Weather & Earth Science News

Massive earthquake strikes Chile - although there are few reports of deaths at present, it's often the nature of such events that the full scale of devastation isn't know for some time, especially when remote regions are struck. It also appears that a tsunami was generated though details on this are currently sketchy. However, Hawaii under tsunami advisory and right across the other side of the Pacific they're taking the risk very seriously as RP told to prepare for possible tsunami evacuation . Earlier, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocks Okinawa . Tsunami warnings generated by this have been canceled. In the NE USA, New Yorkers battle third heaviest snowstorm on record and a combination of factors made for odd snowstorm - contrary to what is suggested at the end of the article, thundersnow is not an indication that milder weather is on the way! Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, state of emergency declared after violent storm . There are cheers, tears and fears for moun...

Well, what a week it's been in the Highlands. 2 solid days of snowfall producing around 40cm (16") of level snow in Aviemore, 80cm on Wednesday alone at the White Corries in Glencoe (that was the deepest fresh snow cover at any ski resort in the world that day) and reports today of around 1.5 to 2m of fresh powder having accumulated at the Cairngorm ski centre - with more higher up. It's been such a big story that it received exactly 0.000 seconds worth of coverage on the main BBC ten o'clock news bulletin last night ..... However, at Weather & Earth Science News we think it's a slightly more important and interesting news story than some report about life in Cuba. And there have at least been a few reports on the internet media, though still less than you might have expected given probably the heaviest snowfall in years: Hundreds of drivers trapped in cars as return of the Big Freeze brings roads to a halt Freezing night for motorists as A9 is blocked by...

Experts settle hurricane and global warming feud; predict bigger storms but fewer ones Better snowfall forecasting Snow fall across most of Scotland again One person killed in gales in Tbilisi Marine scientist finds Little Ice Age had dramatic effect on Gulf 'Snow hurricane' faces New York, Pennsylvania as storm nears Did ice exist at the equator some 300 million years ago? Barents Sea - an effect ocean cooler Spanish roof collapse kills Spanish expatriates - possibly caused by the recent heavy rain in the region. Sharp decline in public's belief in climate threat, British poll reveals - but as we all know, there can't possibly be any global warming because it's been a cold winter! Yet another maddening example of the media misrepresenting the truth and lying to the public in order to make a more sensational story: coral reefs will dissolve within 100 years due to acidic seas The world's most stunning coral reefs will have dissolved within 100 years, a new stu...

Well there was another few cm of snow last Thursday, still on the ground when I left for Stirling on Friday morning and a few traces on the ground even now - though I understand there was fresh snow at times over the weekend too. And there's more (possibly) heading up from the SW as I write ..... Meanwhile, Braemar in the Scottish Highlands has seen the temperature plummet below -18c again this week. It's certainly proving a long and interesting winter. Maybe the first 'real' winter in decades! Quite a few news stories to catch up on from over the past few days, but - sadly - the leading story has to be the floods and mudslides in Madeira where official reports give the death toll at 42 plus another 32 missing - possibly swept out to sea:- Madeira floods and mudslides kill 32 Aid and resuce experts on way as death toll rises 70 feared dead Rescue crews find body in car buried by landslide Rescue teams work round the clock in Madiera Whilst the rainfall was except...

It's snowing again in Evesham - and could well do so for much of the day though whether we get any significant accumulation waits to be seen. I should be travelling up to Stirling to tomorrow for some Mountain Bothy Association meetings this weekend, so assuming I'm able to get away in the morning, this'll be the last news round up till the middle of next week. And on the subject of snow ..... Snow mould turns lawns pink (my garden was definitely green when I left home - though I think it may be white when I get back!) Cold weather delays Spring blooms in Devon and Cornwall and there's a climate change threat to berries They've been asking in Fermanagh: why does it always rain on us? In Canada, Maritime storm brings heavy snow, school closures, travel disruption whilst across at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, weather at Cypress has always been fickle - now they tell us! Tornado rips through Queensland farm - and is captured on video Meteorite, maybe older t...

In Washington, snow volunteers pitch in to shovel as schools try to open while the South gets 2nd dose of snow in days Southern Italian landslide caught on video Fog has declined in past century along California's redwood coast Tonga mops up after Cyclone Rene And some good news as researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden discover that climate change will lead to fewer accidents ...... in the West Midlands!

Well the Daily Mail have been at it again with another false headline: Climategate U-turn as scientist at centre of row admits: there has been no global warming since 1995 - except, of course he said no such thing. The actual interview - which is quite enlightening - to which the Mail refers can be read in its entirety here . You may also be interested in Michael Tobis's thoughts on the subject . UN global warming data skewed by heat from planes - or is it? If this were the case, stations in the vicinity of airports would show an anomaly compared with other nearby station not so affected, and indeed a day to day (or even hour to hour) anomaly according to aircraft activity. There is thus far no evidence that they do. Such stations do however show similar warming trends compared with more rural locales - the CET record in England for example. But then, this allegation of skewed data does come from the person who wants us to believe that, in Britain, the 18th century, at...

It's been a snowy ol' week in the USA resulting in 49 State dusted with snow: Hawaii's the holdout (try as they might, it appears no-one could find any snow on Mauna Kea, although some agencies have suggested otherwise) whilst in Texas, the Dallas-Fort Worth snow sets 'all kinds of records' - this wasn't expected and forecasters tell how they miscalled snowstorm of the century . Meanwhile the East Coast digs out from mammoth snowstorm and it looks like weekend travel will continue to be a mess after days of snow-related delays . And inevitably, record snowfall revives warming debate - with some apparently arguing it supports AGW predictions whilst other like Rush Limbaugh calling it " just another nail in the coffin to the whole global warming theory " The reality of couse is slightly different. It's called weather. Only if it happens with increasing (or decreasing) regularity over a long period of time does it have any climatic significa...

One brief but heavy snow shower late yesterday afternoon left a dusting that was still around in place this morning in Evesham - but elsewhere it was tad different as snow in Kent causes danger on roads and school closures Cold weather splits 1200 year old oak near Wrexham - but somehow, rather I think it'll still go on growing. And across the water, record blizzards shut down Washington, New York whilst snow brings relief to Vancouver . Not surprisingly, 'snowmaggedon' in Washington spurs climate change doubters - how can there be global warming if it snows in America in winter????? Afghanistan avalanche death toll may 'continue to rise' but some perhaps better news as the chilly weather kills 23 insurgents in N Afghanistan .

The Guardian has been doing a special investigation into 'Climategate' and have now published a series of articles online. What seems clear to me is that, whatever else, the CRU was subjected to a co-ordinated and vexatious campaign of FOI requests - despite the Act specifically stating such requests need not be answered. According to Olive Heffernen " between 24 and 29 July, CRU received 58 FoI requests from McIntyre and people affiliated with Climate Audit … " This is supported by the comments on Climateaudit . One wonders whether those involved knew full well that such requests would be refused? Was that the intent all along? Or were they just stupid? The UEA has also made available a list of all such requests made over the past 2 years (unfortaunte the actual data of each request is not shown) and this too makes for interesting reading. Although no-one is raising the point, IMO much of the requested data is in any case clearly exempt from the FOI bec...

Snow in parts of England again today, though nothing significant as yet. Could be interesting later in the week though - stayed tuned! It's a third day of disruption after snow in eastern US with the US set for more snow after 'historic' storm . But over on the west coast where warm weather melts away Vancouver Games training plans . 'Roof of the world' getting warmer - as Tibet records it's warmest ever year in 2009. And it's much the same the other side of the Himalaya as 2009 was warmest year in India since 1901 (which I think is when their records start). In Kashmir, there are reportedly six dead, 60 trapped in avalanche . And from the Swiss Alps comes an amazing story of survival as avalanche victim survives for 17 hours before being rescued with just mild hypothermia. Mother found dead in Queensland flood waters Climate Scientist Phil Jones contemplated suicide over data claims He said he was provoked into writing the messages after suspectin...

Snowstorm paralyses Washington DC and eastern US - with over 2 1/2 feet of snow expected and this much snow gets Obama's respect . It's rather more than we're expecting in Britain next week, though some snow flurries look likely in places from Monday onwards; mainly in the east but an increasing risk of some reaching central parts of England later in the week. Maybe even some more for Evesham! The snow is also affecting other parts of the US, including Maryland where snowstorm prompts state of emergency . In New South Wales, crews busy after wild weather wreaks havoc Sir David King criticises climate scientists Climate scpeticism "on the rise", BBC poll shows - or rather, British people ask " how can global warming be real when we've had such a cold winter ?" Is Perth going to fall four days short of an all time rain free record? Did an asteroid strike in Australia plunge Anglo Saxon England into a mini ice age? - not actually a new idea tho...

It's not a region you normally associate with such things, but Caribbean drought worries, miners, farmers as water restrictions enforced - this is likely down to El Nino and part of the regional drought affected parts of South America, notably Venezuela. US capital hunkers down for huge winter storm and with New York under storm watch, New Jersey gets blizzard warning . In New Zealand, central Otago swelters in week of 30deg days Global coolers are getting a bit concerned that even Roy Spencer (prominent AGW sceptic) concurs that January was, globally, the warmest on record - according to satellite measurements. How can this be, they ask, when North America, Europe, China was so cold ....... Well, the answer is simple. North America (the half that was cold, as opposed to the half that was warming - those Seattle will not be at all surprised that Jan was so warm!), Europe and China actually constitute only a part of the Northern Hemisphere - and other parts, such as large pa...

Tahiti placed on cyclone red alert Why was it cold in the UK, but not across the world? January was the coldest in Dublin for more than 45 years In Scotland, winter weather hits schools again (and guess what? Looks like more cold - and snow - for most of us again next week - and in the US, Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow on Feb 2nd , so it's another 6 weeks of winter for them) And in Israel, kids are delighted as snow spreads southwards

This is well worth a read - and bear in mind Fred Pearce is not a 'climate sceptic' - the strange case of moving weather posts and a scientist under siege . I'll only say that none of the questions arising from the 'climategate' emails affect the science behind climate change, but they may well damage public confidence in science, especially climatology. And the more that emerges, the more one has to wonder about just how accurate some data and temp change reconstructions are. Not that that means we can burn down the rest of the Asian rainforest and expect it to have no climate consequences! I do also wonder if, as a result of doubts over temperature changes, we may in the next few years see a shift away from 'global warming' and greater emphasis on 'precipitation pattern change' - something I personally consider of far more immediate concern and which thus far has not received much publicity at all. Incidently, this blog entry published on th...

Rather a surprise to be woken up early this morning by a heavy shower of graupel (snow pellets) - which was presumably followed by some freezing rain and snow, leaving a dusting of hard frozen snow and ice on the ground - quite lethal conditions where roads and pavements were not salted! I think we'll see more snow this month too. And figures from the ever reliable Philip Eden show that January was the coldest for more than 20 years Other parts of Britain saw more snow over the course of the weekend (until this morning all the showers by-passed Evesham and/or died out before they got here) Four die on the roads as severe wintry weather hits Scotland again . Heavy snow brings more transport misery to Germany In the USA, storm causes loss of power to areas of the Southeast While in New Zealand, stranded trampers rescued after torrential rain . I think we'd call the hikers? Peru flood death toll rises to 20 NASA mission to unravel Sun's threat to Earth Emissions of potent...