Is Extreme Weather the 'New Norm?'

Media reports over the past two weeks read like a litany of biblical wrath, permeated with details of unprecedented heatwaves, extreme drought, wildfires, persistent rains and damaging floods occurring around the world.In the United States, the National Weather Service said that dangerous heat will persevere through at least today as temperatures across the Southwest, California and parts of the Pacific Northwest continue to be well above average, prompting a heat advisory for 30 million residents. Areas in the Southwest and southern California can expect high temperatures near and above 110 degrees.The hot and dry conditions have aggravated wildfires that are forcing thousands of Californians to flee their homes. Torrential storms and flooding have plagued the Mid-Atlantic states in recent days and are now moving into the Northeast.Meanwhile, devastating fires and heatwaves, from Sweden to Japan, have claimed the lives of scores of people all over the world. In Greece, the death toll from fires stands at 80 and is feared to rise, while in Japan a heatwave claimed the lives of at least 65 people. Wildfires have raged from the Russian Far East to Quebec and Ontario, Canada, making this a truly global phenomenon.