Weather & Earth Science News

Jeff Masters posted an excellent blog entry on Wunderground on the 30th July concerning the record heat experienced around the world so far this year, and I hope he won't mind me copying the following list of records that have been set. I'll update it if there are any more:- I highly recommend the book Extreme Weather by Chris Burt for those interested in weather records. I thank Mr. Burt and weather record researchers Maximiliano Herrera and Howard Rainford for their assistance identifying this year's new extreme temperature records. Here's a list of the fourteen nations that have set extreme heat records this year: Finland recorded its hottest temperature on July 29, 2010, when the mercury hit 99°F (37.2°C) at Joensuu. The old (undisputed) record was 95°F (35°C) at Jvaskyla on July 9, 1914. Qatar had its hottest temperature in history on July 14, 2010, when the mercury hit 50.4°C (122.7°F) at Doha Airport. Russia had its hottest temperature in history on July 1...

Floods caused by monsoon rains kill more than 400 people in Pakistan - the flooding is reckoned to be the worst since 1929 and the current death toll is at least 430 and likely to rise. It's interesting to note the wide scale deforestation is being blamed for making the situation much worse than it might otherwise have been "On average, 27,000 hectares of forest are cut down in Pakistan every year and heavy deforestation is responsible for massive flooding and landslides in the North-West Frontier Province," Environment Minister Hamid Ullah Afridi said (Source: Gulf News ) And a slideshow of images from the BBC as Pakistan grapples with worst floods in living memory 'Way out of whack' weather produces record hailstone - and there's me just dreaming of one day seeing marble sized hail! It's been declared the largest by weight and diameter but not by circumference. Jersey wants BBC to put it on the weather map - the problem being that the Met Office on...

The latest State of the Climate Report has been issued by the NOAA and published in BAMS - and as the MetO press release says, there are unmistakable signs of a warming world . And it's certainly continuing warm in Russia where sweltering heat breaks new record in Moscow - with 37.7c recorded in the city and 38.7c at Domodedovo airport just outside the capital . Meanwhile fires rage on as Moscow suffers 'hottest day ever' with hundreds of homes destroyed by Russia wildfires . The hot weather has also spread into Finland which looks like being the latest country to break its record high temp this year with 37.2c recorded at Joensuu . There's now a second heatwave warning issued for a large part of China and Mongolia while another landslide adds to China flood woes . There are reportedly at least 267 killed and thousands missing in Pakistan's worst flooding for 80 years And in the USA they are speculating that July could be the hottest month on record and to ...

Monday night was my warmest in over a year and with a minima of 18.7c the 4th warmest in my records (back to 2003). Last night was a tad better at 11.9c. Still, daytime temps haven't been too bad, not like in the far east where Beijing is experiencing its longest heatwave in a decade whilst so far at least 66 die in Japan heatwave . Or indeed Russia where Muscovites have experienced their all-time heat record as drownings rise, bogs burn and a scientist says hundreds may die as smog blankets Moscow . After 25 consecutive dry days in July, rain-free Vancouver close to city record On Monday, Montana had its deadliest tornado since 1923 If Apophis misses in 2029/2036 (and even if it hits its too small to cause global damage) then there's always another potentially hazardous asteroid might collide with Earth in 2182 I probably won't be around then to see it though. Converging weather patterns caused last winter's huge snows in US - maybe next winter it'll happ...

In America heat wave rains on Scout parade as records melt but as fast-moving storm batters D.C. area; 2 deaths, mass power outages reported and across the USA storms continue amid flood clean-up There's been flooding and more bad weather for Bulgaria whilst thick smog from heatwave fires cover Moscow China braces for more floods as rivers surge, downpours continue In Britain, road salt fell 'perilously close' to running out last winter The amount of dust, pollen matters for cloud precipitation, climate change British countryside has been 'overlooked' amid climate change battle

Peru declares emergency over cold weather As loop current splits, Florida catches a break - the regular 'breakaway eddy' occurred at just the right time to help prevent oil from the Deepwater spill reaching the Florida coast. This also means that, so far, oil is not getting out into the Atlantic but being retained within the Gulf. Hopefully a lot of the oil can be cleared up before the loop current gets properly going again. In Pakistan, the death toll from Balochistan flash floods rises to 53 Typhoon Chanthu strikes Hong Kong, worst flooding in 30 years German chips feel heat as sizzling summer shrinks spud US Senate will not pass a full climate bill Trouble for the CRU after 'climategate' as climate study funding at Norfolk university suspended In India, rare tornado seen in Haryana village

In Pakistan, rain fury claims 43 lives across country Heard some thunder here yesterday, and watched the radar as the cell resolutely refused to move over Evesham - though dropping torrential rain just a mile away. Nonetheless with 10.1mm of rain from other showers it was the wettest day here this month. In Scotland on Wednesday it was wet, wet, wet ..... July's average rain falls in a day resulting in flooding in Perth. But the good news is that downpours see drought order bid dropped . And in Ireland, tornado swirls through Co Antrim as summer weather turns wild - actually just a funnel cloud. Interesting to note that my friend Helen now works for Meteor group. Perhaps she's specialising in space weather?! Lol! Meanwhile, Armagh suffers flash flood misery . Typhoon Chanthu kills two, affects one million people in south China Five die in Japan from intense summer heatwave whilst Russians beat the heat with help of glacier The European heatwave fuels massive algae bloo...

Well a wet day in parts of Britain yesterday (SW, Wales, N England) with reliable reports of some low level sites around Merseyside and Lancashire recording over 60mm of rain. Meanwhile in Cambridge it reached 29.5c - not quite the 34c predicted by the media on Saturday! Here we saw just 1.3mm of rain ..... A chance of some thundery showers (ie showers with maybe the odd rumble of thunder - as opposed to a thunderstorm which produces frequent thunder and lightning) today and tomorrow, though not holding my breathe! Homes in Swansea clean up after flash flood Torrential rain causes floods across Merseyside Heavy rain causes flash flooding on Teesside And in SW Scotland today new flood warmings as drought alert stays in place . However, it's worse elsewhere as China flooding causes worst death toll in decade - in fact, it's the worst flooding there since 1998 which, coincidently, was the last time we had a major El Nino event. Meanwhile Tropical Storm Chanthu may make landf...

Warning over wind farm output as Scottish turbines produced just over half their usual output during a calmer than usual spring and early summer. This of course comes on the back of the coldest winter in years during which wind farms were at times producing almost no output at all due to the lack of winds across the British Isles. More on the hot weather in Europe with Hungary in the mist of a heatwave Conversely, Antarctic cold snap kills nine in Argentina As the Yangtze River continues to rise, Three Gorges Dam to face its biggest test and there are at least 20 missing in rain-triggered landslides in NW China Conson strikes again - the typhoon made landfall in Vietnam over the weekend. In NW England, despite all the rain, hosepipe ban may last until Christmas - well, according to an 'amateur meteorologist' ..... Mind, since the ban came into force, it's generally been too wet to want to use a hosepipe for anything!

Breakthrough achieved in explaining why tectonic plates move the way they do - the size of plate boundaries and subduction zones in turn affect the speed at which plate move relative to one another. Yesterday's news about why some mountains "crumble" is related to this, but the ABC news article didn't expland on the full story or its implications. At least eight dead as heavy rains lash Japan whilst further south, Typhoon Conson makes it's effects know as early morning heavy rain causes flash floods in hotspots of Singapore with two dead in China as Typhoon Conson calms . Read this with a good dose of salt: Britain set to swelter under hot temperatures as heatwave returns . 34c? Looks like this story was based on one GFS computer model run yesterday..... the same model is today predicting temperatures up to around 27c on Tuesday in a few spots and generally in the low 20s for most of next week! And as for " The Met Office is predicting August could b...

Tornadoes continue to make the news, both here and in Europe. In Worcestershire (on the other side of the county from me) there was a willow tree uprooted as village hit by mini tornado - sounds like it probably was a tornado though straight line winds can't be ruled out. The Birmingham Post mentions a dog being lifted into the air as tornado rips through Worcestershire village . More tragically, in the Netherlands, one dead as tornado hits Dutch campsite . St Swithin's Day was wet and very windy across much of the British Isles with boats battered in storm hitting Gwynedd and Angelsey . There was a wind turbine on Portland blown over by gales and a man injured, cars crushed, houses damaged and power cut as storms hit Plymouth . So, do we face 40 days of rain after St Swithin's Day? Highly unlikely, but the folk myth has it's origins in the fact that around mid July the weather can often set in with a pattern that lasts for much of the rest of the summer. S...

Eight injured as German tornado hits North Sea island Deadly storm cuts power across northern Philippines - Typhoon Conson being the first of the season. Amazon storm killed half a billion trees in 2005 50 missing after flood washes through China town as rains continue in flood-hit China Russia urges siesta regime for workers amid record heat wave If you're looking for a last minute hot weather holiday destination, then Central Europe may be the place where Austria beats Turkey as heatwave lingers on whilst Germany swelters amid soaring temperatures . In Scotland, 'tornado' cloud fails to send top sailors into a spin And in England, 60 miles of canal closed in drought - though ironically it's rained in the area every day this week with more over the coming days. btw it's St Swithin's Day tomorrow. And it's looking wet - which traditionally suggests that unsettled weather will likely predominate for the rest of the summer. We'll see! Large fractur...

So much for folk wanting hot 'BBQ' weather all summer long: turns out that for Briton's July 'grumpiest' month due to heat . According to a poll of 6,000 adults, lack of sleep during the hot humid nights was taking its toll, with 78% of respondents admitting they were moodier in July than any other month. Approximately 88% revealed they lost sleep every night, with two hours being the average amount lost. Some 70% of parents said they were woken up at least three times a night by children struggling in the heat. ~ ~ ~ Hot conditions also raised health problems, with 40% suffering sunburn, one in five being laid low by hay fever or worsening asthma and 15% suffering heat-related migraines. Just over 80% also admitted to getting fed up in July because they were too ashamed of their bodies to strip off and soak up the sun. Personally I've not had any problems this year, though it's not been quite so warm in this part of the country. Only thing that's caus...

The temperature hit 31.7c in Gravesend yesterday, highest so far this year, and there's been a rise in deaths amid heatwave Oklahoma City flood survivors wade through the damage Drought destroys millions of hectares of Russian crops At least 27 die after torrential rain, flood wreak havoc in South China Severe thunderstorms hit Quebec New findings indicate sediment composition affected the strength of Sumatran earthquake Human's early arrival in Britain - and oddly enough, the Nor'folk haven't changed one bit one million years ...... Feeling the heat: unlocking the Arctic's frozen secrets

For the first time in Britain this summer, heatwave alert issued as sweltering weather sparks health warnings . Fortunately Evesham will be missing the worst of the weather and should only see temps in the high 20s. Humid weekend coming up though. But it's all change next week .... Rain already affecting the NW over the weekend will finally start to hit other parts of Britain and it should cool down too. Good news as they issue a water supplies warning to 50,000 Welsh homes . And in Scotland it should mean an end to fire fears fuelled by the recent drought . Meanwhile in Germany the sultry weather to keep everyone sweating through the weekend. And as the heatwave continues across much of Europe the French report that there's no repeat of 2003 heatwave - yet . There's no change in the weather at the BBC as Met office retains contract - which we always thought would be the case. Drought continues to worsen in Hawaii - by contrast, heavy rain brought by Hurricane Alex...

Pretty warm across many parts of the N Hemisphere at the moment: As New York City temperatures hit 103 degrees; thousands lose power "It's just too hot" East coast scorched by heat DC region sweats out a triple-digit heatwave Heat wave blankets Ontario, Quebec Meanwhile, China on heatwave alert as temperatures soar whilst for Beijing, heat wave in China brings hottest day in 60 years with the temp hitting 111f. Ouch! I think I'd rather move to Australia where Alice Springs has just had it's coldest day on record . In Spain, mercury rises to 44c in the shade And in Vietnam: record hot weather sears northern, central regions Slightly bizarre: man freezes to death in Taiwan heatwave whilst hundreds drown during Russian heatwave Hosepipe ban will hit millions as UK basks in driest spell for nearly 71 years - but don't worry, there's plenty of rain on the way for most of us. Tornado hits Kent - well, a funnel cloud actually ....

Caught my first decent display of nocties this morning - though I need to get up a bit earlier to get some really good pictures as by 3.30am they were already fading in the dawn light The weekend saw some high temperatures as heatwave hits Europe. In Finland, Sunday's high temp nearly a record breaker and there's forecast to be heat wave weather for Spain this coming week, temperatures could rise to 41c whilst for Britain, some are suggesting that hot weather to continue for the south-east, but not the West Country of Scotland . Actually I don't think it'll be especially hot here in the South Midlands either, with even the far SE not seeing many days pushing 30c. And it's not just here, as Toronto declares heat alert as temperature soars whilst in Asia, scorching heat hits Beijing, most of China . However, for Scotland it was a case of after the drought, floods hit country - with over 2" rain in some parts on Sunday. And in France, the heat triggere...

Bit of a catch up on news stories from the past week today:- Slightly above average rainfall in Evesham last month, but overall Britain has seen the driest six month for 80 years say Met Office . It was very notable how low some lochs, and especially reservoirs like Loch Treig and the Blackwater, were in Scotland earlier this week and the past 2 day's return of rain fails to calm fears of drought . Meanwhile, problems as no rain puts Eigg on toast - the dry weather has meant the island's hydro schemes can't work, whilst lack of wind means no electricity from wind turbines. Mind, the Islanders are still getting used to the luxury of any mains alectriciuty at all. Britons enjoy hottest day of the year - or suffer it, as the case may be (thankfully I was still in Scotland where temperatures were more pleasant) A chilly spell at the end of last month in Australia as Sydney records lowest June temperature since 1949 - though they did have lower temperatures in August 200...