Photography by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.Icebergs float jammed into the Ilulissat Icefjord in a bank of fog during a week of unseasonably warm weather near Ilulissat, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)The original hut built by a French exploration team led by Paul-Emile Victor in 1948 stands opposite the Eqip Sermia Glacier, also called the Eqi Glacier, during unseasonably warm weather at Eqip Sermia, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)In this view from an airplane icebergs float at the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord near Ilulissat, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)In this aerial view meltwater forms a pond on an iceberg in the Ilulissat Icefjord near Ilulissat, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)A humpback whale swims next to an iceberg in the Ilulissat Icefjord near Ilulissat, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)In this aerial view icebergs and ice float jammed into the Ilulissat Icefjord near Ilulissat, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Icebergs in the Ilulissat Icefjord loom behind buildings in Ilulissat, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Flowers called arctic harebell (campanula uniflora) stand across from the Eqip Sermia glacier during unseasonably warm weather at Eqip Sermia, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)The Eqip Sermia Glacier, also called the Eqi Glacier, is seen behind a moraine left exposed by the glacier’s retreat during unseasonably warm weather at Eqip Sermia, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)In this aerial view ice that has broken off from the Eqip Sermia Glacier, also called the Eqi Glacier, drifts away from the glacier’s 200 meter tall face during unseasonably warm weather at Eqip Sermia, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)In this aerial view water from the Greenland ice sheet rushes down at what a local guide said is an unprecedentedly high level in the last 19 years during unseasonably warm weather at Eqip Sermia, Greenland. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Here’s What ‘Cuffing Season’ Means, Because We Know You Were Wondering

Gigi Engle Men’s HealthAugust 7, 2019View photos Photo credit: jacoblund – Getty ImagesFrom Men’s Health Have you ever been single around this chilly time of year, looked around you, and suddenly realized that literally everyone else has a partner?”Cuffing season” has entered the cultural zeitgeist with full force over the last few years. It’s been in the social landscape since at least 2011, when Urban Dictionary defined it as a time period wherein we stop having rampant sex after a summer of lovin’ and settle down with one companion to wait out the cold fall and winter months.During the spring and summer, we’re in our most feral, wild states. We want to be in shorts, tee shirts, and swim suits. We’re in a partying, social mode. Having a partner can feel like a bit of a drag when there are so many people to meet and things to do.But once winter hits, all you want to do is cozy up with someone, stay inside, watch Netflix, and never go outside until the snow melts. It’s easier to snatch a boyfriend or girlfriend before everyone goes into social hibernation—at least, this is the theory. It makes some sense, when you think about it: We’re more lonely during the winter, and we seek companionship to ease that loneliness.Here’s what to know about cuffing season.When does it start, exactly? The timeframe varies from person to person, from website to website, from article to article.All we know is that once cold weather strikes and prolonged indoor activity is imminent, people seem to start pairing off into oblivion.Some people think it begins right as all those fun, fall activities start. Who wants to go pumpkin picking or on a hayride alone, ya know? Others think the time get cuffed starts closer to Christmas. (For some folks, the holidays can be pretty depressing and lonely as a single person. Besides, no one wants to attend a big office holiday party alone.) When does cuffing season officially end?Again, while there’s no set date, it likely coincides with that first day of spring where it’s 55 degrees, and everyone starts wearing shorts, sundresses, and sandals.Will my relationship survive once spring rolls around?Whether or not a relationship will survive cuffing season has a lot less to do with the weather and more to do with the relationship itself. If you have a healthy, good, happy relationship that started as the weather was getting cold, it doesn’t mean you’ll wake up and be like, “Hey, I am over it because it’s warm!” as soon as the sun comes out.What does „cuffing” actually mean?To be honest, even definitions of „cuffing” vary widely, but the most popular answer by far is that it comes from „handcuff.” As in, you’ve handcuffed someone to yourself, figuratively, for the season.It’s kind of cute, but also kind of creepy. We prefer to imagine that both people have consensually cuffed themselves to each other.Should you cuff someone or not?It’s completely up to you. One strange part of the cuffing season phenomenon is how much people seem to buy into it.Yes, winter can be a lonely time. It can be hard to be alone when everyone else seems settled. But there are positive aspects to singledom, too.Winter is a great time for self-care. There are fewer social engagements you have to follow through on, so why not get a gym membership and work on getting healthy? Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, get some books and a meditation app to work on your head space.If you want a partner, that’s great. If you don’t, that’s great, too. Don’t let cold weather be a determining factor in whether or not you want to settle down for a while. Good relationships are very rarely formed on the basis of simply not wanting to be alone.The term cuffing season is pretty catchy, but that’s all it is: A catchy phrase.

Huffpost July Was The Hottest Month On Record, New Data Shows

Nina Golgowski

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HuffPost•August 5, 2019

Global temperatures made July the hottest or equal to the hottest month in recorded history, new data shows — just after June was ruled the hottest June ever recorded.

The World Meteorological Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, delivered the news on Thursday while forecasting the five hottest years on record to be from 2015 to 2019.

“July has re-written climate history, with dozens of new temperature records at local, national and global level,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

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The findings are particularly significant, the WMO noted, because the previous hottest month, July 2016, occurred during one of the strongest El Niños ever. This phenomenon, which starts with unusually warm ocean water and changes weather worldwide, contributes to heightened global temperatures. But unlike 2016, the WMO said, 2019 has not been marked by a strong El Niño.

“This year alone, we have seen temperature records shattered from New Delhi to Anchorage, from Paris to Santiago, from Adelaide and to the Arctic Circle. If we do not take action on climate change now, these extreme weather events are just the tip of the iceberg. And, indeed, the iceberg is also rapidly melting,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“Preventing irreversible climate disruption is the race of our lives, and for our lives. It is a race that we can and must win,” he added.

WMO made its forecast by analyzing the first 29 days of July. The data ― which showed this past July being .07 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0.04 Celsius) warmer than July 2016 ― was taken from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, a program of the European Union.

The WMO previously deemed June’s land and sea surface temperatures the highest on record for the month, an assessment shared by other organizations including NASA, the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Japan Meteorological Agency. The month’s average temperature reached 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (or 2 degrees Celsius) above normal. Some daily average temperatures in Western and Central Europe were 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) above normal, WMO said.

Extreme heat has been blamed for accelerating an already above-average rate of ice melt in Greenland, the Arctic and Europe, which is expected to bolster warmer temperatures throughout the region.