Thousands of Dead Fish Wash Up on Texas Beach

Posted: June 14, 2023 1:30 pm

From record snow in the Northeast to dead fish washing up onto the Texas coastline, there have been a number of unusual weather occurrences happening around the country this month. Here are a few of the stories of note.

Mount Washington Sees Record June Snowfall

The tallest mountain peak in the northeastern corner of the U.S. has recorded a staggering amount of snow so far in June with more moisture on the way. Mount Washington has recorded 8.4 inches of snow as of June 13, an amount that is good enough for a new June snowfall record.

Standing at 6,288 feet in the northern reaches of New Hampshire, this mountain is best known for being the site of the most extreme weather during the winter months. A large area of low pressure anchored over the region has precipitated the record-breaking snow this month.

The mountain also saw a record fall in February when the temperature at the top peak dropped to 47 degrees below zero at the hands of the powerful polar vortex that dipped into the U.S. from Canada.

When combined with the wind, the real feel reading at the peak hit an astonishing 114 degrees below zero, a new overall record for the U.S.

The 8.4 inches of June snow is the most that has ever been reported since officials began keeping records at the observatory in 1932. June 7 has been the snowiest day so far with 4.2 inches of new snow.

The white stuff was able to stick around this day as temperatures only reached 33 degrees for a high. This temperature was about 15 degrees below the average for this time of the year.

It is not usual to see snow fall during June on Mount Washington. However, totals for the month typically stay below 2 inches. The average snowfall for the entire month is 1.3 inches.

The snow does not have much staying power. Temperatures climbed into the low 50s on Monday, melting most of the snow.

But a new area of low pressure and cold air will likely lead to a bit more of the wintry precipitation heading into the weekend. The last snowfall of the season usually takes place by the middle of June.

Dead Fish Wash Up on Shores of Texas Coastline

Thousands of dead fish washed up along the coastline of Brazoria County in Texas over the weekend, prompting local officials to tell people to stay away from the beach.

Experts say that a low dissolved oxygen event created the problem that sent the massive amount of dead fish to the shoreline of Quintana Beach. This popular beach is located about 60 miles south of Houston.

The dead fish spanned a distance of about 6 miles, extending from Quintana beach to the Brazos River. In addition to littering the coastline, the fish also created a noxious odor and raised bacteria levels in the surrounding waters.

According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife (TPWD) Kills and Spills Team, the low dissolved oxygen levels made it difficult for the fish to breathe and survive.

Too much algae in the region triggered the lack of oxygen. This problem was exacerbated by ocean water temperatures that have been trending up to 3.6 degrees above normal.

The TPWD confirmed that water samples indicated a lack of dissolved oxygen. The most severely impacted species of fish was the Gulf menhaden.

The fish kill is another example of how human-induced climate change is negatively impacting the world’s fragile ecosystems.

Bear Emerges on Beach in Florida Panhandle

You may worry about sharks or jellyfish when heading to the beach but nobody typically fears a bear attack. Beachgoers were understandably caught off guard on June 11 when a bear was spotted frolicking in the waves off the shoreline of Destin, Florida.

The bear seemingly emerged from the Gulf of Mexico just before noon at the beach along the Emerald Coast in the Florida Panhandle.

Videos and pictures of the bear quickly went viral as the bear came up onto the sand and started to shake the water off of its fur before scampering away. It is still unclear as to where the bear came from and how it ended up in the water.

Capsized Tour Boat Leaves One Dead Along Erie Canal

At least one person is dead after a tour boat capsized on Monday while traveling in an underground cave in the Erie Canal. Almost one dozen more individuals received treatment at the hospital due to injuries in the accident.

Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano confirmed that a 60-year-old man was hit under the capsized boat and died. There were 28 tour group participants on the Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride when it flipped over and sent all of the passengers into the water.

Quagliano said that nobody on the vessel was wearing a life jacket when it capsized. The accident happened in Lockport cave, located about 20 miles east of Niagara Falls in upstate New York. The water in the cave measures as deep as 6 feet with air temperatures that hover in the mid 50s all year long.

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