Heat makes waves across globe
UNUSUALLY HIGH TEMPERATURES SEEN IN RECENT WEEKS ARE CAUSING ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS
N. KOREA ‘DISASTER’
This week, the North Korean government called record high temperatures in the country “an unprecedented natural disaster” and said that country was working together to fight the problem. An editorial published Thursday in Rodong Sinmum, the newspaper of the ruling party, highlighted the difficulties that the long stretch of high temperatures would cause for North Korea’s agricultural sector, specifically crops like rice and maize. The newspaper called for North Koreans to act as one and “display their patriotic zeal in the ongoing campaign for preventing damage by high temperature.” The official Korea Central News Agency reported Friday that the temperature had reached 40 C and that the country was now working on a campaign to prevent damage to crops.
PEAK SHRINKS
In Sweden the country’s official tallest point is set to change amid record temperatures. Scientists said a glacier on Mount Kebne, the Scandinavian country’s highest peak at 2,111 metres, is melting and is no longer Sweden’s tallest point.
B.C. SEEKS HELP
For the first time since British Columbia’s wildfire season began in April, the Wildfire Service says it is calling for help from outside the province. Spokeswoman Kyla Fraser says 452 wildfires are burning across B.C. Dozens of lightning strikes were recorded Thursday night, but Fraser says potential new fire starts from those hits have not been identified and lightning storms are tapering off. The call for help from outside B.C. was posted on social media. Fraser says the weather has crews bracing for new wildfires expected this weekend, but despite the high level of active fires, none are threatening any communities.
PORTUGAL’S RED ALERT
Eight places in the centre, south and east of Portugal broke their local temperature records as a wave of heat from Africa swept across the Iberian peninsula, with officials forecasting Friday it would continue and possibly worsen over the weekend. Temperatures built to around 45 C in many inland areas of Portugal on Friday, and were expected to peak at 47 C in some places on Saturday. Large parts of Portugal are on red alert on the Civil Protection Agency’s danger scale. In Spain, heat warnings were also issued for 41 of the country’s 50 provinces as temperatures were expected to reach up to 44 C.
‘DANGER’ IN CALIFORNIA
Firefighters battling deadly and destructive blazes in Northern California faced worsening weather conditions on Friday. The National Weather Service issued warnings for critical fire weather conditions into Saturday, saying a series of dry low-pressure systems passing through the region would bring afternoon wind gusts. “This is a particularly dangerous situation with extremely low humidity and high winds. New fires will grow rapidly out of control, in some cases people may not be able to evacuate safely in time should a fire approach,” the weather service said in its bulletin for the Mendocino area north of San Francisco. Forecasters said areas with the highest threat included a massive blaze near the city of Redding and the Mendocino Complex of two fires north of San Francisco. Two firefighters and four other people have been killed since the blaze, which ignited July 23, raced with extraordinary fury toward the region’s largest city. More than 1,300 homes remained threatened.