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Mumbai has over the last four years seen a gradual decline in the number of rain days, states data compiled by the disaster management department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). While it rained on 106 days during the monsoon season in 2006, it only rained on 92 days in 2008. The number further came down to 86 in 2009.

Interestingly, however, even as the number of rain days decreased by almost 19%, for the last year when rains were deficient, the total rainfall witnessed has not deviated much.

Extreme rain events have increased due to climatic changes and global warming, a senior civic official said.

HEAVY RAIN and deadly landslides have left 132 people dead and scores missing in southern China, authorities said yesterday, and over a million residents have been evacuated to safety. More storms are forecast and the death toll is expected to rise.More than 10 million people in south China’s nine provinces have been affected by severe floods, the ministry of water resources said, with power cuts, collapsed reservoirs and damage to roads also taking their toll.

Flooding is an annual event in China along the banks of the Yangtze river, which divides north and south China, and the Pearl river delta, which forms the focus of China’s economic powerhouse in Guangdong province. But this year’s floods have been heavier than usual and follow an intense period of drought in the region in the south and eastern seaboard, which left millions without drinking water and destroyed more than 12 million acres of crops.

The intense rainstorms started in mid-June in the provinces, which include Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan, and the state-run CCTV station broadcast footage of rescues by boat and helicopter as the People’s Liberation Army rescue teams arrived at the site.

The nation’s heaviest rains in June poured down on Nebraska and Iowa. Records were set across both states.Iowa recorded its rainiest June in 138 years and its second-rainiest month ever, exceeded only by the rainfall of July 1993, which led to that year’s “Great Flood.”Northeastern Nebraska saw the state’s heaviest rains, with some areas recording three times the normal amount. Some places got nearly 17 inches.Near Ericson — where nearly 13 inches fell — a dam burst, draining a popular fishing lake.

The first heavy downpour of the morning had carried debris and vegetation into the 2.7m by 2.7m culvert, starting a chain of events that led eventually to the flash flood.It was choked where it drained into the side of Delfi Orchard, so water was directed only into the side along Forum the Shopping Mall.When a second intense rainstorm the same morning added more water to the drains within a short period of time, the canal overflowed and water gushed up to the surface of Orchard Road, causing the worst floods there in 26 years.

Although national water agency PUB alerted the traffic police when the sensors at the start of each Stamford Canal channel indicated water levels were at 75 per cent, the water level rose too abruptly to get the alert out to shopkeepers.At a press conference yesterday, the PUB said the heavy rains were responsible for sweeping the debris into the drain.

What was unusual about Wednesday's storm was its intensity and its two peaks, he said. The first peak could have brought a certain amount of debris, and there was no way for PUB officers to safely check and clean it out. The next peak soon after might have brought even more debris.

With torrential rains and record flooding hitting the Nashville area, Tennesseans are getting a first-hand glimpse of the future due to climate change. While individual storms can be driven by a number of factors, more frequent and heavy rains are one of the impacts of climate change that people are already experiencing in many areas of the United States. “While major storms are expected this time of year in the U.S. Southeast, global warming contributes to higher air and sea temperatures that in turn promote increased moisture in the atmosphere and more intense rainfall events,” said Dr. Kevin Trenberth, Head of the Climate Analysis Division at the National Center on Atmospheric Research.  “Any resulting flooding has a direct consequence on people’s well-being and livelihood.  Unless we address the root causes of climate change, we are likely to see more of these extreme storms in our future.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently reported that the southeastern United States has witnessed a 20 percent increase in heavy precipitation from 1958-2007, which is driven by climate change.

Bolstered by mild winters and heavy spring rains, the poison ivy creeping across the Chicago landscape this summer is at bumper crop levels.The abundance of poison ivy and other invasive plants proliferating in Illinois and across much of the nation this year is a symptom of a scenario more serious than an itchy red rash, experts say.Elevated CO2 levels in the atmosphere, although destructive to many plant species, are proving a boon for adaptive weeds such as poison ivy, said Lewis Ziska, a federal plant physiologist.

"We are up to our arms in poison ivy this summer," said Ziska, with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Md. The higher CO2 levels, he said, also are contributing to an increasing abundance of kudzu, the legendary vine once limited to the South but was discovered lurking in central Illinois and as far north as Canada. Dr. Paul Epstein, associate director for the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, said recent studies show that poison ivy is not only more prevalent across the U.S. but more toxic, too. The rise in CO2 levels strengthens an oil in the plant that triggers itchy havoc when it touches the skin, he said. The heavy rains, warmer temperatures and rising CO2 levels that have disturbed plant chemistry also have increased pollen counts, leading to higher rates of asthma and allergies. "It's not an accident we're having this perfect storm," said Epstein. "Pests and pathogens thrive in extreme events, like floods or droughts. We need to stabilize the climate by reducing fossil fuel emissions dramatically." John Masiunas, an associate professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign, said he is unaware of any quantitative data tracking an increase in poison ivy taking root across the state. But, he said, "it makes perfect sense that higher CO2 levels will make these plants more efficient." The plant has "a survivor's ability" to grow in a variety of environments, Masiunas said, adding that climate change is also detrimental to endangered species such as native thistles and orchids that require specific soils and pollinators to thrive. "When climate change occurs … it is poor for these plants and contributes to the extinction of the species," Masiunas said. "When endangered plants are competing in an agricultural ecosystem, they start losing, and plants like poison ivy start doing better."

KENT NEWS

While some producers are celebrating bumper crops courtesy of the early summer heatwave, others are advising producers look to embrace more exotic crops for long-term prosperity. Cherries are among this year’s big hits while wine producers are also raising a glass to the ideal conditions for their grapes. Although, ironically, it has proven too hot for some summer classics. Meanwhile, fruits traditionally associated with warmer parts of Europe – such as apricots, nectarines, and corn on the cob – are already being grown successfully here. There are even some variations on Kentish classics which are now blossoming. Apple varieties such as braeburn apples, which never used to survive in the UK, are already pushing out more traditional types. And scientists say it is all down to the effects of climate change.

Cheryl Martin, of Martin’s Organic Fruit Farm in Marden, said it had been a good year for cherries. “This year has been better than last year because we had all these long, hot days,” she said. She said the only problem to hit crops was the recent heavy downpours, which can cause ‘splitting’ on the cherries. Her farm sells produce wholesale to places including Choice Organic in London and Seasons in Forest Row. Biddenden Vineyards owner Julian Barnes said: “This year has been absolutely fantastic for us so far.” He said the warm, dry weather during flowering season meant that there were lots of grapes on the vines. The sun also creates more alcohol and of a better quality.

there was a detailed study of “the relationships of the storm frequencies to seasonal temperature and precipitation conditions” for the years “1901–2000 using data from 1222 stations across the United States.”  The 2006 study, “Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Snowstorms in the Contiguous United States” (Changnon, Changnon, and Karl [of National Climatic Data Center], 2006) found we are seeing more northern snow storms and that we get more snow storms in warmer years: The temporal distribution of snowstorms exhibited wide fluctuations during 1901–2000, with downward 100-yr trends in the lower Midwest, South, and West Coast. Upward trends occurred in the upper Midwest, East, and Northeast, and the national trend for 1901–2000 was upward, corresponding to trends in strong cyclonic activity…..

Results for the November–December period showed that most of the United States had experienced 61%– 80% of the storms in warmer-than-normal years. Assessment of the January–February temperature conditions again showed that most of the United States had 71%–80% of their snowstorms in warmer-than-normal years. In the March–April season 61%–80% of all snowstorms in the central and southern United States had occurred in warmer-than-normal years…. Thus, these comparative results reveal that a future with wetter and warmer winters, which is one outcome expected (National Assessment Synthesis Team 2001), will bring more snowstorms than in 1901–2000. Agee (1991) found that long-term warming trends in the United States were associated with increasing cyclonic activity in North America, further indicating that a warmer future climate will generate more winter storms.

the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) U.S. Climate Impacts Report from 2009, which reviewed the literature and concluded: Cold-season storm tracks are shifting northward and the strongest storms are likely to become stronger and more frequent.

Provence & Cote d'Azur: 25 reported dead and fears more bodies will be found as massive clean-up operation begins in the Var After the flood Apocalyptic visions are continuing to emerge from the Var in the wake of the torrential rainfall that has been plaguing the region since Tuesday. The scenes are almost impossible to comprehend: battered cars floating down rivers that were just a few days ago normal village streets, residents surrounded by water and stranded on roofs and terraces waiting to be airlifted to safety, buildings destroyed. Most devastating of all: the death toll is rising. The number of dead now lies at 25, the majority of fatalities occurring to people travelling in vehicles. As the water starts to go down, there are fears that more bodies will be found. The situation was not helped this morning as further rain storms hit the worst affected areas, which includes Les Arcs, Draguignan, Roquebrune and Trans. The latest weather disaster to hit the region, the worst flood recorded since 1827, has already left a tragic trail of destruction and death in its wake. Among the victims; a Dutch woman in Fréjus who was swept away in a caravan being towed by her husband; a 19-year-old mechanic who was crushed inside his car in Draguignan; and an 18-month-old baby who was taken by the water from his mother's arms in Roquebrune. Damage to property has been extensive. With homes flooded and commercial buildings torn apart, normal life has come to a standstill in many places and the area resembles more a conflict zone than a popular holiday destination in the South of France. 25,000 homes were still without electricity today and schools, shops and offices remain shut. People are being strongly advised to avoid travelling in the region. The A8 may be open but many of the surrounding smaller roads have been closed and the trains continue to be severely disrupted. Yesterday, government leaders rushed to the disaster site. Brice Hortefeux, Minister of the Interior, in the Var yesterday afternoon, said that this was “an unprecedented disaster in the region.” Joining Hortefeux was Hubert Falco, France’s Secretary of State and the mayor of Toulon, the Var capital. President Sarkozy is expected to arrive in the area early next week. One million euros has been made immediately available, from national funds, for the recovery operation and more will be provided. This same sum was given to Nice and Cannes in the aftermath of the coup de mer in April and the situation this time around is seemingly far worse. It is almost incomprehensible that two “natural disasters” of this scale could occur in the region one so soon after the other. It highlighted for the second time in almost as many months how important it is to be well prepared for extreme weather conditions. As water filled and flooded streets quickly on Tuesday night, it is clear that many urban and residential areas are not designed to cope with heavy rainfall. Furthermore, it has been suggested that this kind of catastrophe can be exacerbated because a culture of risk simply does not exist in France. French senator, Bruno Retailleau, speaking at a press conference this morning, said that France must take better precautions against the risk of floods, which are the nation’s most common 'natural disaster'. He went on to say that the country has the tools to work with and the regulations in place to take preemptive measures against freak weather behaviour but that these are not used adequately. HM