From Maui to Memphis, we are seeing extreme weather: Yes ... - Commercial Appeal

Maui to Memphis, we are seeing extreme weather: Climate change is real

From Maui to Memphis, we are seeing extreme weather: Yes, climate change is real | Norment

If you are one of those people who initially called global warming “hog wash” or a “hoax,” I can only hope that you now realize that global warming is real.

On the evening news, I heard my favorite network anchor say that July 2023 was the hottest month on record. “This record-breaking heat would be impossible without climate change,” he added.

This was not new information, for I have been experiencing this heat reality all summer. Something serious is going on with our weather, with the excessive wildfires, floods and storms raging across the U.S. and the world.

Andrew Humphrey, chief meteorologist at Fox13 Memphis, says Shelby County has had five excessive heat warnings and 20 heat advisories since June 1, 2023. He adds that the Bluff City has experienced six heat waves this summer, the most recent August 11- August 14.

“It’s important to note that Memphis is enduring the stormiest year and stormiest meteorological summer in comparison to the previous 10 years,” he says. “Severe thunderstorm warnings for Shelby County were issued 59 times from January 1 to August 14, 2023.”

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent

Humphrey confirmed what I assumed, that we are experiencing an exceptionally hot and wet summer. That unusual weather events are occurring around the world.

“We are seeing a lot of extreme weather events that don’t have another understandable explanation,” says Paul Goodloe, on-camera meteorologist and co-host of “Weekend Recharge” on the Weather Channel network.

He concurs that Memphis has had an “amazing amount of rain,” and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. “One such extreme event may not be global warming, but when you get a series of them. . .”

With the series of fire, water and weather events from hell that are engulfing us, climate change is a reality. Today. Not 10 years from now, and not a generation from now. Many assumed when they first heard the warnings that future generations would deal with climate change.

No, we citizens of Earth today must deal with drastic and frequent storms.

Fallen trees that damage power lines, crush houses and leave thousands without power for hours, days and sometimes weeks.

We are the ones who must deal with contaminated water as a direct or indirect result of a storm. Our recent experience in Germantown with diesel-tainted water was bad enough, but nothing compared to other U.S. towns and parts of the world where clean water is not always available.

Maui wildfire should be a warning to us

We are the ones who experience homes being destroyed by tornadoes and flood waters. The images of houses being swept away by rising rivers or crushed by mudslides are traumatic and frequent.

We are the ones who must flee wildfires that suddenly flare up and engulf our homes, neighborhoods and towns.

Like others, I’ve been saddened by the wildfires that wiped out the historic town Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii. Just two years ago I was there, in Lahaina. I saw the burned-out shops, restaurants and other businesses I visited. I saw the ashes of the historic church that I drove past several times. I saw how the fire had blackened the 150-year-old banyan tree that fascinated me as I walked among its branches and aerial roots.

“We’ve been experiencing wildfires for decades here,” Hawaii’s governor Josh Green said at a news conference. “But this is the first time we’ve ever experienced a wildfire in the context of these dry conditions, global warming, and with the hurricane that is just passing us. The consequence of global warming and storm change is changing things. . .”

We have been warned again and again

According to news reports, violent winds intensified by Hurricane Dora and drought moved the Maui blazes at an astonishing pace across the island.

For years scientists around the world have warned us that catastrophic weather is a consequence of rising temperatures caused by human-made emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane from gasoline and coal. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act as a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures. Clearing land and cutting down forests contribute to this negative impact.

We were warned that if we don’t take immediate action on climate change, it will get worse. Without a doubt, extreme weather has gotten worse.

Stories just as heart-wrenching as the Maui wildfires are reported from around the world as global warming accelerates and takes its toll on the planet and its people. Smoke from Canadian wildfires polluted the air in Northeastern and Midwestern U.S.; this smoke even lingered over Memphis for weeks. It has been reported that more than 22 million acres have burned across Canada, and fires continue.

Fires have plagued California for many years. The 2018 Camp Fire wiped out the California town of Paradise and killed 85 people. That record number of deaths is being surpassed by those killed by the Maui fires, which is called the deadliest in a century.

We are seeing these changes across the globe

For weeks now, the drought-stricken Greek Islands have been ablaze with 400 wildfires. Successive heatwaves and wildfires also have heated up Southern Italy. On Sicily, fires forced the closure of two main airports. At the same time, the northern part of Italy was pummeled with hail larger than tennis balls that, along with strong winds, have battered pedestrians, bashed in cars and windows, and felled trees.

Intense rains and flooding have impacted the U.S. and other countries. Parts of India were inundated with “terrifying floods” that caused bridges to collapse. Japan had record heat, “heaviest rain ever,” and deadly floods. In Spain floodwaters carried cars backward rapidly through traffic, with drivers on car roofs.

Excessive heat in Texas has led to dozens of deaths. El Paso baked during weeks of 100-degree days. Phoenix had 31 consecutive days of at least 110 degrees, while Miami experienced 100-degrees for 30 straight days. In Death Valley, Calif., temperatures reached 128 degrees in July. And there are ongoing heat waves in the Pacific Northwest.

At the same time, there is a rapid spike in ocean temperatures, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists believe this warming is due partly to heat domes that are making this the hottest year on record. It has been reported that as much as 44% of the world’s oceans will experience marine heat wave conditions this summer, up from the usual 10%.

Exceptionally warm oceans are making heat waves worse, disrupting marine life and destroying coral reefs. They also are increasing temperatures on land. In fact, scientists believe that the warmest Mediterranean Sea surface temperature on record may be fueling deadly wildfires in Greece and other southern European and northern African countries.

If you are one of those people who initially called global warming “hog wash” or a “hoax,” I can only hope that you now realize that global warming is real. And it will get worse unless we as Earth’s peoples collectively take action to slow down the heat wave.

Lynn Norment, a columnist for The Commercial Appeal, is a former editor for Ebony Magazine.