The Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
Climate Observer

In Search of the Last Cool Place - I went out for a walk last night. It was cool with temperatures hovering in the 50s, so I took a jacket with me. As a kid growing up in Anchorage, you never went anywhere without a jacket. But in recent years when temperatures have pushed into the 80s and higher, the jacket has sometimes been left behind. It always makes me feel like I forgot something. On July 22, the planet recorded the warmest day in recent history, averaging 17.16°C (62.88°F). But here in Southcentral Alaska it has been quite cool. It made me wonder how the rest of the North was doing and if there are any other cool places. I asked Rick Thoman at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy about this. Rick writes, "for most of Alaska, there was a big flip in temperatures between June and July. Over Kodiak Island and the southwest mainland, most of the Bering and Chukchi coast and for the northern North Slope, cooler than normal prevailed. Around the Arctic, eastern Chukotka was exceptionally cool. June and July combined was the coolest since 2008 and the second coolest since 1982." See image showing temperature ‘departures from normal’ around the Circumpolar North. So, there are other cool corners this summer: the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Western Greenland, Iceland, Northern Scotland, Southern Norway and North Central Russia. Many more places, however, have been much warmer. I hear people sometimes complaining about cool weather. I am not one of them. I’m hoping to take my jacket along through the rest of the summer, and for years to come. Mike Brubaker

Image by DALL-E

	Arctic air brings historically cold July temperatures to Bethel Bethel, Alaska, United States Sage Smiley / Alaska Public Media / July 17, 2024 Bethel, Alaska, experienced historically low July temperatures with highs in the 40s, a rare event not seen since 1971, due to an unusual cold air outbreak from the Arctic. Read article on Alaska Public Media
	July was cooler and greyer than normal for much of Highlands, Met Office confirms Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom Inverness Courier / August 1, 2024 Much of the Highlands was cooler and greyer than normal in July, but not particularly wet, the Met Office has said. Read article on Inverness Courier
	Svalbard had warmest June on record Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen The Independent Barents Observer / July 19, 2024 Longyearbyen airport had an average temperature of 6.1°C, which is 2.5°C above normal. Global air and sea surface temperatures were also at record levels. Read article on The Independent Barents Observer
	Record June temperatures and heavy rainfall in northern Finland Finland The Independent Barents Observer / July 11, 2024 Northern Finland experienced unprecedented June temperatures and abnormal rainfall, deviating significantly from historical weather patterns. Read article on The Independent Barents Observer
	B.C. weather: 149-year-old temperature record broken amid heat wave British Columbia, Canada Alyse Kotyk / CVT News Vancouver / July 10, 2024 British Columbia experienced a historic heat wave, breaking 34 additional temperature records, some over a century old, with more heat anticipated in the interior regions. Read article on CVT News Vancouver
	B.C. wildfires: Number of blazes jumps to 130 as heat wave creates prime fire conditions British Columbia, Canada The Canadian Press / Vancouver Sun / July 10, 2024 The B.C. Wildfire Service says the cold front in northern B.C. is expected to generate strong winds, thunderstorms and the potential for dry lightning in the region plagued by drought. Read article on Vancouver Sun
	Spike in baby gulls falling, jumping from roofs during recent heat wave: B.C rescue Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Lisa Steacy / British Columbia / July 25, 2024 During a B.C. heat wave, there was an unusual increase in baby gulls falling or jumping from rooftops, leading to numerous rescues by a local wildlife organization. Read article on British Columbia
	Summer Heatwave Sweeps Russia, Breaking Dozens of Temperature Records Mamakan, Irkutsk, Russia The Moscow Times / The Moscow Times / July 3, 2024 Around 40 daily temperature records were broken across Russia and annexed Crimea on Tuesday as hot summer weather gripped the country. The unprecedented temperatures have engulfed Russia from its central regions to the Far East, reaching a maximum of 38.7 degrees Celsius in the village of Mamakan in southeastern Siberia’s Irkutsk region. Read article on The Moscow Times
	Far East Russia’s Sakha Declares Wildfire Emergency Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia The Moscow Times / The Moscow Times / June 11, 2024 Sakha is now the fourth region in the Far East where a state of emergency is currently in place due to wildfires. The other three are the Zabaykalsky and Amur regions, as well as the republic of Buryatia. Russia’s wildfire season officially began in early March. By mid-April, regions in the Far East recorded nearly twice as many fires as they had during the same period last year, with most blazes caused by human negligence. Read article on The Moscow Times
	Snakes appear in the Russian north as the Arctic warms Taimyr, Central Siberia Elizaveta Vereykina, The Independent Barents Observer / ArcticToday / July 26, 2024 Climate change has led to sightings of species like the European adder, spiders, and herons beyond their typical range in the Russian Arctic. Read article on ArcticToday
	Most of the red salmon were carrying worms Kenai, Alaska, United States Cindy Lawrence and Jayde Ferguson / LEO Network / July 18, 2024 From the images shared, these appear to be Philemona, a freshwater parasite. Philomena is a food quality concern but is Not considered a human health concern. With proper preparation, the salmon is safe to eat. Read post on the LEO Network

The Northern Climate Observer is published by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news coverage from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events. Thank you for reading our newsletter and for paying attention to our changing world.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern Climate Observer is published weekly by the Center for Climate and Health. We track news from across the circumpolar north and provide readers with a curated roundup of climate change related events.

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Northern Climate Observer

The Northern
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