Canadian #Wildfire smoke: Viewers share snapshots of #Maine's #hazy skies
Viewers shared snapshots of hazy skies as Canadian wildfire smoke continues to impact #AirQuality in parts of Maine.
August 4, 2025
Sunny but #hazy as #WildfireSmoke returns to #Maine Sunday
An #AirQuality Alert is in place for Sunday.
Emily Pike, August 2, 2025
"Sunday morning lows in the 50s and 60s, with highs in the 70s to 80s. Skies will be mostly sunny, but Canadian wildfire smoke will bring a thick haze for the higher elevations. An Air Quality Alert is in effect Sunday.
"An #AirQualityAlert is in effect from 1 AM to 11 PM on Sunday, August 3, 2025, for parts of #Maine and #NewHampshire due to expected high levels of #ParticlePollution.
"The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has issued the alert for the Western and Eastern Interior regions of the state, including areas in #Franklin, #Somerset, #York, Cumberland, #Androscoggin, and #Kennebec counties. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has issued a similar alert for #Coos, #Grafton, and #Carroll counties.
"Air quality is expected to reach levels that are considered 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups' due to a plume of smoke moving in from Canada.
"Those most at risk include children, older adults, people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema, and anyone who is physically active outdoors. Even healthy individuals may experience mild symptoms and should consider limiting strenuous or prolonged outdoor activity during this time.
"High pressure is keeping things dry and sunny, which may allow the smoke to linger into next week, thickening into Monday.
"Looking Ahead: Maine is off to a dry start this August. Without significant rainfall soon, #drought conditions could develop, potentially affecting #crops and increasing #FireRisk.
"The 8-day forecast shows only a few chances for showers and slightly below-average temperatures, mainly in the 70s to 80s."
Source:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/sunny-but-hazy-as-wildfire-smoke-returns-to-maine-sunday/65581788
The local meteorologist referred to today's weather as the "Goldilocks Zone." I described that as "#HabitableZone" on my #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel -- but I like the idea of #GoldilocksZone -- not too hot, not too cold. Treasuring the days where we're in the G-Zone.
Flood-weary #Texas finally drying out, but near 100-degree heat looms
Story by Courtney Travis
July 14, 2025
"An unrelenting wet pattern in central Texas, with nearly-stationary tropical downpours, is likely to come to an end soon. However, residents and crews could be instead faced with a bout of heat.
"The Texas Hill Country has been the center of #CatastrophicFlooding in recent weeks, with drenching rainfall triggering flash and river flooding. Even after the deadly flooding from July 4, more flooding warnings prompted evacuations Sunday, July 13, with river rises again expected.
"Drenching rain and #FlashFlooding risks are forecast to continue through Monday night. Several inches of rain could fall in central Texas during this time, prompting flash flood watches from the National Weather Service.
"A change in the weather pattern looks to finally bring some relief to the Texas Hill Country.
" 'An area of high pressure that has been centered over the Gulf is forecast to slowly move westward this week. Doing so, the tropical moisture that has been streaming into central Texas will shift away from the region, bringing drier conditions to the center of the state,' said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Duffus.
"A final push of rain and thunderstorms is expected across the Hill Country of central Texas, especially the northern and western portions of the area, on Tuesday afternoon before it dries out during the middle of the week.
"Drier weather settling into central Texas on Wednesday is likely to stick around through the end of the week to bring several days of mostly rain-free weather for rescue and recovery efforts.
"During this time, portions of West Texas and #NewMexico instead will be more likely to get repeated thunderstorms, especially in the afternoons and evenings. This includes #RuidosoNewMexico, which was hit with heavy rain and dangerous flash flooding last week.
"The drier conditions moving into central Texas comes at a cost; with more sunshine, high temperatures are likely to rise for the second half of the week.
"While temperatures on Wednesday in cities such as Austin and San Antonio are expected to sail into the upper 90s for the first time this month, temperatures will climb into the lower 90s across the Texas Hill Country. Considering the humidity and strong, summer sunshine, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are likely to near 100 F in the hardest hit flood zones and could reach 110 F in eastern Texas."
#ExtremeWeather is the #UK's new normal, says Met Office
Justin Rowlatt, July 13, 2025
"The UK is breaking #heat and #rainfall records increasingly frequently as its climate continues to warm, the Met Office has warned.
"The country's changing weather patterns mean the UK now experiences a 'notably different' climate to what it was just a few decades ago, its State of the UK Climate report says.
"We now have many more very hot days and many fewer extremely cold nights, according to this latest assessment.
"It shows just how much #GlobalWarming caused by the vast emissions of #GreenhouseGases our civilisation creates is reshaping the country's climate.
"Climate change is bringing more #SevereWeather events like #storms and #flooding - and inevitably the country's changing climate is having an impact on the #NaturalWorld, with some species suffering.
"The report focuses on 2024, when the UK experienced its second-warmest February, warmest May, warmest spring, fifth-warmest December, and fifth-warmest winter since records began in 1884.
"The Met Office highlights that some of these records have already been surpassed in 2025 - more evidence of this trend towards more extreme weather.
"This summer many parts of the country are in the throes of their third heatwave with very warm weather reaching into #Wales, #NorthernIreland and #Scotland as well as southern #England."
Yup. 100°F (37.7°C) on Tuesday, 60°F (15.5°C) on Thursday. Just another week under the #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel! Spin the wheel and see where it lands! #Wetbulb? #BlisteringSun? Dusty/Hazy? Habitable Zone? Who knows!!!
I've used this website to track wildfires in British Columbia last year. US and Canada only, though... On the map right now, one can see there's a LOT of wildfires in #Alaska and part of #Yukon! Yikes!
#AIQ #Wildfires #Heatwave #Heatwaves #ClimateChange #GlobalHeating #ExtremeTemperatures
#GlobalWeather #WeatherWebsites
#WeatherResources #USWx #CanadianWx #WildfireWeather #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel
A favorite of mine, Windy.com -- which has had significant upgrades!
"In 2021, two new #ICON forecast models were integrated - ICON-D2 with local coverage for central and west #Europe and ICON Global. Thousands of new air quality stations monitoring primary pollutants worldwide were added from our partners #OpenAQ and #PurpleAir to fight #AirInequality.
"Several new layers were launched - Tidal currents featuring high-resolution data; the Sea currents dataset was updated; Thermals layer with soaring forecast for glider and paraglider pilots; Drought monitoring layers - Soil moisture, Moisture anomaly, and #Drought intensity, monitoring global drought.
"We also expanded into the wear OS category and introduced Windy Apple Watch App. The 3D Globe mode was brought back for most layers (desktop only), including the Hurricane Tracker.
"In 2022, we launched several new features and improved existing ones. In the beginning of the year, we added a new #radioactivity set of stations as a POI overlay and partnered with SaveEcoBot, run by a non-profit organisation SaveDnipro, and obtained a broad spectrum of environmental data sources in #Ukraine and offer them in an easy-to-access way to our users and other affected communities for free.
New local models HRRR for the US and ACCESS model for Australia were added, along with a set of layers wet-bulb temperature, UV Index and Solar power.
With release of iOS16, the Windy.com iOS app got LockScreen widgets, which can be placed on the phones's locked screen. A new significant iOS feature.
"For the #HurricaneSeason, we launched redesigned and upgraded our Hurricane Tracker and added multimodel forecast & LIVE satellite visualization. Users in the US could also appreciate an improved radar resolution and coverage."
#WorldWeatherMap - "Interactive world weather map by Worldweatheronline.com with temperature, precipitation, cloudiness, wind. Animated hourly and daily weather forecasts on map"
https://map.worldweatheronline.com/
#Heatwave #Heatwaves #ClimateChange #Wetbulb #GlobalHeating
#ExtremeTemperatures #GlobalWeather #USWeather #ExtremeWeather #WeatherWebsites #WeatherResources #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel
#ZoomEarth is an interactive weather map of the world. "With Zoom Earth you can track the development of hurricanes and storms, monitor wildfires and smoke, stay aware of the latest conditions by viewing satellite imagery and rain radar updated in near real-time."
https://zoom.earth/maps/satellite/
#Heatwave #Heatwaves #ClimateChange #Wetbulb #GlobalHeating
#ExtremeTemperatures #GlobalWeather #USWeather #ExtremeWeather #WeatherWebsites #WeatherResources #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel
And #Hazy / #Dusty weather it is! Possibly for the whole summer! Oh boy! Will we be alternating with #DrenchingRains?
#NortheasternUS #NewEnglandWx #ClimateChange #ClimateDiary #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel
#Hazy sky to persist as Canadian #WildfireSmoke and #SaharanDust invade US
More smoke and dust are ahead for the northern, eastern and southern states into mid-June, as AccuWeather meteorologists continue to track Canadian wildfires and dust sweeping in from Africa.
By Bill Deger, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jun 5, 2025 11:10 AM EDT | Updated Jun 6, 2025
"The haze is here to stay. Rounds of smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires, as well as dust blowing off Sub-Saharan Africa, will continue to envelop portions of the United States into the summer, say AccuWeather meteorologists.
"Recent rounds of smoke blowing across the northern and eastern U.S. over the last week resulted in a hazy sky, poor air quality and vibrant sunrises and sunsets. While the smoke has mostly retreated back into Canada as of late this week, additional episodes are expected through the summer, with the first expected early next week.
"Meanwhile, the Saharan dust will result in similar effects in the South, mostly in Florida and areas surrounding the Gulf and southwestern Atlantic. A recent round of dust blowing off of Africa will also have the effect of putting a temporary lid on potential tropical development."
Sweating to shivering: Study finds rapid swings in temperature have increased
Flips between warm temperatures to cold and vice versa have become quicker, more frequent and more intense in recent decades, a new study shows.
By Christina Kelso | The New York Times
| April 26, 2025, 8:00 a.m.
"A September heat wave switching into a snowstorm over one day in the Rocky Mountains. Winter snowfall suddenly melting and saturating fields of dormant crops, before refreezing and encasing them in damaging ice. Early spring warmth prompting plants to blossom followed by a cold snap that freezes and drops their petals.
"Rapid temperature change events like these have increased in frequency and intensity over recent decades, a new study found.
"The transition periods for these abrupt temperature shifts have also shortened, according to the study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
"Because the quick changes in temperature give communities and ecosystems little chance to respond, they may pose greater challenges than heat waves or cold snaps alone, said #WeiZhang, an assistant professor of climate science at Utah State University and one of the lead authors of the study.
" 'The impact could really be cascading on a different level,' he said.
"The researchers warned these temperature flips could have damaging effects on people and natural #environments, including destruction of #crops, harm to #ecosystems and strains on #PowerInfrastructure. And #LowIncomeCountries, where there is less access to weather forecasting and infrastructure is less resilient, are more vulnerable.
"The researchers examined temperature data from 1961 to 2023 to identify global patterns in sudden weather shifts, where temperatures in an area either jumped from cold temperatures to warm or plunged from warm to cold within five days. They found that instances of these flips increased in more than 60% of regions they surveyed.
"The largest increases in frequency were observed in South America, West Europe, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. Some areas, including the polar regions, showed different behavior and experienced fewer events.
"While the climate mechanisms driving changes to these temperature-flip events are not yet fully understood, Zhang said, there is a significant trend showing that these events are becoming more frequent, stronger and quicker in many areas of the globe."
Read more:
https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2025/04/26/utah-state-university-study-finds/
40 degrees below average to way above average. Yup! Welcome to #ClimateChange!
Arctic retreat: Dramatic warmup across US, temps could surge nearly 90 degrees
https://www.accuweather.com/en/winter-weather/arctic-retreat-dramatic-warmup-across-us-temps-could-surge-nearly-90-degrees/1747172
#ClimateChangeWeatherWheel #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe #ExtremeWeather #ExtremeCold #RecordHeat #USWx
I was at a protest of one today in #PortlandMaine (not the first time). Unfortunately, I wasn't there on #January20 because I was getting over being sick, but there was a great turnout that day.
And it seems #AugustaMaine had a decent turnout today as well, so that's good.
But even though I was there by myself, most folks who saw me were supportive, a few thanked me, and only one #MAGA-type said that my protest was "Bullshit!" To which I replied, "You'll find out soon enough."
I don't mind being a protest of one, but next time, I plan on bringing some pepper spray just in case, and some cash for unhoused folks - who were way more supportive than some of the well-off passerbys.
Packing up my collection of protest signs (except for the Monsanto one). If you don't have a sign for today, feel free to borrow one of mine. I'll be at Monument Square in #PortlandMaine around Noon (I'm usually on Pagan Standard Time).
#BlackLivesMatter
#NoJobsOnADeadPlanet
#WaterIsLife
#ClimateChangeWeatherWheel
#CuteDogsAgainstTrump
#EndCitizensUnited
#ResistFascism
#50501Protests #50501Movement
Took a break to work on cleaning the woodstove (in case we lose power in the coming storm). About to empty the rainbarrels from last night's rain because everything is going to freeze later this week (allegedly).
#MaineLiving #ClimateDiary #ClimateDiaryMaine #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel #CountryLiving
On my #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel those days are in the "habitable zone". @ai6yr @AlaskaWx
I was wondering when the #NortheasternUS would get hit with a #BombCyclone... Ugh!
Developing 'bomb cyclone' with #AtmosphericRiver to blast eastern US
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Dec 10, 2024
"A rapidly strengthening storm packed with a firehose of moisture will swing across the eastern United States through Wednesday night with areas of flooding rainfall, damaging winds and major travel disruptions."
