Temperatures across US cool slightly but still hot – at least 42 now dead

By BRETT ZONGKER and KAREN MATTHEWS
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) – The heat that blanketed much of the U.S. will begin easing up this week as temperatures approach normal from the Midwest to the East Coast.

Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Camp Springs, Md., said Sunday night that a cold front through the South and the mid-Atlantic will bring thunderstorms and showers.

It “will break the heat wave we’ve had,” he said, dropping temperatures there to a more normal range of mid- to upper-80s. The Southeast and Tennessee Valley will be in the low 90s, “still fairly warm,” Orrison said, but not as hot as it has been.

The Midwest can expect cooler weather, as well, with temperatures in the 80s.

The cooler air began sweeping southward Sunday in the eastern half of the country, bringing down some temperatures by 15 or more degrees from Saturday’s highs, which topped 100 in cities including Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Louisville, Ky.

The heat of the past several days has been blamed for at least 46 deaths across the country.

In Chicago, the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined Sunday that eight more people died from heat-related causes, adding to the 10 deaths previously confirmed Saturday. The deaths included a 100-year-old woman, 65-year-old woman, a 53-year-old man, a 46-year-old woman and an unidentified man believed to be about 30 years old.

In Tennessee, the third heat-related death of the year was a 62-year-old woman found dead in her home. She had a working air conditioner, but it was not turned on.

Deaths have also been reported by authorities in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

To stay cool, Americans tried familiar solutions – dipping into the pool, going to the movies and riding subways just to be in air conditioning.

Gregory Englebach relaxed on a bench Sunday evening near the Starbucks coffee shop in Philadelphia where he’d worked all day, enjoying temperature that had dipped below 90 degrees.

It’s the humidity that gets me,” said the 24-year-old Englebach. He said he thinks his electric bill has already gone up by $30 or $30 because of his increased use of electricity at home. But he’s resigned to it: “It’s air conditioning or I can’t sleep at night,” he said.

It was a steamy 80-plus degrees in New York City on Sunday night. Some visitors to the city said they’d spent much of the weekend shopping in air-conditioned stores rather than exploring Central Park as they had planned.

“But that’s OK, shopping is always good in New York,” said Linda Boteach of Baltimore, waiting to board a bus that was spewing exhaust into the already hot night.

“It was worse in Baltimore,” Boteach said. “It’s all relative.”

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No end in sight to wet UK weather

 

The Environment Agency said there was a low to medium risk of surface water and river flooding across much of England and Wales Saturday.

 

Forecasters have warned there will be no respite from the wet weather this week as flood-hit communities across the UK count the cost of recent torrential downpours.

Many homes were left under water and one driver died when his car left the road after a month’s worth of rain fell in just 24 hours in many parts of the country.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman met flood victims in Devon, where a huge clean-up operation was under way after the area saw the worst of the weekend’s bad weather.

Ms Spelman spoke of the importance of flood prevention schemes during the visit to Ottery St Mary, near Exeter, which had a number of defences put in place after previous flooding. She said she had been given assurances that all Olympic sites would be resilient to flood after flooding at a park-and-ride car park in Weymouth, Dorset, which will be used to transport spectators to sailing events.

At Wimbledon, rain stopped play during Roger Federer’s Centre Court victory over Andy Murray and the men’s singles final only resumed after the roof was closed.

But drivers and fans at the British Grand Prix were able to enjoy a dry race, despite two days of rain causing havoc on and around the Silverstone circuit and turning car parks into mudbaths.

Matt Dobson, senior forecaster with Meteogroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said England and Wales were unlikely to see any sunny weather during the next 10 days, although the forecast for Monday was more promising.

“Tomorrow we are looking at more scattered showers but it should be a little bit better than it has been over the past few days,” he said.

“Looking ahead it is a very unsettled week with no respite from the wet weather. There will be heavy downpours on Tuesday and Thursday, particularly across England and Wales, and no sign of any sunny weather for the next 10 days.”

Mr Dobson said scattered heavy showers were affecting east Wales and the West Midlands, with heavy thunderstorms over Herefordshire and Worcestershire. There would also be heavy showers in Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, moving towards London and the south coast and a risk of thunderstorms over central and eastern England on Monday.

Copyright ©  2012   The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Resorts sue over gloomy weather

A weather website that has forecast bad weather for the next three months of the northern summer is frightening away holidaymakers, resorts have complained. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

BELGIUM’S seaside resorts are threatening to sue a top weather site they say is scaring away tourists with forecasts of a gloomy northern summer. The resorts slammed MeteoBelgique.be, one of Belgium’s most consulted weather pages, for posting a general weather overview for the three summer months, when most sites only offer a ten-day forecast”It’s very hard to predict the weather so far in advance. So why make people panic?” said Hoorens Geert, in charge of tourism for the Belgian coast, quoted by the Belgian daily La Meuse.The site said in a June blog post the weather would remain erratic over the coming months, especially in late July and early August, after an early northern summer marked by little sunshine and heavy rainfall.

The post included a reminder that “a dry, hot summer in Belgium, if that happens, like in 2003 and 2006, remains an exception that proves the rule.”

“No, we are not in a Mediterranean climate where the summers are warm and rainfall is minor. It’s important to remember…” the weather site wrote in June.

But Belgian resorts say the forecast is chasing away their customers, with the head of tourism at Knokke confirming there had already been cancellations.

“The damage could be significant” on an economic level, Daniel Despiegelaer said in an interview with the public television station RTBF, adding that the coastal resorts plan to talk over the possibility of filing a complaint.

“Our daily tourism totals about 200,000 people who each spend 35 euros ($42). If they don’t come, that’ll mean a loss of five to seven million” euros, Geert said.

Meteo Belgique addressed the criticism on its site, explaining that its seasonal trends “are not set-in-stone forecasts: we could never predict the weather Ostend will experience in one month and three days at 7:20 pm!”

“That said, it’s possible to identify weather trends for that period,” they added.

The site estimates that the reliability of its forecasts “is now close to 70 per cent” for the first month and “between 60 and 55 per cent” for the second and third months.

Maybe with c0ming Earth Changes we will see more & more of this.

Sacrifice or Suicide?

For many years now I have had a problem with what Christians believe happens in the afterlife to those who suicide. I was advised by the kindest, most emphatic (sarc) Catholic priest that they burn in hell because they have self murdered & this is against God’s law. (Again – people really need to read their bible) I don’t get it to be honest. Didnt Jesus Christ commit suicide by Roman to fulfil prophecy? Well this is my take on it anyway.

Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Matthew 26:2

Many Christians believe that Jesus came to redeem man to God by His death on the cross and to forgive man’s sins. In some instances we have the death of Jesus, yet at other times you see the same Christians making the claim that Jesus “lives.” Did he actually die or does he live? It cannot work both ways. Even if the death means a temporary death, it gives little value for an eternal sacrifice. But regardless of which way one believes, the morality of such an act deserves questioning.

If Jesus equals a god, then he could not have sacrificed his life, simply because an infinite god cannot die. If Jesus died as just a man, then he committed what we would today call suicide. If anyone believes his prediction in Matt 26:2 then Jesus must have known of his upcoming crucifixion. Jesus fulfilling his own prophecy says nothing about miraculous predictions for such self-fulfilling prophecies tend to carry themselves out. But if he lived as an all powerful being, he would have the power to avert his death. But he chose not to. Instead he consciously allowed his own death. Suicide. This act of self destruction, especially in light of a horrible disfigured and bleeding torso nailed to a cross hardly gives an exemplary act of the expression of life. On the contrary, such a scene equals that of horror movies designed to scare people out of their wits. Who knows how many children have experienced psychological problems after witnessing an image of a tortured man nailed to a cross at Sunday school. (By the way, any graven image of Christ violates the second commandment Exodus 20:4-5

As to the sacrifice, just what did Jesus sacrifice? According to the Bible, he certainly did not sacrifice his life. Jesus went to Heaven, (the right hand side of God) supposedly a place of peace, calm and everlasting joy. But as a man on earth, Jesus received death threats, attempts at stoning, and condemnation by his enemies. Exiting the problems on earth for the joys of heaven hardly gives an example of noble sacrifice. On the contrary, it appears that Jesus escaped his problems, leaving his disciples on their own for a life in perfect heaven. Should we teach our children to emulate such a selfish act?

Did Jesus redeem man from his sacrifice? History shows that violence of man against man has increased since the alleged “sacrifice.” Wars, terrorist acts, murders, and suicides have occurred because of faithful acts in the name of Jesus. It appears that the sacrifice resembles the curse of a demon rather than that of a savior. Furthermore, believing that his death forgives sins only provides reason for committing them in the first place. Why should anyone feel so disagreeable about committing sins when they feel that Jesus has already forgiven them? No wonder jails contain so many Christian zealots. Regardless of how “Caesar’s” laws treat them, they think of themselves as specially forgiven.

Query 1

Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. Matthew 16:28

Comment

Most Christians do not realize that Jesus’ promise of his second coming did not apply to our generation or to a future generation, but only to the generation of his time. Also, Jesus said in Rev 3:11: “Behold I come quickly…“

Those poor people of early Christianity! They thought the texts got written for them, yet Jesus never fulfilled his promise.

Two thousand years have rolled by and yet many “true” believers still await his “quick” return. As any school child knows, anyone who does not keep promises does not deserve our trust, much less our admiration.

Furthermore, to believe in a second coming and the end of the world gives no reason to feel concerned about the long-term future of Earth. Why should we care about the environment, wars, or suffering if we believe that the world will come to an end soon and that everything will get taken care of in heaven?

Top Ten Signs You’re a Fundamentalist Christian

10 – You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

 9 – You feel insulted and “dehumanized” when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 – You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7 – Your face turns purple when you hear of the “atrocities” attributed to Allah, but you don’t even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in “Exodus” and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in “Joshua” including women, children, and trees!

6 – You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

 5 – You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

 4– You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs — though excluding those in all rival sects – will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering.  And yet consider your religion the most “tolerant” and “loving.”

3 – While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in “tongues” may be all the evidence you need to “prove” Christianity.

2 – You define 0.01% as a “high success rate” when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works.  And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 – You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history – but still call yourself a Christian.

Thoughts on The Christian God

I’ve been thinking alot about “God” lately. Like, even if there IS one & to be totally specific – the Christian one. People like myself were tortured in the most horrific ways that Man could devise then put to death in other ingenious ways for even daring to voice this opinion. Why can’t we question God’s existence without all this damnation? Why the collective gasp of horror then the strident religious voices screaming their damnation of MY soul?

This question has been doing my head in lately. What if ALL religions are just a cruel delusion? What if Man is totally insane & has done the most atrocious things to both each other & this planet in the name of Gods that just don’t exist? This is not a wavering in faith, this is a total overhaul of my beliefs. Take the Christian God for example & His butchering, bloody & murderous ways. I just don’t get how seemingly rational people can believe in a God that demands the death of BILLIONS of people. I don’t get how seemingly kind & warm people can worship a God that advocates infantcide, rape, incest & murder. You say it dosent exist & that I am talking out of my arse? READ your Bible people, it’s all there, every last, disgusting story, the parts the priests don’t broadcast, the parts people studiously ignore & skip over. Read it & feel as sick as people like myself do. Welcome to the hoax, welcome to this Christian delusion & nightmare.

I have Christian friends, I talk with alot of them online but they are so stuck in their beliefs, so pedantic about their God, they have no room for anything else, for any other alternative belief. I’ve read on a certain blog someone stating emphatically that YOGA is satanism, that fortune tellers are the devil’s cohorts & that the end of the world is all of God’s master plan. WTF??? What would a supposedly loving, benelovent, merciful God put his children through such pain & agony for? It is beyond me that people can believe in such nonsense. I’d say 99% of the problems in this world, today, right now are caused by religion. I am over it, over being preached to by people that worship a demon God who smashes the heads of babies against rocks. Leave me out of this insanity please. I’m getting off this carousel.

SA town fears return of fire

A forecast wind change could blow a bushfire burning in South Australia’s southern Flinders Ranges back towards the rural township of Wilmington, the Country Fire Service says.

The weather bureau has issued a severe fire weather warning for the area for tomorrow with temperatures to reach the mid 30s and strong wind gusts expected.

More than 200 firefighters and five water bombers are battling the blaze, which has scorched about 8,000 hectares of land.

The bushfire moved towards Wilmington yesterday, prompting the Country Fire Service (CFS) to declare it a threat to homes and lives.

That danger reduced as firefighters battled throughout the night, but the fire continues to burn uncontrolled.

CFS state coordinator Brenton Eden says aerial water bombers were grounded yesterday because of smoke but have today dumped water onto the fire’s north-eastern front.

He says a wind change forecast for around sunrise tomorrow could hamper attempts to control it.

“This fire will continue to grow in all directions overnight until the north-westerly winds tomorrow. They will be associated with we believe 5 to 10 millimetres of rain,” he said.

“However, with all good news there’s a sting – we are facing 11 fire bans tomorrow across the state. All [of those are] severe, including the Flinders Ranges.

“So whilst we have a window of opportunity that goes through until sunrise tomorrow, we have a period of high danger tomorrow between sunrise and the arrival of any moisture over the fire ground.

“It is not likely that this fire will come under control for several days, many days. This will be very much a wind-driven fire.”

He says large fire breaks have been established around Wilmington.

“We have increased the level of asset protection in Wilmington with the arrival of a Metropolitan Fire Service strike team to protect that community,” he said.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Simon Timcke says firefighters face a difficult task.

“With those freshening and becoming gusty northerly winds, probably with some fairly dry air as well, it’s the sort of weather conditions that would cause the firefighters some concern,” he said.

But he says some relief may be on the way.

“At some stage during Saturday afternoon, I would expect to see some showers develop, possibly even the chance of a thunderstorm up there and with a bit of luck some rainfall totals significant enough to help them in their efforts in fighting that fire.”

Stock lost

Hundreds of sheep and other stock have been killed, along with native wildlife.

Local grazier Brenton Stevens managed to save his cattle by moving them to a bare paddock but says much of his land was burnt.

“We have two acres left, so we expect the cattle – they’re fat now – but whether they’ll keep fat for the next six months on two acres, one doesn’t know,” he said.

Other farmers were not as lucky, with hundreds of sheep being put down.

Firefighters from around the state have been called in as reinforcements and several roads in the area remain closed.

Total Fire Bans have been declared in eleven of the state’s districts for tomorrow.

Storms hit Sydney as tornado strikes NSW lake

With more than 300 lightning strikes, bucketing rain and reports of fishing boats missing in a tornado, last night was the epitome of wild weather. Sydney’s northern beaches were the hardest hit by a thunderstorm that moved over the city’s east and northern suburbs late yesterday. Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jake Phillips said Avalon received 36mm in just half an hour. Advertisement: Story continues below “That was far and away the highest rainfall figures we saw,” Mr Phillips said. Weatherzone meteorologist Doug Fenton said there were about 328 lightning strikes in the Sydney Basin overnight. “There was certainly a lot, particularly in the northern suburbs. “For Sydney, 328 is quite a lot.” Other northern suburbs were drenched, including 28mm at Mona Vale and 27mm at Hornsby, in what Mr Phillips described as a fairly typical Sydney summer thunderstorm. Less typical, however, was a storm that hit Lake Burrendong in the state’s central west yesterday afternoon. Police said heavy hail hit about 5pm, when many fishermen were out on the water. Several boats were unaccounted for for hours as police, State Emergency Service volunteers and a helicopter searched for them. They were all found by about 8.15pm and no injuries were reported to police. Initial media reports last night suggested the lake had been hit by a tornado, but Mr Phillips said that had not yet been confirmed by meteorologists. The wild weather may have been caused by a “micro burst” from a type of thunderstorm called a supercell. “It’s when you get a particularly severe thunderstorm and you get a burst of cold air that comes out of the thunderstorm and rushes towards the ground. “The storm that was over that way, from what we could see on the radar, it looked like a supercell thunderstorm. “That’s a particularly severe type and often with supercells, not always but often, we see things like large hail and a lot of wind damage as well as heavy rain.”

Stephanie Gardiner

 

2011 Hottest year on record for Perth Australia

         The Bureau of Meteorology says 2011 was the warmest year on record in Perth and the south west.
Temperatures from 2009 to 2011 are also in the top four hottest years since records began.
The bureau’s Neil Bennett says a hot first three months of last year contributed towards breaking 2010’s record average temperature of 25.3 degrees.
“Certainly, during the year we saw some pretty warm temperatures right the way through and in fact when we looked at the whole year as a total and looked at the mean’s daily maximums, Perth recorded 25.7 in 2011,” he said.
Mr Bennett says a number of months within 2011 were among the warmest ever recorded.
“March was the warmest March on record, April the fifth warmest, August the second warmest and October the third warmest, so when you’ve got all of those coming together it’s not surprising that we broke the record,” he said.