Weather & Earth Science News

Winter storm blasts Texas panhandle, southern Plains Fog breaks 7 year record - engulfs Delhi airport for 172 hours Perhaps the most bizarre global warming I've ever seen: 'Bin Laden' blames US for global warming - a story maybe more suited to conspiracy forums though, since really it just raises questions about who exactly is issuing messages in Bin Laden's name, and what their motive and aims are. Still, Al Gore now has at least on ally! Back to glaciergate, and climate chief was told of false glacier claims before Copenhagen Upper atmosphere influences weather near Earth's surface - but unfortunately for HAARP conspiracists , upper atmosphere here means the stratosphere, not the much more distant Ionosphere - a slight warming of which may aid long distance communications but doesn't directly affect the weather in any specific place or manner (whether over time it may have climatological influences is possibly a different matter, albeit one for which there ...

Confidence is growing that February is going to see a return to very cold weather across the UK, with further disruptive snowfall likely. That said, snow for Scotland even to low levels already today - as weather hits northeast roads and schools - as we have a nice little northerly set in for the weekend. Here in the Midlands should be cold and clear under fresh Arctic air - a good weekend for star gazing. And this continuing cold and snowy winter is further good news for the Scottish ski industry as already snow brings 100,000 to the slopes with all 5 resorts reporting an excellent start to a season which usually doesn't get fully underway until at least mid February. Canada launches special weather website for the Olympics - all they need now is some snow. Maybe Scotland could sell them some? More winter storms in the US as heavy snow, ice bury southern Plains, cut power Not really weather news, but it's a nice story as dog adrift on ice saved from Baltic Sea Down in M...

Cold weather claims more lives in Europe - and yes, there are sign it could get over to Britain next month, winter looks far from over. Peru begins airlift of stranded Machu Picchu tourists - who've been trapped there for days following heavy rain and landslides. However, the Aussie press reports Australians 'forgotten' in Peru mudslides - and one assumes that applies to many other tourists as well. The weather being a direct consequent of El Nino (as indeed is the warm weather affecting NW USA/SW Canada, and the recent cold spell in Florida) Mount Washington loses wind speed record to Australia - the fastest gust recorded outside of a tornado is now officially 253mph (408kmh) - recorded on Barrow Island, Australia during Cyclone Olivia on 10th April 1996. The mystery of the cause of the crash deepens as it's revealed that the crashed Ethiopian plane 'flew into Beirut storm' - despite being requested by air traffic to fly in a completely different direct...

Was doomed Beirut flight 'blown to pieces by lightning' - aircraft do very frequently get struck by lightning, almost always without any problem. It would be extremely unusual for a lightning strike to result in the sort of fireball that witnesses describe - but it's a possibility that cannot at present be ruled out. One suggestion is that it may have ignited fuel vapour - which is thought to have been what caused Pan-Am Flight 214 to crash at Elkton in 1963. In Romania, Sunday was the coldest night so far: -34 degrees in Covasna whilst the same arctic weather over Bulgaria sets new lows with deaths as freezing weather hits Central and Eastern Europe . China has 'open mind' on cause of climate change (though it should be noted a good many Chinese scientists believe in a significant human influence - though necessarily just CO2) Glaciergate rumbles on: UN's rogue glacier claim 'was just one page in report' says IPCC deputy . Which is, of course, ...

Bulgaria suffers extreme weather A surprising study from Israel suggests that desertification may have retarded global warming by 20% - as an aside, deserts grow during ice ages and thus may need to be considered as an additional feedback. Queensland a state of weather extremes this weekend, but fortunately main danger passes as Olga crosses coast Haiti capital earthquake death toll "tops 150,000" - and that's just for Port-au-Prince ..... Storms trash Calif. beaches, bring snow to AZ, NM Ice is 'rotten' in the Beaufort Sea Up in Aviemore, snow adds special touch to sled-dog rally United Nations warns extreme cold, heavy snow in Mongolia threatens lives In what is now being dubbed 'glaciergate' glacier scientists says he knew data had not been verified - and I know that had I bothered to read that particular section when the AR4 was first released, I'd have raised questions staright away. The question remains: why has it taken so long for anyone t...

17.8mm of rain in Evesham through yesterday making it the wettest day here since last July. River's high - but no serious flooding. Arizona slammed by winter storm, emergency declared Storm departs L.A. with a bang - and following days of Californian storms, residents go home after one last blast of weather Meanwhile in Australia it's baking at the big day out as the nation faces a roasting - even those places which had some very transient snow recently are experiencing a very warm month.

This doesn't happen everyday: Virginia doctor's office hit by meteorite - fortunately no-one injured. But I wonder if they're insured against cosmic impact?! And this sounds pretty unusual too, even for a tornado: fierce wind tosses car into tree in California . Earlier, on wednesday, LA's latest storm brings heavy flooding and it'snot just humans suffering as pelicans treated for hypothermia from Calif. storm and yesterday, the California storm train roars on as snow heads east with a declaration of a state of emergency in Calif. storm areas . Although already suggested by other sources, past decade warmest ever, NASA data shows - but more interestingly, NASA are also claiming in their news report issued yesterday that 2009 was the second warmest year on record . This is contrary to other sources who place it as the joint 5th warmest (with 2006). And the mystery deepens when I read that: The past year was only a fraction of a degree cooler than 2005, the ...

Breaking news this morning: fresh snow chaos hits Gloucestershire . I'm a few miles north of Cheltenham and whilst they've had snow all we've had is rain ..... But I think there'll be more reports of problems elsewhere in England later. Tomorrow we expect heavy rain - and concerns about serious flooding grow since many rivers are already close to bursting. It's been hot on the Gold Coast in Australia as Coolangatta sets record temperature (though has to be emphasised that's a January record for that specific location only) Tornado strikes Long Beach, Huntington Beach in Los Angeles as storm pounds Southland, flooding street and homes - 2 more storms are expected this week with total rainfall in places possibly as high as 20 inches. And a new study looks into why hasn't Earth warmed as much as expected Schwartz's analysis attributes the reasons for this discrepancy to a possible mix of two major factors: 1) Earth's climate may be less sensitive ...

A little more on the recent snow in Australia as towns record their first ever summer snowfall - 15c! Those poor Aussies .......! (Mind, it reached 9.6c here yesterday (warmest day since 10th December) and they're predicting snow for tomorrow .... which may mean a bit of sleetiness in Evesham. At best.) Meanwhile, in Queensland, Brisbane hits hottest day of 2010 . So they're not all freezing! UN Body to review Himalayan glacier forecast - though I still wonder why no-one questioned such an improbable (nay, impossible) prediction in the first place? And why the furore now, when the BBC ran the same story at the beginning of December? Anyway, looks very much to me like a typo from the original (non peer reviewed) report that no-one bothered to check ...... doesn't change the science. Bit embarassing for the IPCC though. And glacial retreat in the Himalaya may well be mainly due to other anthropogenic factors, especially black soot and the Asian brown cloud (se...

We kick off with one for the global coolers today. After all the recent reports of heatwaves and record heat in Australia, today summer snow falls on NSW towns . Meanwhile, in New Zealand, gales blast Taranaki, Wellington and there was flash flooding as hero drags family from torrent Will snow be an Olympic no-show in Vancouver? Perhaps they should have been held in Scotland ..... where there's certainly been no concerns over lack of snow. The Cairngorm ski centre closed by too much snow shold reopen today (Sunday) Snow thaw and rain bring floods to south and west Wales , while in Scotland flooding leads to road closures and all across Britain, deaths soar as winter takes its toll . Valencia lashed by gale force winds - in what's described as the worst storm since 1989. However, on the upside, these gales boost wind turbines to record - unlike in Britain where the recent cold spell left wind turbines producing virtually none of our energy requirement ..... Alaska...

Seven injured in Oldham motorway pile-up believed to have been caused by black ice Record cold temperatures recorded in Belize But in Western Australia there's a 'severe' fire warning for Perth, Hills and Gascoyne as state swelters In Buffalo, USA, don't blink the snow is pink - actually stained by an accidental release of food dye into the air, and not a sign of alien intervention or the coming apocalypse. Wind farm opened in Antarctica Haiti earthquake: death toll may hit 200,000

Still snow cover here, though it's gone from the roads in town. Bit of rain this morning with more to come, along with slightly warmer temperature, over the weekend but I daresay a few patches will remain into next week even at this low level. Outlook for the rest of the month is for a return to more 'normal' January weather - not especially warm and often a bit wet and windy with always a little risk of rain falling as snow at times, though unlikely to settle at low levels. Maybe a slight frost during the drier, calmer interludes. Varied, but not especially interesting. Not that everyone agrees, snow and ice to last until April, forecasters warn - which is an unusual story for the Telegraph who usually leave the wild predictions of PWS to the Daily Express. Furthermore, PWS only say that there could be a cold start to April - which by my reckoning is two and a half months away - and make no mention of it being cold and snowy right through until then. So a very mi...

The big thaw has finally started to set in - though not before we had another 3.5cm of snow here in Evesham yesterday. In Wales, fresh snow sparks new travel chaos , but there's no apology after A38 in Devon is blocked by snow and the Met Office to review forecasts after failing to warn public over fresh snow - though interestingly, regardless of the warnings they issued, their own NAE Mesoscale model did very accurately predict where and when the snow would fall. Over the next couple of days, not only will temperatures rise but we'll be seeing a lot of rain coming in from the west too with already some flood alerts issued as snow begins to melt . Advice issued on Scottish Borders 'snow mountains' Rescuers warn walkers after an avalanche in Snowdonia But despite the problems, we still have a sense of humour as saucy Brits strip off in the snow Arctic could face warmer and ice free conditions Tornado causes damage in Turkish resort town Drought worsens in NSW despit...

Dropped to -21c in Altnaharra on Sunday night - but last night remained above freezing thoughout. In fact it was colder in Evesham (-0.5c). So a bit of a thaw setting in even up there at the moment. Still a risk of more snow for us overnight - though remains to be seen whether it amounts to anything. Salt shortage talks continue as more snow forecast Ice climbs created along the A9 Europe begins snow-clearing operations (note: most other countries have suffered similar or worse disruption to the UK) Aid to snowed-in animal sanctuary - and on the subject of mountain rescue, here's a few reports from recent days: RAF rescue teams in big demand during big freeze Cumbria rescue team called to help drivers who ignored closure signs - it's our old 'friend' the satnav again ...... Such devices should only be given to people with 2 brain cells and an IQ of least 20 - the rest of the motoring public who clearly are far less intelligent shouldn't be allowed anywhere ne...

Didn't drop below 0.2c here last night. But it didn't rise above 0.5c all day yesterday either ...... A slight thaw has set in, though we did get another cm of snow overnight. And still a risk of more to come on Tuesday/Wednesday. Meanwhile in Altnaharra yesterday, the temperature only rose to a maximum of -13.5c ..... Now that's what I call a cold day! Though such temperatures have not been widespread, it's still no surprise that in Scotland, the big freeze causes railway chaos Churches across Cornwall cancel services because of snow Cardiff crises talks as grit runs out Europe battered by Arctic weather as snow trapped drivers in Germany saved by army Heavy rains end drought for Texas Record low temperatures recorded in Cuba Cold stuns Floridians, causes deaths elsewhere - and also in Florida, cold weather claims 38 sea turtles In China, evacuation ordered as blizzard takes toll So, could we be in for 30 years of global cooling? Almost certainly not, leastway...

A few light flurries overnight and this morning in Evesham, but not adding anything as yet to the total snow accumulation. However more snow - mainly light and patchy but with some heavier stuff at times - looks likely for tomorrow and Monday, and there's a risk of some heavy stuff midweek if, as currently indicated by the models, a frontal system tries to push in from the SW. Just like the good old days! Interesting how, leaving the shop to walk home in the laste afternoon, it actually doesn't feel all that cold out - yet generally down to around -2.5c by 5.00pm. Must be getting used to it. Or maybe just all the layers I have to wear at work to keep warm. Guess who's heating packing in on Christmas Eve ....... ! (currently awaiting delivery of a new part). Anyway, there are problems on the roads as Councils asked to go easy on grit spreading on the trains, with the Eurostar still affected by snow and in the air with all Dublin airport flights suspended . And w...

Down to a record -10.5c in my garden overnight (would likely have been a good bit lower had it now clouded over for a time). But that's nothing to Altnaharra when it fell to -22.3c (official) this morning. That's the lowest recorded anywhere in Britain since the 30th December 1995 - when, again in Altnaharra, it fell to a record -27.2c. Of course, this is midwinter. Down at the South Pole it's a similar temperature at the moment - but there it's midsummer! Nonetheless, a nice media friendly comparison to make as Britain struggles in Antarctic temperatures . Comparisons with 1963 are probably more far fetched - so far anyway - but it's interesting to see how much worse we're coping with so much less snow: How different is the winter of 2010 to 1963? This will perhaps becoming one of the iconic images of the winter: a satellite image showing Britain almost completely white. Even Evesham! Emergency declared for Britain's wildlife Cold snap death toll...

Overnight temperatures fell to -8.5c in Evesham, but RAF Benson in Oxfordshire got down to -17.7c - the coldest temperature recorded in England for a good many years. Little surprise then that there's an ice alert after days of snow . And they still reckon another two weeks of the big free still to come . Hopefully by the weekend folk will have gotten used to it and despote firther snow and ice life we revert more or less back to normal. It's always the first spell that gets us! The economy certainly needs folk to get on with normal life as soon as possible. As do I ...... this is now effectively 2 weeks without any income for me...... Borders snow clearance battle continues Airport chaos as icy weather grips Northern Europe But most serious of all: cold weather leaves Scots pubs without drink !!!! (It's probably best to ignore the comments made by self professed weather history guru Salmond!) And finally, down in South America, Tornado-like winds hit Suriname - from...

Well it finally arrived! A bit of snow yesterday and then overnight a right dollop that's left 7.5" / 19cm in my garden. And given me a day off work on the basis no point in opening my shop if there's no customers. The heaviest snowfall I've seen since moving to Evesham in December 1999, and unlike most falls in recent years, this one shows no sign of making a rapid thaw. More photos can be seen on Ukweatherworld No surprise then that the only real news is about the cold and snow. And they're now officially suggesting that this winter set to be the coldest for 30 years (since at least winter 86 anyway - not sure we're quite up with '78/79 just yet) - and the worrying thing (for some anyway) is that there is no sign of an end to it. Indeed there's currently a risk of more widespread snow across England this weekend. Winter weather brings much of Britain to standstill - a good comprehensive round up there from the Telegraph. And there's at l...

Well, down to -7.7c this morning, not quite as cold as this time last year but not far off. Guess I have to stop moaning about the lack of decent frosts now! Still no snow ..... but another opportunity to get some tomorrow morning as a front moves down from the north. And as far as the duration of this cold spell is concerned, looks like it could last till Spring! I see one person in Aberdeenshire has reported 98cm of snow in their garden. Scotland 'may slide to halt' as salt runs out Snow stranded woman misses Christmas - I hadn't realised someone had moved in to the Cape Wrath lighthouse, let alone opened a cafe up there - making it the remotest cafe in the country! Nice spot. Guests snowed in for New Year at UK's highest pub First daffodils bloom despite icy weather Cold weather triggers a bird shooting ban But it's not just us in the Uk suffering the cold and snow: Beijing disrupted by record snowfall Seoul battles heaviest snow in more than 70 years In...

Bliadhna mhath ur! Happy New Year! Well, it's the 2nd of January and still not a single flake of snow has settled on the ground in Evesham this winter ...... Once again there looks to be chance to catch a few showers - but after the disappointment of the past 2 weeks I ain't holding my breathe! Anyway, after a brief milder interlude in the far south, the cold spell continues across Britain and looks set to persist a good while yet. Three climbers die in avalanches Six killed as big New Year Freeze takes deadly grip of Britain New Year snow sees North-east grind to a halt Britain facing one of the coldest winters in 100 years, experts predict Whilst in Ireland, cold weather continues to cause major disruption Elsewhere in the world: Brazil mudslides, floods kill 44 after heavy rain In Australia, crews rescue stranded flood residents 60 years after winter of terror, Alpine resorts fear killer avalanche season 2010 brings record high temperatures in Bulgaria Mayor's pledge...