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The southwest is dealing with a dangerous heat wave that could bring temperatures as high as 130 degrees in the desert, as 113 million Americans currently live under heat warnings. Blistering conditions will build Friday and throughout the weekend in the central and southern parts of the state, where many residents should prepare for the hottest weather of the year, the National Weather Service warned. Known as a 'heat dome' to meteorologists, the phenomenon is now set to persist through much of the month - scorching metros in Arizona, Nevada, and California in the process. Midday highs were mostly expected...

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Tourists in central Athens huddled under mist machines and zoo animals in Madrid were fed fruit popsicles Thursday as southern Europeans suffered through a heat wave that was projected to get much worse heading into the weekend. Temperatures in parts of Mediterranean Europe were forecast to reach as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 F) starting Friday. The high-pressure system affecting the region, which crossed the Mediterranean from north Africa, has been named Cerberus after the three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology who guarded the gates to the underworld. Cerberus is being tracked by the European...

As the southwestern United States endures an oppressive heat wave that has produced triple-digit temperatures in many areas this week, experts say records could soon fall. Among them: the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high temperature of 130 to 132 degrees in California’s Death Valley on Sunday. If that occurs, it would “either tie or break [the] record for the hottest temperature reliably measured on Earth,” says Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Admiral Rachel Levine, the Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has declared, as Pride month is coming to an end, that it should be a “Summer of Pride.” “Happy Pride! Happy Pride Month, and actually — let’s declare it a summer of Pride. Happy Summer of Pride.” ADMIRAL LEVINE, Biden's assistant secretary for health, says it's no longer just Pride month — it's a "Summer of Pride" pic.twitter.com/Y84AuBzQo0 — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 26, 2023 The admiral, who is transgender, posted the message on the official HHS Instagram account, and posted similar...

The punishing heat dome that has settled over Texas is putting unprecedented strain on the state's electricity system, leaving officials scrambling to keep the lights on and the air conditioners cranking. State officials are increasingly turning to an unexpected technology: giant batteries. These Mack truck-size systems, which can quickly spew stored electrons onto the grid when power plants sputter, played a crucial role in avoiding outages over the past week, as scorching temperatures shattered records across Texas. And they are renewing debate about the role of clean energy in stabilizing the Texas grid, as the batteries are ideal for harnessing...

Around 8,000 revelers gathered around a prehistoric stone circle on a plain in southern England to express their devotion to the sun, or to have some communal fun STONEHENGE, England (AP) — All hail the rising sun. Around 8,000 revelers gathered around a prehistoric stone circle on a plain in southern England to express their devotion to the sun, or to have some communal fun. Druids, pagans, hippies, local residents and tourists, many clad in an array of colorful costumes and even antlers, stayed and celebrated at Stonehenge for the night and greeted sunrise on Wednesday, which is the longest...

Summer has been a fraught and cautious time in the pandemic era, with travel and gatherings for holidays and vacation fueling COVID-19 spikes each of the last three years. Could the fourth time be the charm? This year marks the first summer of the post-emergency phase of the pandemic — a distinct new chapter marked not by breathless warnings from public health officials about a looming threat, but gentle reminders of well-worn safety tips.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said in a Friday interview he’s “not leaning” toward another term as governor, but he will make a “firm decision” this summer. Sununu, who is in his fourth term, said “I don’t think I’m going to run again” during an interview on “The Greg Hill Show.” “I’ll make a firm decision this summer, not leaning towards it,” Sununu elaborated later. “We just — we’re crushing it in New Hampshire, and I just believe that this isn’t a career, it’s public service.” “Could I win again? Of course, but it’s service and someone else needs...

The window has closed to prevent the melting of summer Arctic Sea ice due to human-caused climate change, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. The research indicates that even under a scenario where carbon emissions are sharply curtailed, the Arctic will be “practically” ice-free in September by the middle of the 21st century. The study’s projection goes even further than the warning issued in 2021 by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which determined there is still a chance to save the summer ice in a scenario where warming is kept below...

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) will launch its “Summer of Action” in South Carolina on Saturday as part of a Black voter education and mobilization effort ahead of the 2024 elections. Beginning Saturday, the “Democracy for the People” event will kick off in Charleston, South Carolina and take place in at least 10 cities around the nation — including cities in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Tennessee. Charleston and places in the South were selected because “the South matters,” Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), chair of the caucus, told reporters on Friday.

It might seem like the weather’s getting warmer here on Earth, but Mars appears to have an even bigger global warming problem. High-resolution images snapped by NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor show that levels of frozen water and carbon dioxide at the Red Planet’s poles have dwindled dramatically — by more than 10 feet — over a single Martian year (equivalent to 687 days or about two Earth years).

Business leaders warn that New York City’s summer tourism season could become a hot mess if asylum seekers take over too many hotel rooms. “I’m worried about summer tourism. We’re 30 to 45 days out from summer tourism internationally,” said Queens Chamber of Commerce president Tom Grech. “My concern is that asylum seekers will take up space normally reserved for tourists. I’m concerned we’re going to lose tourists this summer. This is ridiculous.” Even hotels in Queens near Kennedy and LaGuardia airports that typically serve tourists are sheltering migrants — at least temporarily. Earlier Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams reported that...

California’s power grid will be pushed to near its limit Monday as the state wilts under a blistering and sustained heat wave. With millions of homes and businesses cranking air conditioners to cope with temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, electricity use in the largest US state is forecast to hit 48.9 gigawatts Monday, the most since 2017. The state’s grid operator has asked residents to conserve as much as possible, warning the system could be short up to 4 gigawatts. “California has been ridiculously hot and will be hot for a good part of the week,” Bob Oravec, a senior...

We have another month or so of Summer left, and I received a suggestion that we do a thread on ‘Summer Desserts’ - preferably no-bake ones, as my correspondent was recalling days before air conditioning :-). From the website ‘Catherine’s Plates’, comes a ‘Pina Colada Cream Pie’, made with pineapple, coconut and rum extract: https://catherinesplates.com/pina-colada-cream-pie/******************************************************* Freeper 'Nopardons' has submitted some of her recipes, including this ‘No Bake Strawberry Jello and Cool Whip Pie’: 1 package of strawberry Jello 2/3 cups of boiling water 1 cup of ice cubes and cold water 8 oz of thawed Cool Whip 1 cup of...

Beautiful weather lasts through the weekend, warm and sunny with low humidity. There's a chance of storms by Monday evening but the next ten days are trending dry. The story for the middle of next week and beyond is the return of the heat and humidity. Highs in the mid-90s look likely next Wednesday and Thursday. Tonight: Mostly clear. Low 57. Saturday: Sunny. High 83. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High 84. Monday: PM T-storms. High 86.

President Joe Biden might think he is the president of "unity," but this is another high-pressure election year, and legal expert Alan Dershowitz on Newsmax predicts a "summer of violence," with more unconstitutional abuses of power and politicized justice in America. "I'm afraid we will have a summer of violence if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, and we will see the Justice Department and this administration selectively enforcing the law," Dershowitz told "Saturday Agenda." "You won't find congressional committees controlled [by] Democrats evaluating whether there was incitement, whether by Black Lives Matter — or women's groups." Dershowitz denounced...

As the US marks Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer, the seven-day average for COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are more than six times what they were a year ago. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center showed a seven-day average of 119,725 cases as of Saturday. That figure held at 17,887 cases on May 28 of last year. Despite the rising infection rate, COVID-related deaths were down from last year, a sign of increased immunity through vaccines and prior infections, along with wider availability of treatments.

The last thing consumers want to hear is an increase in power costs this summer following the news last week of rising threats of rolling blackouts across half of the US. Tight supplies of natural gas, crude, and coal have pushed up residential electricity rates this year. A nationwide weather outlook for this summer forecasts extreme heat — all of this will force households to crank up their air conditions, resulting in oversized power demand that could stress national grids. Bloomberg cites new data from Barclays Plc that says monthly power bills could be 40% more than last year’s. The...

This summer, power grids worldwide won’t produce enough electricity to meet the soaring demand, threatening more than one billion people with rolling blackouts. Grids are stretched thin by fossil fuel shortages,/B>, drought and heatwaves, commodity disruptions and soaring prices due to the war in Ukraine, and the failed green energy transition where grid operators retired too many fossil fuel generation plants. Combine this all together, and a perfect storm of blackouts threatens much of the Northern Hemisphere. The power crisis, affecting a large swath of the world and top economies, could be less than a month away when summer begins...

Drought is expected to impact much of the Pacific Northwest this summer, including areas in eastern Washington, southern Oregon and southern Idaho, according to climatology and water officials. A recent map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that about 54% of Washington is experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions, with about 25% of the state in severe or extreme drought, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported. Washington and Oregon recorded above-normal precipitation levels and below-normal temperatures in April, which brought gains to snowpack in some areas. But state climatology experts predict it will be warmer and drier than normal in summer months....