17th July - Today's News: A Deluge For The Olympics?

It continues to look like summer weather is its way and we'll see some warmer, drier weather in the south of Britain next week.  But will it last for the Olympics? According to Boris Johnson, Piers has said that:

We’re very confident that there will be a lot of rain – a deluge, really – during the entire Olympic period, and we are 80 per cent sure that the Opening Ceremony itself will feature heavy rain, including hail and thunder

Current model output suggests as dry, but fairly cloudy, day and, indeed, weather forecast may improve in time for Games, say Met Office.  So we'll await the 27th July with interest.   Of course, Piers doesn't specifiy whether this heavy rain will be from a cold front sweeping in from the west or a Spanish plume bringing thunderstorms up from the south.   And no doubt if it's wet somewhere in Britain or France a day or so either side, for whatever reason, he'll claim, as usual, that he was right.  And on that note,  over on WUWT there's more from Willis on why Piers Corbyn claims success rate

Meanwhile, lack of rain traps salmon in pool on Lewis where they'll be pleased to hear it could turn wetter next week

Worst US drought since 1956 hits residents and crops

Death Valley records a low of 107f (41.7c): a world record

In Canada, second body recovered, two others presumed dead in BC landslide whilst a second B.C. landslide cuts off 500 campers just 45 kilometres from fatal incident at Johnsons Landing

Last month, Northern Hemisphere warmest on record, Arctic ice has biggest melt in June  according to NOAA 

And with it so warm, little wonder perhaps that smeltevand gør grønlandsk katastrofe værre - or, if you prefer, meltwater from Greenland makes disaster worse. This story is referenced on the Arctic Sea Ice Blog but although attributed to AFP I can't find an English newstory. 

Earlier this month Balkan countries wilt in fierce heatwave with, it seems, the worst now transferred to Greece where  Greek heat wave forces Acropolis to shut down

 

Forest fire rages near Tenerife tourist park

 Flood-battered Japan warily eyes typhoon

A new study claims to find no evidence of polar warming during penultimate interglacial - which surely the begs the question why?

Replacing coals with natural gas would reduce global warming -  according to another new study which, likewise, appears to contradict some previous studies that have suggested it would make little difference. Of course, the other problem is that much of the known reserves of gas today would need extractig via the highly controversial process of fracking.