The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track planetary extreme, or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😜
Here is a new feature for this blog, which I will add daily. This is the latest inciteful Green News Report from my friends Desi Doyen and Brad Friedman at Progressive Voices. Hit ‘continue reading,’ listen, then hit return to see my daily topics:
Main Topic: Canadian Smoke, Texas Floods, and Record Heat Push the US Into a ‘New Abnormal’
Dear Diary. Summaries about what the United States has experienced so far regarding extremely bad weather driven by climate change are starting to drop. I spied thus one yesterday, which Dr. Michael Mann put on his Blue Sky wall, which is today’s main subject. Reading it, I’m wondering how many more plagues Mother Nature will bring before enough people are beating down the doors of Congress, demanding action and change.
Anyway, here is that article that includes comments by Dr. Mann:
Canadian smoke, Texas floods, and record heat push the US into a ‘new abnormal’
Canadian smoke, Texas floods, and record heat push the US into a ‘new abnormal’
“Climate change is a present threat, and it will become even harder to ignore as the impacts grow.”
by Ray Brennan
July 26, 2026
Photo Credit: Getty Images
CNN described a summer in which smoke from Canadian wildfires gave major U.S. cities a sepia cast, while deadly flooding hit Texas and severe heat spread across much of the U.S. and Europe.
Climate scientist Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania, cited by CNN, says the convergence of these disasters reflects a “new abnormal.”
What happened?
Rather than seeming like isolated events, this summer’s extreme weather has piled up across multiple regions. At one point, at least 120 million Americans were under air quality alerts, while smoke from wildfires in Canada stretched from Washington, D.C., to Boston and briefly pushed Chicago and Detroit into the ranks of the world’s worst cities for air quality.
When these disasters overlap, it can also create economic damage. Families may be forced to pay for things like evacuation costs, medical bills, home repairs, and rising insurance premiums. Communities, in turn, can be left struggling with damaged infrastructure and overextended emergency services.
Labe said, “These overlapping hazards can lead to greater economic losses, more serious health impacts, added stress on infrastructure, and further damage to ecosystems.”
What’s being done?
CNN noted that a new National Academy of Sciences report found that researchers can now confidently connect heat waves and precipitation extremes to human-caused climate change.
Local communities can use that growing body of evidence to support stronger planning around wildfire prevention, flood resilience, cooling centers, and public health alerts. It also gives communities more data to justify investments in cleaner energy and stronger infrastructure.
For individuals, the most immediate steps you can take are to monitor air quality alerts and use high-quality masks or air purifiers during smoke events. During dangerous heat, you can also avoid outdoor exertion, and in the event of bad weather, know local evacuation or flood safety plans.
Polls suggest more Americans are making that connection. CNN reported that a 2025 Pew survey found that 74% of Americans reported experiencing at least one of five types of extreme weather in the past year, and most saw climate change as a contributing factor.
“We are indeed seeing the consequences of climate inaction,” said Mann.
As Mann put it, “It’s an ever-shifting baseline toward more extreme conditions as long as we continue to warm the planet with carbon pollution,” adding, “I use the analogy sometimes of a dangerous highway we’re going down, and we need to get off at the next possible exit before we crash.”
Here are some “ETs” recorded from around the U.S. the last couple of days, their consequences, and some extreme temperature outlooks, as well as any extreme precipitation reports:
Here is More Climate News from Monday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)