6th February - Today's News: Severe Snowstorm Paralyses Washington DC

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 though the location of the proposed impact site is new to me. An alternative theory for the events of 536AD - which plunged the world into the 'Dark Ages' - is a massive eruption of Krakatoa.

French Polynesia islands battered by Cyclone Oli

There are more floods in Sao Paulo whilst continuous heavy rains hit SW Mexico, killing 18

Ocean reveals further impacts of climate change

How well do scientists understand how changes on Earth's orbit affect long term natural climate trends? Well, according to this latest research

The researchers found that the current interglacial has indeed lasted some 2.0-2.5 millennia longer than predicted by the currently dominant theory for the way in which orbital changes control the ice-age cycles. This theory is based on the intensity of solar radiation reaching the Earth at latitude 65 degrees North on 21 June, the northern hemisphere Summer solstice.

On the other hand, the Neoglacial started some 3-4,000 years ago so maybe the current interglacial did end on schedule? The question is whether human activity has brought the Neoglacial to a premature end? Should we still be in the Little Ice Age? In my opinion we should, on a centenial timescale, be seeing increased glaciation in the N Hemisphere - but not enough to lead into a full blown ice age as the Milankovitch Cycles are not set up for that just yet. It should not however be as warm in the Arctic as it was in during the height of the Holocene Climatic Optimum. Especially in summer ..... For more, see Hot in the Arctic.