Weather & Earth Science News

Will it or won't it? Finally snow in Evesham? This week could be our best chance of the winter. And with so many folk off work it's perhaps the best week of the year for heavy snow without causing too serious disruption to transport, businesses and the economy. Anyway, time will tell .... But the latest BBC forecasts looks rather good for tomorrow! Meanwhile, just a handful of news updates: Traditional weather helps British wildlife flourish First BBC weatherman George Cowling dies Floods, fires as extreme weather hits NSW, WA In Scotland, one dead and five injured as more snow and ice hits roads

Just a brief round-up of Christmas weather news - dominated by blizzards in N America, a white Christmas in parts of Britains - and the possibility of more snow to come. For the record, it was a green Christmas here with not even a frost on the ground, but plenty of sunshine. Still on the cold side though with a maxima of 4.7c Dallas area snow is record for Christmas Eve Holiday blizzards wreak havoc in central United States Bookies count the cost of the first white Christmas for 5 years Dream comes true as Scots get their white Christmas Fresh blast of arctic weather to cause transport chaos Japan weather agency ends cherry-blossom forecasts More people to car pool amidcold weather in NW China Christmas brings record warmth to Bulgaria And in Australia, Christmas rains prompt flood warning

Needless to say, still no snow in Evesham, though again we do have icy pavements. Elsewhere though ... Hundreds stranded as snow hits Liverpool John Lennon airport Christmas snow brings Scotland to a standstill Ryanair aircraft slides off runway at Prestwick airport Black ice causes chaos on roads in Devon Icy roads and freezing fog warning for Christmas Eve Cold snap strikes normal life in northwest China Flood waters drench city of Venice

Over the Christmas and New Year period I'll not be able to produce quite such a comprehensive round up of weather and related news, but I will update with the latest on the cold weather in the UK and any other major stories from elsewhere in the world. Here in Evesham, the snow drought continues ...... but elsewhere, snow turns to ice in new threat to travellers , there's passenger's fury at airports as snow steals Christmas whilst a nicer story as stranded John Lewis shopper thanks staff - and at least one person showed that British common sense prevails. But, proving this is the 21st century and many other people are total arseholes, snow-trapped cars abandoned at pub are wheelclamped (those repsonsible should be stripped naked and tied to a tree overnight in the snow). Up in Scotland, the cold snap brings north-east to a halt with many routes affected and in Cornwall coach crash kills two as icy roads cause travel chaos across Britain . On the Continent there's...

More serious chaos on the roads (and airports) in England yesterday due to snow - and yet again we failed to see a single flake in Evesham. All eyes now on Christmas Eve with the risk of some nasty conditions developing across the Midlands - though snow more likely over the Cotswolds and further north than down here in the Vale. After that, further potential developments next week. Snow hits Hampshire and Berkshire Gatwick passengers beseige staff as snow wrecks getaway hopes Thousands trapped in cars overnight due to snow and ice From Eurostar: don't blame us, it was the wrong kind of snow In Northern Ireland: weather playing havoc with Christmas travel More than 80 dead in European winter weather And in America, icy East wobbles back to its feet Meanwhile, different weather problems down under as Cyclone Laurence strengthens over WA Swiss court acquits geologist in earthquake trial

Happy Solstice! Still no snow in Evesham, though the surrounding hills are all nicely seasonal and white. And still no clear indications of whether anywhere we see a white Christmas - though latest suggestions are that for most it'll be a cold frosty start and thereafter a dry day, maybe turning milder from the SW later. But the wintry conditions continue to dominate the weather news in the UK Britain braced for more snow, but white Christmas 'unlikely' Manchester airport suspends many flights due to snow Heavy snow and icy roads bring chaos to Scotland Snow brings travel and school problems in Wales Snow snarls air, rail travel across Europe And you think we have it bad? Try Washington for a whole winter's snow in one day - and as the Americans classify winter as starting on the 21st December (rather than the accepted meteorological definition of 1st December) that means for Philadelphia a winter's worth of snow, before winter . US East coast digs out from re...

Just a few flakes of snow in the end yesterday - nothing as yet on the ground here, but that looks likely to change overnight! Meanwhile, the temperature dropped to -6.5c in my garden this morning, which is the lowest temperature I've recorded in December since my records began in 2003. It may well be even colder over the coming nights. Not surprisingly, the main news is again the wintry weather in Britain as snow causes second day of disruption and cold weather traps 2,000 on Channel Tunnel whilst the adverse weather claims a host of sporting fixtures . And it's not just here as severe cold weather hits Europe . Nice to see we're not the only ones to have problems with trains in cold weather! New evidence confirms land warming record Fog discovered on Saturn's largest moon, Titan And in the US, storms flood Fla., bear snow for Mid-Atlantic

Heavy overnight snow in parts of East Anglia and the SE - and as I watch the radar this morning there's a risk of some light stuff reaching here later. So, kicking off with the latest news on how a few inches of white stuff brought parts of the country to a standstill: Travellers hit by snow disruption Snow strands passengers at Gatwick and Luton Sussex snow: travel disruption Suffolk in the grip of a Siberian blast And for those who prefer a more tabloid angle on the weather: Davina stranded in car for eight hours but keeps twittering And it's not just in Britain: there's early snow as cold snap hits Northwest Europe whilst further east Bulgaria covered by snow, more expected Other news: In Turkey, heavy storms, gales lash Antalya Major winter storm aims for Washington Lethal landslide in Peruvian Andes city of Ayacuho And up in Arctic Canada, wacky warm spell comes to Iqaluit Greenland glaciers: water flowing beneath ice plays more complex role Climate change does not a...

Winter has arrived in Britain. London saw its first flakes of snow yesterday and from here on in most parts can expect some snow as well as sharp frosts and daytime temperatures at best only a few degrees above freezing. We could well see widespread snow cover in the run up to Christmas for, I think, the first time since 1981 - a winter I well remember. Whether it turns milder just before, over or just after Christmas Day remains to be seen. But it's no surprise the best available odds for a White Christmas anywhere are now 5/2 (compared with 8/1 last week). As the media report: hopes rising for a white Christmas - though I'd not believe anything that that Bren Jones guy says! hehehe! Elsewhere: Cyclone buffets Fiji, 4 killed Glaciers in southern China receding rapidly whilst black soot choking Tibetan glaciers Switzerland geologist on trial for causing eathquakes I've not mentioned much on the Copenhagen Summit as it's mostly politics and all largely irrelevant ...

Suggestions we could see temperatures down towards -20c in the Scottish Highlands before the imminent cold spell is over, but that's quite toasty compared with Canada where Northern Albrrrrta sets record -46.1c Fiji battens down for Cyclone Mick Sunshine speeded 1940s Swiss glacier melt Tropical Storm Lawrence set for second Australian landfall Al Gore condemned over Arctic ice melting prediction

Snow on the way for Britain? I think many of us could well see some before the week is out! It's a good while since I last saw snow in December. Christmas itself remains uncertain - it could well just be mild and wet but at this stage, snow for some is also a real possibility. And that kicks off today's news with freezing weather to bring snow to UK and patients warmed of cold weather . Geothermal project in California is shut down 90 vehicles trapped as Calif. faces rain, snow, mud Praries hit by extreme cold snap Lightning produced radiation a potential health concern for air travellers Wierdo cloud on horizon for weather girl Behnaz Nerds poke fun at the Swansea-born beauty on forums populated by weirdos with a thing for cloud formations – and even seem to think they know better than the stylish 29-year-old when it comes to fashion. “They say my clothes are too tight, generally,” said Behnaz, a former model, who lives in Cardiff. “They just really love the weather,...

Global average temperature may hit record level in 2010 - of course, if it doesn't some folk will say it proves predictions are wrong and/or global warming isn't happening ...... and if it does they won't believe the data anyway. I don't think it will - but then I thought 2009 would be only very slightly warmer than 2008. If we do have a record warm year - partly due to El Nino but in spite of a negative PDO and low solar activity then I think the AGW argument might well be won. It certainly won't support those claiming a new little ice age is imminent! People like, for example, Peter Taylor . Fog blankets UK as winter weather finally arrives Major rescue effort saves 50 snow-trapped hunters Scots weather records show climate change has been happening for years

2nd air frost of the season, and fog to boot this morning. Starting to look and feel wintry! Still looking much colder for next week and on towards Christmas, but remaining uncertain regarding any possible snowfall and whether the cold will depart before Santa arrives. Whatever, it probably won't be quite as snowy as it is in parts of the US at the moment where massive storms cause blizzard conditions, 17 deaths and the stubborn storm leaves behind a shivering nation . Meanwhile, deputies search for missing hunters in Arizona whilst in Califiornia, record low temperatures put frost and ice on Bay area planes causing flight delays and in Chicago, as freeze moves in, heat wars break out . Deforestation linked to drought - and this new research is in addition to the reduction in evapotranspiration , and of course the fact that when you do get rains you're more likely to get flooding and landslides. Meanwhile, breakthrough in monitoring tropical deforestation announced in ...

Just a brief entry today. Firstly, we now have English news accounts of what was almost certainly a rocket launch seen over northern Norway earlier this week: Failure of Russia's latest nuclear missile prompts UFO frenzy - and as predicted, despite the explanation being pointed out almost right from the start, discussions of conspiracy and UFO websites have gone on for pages and pages and pages and pages. Sometime the simple, obvious explanation just isn't good enough and only Scalar weapons, Wormholes and the End of the World will do! And here in Britain, the media have picked up on the potential from some colder weather to move in over the weekend and especially next week: Icey week ahead slashes the odds on a white Christmas (as predicted here). And finally, in response to 'climategate' the Met Office have ordinated a Statement from the UK Science Community . A full round of news reports tomorrow.

Well the long wet autumn is finally drawing to an end in Britain with high pressure finally settling in over us by the weekend and a potentially quite chilly week to follow. Despite excitement on some weather forums, there's as yet no guarantee of any snow but equally it does remain a possiblity. For Christmas itself the prognosis is similarly uncertain with my current guess being that of the cities on which you can place bets, Exeter, Cardiff and Dublin look least likely to see a flake of snow fall. That's not to say other cities will though! We should know better by this time next week - by which time odds will likely have fallen quite a bit as any cold weather inevitably brings a flurry (!) of bets ..... The Met Office are busy at the moment with press releases and two more have been issued since Monday morning. The first, confirming what had already been annouced would happen, global-averaged temperature data released and the second, maybe a little more controversial,...

Yet another wet day here in Evesham (only 4 days since the beginning on November when I've not recorded rainfall) - but growing confidence now that come the end of this week we'll see high pressure start to dominate the weather again, so a quieter, much drier run up to Christmas. How cold remains to be seen. As yet no signs of a white Christmas. A couple of Met Office press releases to kick things off with today: Tackling temperature rise And, as mentioned on Saturday, Release of global-average temperature data Himalayan glaciers melting deadline 'a mistake' Snow dusts the south from Lousisana to Georgia Alberta winter storm causes travel chaos Biggest snowfall in six years blankets Edmonton Earth more sensitive to carbon dioxide than previously thought New study cites lower rate of earthquakes along some subduction zones Undocumented volcano contributed to extremely cold decade from 1810-1819 Copenhagen climate summit: Ending deforestation key to stopping warming - ...

Glacier threat to Bolivia capital Houston gets earliest snowfall on record - nothing like that on the way for England just yet, but growing signs that conditions will turn colder here after the middle of the month. Meanwhile, in Boston, Mass., fall's first frost to break record - it's been even more frost free there this autumn than it has been in England (my first frost was 1st December - the latest date by over 2 weeks) Earthquake prediction model developed Life saver for the Gulf Stream? Climate changes supplies more saline waters from Indian Ocean Large moon of Uranus may explain odd tilt Study shows variability in ocean's CO2 uptake Met Office to publish warming data - CTs should note that further data will only be made public after the Met Office have contacted all the other meteorological agencies from whom they received data, in order to get their permission. If the data is not yours to make public you cannot make it public. No matter how many FOI request...

Heatwave puts Moscow's White Christmas on hold Task Force for Fermanagh floods In the USA, rain, winds, record heat hit Northeast on same day Hawaiian hotspot has deep roots Rising Antarctic snowmelt forecast Elevated carbon dioxide levels may mitigate losses of biodiversity from nitrogen pollution Copenhagen climate talks must fail - says leading catastrophist James Hansen. And I'm inclined to agree with him, but for very different reasons. He thinks any decision made will be ineffectual at reducing carbon emissions; I think we should end our obsession with carbon emissions - which I can't see us cutting in 100 years whatever is agreed - and concentrate on all the other factors contributioing to climate change that maybe we can deal with, more quickly, effeciently and more beneficially to all concerned. Like deforestation and pollution. Along with fast tracking improvement in technology so that we use less energy - and make such improvements readily and cheaply availa...

Hopefully the last item I'll post up for now on 'climategate' is this editorial from Nature: climatologists under pressure . Though I daresay the torch waving fundamentalists and CTs will continue misinforming one another about it for some time still to come. Incidently, I completed my data for November this morning - with only 122mm (more than double the average) of rain it wasn't exactly my wettest month ever, though with only 3 wholly dry days it was my rainiest, if you know what I mean. Moreover, with an mean temperature of 8.9c it was by far my warmest November on record - a good 1.5c above the average for my garden. Must be all that global cooling I keep reading about! An interesting piece by Michael McCarthy in The Independent ( aka Global Warming Daily ): Time to confront the invisible enemy that threatens us all whilst in The Guardian, Fred Pearce asks: Why do climate deniers hold sway in Australia? Up on Mars, sandtrapped rover makes a big discovery Wind...

No surprise to many, but November was the wettest month on record (that's the wettest November on record - the headline is slightly misleading) Phil Jones, the professor at centre of climate change email row stands down temporarily - and the CTs are gleefully reporting amongst themselves that he's been 'suspended'. When the CTs twist even little things like this in such ways, it's no wonder they have such little credibility. They've even argued that the Copenhagen conference should be cancelled - conveniently forgetting that the theory of AGW is not based on the work of Jones and Mann but on over 150 years worth of scientific study plus the ongoing work of thousands of other scientists around the world today. But then, do any CTs really have the faintest idea what AGW, climate change etc is? Probably not. As I know from other conspiracy theories, the theorists work from a basis of ignorance and reject any suggestion of contrary scientific evidence on the...

It's winter! For a day, anyway. Dropped to -2.3c in my garden overnight, which is the coldest it's been since 3rd February. The first air frost since 11th March - so as well as being the latest in the season that I've recorded my first air frost, 2009 has also produced the longest frost free period. Though my records do only go back to 2003. Last Friday the Met Office have issued their winter long range forecast : For northern Europe, including the UK, there is a 20% chance of a colder winter, a 30% chance of an average winter and a 50% chance of a milder winter For northern Europe, including the UK, signals for precipitation are weak, with near equal chances for each of the three categories. There is a 30% chance of a drier winter, a 35% chance of an average winter and a 35% chance of a wetter winter. Which seems to me to suggest we could see a good bit of snow this winter - with a 50% chance it will not be milder than average and a 70% chance it w...