November weather: ominous climate change signals?

So, the November weather was and is weird and seems to be signaling strong signs of climate change. Now, I already believe that we are already moving through the change but how deep are we going to move in I don’t know. There are others – fewer and fewer every year – who still deny that the climate is behaving in ominous ways.

Here are some of the signals that are blinking red:

Signal 1: November weather now includes fires along the east coast

I think in the last week I’ve been seeing headlines about fires popping up in the east coast. I don’t recall ever seeing articles about fires up along the east coast. They have the tornadoes, the hurricanes and of course the winter storms, but fires? Never!

This summer there has been a widespread drought, of varying degrees, throughout the US so that may be contributing to the fires. As a matter of fact, this article by Vox describes this exact weather scenario that has transpired during the past summer.

“We are on pace for 2024 to become the hottest year ever recorded”

Paige Vega, Vox, “It’s not normal for the East Coast to be on fire”, November 12, 2024

So, dry land brings on the fires.

Where I’m living, we’ve also had some outbursts of tiny fires.

It’s not just in California or the West Coast.

As a matter of fact, both coasts have fires raging. I don’t see many articles about fires along the west coast but that may be because we are becoming numb to the annual event.

Fires along both coasts during the fall is a troubling signal of climate change.

One final startling comment from the Vox article:

“For example, despite Hurricane Helene bringing heaps of moisture to places like North Carolina a little more than a month ago, even western North Carolina is now abnormally dry. How can that be? Because it’s been that hot and dry in the weeks since — enough to erase any sign of a so-called thousand-year event.”

Paige Vega, Vox, “It’s not normal for the East Coast to be on fire”, November 12, 2024

So, the summer has been exceedingly dry and widespread.

Signal 2: Inclement weather is impacting around the world

Spain and Sicily have just recently undergone some horrifying flooding event from rain. I see many videos showing raging rivers cascading through the streets of villages, sweeping cars and any lose items away.

The one in Spain is the outcome of cold air meeting warm humid air left over from the summer. This event is a normal fall event, but what made this year extreme is the fact the storm stayed parked over the area.

The day after day after day of rain will cause extreme flooding as those seen in videos.

Signal 3: Caribbean is still roiling with storms

Typically, hurricane season ends November 30, but it sure feels like the season will be extended into December. The Caribbean waters are still very warm, more so than it should be at this time of the year.

For a few days this week, through yesterday, computer models were indicating a high risk of a hurricane forming in the Caribbean and then hitting the Gulf of Mexico, moving towards Florida. As if Florida needed more hurricanes.

And it was projected to be a Cat 3 or 4 hurricane.

A little statistic about hurricanes in November: since 1900, there has been only 4 hurricanes hitting US and the strongest was a Cat 2. The table outlined in red in the image below depicts those statistics. The box in purple is showing that the month of November was chosen the filter.

The November weather for the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico typically don’t entail hurricanes, especially major ones.

Another dreadful signal of climate change.

Fortunately for the US, the storm system moved south and brushed up against the northern Honduras. This meeting with the land will hamper intensification into a strong hurricane.

But it’s not so fortunate for Honduras because that storm remains parked over that area for about 3 or 4 days: 3 or 4 days of rain leading to flooding and mudslides. They are currently undergoing water rescues.

Closing: November weather is not over yet

We still have the rest of November to see if the US escapes any more hurricanes because by this time of the year, we should be seeing a drastic reduction in activity in the Caribbean/Gulf.

And of course, the rest of the world is suffering from the extreme weather. I think I saw something earlier in the summer about India and floods.

So yeah, we are in the midst of climate change, and I suspect we are not in that deep, meaning, there is still more to go to get worse.