Olympics Pollution Watch: Contingency Plans Announced

Today's WaPo front page reports that Chinese officials have announced contingency plans in response to persistent pollution in Beijing:

On Thursday, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that officials would close 220 more factories, coal-fired power plants and steel plants in Beijing, as well as in nearby Tianjin city and surrounding Hebei province if air quality is forecast to be poor for any 48-hour period.

Beijing will also ban all forms of construction "if there is very unfavorable weather, and the air quality is forecast to not be up to standard for the next 48 hours," according to the ministry's Web site. Experts said they interpreted this to mean that the emergency plan would begin if Beijing's air pollution index, or API, was forecast to be 100 or more for two days in a row.

Reports also appear in NYTi and WSJ.

Record New England Tornado

The National Weather Service (NWS) has updated its review of the tornado which ripped through New Hampshire last week (July 24). The EF-2 tornado had a path 50 miles long, and the maximum width was over 1/3 of a mile. In an update to his coverage of the 2008 tornado season, The Weather Channel's Dr. Greg Forbes points out that this is the longest tornado track ever observed in New England, exceeding the infamous 1953 Worcester tornado by 4 miles. The longest previous track in New Hampshire was 15 miles (1955).

Video from NECN.

Sky is Falling! Snow in Sydney!

Update: Added definition of soft hail.

The global warming denialist blogosphere is undoubtedly salivating, but recent reports of snow in Sydney, Australia have been somewhat premature. Even the Australian press, home to Murdochian sensationalism, is reporting that the Bureau of Meteorology has described the precipitation as "soft hail" and sleet. Soft hail is generally known as snow pellets or graupel in the U.S. Some snow did fall at higher elevations, where such occurrences are not rare.

As far as temperatures are concerned, the lowest temperature this month at Sydney of 5.5°C was not only well above freezing, it was warmer than the low of 3.7°C last July, which was above average at Sydney and across the state of New South Wales as a whole.

Capital Corner: Green Auto Loan

Update: Corrected link to Veridian CU.

Your new car can be red, white, blue, black, or any other color, but if it is rated at 30 mpg or higher (combined city and highway), MCT Federal Credit Union will give you a ¼% discount on the loan rate. Rates are as low as 3.99% for 36-month terms or less. Eligibility for membership in MCT includes teachers and students of public and private schools in Montgomery County, MD, as well as their families. Employees of over 100 companies and organizations in Montgomery County are also eligible.

Elsewhere around the Beltway, a green discount is also being offered by NIH Federal Credit Union. Their discount is ½% for vehicles getting city mpg of 25 or better.

A search reveals that similar programs are being offered by other credit unions around the country. Among them are:

• Stanford FCU
  
• Sound CU (Tacoma, WA)
  
• Columbia CU (Portland, OR)
  
• Veridian CU (Iowa)
  
• Envision CU (Florida)

EPA Email-gate: Senators Demand Resignation

Today's WaPo notes (via AP report) that 4 senators have called on EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to resign over allegations that he lied to Congress over the rejection of regulations to limit CO₂ emissions: Democrats Urge Head Of EPA To Resign

Other coverage is provided by:

• SF Chron (Page A1): 4 Senate Dems urge EPA chief to resign
  
• Reuters: Three senators call for EPA chief to resign
  
• LATi blogs: Boxer to EPA director: resign
  
• Federal Times: Senators call on EPA chief to resign
  
• The Hill: Senate Dems call on EPA chief to resign
  
• WSJ: Democrats Ask for Probe Into EPA Chief's Testimony
  
• UK Guardian: Democratic senators call for investigation of US environmental agency

DC Heat on Historical Beat

With a temperature of 90° at 2 pm this afternoon, Washington DC is right on the recent historical track for the number of days with 90° or higher temperatures. The 14 occurrences so far this July are exactly equal to the historical average and the numbers observed in each of the previous two years. Cumulatively for the season, the total of 22 is one short of the long term average through July and exactly equal to last year's amount.

With a late-season surge, including 3 days in October, the year 2007 went on to exceed the annual average of 37 by 7 days. The previous year, however, ended up with one less than the long term average.

CapitalClimate chart, from NWS data

Colbert Conquers Carbon Conspiracy

Update: The Intersection science blog recently reviewed Roston's book.

Interview with author Eric Roston on last night's Report: