas will challenge record highs set in the 1800s.

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
July 12, 2024

"The East will join in on what much of the West has been experiencing in terms of heat. Nationwide on Sunday, 245 million people will experience temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, with at least 30 million to reach 100 or higher."

Read more:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/new-sweltering-heat-wave-to-feature-100-f-temperatures-in-east/1668760

#ExtremeHeat #HeatDome #Wetbulb #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe