Climate Clips: D.C. July outlook: The hottest in four or five years, with improving rain chances

The average hottest summer month is here for the D.C. area, following a June that already delivered significant summer heat and dryness.

See the full story at the Washington Post.

More DMV News

New Laws Expand Solar Access for Virginians
VPM
Dominion Energy’s shared solar program will expand, and state regulators will start working on establishing a similar option for Appalachian Power Company customers, per bills sponsored by state Sen. Scott Surovell (D–Fairfax).

Moore’s Goal of Zero-Emission Heating Leaves Advocates, Industry Hot and Cold
Maryland Matters
Supporters say it sets a model for nation; industry officials say it’s not new, could backfire.

Arlington, DC are ‘Most Vulnerable Cities in the US’: Boil Water Advisory Points Out Lack of Backup Supply
WTOP News
This week’s extensive boil water advisory for all of D.C. and most of Arlington, Virginia, demonstrated a major vulnerability in the national capital region’s drinking water supply.

Loudoun County Launches First PACE Project
Virginia PACE Authority
Loudoun County is making strides in sustainable development with the launch of its first C-PACE project. The project involves the Hotel Burg, funded by a nearly $4 million C-PACE loan to implement energy efficiency improvements to the full-service lodging facility.

National and International News

IRA’s Impact Grows Clearer in H1 2024 As Guidance and Incentives Spur Investment
Utility Dive
The Inflation Reduction Act turns two in August, and its potential impact is increasingly becoming apparent as federal guidance is issued on its provisions and its tax incentives spur private investment.

Biden Proposes New Rule to Protect 36 Million Workers from Extreme Heat
WTOP News
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden proposed a new rule to address excessive heat in the workplace, warning — as tens of millions of people in the U.S. are under heat advisories — that high temperatures are the country’s leading weather-related killer.

New NOAA Initiative Will Provide $60 Million in Funding to Train Workers for Green Jobs
Inside Climate News
Of the overall Climate-Ready Workforce funding, $50 million will be dedicated to helping set up the projects with an additional $10 million set aside for “technical assistance,” which will be used to track training participants’ progress and career development.

Temperatures 1.5C Above Pre-Industrial Era Average for 12 Months, Data Shows
The Guardian
The world has baked for 12 consecutive months in temperatures 1.5C (2.7F) greater than their average before the fossil fuel era, new data shows. Temperatures between July 2023 and June 2024 were the highest on record, scientists found, creating a year-long stretch in which the Earth was 1.64C hotter than in preindustrial times.

Cloud-Brightening Experiment Halted on San Francisco Bay Part of Push for Solar Geoengineering Solutions to Climate Change
CBS News
A climate experiment involving spraying sea salt particles at the edge of San Francisco Bay to test the viability of future cloud-brightening was recently halted after Alameda city officials pushed back. However, such research is being funded and continued elsewhere as communities urgently seek solutions to climate change.