Anthony Watts sez an ice age cometh while Europe melts and the Arctic burns

No, Anthony - it's not the sun!

What did I say about Anthony rarely writing anything himself?  Here he is crowing about an article that a denier wrote for a Danish newspaper, saying:

Major Danish Daily Warns: “Globe May Be On Path To Little Ice Age…Much Colder Winters…Dramatic Consequences”!

Not "scientists warn" or "NOAA warns" or "solar experts warn".  No, Anthony's picked up a blog article from another crank conspiracy theorist (of the climate science is a hoax variety) who goes by the name of Pierre Gosselin.  Pierre is reporting an article in a Danish newspaper that apparently features a couple of climate science denying skeptics.

Anthony Watts of WUWT gets weirder every day.  While a heat wave grips part of Europe and Asia and fires rage in Northern Siberia, he reckons an ice age is coming! Anthony's gone barmy alright.

Meanwhile, in Europe and China, it's very hot

Anthony isn't reporting this.  I wonder why? (My bold italics)

A historic heat wave is underway in Central Europe, where both both Austria and Slovenia set all-time national heat records on August 8. Three locations in Austria passed the 40°C (104°F) mark, beating the former national record of 39.9°C (103.8°F) set just last week, on August 3rd at Dellach im Drautal.

According to the Austrian met service, ZAMG, the hottest spot was Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, with a 40.5°C (104.9°F) reading. Slovenia also surpassed its national heat record on August 8, with a 40.8°C (105.4°F) reading at Cerklje ob Krki (former record: 40.6°C (105.1°F) at Crnomelj on July 5, 1950.) Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, has broken its all-time heat record five of the past six days, with each day hotter than the previous record. The newest record is the 40.2°C (104.4°) recorded on August 8th. Records go back 150 years at this station. 

China's most populous city, Shanghai, broke its all-time record for hottest temperature on record for the second time this summer on August 7, when the mercury topped out at 40.8°C (105.4°F). The previous record was set just the day before (40.6°C/105.1°F), and also on July 26th.

Read more from Jeff Masters at WeatherUnderground

Northern Siberia Wildfires

Nor is he reporting the fires in Northern Siberia (my bold italics):

This unique summer for Northern Siberians brings Mediterranean temperatures but also 'out of control' blazes. Norilsk - one of Russia's coldest cities - basked in temperatures of 33C, as locals stripped off to catch a genuine Arctic tan, as we reported earlier. 

As NASA noted, the cause was a 'blocking high' - a persistent high pressure weather pattern over the Russian Arctic. 

For a few glorious summer days, the temperatures doubled from an average of 16C, but this also dried the land and led to wildfires, for example in the mainly Arctic autonomous district of Yamal-Nenets.  

'The fires are burning in an unusual area. Most summer wildfires in Siberia occur south of the 57 degrees North latitude line, along the southern edge of the taiga. The July 2013 fires are significantly north of that, raging in woodlands near the 65 degrees North line,' said one report.

'High temperatures play an important role in promoting wildfires.

'Warm fuels burn more readily than cooler fuels because less energy is required to raise their temperature to the point of ignition. With temperatures soaring in northern Russia, it was easier for previously active fires to continue burning and for lightning to spark new ones.'

Read more in the Siberian Times.

And more here from NASA:

The summer of 2012 was the most severe wildfire season Russia had faced in a decade. 2013 might be headed in the same direction after an unusual heat wave brought a surge of fire activity in northern Siberia in July.

A persistent high-pressure weather pattern in the Russian Arctic—a blocking high—contributed to the heat wave, which saw temperatures reach 32° Celsius (90° Fahrenheit) in the northern city of Norilsk. For comparison, daily July highs in Norilsk average 16° Celsius (61° Fahrenheit). Blocking highs are so named because they block the jet stream from moving rain-bearing weather systems along their normal west-to-east path; this leads to “stuck” weather patterns with long periods of stable air and exceptional heat.

Source: NASA