Air Quality Concerns Continue In The Northeast – National Weather Outlook For June 9, 2023

by | Jun 9, 2023 | Weather

National Weather Forecast

On Friday, scattered showers and storms will be possible from the Northwest to the Plains and Upper Midwest. Some of that will be driven by a cold front sinking south out of Canada into the northern United States. Rain will be possible in the Northeast due to a trough of low pressure – but that could also help to usher more Canadian smoke into the region. Storms will also pop up in Florida.

Over three inches of rain will be possible through the first half of the weekend in the Northern Rockies, which could cause some flash flooding.

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El Niño is back, and is poised to turbocharge extreme weather

More from The Washington Post: “The infamous climate pattern El Niño has returned for the first time in four years, according to scientists, a declaration of extreme weather risks and a probable acceleration in global warming over the coming year. Climate scientists say El Niño will probably push average global temperatures beyond a record set in 2016. That year, an intense El Niño triggered deadly heat and precipitation and was linked to rainforest losses, coral bleaching and a rise in diseases such as cholera and dengue. What impacts develop around the world in the coming months are difficult to predict — especially because scientists don’t yet know whether or how the backdrop of human-caused global warming might affect how El Niño behaves. Earth’s oceans have already shown dramatic warming this year, even before El Niño’s arrival.”

The massive smoke plume choking the northeast U.S. is what climate change looks like

More from Yale Climate Connections: “Some of the most intense, dramatic wildfire smoke in memory swept into the northeast United States on Tuesday, June 6, pushing pollution levels in some cities to record highs. Millions of people from the U.S. mid-Atlantic to southeast Canada were confronted on Tuesday and again on Wednesday by surreal, copper-yellow skies and shrouded horizons. Portions of five states and two Canadian provinces experienced 24-hour levels of fine particle pollution, known as PM 2.5, in the “Unhealthy” (red) range, with even higher levels measured on an hourly basis. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at that level, everyone may begin to experience health effects, and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Near Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, 24-hour PM 2.5 levels were in the “Very Unhealthy” (purple) range. According to the EPA, this level of pollution triggers a health alert, meaning everyone may experience more serious health effects.”

World EV Sales Now 14% Of World Auto Sales

More from CleanTechnica: “Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 70% in April 2023 compared to April 2022. There were 928,000 registrations, making it possibly the last month with fewer than one million sales per month ever for plugin electric vehicles. In the end, plugins represented 14% share of the overall auto market (10% BEV share alone). This means that the global automotive market remains in the Electric Disruption Zone. Interestingly, plugless hybrids were also on the rise in April, rising to 808,000 units, robust two-digit growth. This means that in total, over 1.7 million units in April, or some 26% of the global market, had some form of electrification. Year to date, plugin electric vehicle market share stayed at 13% (9.2% BEV). Full electric vehicles (BEVs) represented 70% of plugin registrations in March, pulling up its year-to-date tally by two percentage points, also now at 70% share.”

Las Vegas Needs to Save Water. It Won’t Find It in Lawns.

More from ProPublica: “As millions of newcomers have flocked to the Las Vegas Valley over the past 50 years, every level of government in the nation’s driest state has worked to ensure that water shortages don’t stop the growth. Since 1999, southern Nevada has ripped out thousands of acres of turf from lawns, sports fields and roadway medians under the West’s most ambitious grass-removal program. These efforts helped halve the amount of water each resident consumed and freed up enough for Clark County to add nearly 1 million people. Now, the valley is again looking to grass removal to continue growing without increasing its overall water use. In 2021, the Nevada Legislature passed a first-of-its-kind law mandating the elimination of “nonfunctional turf,” defined as grass that is decorative and rarely used. The Southern Nevada Water Authority promised this would do away with 3,900 acres of grass (roughly 3,000 football fields) within six years.”

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– D.J. Kayser