August 2010 – Absolutely Amazing!

Summer in Downtown Moncton (File photo)

August 2010 will be remembered as one of the most amazing summer months in Greater Moncton in recent years.

Warm days (daytime highs well into the 20’s C), little precipitation and comfortable nights made August memorable.

Summer was still in full swing by month’s end even though a cool nip in the air is often felt by late August. 

AUGUST 2010 Almanac

Average HIGH  25.1 C

Average LOW  12.3 C

AVERAGE  18.7 C (+0.8 C warmer than 30-year average)

Extreme HIGH  30.9 C (on the 31st)

Extreme LOW  8.3 C (on the 1st)

RAINFALL  32.2 mm (60% less than 30-year average)

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End of summer heat wave

Aboiteau Beach, NB (File Photo)

August has been amazing in Greater Moncton and the last couple days have been the warmest so far this month.

At least seven New Brunswick communities set new record highs today including the Moncton Airport at 30.9 C beating the previous record of 29.4 C set in 1942.

Fredericton Airport hit 33.3 C while the Saint John Airport also reached 33.3 C, both smashing record highs set in 1969 and 1973 respectively.

The warmest was St. Stephen at 35.1 C, also the warmest spot in Canada today.

Earl expected to hit US East Coast and Maritimes?

Satellite image Hurricane Earl, 30 Aug 10

Hurricane Earl, a powerful Category 4 storm, is moving in a northwesterly direction in the Caribbean Sea.

The islands of Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla and St. Martin felt the impact yesterday with roofs torn off, trees downed and power outages.

Puerto Rico is being affected by the storm today.

Earl’s current path could bring it near the Mid-Atlantic U.S. coast and it may even impact the Maritimes by Saturday.

Smoky Calgary

A smoky haze settles over Calgary, 20 Aug 10

Smoke drifting over Calgary and central Alberta from forest fires in the B.C. Interior has prompted air quality warnings from the province.

Winds in B.C. have pushed smoke from growing fires in that province across central Alberta.

Asthma sufferers and those with respiratory problems are being told to stay indoors.

Hot and dry in BC

Fire crews battle the flames in BC

British Columbia has experienced a hot and dry summer this year.

While these conditions are ideal for sun worshippers,  they are posing significant fire and air quality risks.

A high or extreme wildfire danger has spread to almost three quarters of the province and dozens of fires are burning out of control.

The smoke from forest fires has been drifting towards Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley and that has created smog and dangerous levels of air quality.

Meantime, temperatures soared to 38 C in the Fraser canyon yesterday.

China mourns flood victims

Rescuers search for victims Zhouqu, China

China has said goodbye to more than 1,200 people that died (at least 500 are still missing) in the Zhouqu mudslide last week which was triggered by heavy rains.

Some 5,000 rescue workers and Zhouqu residents of Gansu province bowed their heads in silence yesterday during a period of national mourning.

Shops were ordered to close and coal miners and railway workers stopped work.

Meanwhile in Beijing, the giant Chinese flag on Tiananmen Square was lowered to half-staff.

Millions homeless in Pakistan

Flooding has destroyed thousands of homes

Heavy rain and flooding in Pakistan is almost pushing the country over the edge.

About 20 million people have been left homeless – 10% of the nation – by what has been described as the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history.

Severe shortages of food, clean water and medications have made people vulnerable to disease.

More than 1,500 people have died in the last few weeks.

Because of the huge scale of the disaster, millions have received little or no assistance

Fires easing in Russia

Smog has shrouded Moscow for weeks

Ferocious fires have burned across central and western Russia killing over 50 people and displacing hundreds amid the worst heatwave on record.

Moscow has been setting heat records thanks to a blanket of smog from the wildfires that has trapped heat in the Russian capital.

Temperatures in Moscow have soared well into the 30’s C with the highest temperature ever recorded of 38.2 C on July 29.

However, the weather lent a helping hand to Moscow this week, when heavy downpours cooled off the ground and eased the smoky air that has been choking the city for days.