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The LEO Network is a worldwide network of observers and experts that share their observations of environmental change.
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Partial Dam Collapse in Siberia’s Tomsk Region as River Swells
The swelling Tom River in southwestern Siberia has led to a partial dam collapse in the city of Tomsk. This year’s heavy rainfall, combined with abnormally warm spring weather, has led to severe flooding in Russia’s Urals and western Siberia. So far, the floods have submerged around 15,600 homes and 28,000 land plots in 193 Russian towns and cities across 33 regions.
Tomsk, Tomsk, Russia
The Moscow Times

In Photos: Muscovites Swelter in Record-Breaking Heat
Temperatures in Russia’s capital hit an all-time high of 32 degrees Celsius on Tuesday – Moscow’s hottest day in over 130 years.
The heatwave follows a spate of volatile weather in the city and other parts of Russia. In June, after severe rainfall flooded parts of the city, Moscow was struck by Storm Edgar, which killed two people and injured dozens more. A rare tornado was also sighted in the Moscow region.
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times

Summer Heatwave Sweeps Russia, Breaking Dozens of Temperature Records
Around 40 daily temperature records were broken across Russia and annexed Crimea on Tuesday as hot summer weather gripped the country. The unprecedented temperatures have engulfed Russia from its central regions to the Far East, reaching a maximum of 38.7 degrees Celsius in the village of Mamakan in southeastern Siberia’s Irkutsk region.
Moscow, Moscow, Russia
The Moscow Times

Russia's Record Floods Submerge Uranium Mines in Urals
Environmentalists say the latest flooding may have sent radioactive substances into the river, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people living near the banks of the Tobol downstream. State nuclear agency Rosatom, whose subsidiary operates the mines at the Dobrovolnoye uranium deposit, denied that its mining facilities were impacted by the flood.
Seversk, Tomsk, Russia

Russia's Republic of Tyva Declares Wildfire Emergency
Authorities in Siberia’s republic of Tyva declared a regional state of emergency due to ongoing wildfires exacerbated by prolonged hot and dry weather.
Tyva, Siberia, Russia

Russia’s Orenburg Orders Mass Evacuation as City Braces for Flood Peak
The mayor of the southern Russian city of Orenburg urged residents to evacuate immediately on Friday as water in the nearby Ural River reached critically dangerous levels and was not expected to recede until next week.
Оренбург, Orenburg, Russia

President Tokayev Arrives in Kostanai Region as Forest Fires Burn Record 43,000 Hectares
The Kostanai Region declared a state of emergency on Sept. 4 after forest fires burned a record 43,000 hectares (the size of Сarribean Barbados island) and forced an evacuation of 1,841 people.
Аманкарагай, Әулиекөл, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
The Astana Times

First Tulips Bloom Ahead of Schedule
Tulips of the Korolkov variety (Tulipa korolkowii) have started to bloom a month early in the southern Zhambyl region. The air temperature has hovered around 16 degrees Celsius since mid-February.
Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
The Astana Times

Delhi: Bhalswa landfill smoulders for 2nd day, shrouds areas in toxic haze
The blaze was the fourth such incident in the last one month, as Delhi’s landfills are catching fire due to heavy build up of methane between the layers of millions of tonnes of garbage and high temperatures the city. Local residents said small fires keep erupting in the huge mountain of waste, but they have not seen such a massive one that broke out on Tuesday night.
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Hindustan Times

Siberia up to 20C warmer than normal with huge temperature anomalies, predicts weather expert
The world’s coldest city is on course to be up to 20C milder than usual for this time of year, says the scientific director of Russia's Hydrometeorological Center, Roman Vilfand. The streams of warm air from the south and west determine this situation.
Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia
Siberian Times

Phoenix summer heat keeps breaking records
Phoenix's blistering July heat wave has broken multiple records. There's little relief in sight, according to the National Weather Service. Every single day so far in the month of July, the high temperature — as recorded by the National Weather Service at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport — has been 110 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Phoenix New Times

‘This new snow has no name’: Sami reindeer herders face climate disaster
“This new snow has no name,” said Lars-Anders Kuhmunen, a reindeer herder from Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town, near the Norwegian border. “I don’t know what it is. It is like early tjaevi, which normally comes in March. The winters are warmer now and there is rain, making the ground icy. The snow on top is very bad snow and the reindeer can’t dig for their food.”
Bjurholm, Västerbotten, Sweden
The Guardian

Thousands of seabirds found dead along east coast – with climate change blamed
Rising sea temperatures may mean prey swimming in deeper water out of reach of guillemots, razorbills, puffins and kittiwakes
Stromness, Scotland, United Kingdom
The Independent

Record June temperatures and heavy rainfall in northern Finland
Northern Finland experienced unprecedented June temperatures and abnormal rainfall, deviating significantly from historical weather patterns.
Finland
The Independent Barents Observer

NOAA trawl survey: Cold pool returns in the Bering Sea
The Bering Sea’s cold pool, a critical part of the seafloor ecosystem, had shrunk to a worrying degree in recent years, but it is continuing to slowly return, according to the latest results of NOAA’s bottom trawl survey. Saffron cod, also called tomcod, seems to be bouncing back after a few bad years, and Arctic cod and blue king crab numbers were also better.
Bering Sea
The Nome Nugget

Svalbard had warmest June on record
Longyearbyen airport had an average temperature of 6.1°C, which is 2.5°C above normal. Global air and sea surface temperatures were also at record levels.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
The Independent Barents Observer

Warm weather woes wreak havoc in Nome
A week of several freeze and thaw cycles left Nome and the region with puddles on ice and scenes that look more like breakup in spring rather than the customary snowy landscape of December. The rain on ice interrupted normal life in Nome.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Drought is killing the economy in the French Alps
The French Alps region is getting hit hard by drought, most likely exacerbated by climate change. And that's putting the entire economy there in serious jeopardy, because where there's no water, there are no tourists. Summertime in the Alps sees tourists visit for rafting and swimming. In the winter, skiing is what attracts visitors from all over. At least one resort is trying
Les Houches, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
The World from PRX

Storms hit region with high winds, snow and then rain
Strong south winds hit 71 miles per hour in St. Michael, Shishmaref had its sea ice blown away and the Nome Airport saw 0.64 inches of precipitation – mostly in the form of rain - last weekend. The storm that hit on Saturday, Dec. 18 and continued all day Sunday brought the total precipitation for December thus far to 2.04 inches.
Nome, Alaska, United States
The Nome Nugget

Orlando man and stepson die in Big Bend National Park
A 14-year-old boy was found dead along the trail; a 31-year-old male was also found dead at the site of a motor vehicle crash near the trailhead. Last Friday also happened to be the hottest day so far this year in that part of the park. Nearby Rio Grande Village recorded a sweltering 119 degrees — the highest in the park.
Texas, United States
The Big Bend Sentinel

Large jellyfish threaten fisheries in the Sea of Japan
Swarms of giant jellyfish are floating along the coastline of the Sea of Japan, and the damage they may cause to fisheries is feared to be the worst in more than a decade.
Wakasa Bay, Japan
The Japan News

Exceptionally warm summer in Finnmark
Warm summer days lasted all August along the coast to the Barents Sea, from Hammerfest in the west to Kirkenes in the east. The latter is now experiencing the warm weather to last into September with several days reaching maximum temperatures up to 20 degrees Celsius (68 F).
Kirkenes, Finnmark Fylke, Norway
The Independent Barents Observer

Heatwave hit Europe’s Arctic coast
Few places in Europe were warmer than the Finnmark region on Tuesday. Nyrud in the Pasvik valley measured a peak at 25.3 degrees Celsius (77 F), actually higher than the Mediterranean coast of Spain and Italy.The normal chilly winds along the coast of Finnmark in Norway and Kola Peninsula in Russia were replaced by very warm air.
Lakselv, Finnmark Fylke, Norway

Snow, wind and rain disrupt life as usual in Nome
Puddles on ice, slippery sidewalks and heavy wet snow berms are remnants of a three-day weather event that pummeled Nome and the region. According to UAF Climate Specialist Rick Thoman, “that’s the highest three day total on record for Nome in March in the past 116 years.
Nome, Alaska, United States

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