19th October - Today's News: Swans Herald Winter's Arrival in Britain

The Net-Wx winter forecast is now out and the summary has been added to my forecast page here. I've also added my latest thoughts regarding the MetO LRF.

And with snow already falling across the Scottish hills and more likely tomorrow, Siberian swans signal start of Arctic winter with Wales on an icy Arctic weather alert.

(worth noting in that latter article that Jonathan Powell from PWS is quoted as saying "...we won’t, I think, have the consecutive run of very cold weather. It will be slightly more broken up this year." - compare with my comments made last Friday : "...but I think cold spells will be more broken than we experienced last year" - has he been reading my blog?! )

And this week, Christmas Day snow betting opens at Ladbrokes

Typhoon Megi heads for China after striking Philippines - in the storm's aftermath, Isabela province is in ruins.

35 people die, downpour continues in central Vietnam

There's been a rather worrying rise in Scots wind farm support - presumably they've forgotten just how much use all those roads, and concrete platforms and pylons criss crossing our remote moors were when we need more energy last winter! (the answer: none at all)

Mystery of Italy's Mt Etna explained?

And one for those who argue human overpopulation is not a problem: Tropics in decline as natural resources decline at alarming rate