S. Korea heatwave kills more than 830,000 poultry

South Korea's extended heatwave has taken its toll on both humans and animals, with more than 830,000 chickens or other poultry reported dead as of Wednesday.

The agriculture ministry said 786,512 chickens, 40,780 ducks, 3,000 quail, 336 pigs and five cows have died since July 20, when the peak temperature began hovering above 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) in most areas.
The stifling heat also killed seven people in June and July, the health ministry said, mostly elderly people working in fields or greenhouses.
Temperatures have stayed above 35 C for 12 days in much of the country, causing massive blooms of algae in rivers.
Sales of electric fans and air conditioners have soared. On Monday the state power company warned that reserves were dangerously low and urged people to switch off appliances, as usage reached a record.

Source: Yahoo News

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Southern States Bake in Extreme Heatwave

Texas suffers in heat, sets electricity record

AUSTIN, Texas — The swath of states across the southern U.S. burned hot on Wednesday: Little Rock, Ark., beat its all-time record, reaching 114 degrees. Sweltering Texas saw a third-straight day of record electricity usage. Phoenix, Ariz., also saw triple digits — and the possibility of yet another dust storm.

Little Rock topped its earlier record, set in 1986, by two degrees.
In Texas, the power-grid operator urged residents to conserve electricity or face the prospect of rolling blackouts.

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Oregon Looking for Relief from Record Heatwave

Wednesday's sizzling temperatures BROKE A 70-YEAR-OLD RECORD for the Roseburg area. The mercury rose to 105 degrees Wednesday for the second straight day of record-setting heat. The previous record for that day was 101 degrees set in 1939. In the last several weeks, Roseburg has BROKEN THREE OTHER HOT WEATHER RECORDS. Tuesday's high temperature of 100 degrees just barely beat the previous high of 99 degrees. On July 28, the scorching 108-degree high broke the past record and nearly met the all-time high of 109 degrees. Roseburg also set a record July 29 with a 106-degree reading.

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More than 100 reported dead in Indian heatwave

BHUBANESWAR, India (AFP) — An acute heatwave roasting much of India has claimed at least 100 lives, with more deaths feared because the annual monsoon rains have yet to come, officials said Thursday.Indians have been watching the skies anxiously after the monsoon failed to appear two weeks ago, prompting concerns about the impact on agriculture and water supplies as lakes run dry after a long, hot summer.

In the capital New Delhi temperatures over the past week have touched 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit).

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Stifling heat wave claims lives in Aden

Two people have died and others suffered fainting over the last two days as a result of the second worst heat wave in the last three years to hit Yemen's port city of Aden. Power problems such as persistent cut-offs helped worsen the situation in Aden leading to discomfort among the patients in Aden, which is witnessing a high temperature associated with high humidity. The electrical current is cut off five times a day, affecting those people with dangerous diseases. Even though the electrical current is available, air conditioners have become insufficient to ease the heat wave amid high prices of electricity. Two years ago, a strong heat wave hit the city, claiming the lives of 24 people, most of them were elderly people.

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Parts of India Reeling Under Heatwave

Ahmedabad (PTI): The entire state of Gujarat is reeling under the heat wave with temperatures higher by 3-4 degree Celsius than normal levels, Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) officials said on Friday.

"There is a heat wave covering the entire state and it is expected to remain for the next couple of days," IMD Director Kamaljeet Ray told PTI here.

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Melbourne Faces Its Worst Heat Wave in Century

Australia
Melbourne is preparing for its LONGEST HEAT WAVE IN A CENTURY, which may push energy demand to records. The Victorian state capital may have four days of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) from today. That would be the longest stretch since 1908. A high pressure system over the Tasman sea is pushing northerly winds over southeastern Australia, causing extreme heat in Victoria and South Australia. “The high pressure system is hardly predicted to move for several days and that’s definitely flowing through into a very prolonged period of extreme heat. It’s certainly UNUSUAL.” Train tracks in Melbourne buckled because of the heat, causing cancellations and delays. “The heat wave also posed a serious fire risk for the state. This week’s heat wave is longer and hotter than nearly all Victorians have experienced in a lifetime.”

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Heatwave Blankets the Central Coast

California, USA
The mercury reading topped out at 87 degrees in Santa Maria on Tuesday - SHATTERING THE PREVIOUS RECORD for Jan. 13 and SETTING A NEW MARK FOR ANY DAY IN JANUARY. The previous daily record for Jan. 13. was 78 degrees, set in 1948, and the record for January was 86, recorded on Jan. 19, 1976. In Lompoc, the temperature reached a high of 81 degrees - 15 degrees above normal. More days of low 80s to high 70s are forecast through the weekend on the Central Coast, as unseasonably warm weather has brought TEMPERATURES THAT ARE MORE COMMON IN JULY THAN IN JANUARY. The winter heat wave is being caused by a strong, high pressure system over the Nevada area, which is circulating warm, dry air toward Southern California and the Central Coast.

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Heat beats 102-year-old record in Santa Rosa

California, USA
Heat on Friday beat the 102-YEAR-OLD RECORD as temps hit 88 in Santa Rosa. High pressure was building in the eastern Pacific between California and Hawaii and combining with offshore winds to push temperatures up.

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Dallas expects 11th straight day over 100 F

Texas, USA
DALLAS - Temperatures across the Southern Plains were expected to be in triple digits on Monday, continuing a long stretch over recent weeks that have led to several heat-related deaths.

On Sunday, the nation's high was 109 degrees at Ardmore, Okla.

The Dallas area saw 107 F on Sunday, the hottest day of the year. A high of 105 F was expected for Monday, which would mark the 11th straight day of triple-digit temperatures there.

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Power Consumption Hits Record As Heat Wave Sweeps Nation

Korea
Image: A Korea Power Exchange official points at a graph of power consumption Wednesday as electricity consumption hit a record high of 62.48 million kilowatts Wednesday due to the heat wave that swept the nation. / Korea Times

Story: Electricity consumption hit a record high Wednesday as a heat wave continued to scorch the nation.

The heat has also killed people. Three elderly farmers working in fields in South Gyeongsang Province were found dead from heatstroke Monday, while a 22-year-old college student died during a cross-country hike.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued warnings for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province for the first time this year _ about 20 days earlier than previous years _ as the heat wave is expected to continue for the rest of the week. Seoul's midday high was almost 33 degrees Celsius.

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Heatwaves Becoming Intense

Computer model shows that by the end of the century, high temperatures for once-in-a-generation heat waves will rise twice as fast as everyday average temperatures. Chicago, for example, would reach 115 degrees in such an event by 2100. Paris heat waves could near 109 with Lyon coming closer to 114.


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Heatwave Scorches the Balkans

The Balkans
(Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia) - Heatwave scorching the Balkans - Two people have died and hundreds have sought medical assistance as a summer heat wave grips the western Balkans. A period of extremely warm temperatures started as of this weekend and will last at least three weeks, meteorologists in the region said. They warned that temperatures – even above 40 degrees Celsius – may be set, creating TEMPERATURE HIGHS NOT SEEN IN THE LAST 100 YEARS. To make the situation even more difficult for the population, this period will also be marked by so-called “tropical nights” where temperatures will remain above 20 or even 30 degrees Celsius overnight. Medical workers warned the population to remain indoors between 11:00 and 17:00 and drink plenty of water. The heat wave in Macedonia has led the national Crisis Management Centre there to warn of possible wildfires due to the tinder dry conditions.

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Heatwave Descends Upon Norway

Norway
A period of UNUSUALLY WARM warm weather has settled over southeastern Norway, with temperatures due to exceed 30C (nearly 90F) for the next week. No rain was in sight. Even the temperture of the water in the Oslo Fjord was rapidly rising. It's often still below 10C (50F) in early June, but water temperatures at some Oslo-area beaches were 18C (nearly 70F) on Tuesday morning. It's been warm, bordering on downright hot, since late last week. Few are complaining, but Norwegians quickly notice the lack of air conditioning in most homes. Nighttime temperatures have stayed relatively warm as well, with morning breezes dying down in the afternoon and evening in the Oslo area. The lack of rainfall in recent weeks has sharply increased the danger of forest fires.

Related News
PAKISTAN - The sizzling heat upset routine life as the mercury level increased in most parts of the country including Lahore on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the maximum temperature reached 40 C while the minimum was recorded as 25 C. The ongoing merciless load shedding has added to the miseries of the heat-stricken Lahorites who almost spend eight hours a day without electricity as well as water. Increase in the heat wave also doubled the demand of water and the situation became even worse when people found that there was no water in the taps.

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Balkans swelter in record-breaking heat

EASTERN EUROPE sweltered in a pre-summer heat wave Wednesday that pushed temperatures to A 121-YEAR HIGH in Belgrade and halted a Hungarian train after the tracks bent. In Bulgaria, temperatures reached 35 degrees Celsius in the western part of the country, the highest in a century for the end of May. Belgrade, Serbia's capital, had 39 degrees, the highest May heat since 1887. Neighbouring Macedonia recorded 38 degrees in the south and 35 degrees in the capital Skopje. Szeged, a Hungarian city near the Romanian and Serbian borders, reported 34 degrees, the HIGHEST FOR THE DAY SINCE RECORD-KEEPING BEGAN. Unseasonably high temperatures were forecast throughout Greece. Italy is also in the throes of a heatwave .

The first heat wave of the year was set to hit Germany this week, with temperatures poised to crack 30 degrees Celsius in the southwestern part of the country.

Germany Faces Hot and Stormy Weekend
The mercury is set to soar this weekend in Germany, as shifting high pressure system “Otto” brings high temperatures and occasionally heavy thunderstorms to much of the country.

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Heatwave conditions continue to torment chenniites

Breaking Earth News
India

Chenniites continued to reel under harsh heatwave conditions with the mercury soaring to 41 Deg C (105 Deg F) today and the weathermen predicting that the city will have no respite for the next 48 hours.

The maximum temperature in the city continued to remain above the 40 Deg C mark since the heat wave conditions set in, according to the weather bureau.

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Heat wave deaths toll rises to 39

India
The searing heat wave conditions continued in many parts of the country with a man dying due to sunstroke in Kolkata as the nationwide toll this summer mounted to 39. The national capital blazed at 42.2 degrees Celsius, the highest this season, as hot surface winds that blew across the city during the day added to the misery of the people. Heat wave in most pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh intensified as maximum temperatures were four to six notches above normal. Hisar in Haryana remained the hottest place with a high of 45.2 degrees. Long power cuts and shortage of water supply added to the woes of the people.


Drought News
GEORGIA - Drought not over; Lake Lanier Lower Than This Time Last Year. The report is grim. Lake Lanier is up from where it was at wintertime but it's still 13 and a half feet below where it should be. Areas like Lake Lanier have shown improvement but the forecast for the summer and drought relief is bleak. "We are at the best that we can expect probably through October." It's a sobering statement from the Georgia state climatologist. The consensus among drought experts is that the UNPRECEDENTED drought is not over.

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Southern California wilts in another April heatwave

California, USA
Another April heat wave sent temperatures soaring throughout Southern California, where the mercury reached 103 in Santa Ana, 102 in Fullerton and 100 in Fillmore on Sunday. And there was no relief at the beach. Oxnard SET A RECORD with a 99 degree peak reading, it was A RECORD 95 degrees at Los Angeles International Airport, 94 in San Diego and 87 degrees at Santa Monica Pier. Two weeks ago, record temperatures were also set in a weekend heat wave.

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Unrelenting Heatwave

India
Maharashtra is experiencing a heat wave and Pune is no exception with the mercury levels touching an UNPRECEDENTED 42.1 degrees for this season on Thursday. This was THE THIRD HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED by the Met department in the city for April, the highest instance being 43.3 degrees on April 30, 1897. There will be no reprieve for the citizens in the coming days with the met officers forecasting a steady rise in temperature. The heat wave can be attributed to the northerly winds which were responsible for hot dry air advection. On Wednesday, Akola recorded 45.3 degrees, the highest in the country, followed by Nagpur recording 44.6 degrees. On Thursday, the state saw most of the districts record temperatures above 40 degrees

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India Lakes Drying Up Fast

India
After heat wave, it’s water scare - Lakes drying up fast. If the scorching summer was not bad enough, Jharkhand is now on the threshold of an acute water crisis with authorities detecting a 30cm depletion over last year’s findings of the groundwater table this year. As a result, there has been a remarkable decrease of water level in three reservoirs around the state capital, one of them — Rukka Dam — witnessing a decrease of six feet over the corresponding period last year. In April last year the water level of Rukka revolved around 17ft. This year it is at less than 11ft. "Moreover, pre-monsoon groundwater level is also constantly declining as mining of groundwater through deep-borings has increased manifold.” The condition is the same with Gonda dam in the posh Kanke area, where many multi-storeyed buildings have been constructed in the past five years. “If water level decreases at this pace, supply has to be stopped within the next 15 days."

RELATED NEWS
Heat wave, water crisis hit wildlife in Orissa
There is no respite of heat waves for the wild animals. With each passing day wild animals, including elephants and tigers in the Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries, are facing a shortage of water. The water crisis in many part of the state in this summer summer has been driving animals out of their habitat to quench their thirst but non-availability of waters has hit the daily life of wild animals and most of aged elephants and big cats have reportedly been suffering a lot. Meanwhile, Satkosia Tiger Reserve region, rich in bio-diversity, has been in the grip of gnawing fire for several weeks. Both flora and fauna are in a state of peril. Image Above: An elephant in nandankanan is being showered with water to get rid of hostile heat in Bhubaneswar.

ISRAEL - The Israel Nature & National Parks Protection Authority is warning those traveling not to go hiking in the Judaean Desert or in the western Negev because of severe heat conditions. Due to the serious heat wave, rescue units and fire fighting units are on higher levels of readiness.

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