Why it matters: These extreme events, along with flooding that struck Spain Sunday into early Monday, are each tied to an unusually stuck weather pattern, with elevated water temperatures in the Mediterranean adding to the trouble.
Over 70,000 Burning Man festival-goers were stranded in Nevada's Black Rock Desert following heavy rain over the weekend.
The latest: Shelter-in-place orders were lifted on Monday and attendees were cleared to leave Nevada's Black Rock Desert. "Exodus" operations officially began at 2pm Monday local time, but there was an hours-long departure delay as satellite images showed hundreds of vehicles attempting to leave the muddy site.
Hundreds of Burning Man attendees continued to leave Nevada's Black Rock Desert Tuesday after extreme flooding left them stranded for days — but there's an hours-long wait to depart,festival officials said.
Driving the news: Heavy rains in the usually dry Black Rock Desert prompted shelter-in-place orders at the annual camp-out that attracted some 70,000 people on Saturday evening.
The first of many batches of temperature data is in for August — and not only did the globe have its hottest such month on record, but temperature anomalies secured meteorological summer's place in the history books.
The big picture: The unmistakably large jump in meteorological summer's global average surface temperature compared to past years is a telltale reflection of deadly heat waves and record warm oceans.
The Moon is in the midst of a renaissance defined by new science, more nations aiming for the lunar surface and a booming effort to establish industry beyond Earth.
Why it matters: The Moon's unique scientific samples and possible resources are now a major focal point for exploration and industry.
