ZWF: The hottest summer ever
Zander’s Weekend Facts #83: Sunday, September 10, 2023
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, how summer 2023 ranks among the warmest, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 117 previews the NFL season that gets underway this weekend. You won’t want to miss who Zander predicts will make it all the way to the final game of the season! Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, September 10, 2023:
Summer 2023 was the hottest on record
All the stories over the past few months about record summer heat finally came to a head last week, when we discovered that this summer was the hottest ever recorded.
August data from the World Meteorlogical Organization and European climate service Copernicus found that last month was about 1.5 degrees Celcius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the pre-industrial average. And while this August was found to have been the hottest ever version of the month, it was also found to be the second hottest month ever, just behind the month before it, July 2023.
The WMO and Copernicus also confirmed that average ocean temperatures were the warmest ever recorded at 21 degrees Celcius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and that record warmth has been recorded for the last three months.
In total for the three months designated as summer by Copernicus (June, July, August) they found the global average temperature to be 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.19 degrees Fahrenheit). That’s 0.4 degrees Celcius hotter than last year.
While that all might not sound like a big deal… it is.
Every single upward tick, no matter how small, continues to make the effects of climate change even more drastic.
Larger and stronger storms (such as severe thunderstorms and hurricanes), increases in drought conditions, and more dire warm or cold spells. All of which we’ve seen these last few months, will continue to become more prominent as we pass thresholds such as 1.5, 2, or 3 degrees Celcius above pre-industrial levels.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from AP News - This summer broke the world record for the highest temperature officially recorded
What Zander’s been reading
The Atlantic Coast Conference became the latest collegiate athletic institution to expand recently, adding the University of California, Stanford University, and Southern Methodist University. While it’s certainly true neither of those schools would be considered near the atlantic coast, SMU might have been the most questionable addition from the outside. Learn how it all came together inside this week’s featured article.
Check out this week’s featured article at Yahoo Sports - Inside SMU's pursuit of the Power Five — 'It's a couple hundred million dollars. I'm not losing sleep over it.'
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Mark Meadows: Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ attempt to move his Georgia election case to federal court was denied by a U.S. District Judge on Friday. Meadows was charged under the indictment that also charged former President Donald Trump in relation to their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Meadows attempted to argue that his alleged involvement in the efforts was not part of his official duties as a government official. However, Judge Steve C. Jones ruled against Meadows, who indicated he will appeal. The ruling is not a good sign for others, including Trump, who have suggested they will make similar motions in their cases.
Hurricane Lee: Hurricane Lee grew to as large as a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean last week. Lee quickly expanded in warm, open waters to the northeast of the Caribbean, while it dropped in strength to a Category 3 as of Saturday. While long-range models are commonly unreliable, most forecast models show Lee charting to the northwest in the next few days, moving away from the Caribbean islands. However, it is currently unclear whether the storm will stay out to sea, or move closer to the U.S. coast by the end of the week.
Georgia Indictment: The full 26-page report related to the Georgia indictment that charged former President Donald Trump and 18 others in relation to their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state was released on Friday. Notably, the report found that the special grand jury in the case recommended 38 additional people be charged beyond the initial charges brought by District Attorney Fani Willis. Among the 38 individuals named included current Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) and former Georgia Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both Republicans.
Peter Navarro: Former trade adviser to former President Donald Trump was convicted of contempt of Congress on Thursday. Navarro initially defied a subpoena sent from the House January 6 Committee, refusing to testify or turn over documents related to the attempts by Trump to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Before the trial, Navarro argued that Trump’s use of executive priviledge meant he did not need to comply with the subpoena, although the U.S. District Judge in the case, Amit Mehta, ruled that Navarro could not use that claim as a defense.
Morocco Earthquake: Over 2,000 people have been confirmed dead after an earthquake struck Morocco on Friday. The 6.8-magnitude quake struck about 44 miles southwest of the city of Marrakesh, a popular tourist destination with world heritage status in the south central region of the country. Shaking from the quake was felt as far as the capital of Rabat, in the northern portion of Morocco. The earthquake is Morocco’s deadliest since a 6.7-magnitude earthquake killed 12,000 in 1960 around the city of Agadir.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Week 1: The first weekend of the NFL season begins in full force later today after Thursday night’s opening game. The Lions shocked the Chiefs 21-20 on Thursday night, spoiling the season opener for the defending Super Bowl champions. Moving to Sunday, the 1:00 pm ET window features the 49ers at the Steelers, the Jaguars facing the Colts, and the Panthers taking on the Falcons. At 4:25 pm ET, the Dolphins take on the Chargers, the Seahawks host the Rams, and the Eagles face the Patriots. At 8:20 pm ET, the Giants host the Cowboys, while the Bills take on the Jets on Monday night at 8:15 pm ET.
College Football Week 2: Week 2 of the College Football season featured perhaps the biggest non-conference matchup of the season, and it did not disappoint. #11 Texas and former Nick Saban assistant Steve Sarkisian went into Tuscaloosa and beat #3 Alabama 34-24. In the day’s other ranked matchup, #20 Ole Miss came away with a 37-20 win at #24 Tulane. #12 Utah survived on the road against Baylor 20-13, #13 Oregon beat Texas Tech 38-30, and Washington State upset #19 Wisconsin 31-22. Also, #17 North Carolina survived Appalachian State 40-34 in 2OT, Miami took down #23 Texas A&M at home 48-33, and #22 Colorado came away with a 36-14 win over Nebraska.
US Open: The US Open Women’s Final saw an American take home the trophy for the first time since Sloan Stephens in 2017. 19-year-old Coco Gauff took down Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to become the first American to win a major champion since Sofia Kenin in the 2020 Australian Open. Later today, Novak Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev in the Men’s Final. Medvedev’s 2020 win over Djokovic remains his lone major title, while Djokovic is looking for his 24th Grand Slam trophy, an Open era record.
FIBA World Cup: Germany will face Serbia later this morning in the final of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. In the semifinals, Germany took down the United States 113-111 on Friday, while Serbia was able to beat Canada 95-86. The U.S. and Canada faced off in the third-place game earlier this morning. Germany is seeking their first FIBA World Cup title, having previously won bronze in 2002. Serbia has won the competition twice before as Serbia and Montenegro in 1998 and 2002, but has not won since the split betwen Serbia and Montenegro.
Joe Burrow: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow agreed to a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the Bengals last week. The deal will make Burrow the highest-paid player in the NFL, earning an average of $55 million per year. In the last two years with Burrow as the team’s starting quarterback, the Bengals have made the Super Bowl and made the AFC Championship last season. Burrow’s massive deal is the fourth for a quarterback since April, joining Justi Herbert, Jalen Hurts, and Lamar Jackson.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, September 17, 2023.
