Weather & Earth Science News

A minimum of -9.2c on Sunday morning, with a daytime max of -1.6c. Not quite my lowest minima, though it shattered the previous record for November, but it was the coldest day I've recorded since my records began in 2003. But it was even colder in Wales as temperature drops to record -17c November low in Powys while temperatures fall to record low for November in N Ireland as well. The figures at Llysdinam in Wales have been confirmed by the Met Office as -18c with a daytime max of -5c. There's a -20c warning as snow chaos spreads Fresh snow brings more disruption to Scotland And even in the SW, Cornwall snow closes roads and schools While the freezing weather shows no sign of letting up It currently looks like it will be our turn for some more significant snow in Evesham tomorrow. Record rainfall drenches Melbourne, puts motorists on alert while there have been blackouts in Darwin as 100mm rain falls in 1 hour Earth's lakes are warming, NASA study finds Climate change...

Quite a few more places had snow overnight, including Evesham - barely 1cm but nonetheless produced a ground covering, which is something we've not had in the town in November since I moved here in 1999 (it snowed in 2005 but soon melted again in town). Fresh heavy snowfalls and icy roads affecting UK Cumbria wakes up to snow chaos Warning for drivers across Wales as snow takes hold In Ireland, drivers warned over icy conditions There's been reports of thundersnow in Ireland and also the Channel Islands where Jersey airport hit by lightning causing delays And this earliest white winter for two decades could go on for 10 days . Or even longer. Back in October, 'inclement weather' blamed for late running of trains - even though the weather was as normal as it could possibly be! 'Weather check' could predict A&E injury rates How Robert Mugabe tries to control the weather Montreal freezing rain stirs frustration Hunters may have delivered fatal blow to mammoth...

One dominant news story which is likely to remain the case for at least a week - and that of course is the early onset of weather across Britain. Down to -5.2c this morning in my garden, not quite a record but we may see -6c or lower in the coming nights. Big worries too about next week as low pressure pushes up from the Bay of Biscay in a classic 'channel low' scenario. Some parts of England could see some nasty blizzards later in Tuesday and through into Wednesday - and one of those parts could even be Evesham! However it may not be until Sunday or Monday until we will really know exactly where the low will go and thus where the snow will most likely fall. If it's further north than the current consensus then we get rain, if it's further south we could even stay dry. Heavy snow falling in North Wales this morning, but otherwise it's so far been Scotland and NE England that has been worst affected. Heavy early snow grips parts of UK amid fresh warnings . Desp...

And so it begins. Winter 2010/11 that is. Down to -1.8c this morning with a good frost on the ground and temperatures expected to be much lower over the coming days. Some indications we could see snow in the Vale as early as tomorrow morning, though more likely on Saturday night and again next week. And model output suggests this will not be a short wintry blast but the start of a prolonged spell of cold weather. Prolonged cold snap and significant snowfall forecast . And already the cold snap causing road problems in north of Scotland . However, despite its severity, the number of deaths due to cold weather fell last winter . Icy roads continue to play havoc across Alaska In Seattle 'big storm' overwhelmed city's snow response as storm pounds Northwest, then heads east . In the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians join together to pray for rain Global warming predictions lead to India temperature rise concerns Cloud study predicts more global warming Cost effectiv...

Well no surprise the media have finally cottoned on to the fact it's going to turn cold this week as Britain braces itself for up to 6in of snow with temperatures set to tumble to -10c as winter bites . And I'm not the only one wondering if we could see a repeat of 1981/2 this winter - plenty of cold and snowy weather. But all over by February. Snow blankets metro Vancouver while further south, SoCal mountains get snow as rain subsides Australian outback storms bring a month's rain in 10 minutes Despite the recession, global carbon dioxide emissions may reach record levels in 2010 though there may be some good news since " We could be seeing the first signs of net CO 2 sequestration in the forest sector outside the tropics ".

The risk of widespread snow, with daytime temperatures struggling to get much above freezing in some places, by next weekend, increases rather than decreases in this morning's model output, though nothing if ever guaranteed! More overnight flooding confined to isolated areas of Devon (it's worth noting that as it stands, the monthly rainfall for Evesham is going to come in at well below average!) while Cornwall teams work overnight to prevent more flooding . And after (unfair) criticisms of the Met Office for 'failing' to predict the floods in Cornwall earlier this week, Ewan McCallum points out that ' If we got the weather forecast right every time, we'd be God '. In Canada, snow blankets Praries, heads east . Indonesia flights resume as volcano slows - odd how airlines have been happy to have flights cancelled for 2 whole weeks in Indonesia yet were up in arms after a couple of days in Europe earlier this year ..... NASA satellite captures huge Alaska wi...

Well, I admit I was sceptical about it at first, but forecast models are now in good agreement that the first really wintry spell of weather for Britain will set in next week, with some snow likely for low-lying areas in north and east Scotland and down the east coast of England - and maybe elsewhere too by next weekend (though still considerable doubt on this). I said before I expected an early start to winter - which looks like happening (bear in mind it was not till December last years that we had our first frost in Evesham, and only just before Christmas did the cold start to set in with snow waiting until January to make an appearance here). Hopefully my other prediction of an early start to spring will also hold true - but I know some are talking of a longer, colder winter than even last winter. We'll see. Update: For the record, the latest MetO forecast (issued just after this blog entry was written) reads: UK Outlook for Wednesday 24 Nov 2010 to Friday 3 Dec 2010: The p...

After up to 2 inches of rain fell overnight, trapped drivers rescued as floods hit Cornwall . But good news from the ST Austell brewery: beer deliveries will get through floods . There's also been a severe weather warning as N.I. battered by storms and in Wales, Pembrokeshire fire crews called out to flooding . Well, it is autumn, what do you expect? Signs are that it'll be turning colder too by the end of the month. And holly berries suggest harsh winter on the way (actually they do nothing of the sort - they only indicate what the weather was like earlier in the year, but that's not saying a cold winter might not be on the way). No signs unseasonable cold or snow for low lying areas as yet though, whatever the media may be misinforming their readers . Meanwhile, in Germany climate experts warn of extremely cold winters due to climate change. There've been 176 crashes in Calgary winter storm Web users unite to power climate change project - another of these...

After 2 days of torrential rain, floods claim two lives in Belgium with the latest reports now saying floods in France and Belgium killed at least 5 The 2010 Ashes series could be one big wash-out according to forecasters - yep, I've been saying that for a while. And the weather should play into our hand nicely since we only need a draw to retain the Urn. Though a convincing victory against the Aussies would always be better! The Scottish ski season gets underway at Cairngorm, though in contrast skiers enjoy Scotland while daffodils bloom in Devon . Early snow in Minnesota, Wisconsin causes hundreds of accidents, 2 deaths Scientists unlock the secrets of exploding plasma clouds on the sun As glaciers melt, science seeks data on rising seas

It's alleged there's another storm front at the BBC as now weather forecasters threaten to strike . As yet I've heard nothing direct from anyone at the BBC weather centre or the Met Office so couldn't say how true this might be. My views on strikes are no secret: I oppose them in all cases except where public safety is at issue. So sorry guys, no support from me. Heavy rains flood Gisbourne homes in Victoria, Australia Cholera fears in Benin's flooded city of Cotonou Landslides cut off parts of central Vietnam 5,800 lightning strikes seen over Chongqing in winter thunderstorm - which lasted 10 hours. That's longer that all the thunderstorms I've experienced in my life put together! An update on the damage from Thursday's storm with Blackpool lights and other landmarks hit by storm winds in Lancashire Western Isles fear over green power connection - but why do they need it? Why need use the windfarms on Lewis to power homes on Lewis? And then ...

Whilst yesterday's storm was by no means exception, it was the first time we'd had widespread gales across the British isles for some time. So little wonder it caused problems. Sadly a woman impales by tree branch in Wakefield dies . There were ferries and traffic disrupted as winds batter Kent , as strong winds and rain batter Wales . In Ulster there are 600 homes without power after gales while a child has lucky escape as tree hits car . They had the promendade closed as strong winds hit Blackpool and fallen trees and debris block Isle of Man roads . But the stormy weather has been beneficial to a few as surfers have been chasing the biggest waves in the world ... in Ireland . And it's been breezy elsewhere too as wind knocks down trees, power line in SoCal Record high temperatures return to Russia - Thursday's maxima of 14.5c in Moscow is nearly 2c higher than the November record prior to this year of 12.6c in 1927. And after a week of record high temperature...

In Sweden there was one dead as snowstorms cause traffic havoc After moderately heavy rain in parts of southern England yesterday, Hampshire and Isle of Wight flood homes evacuated and there were roads flooded after stormy night in Surrey and Sussex . Meanwhile, gale force winds batter Scotland and there's possibly worse to come tomorrow In Cumbria, common sense prevails as Alston residents create community snowplough . And yes, I bet it is fun driving it! Hurricane-like winds bother Sofia, Bulgaria , but on the up side, at the weekend there were record warm temperatures in Bulgaria Bridge washes away in water-weary Nova Scotia Weather delivers an early Utah ski season In Thailand, flood-related deaths rise to 185, landslides continue to occur in south Hurricane Tomas finally losing steam - but not before killing at least 21 in Haiti Lloyds alerts businesses to space weather threats but don't worry, NASA are on the case as they launch the International Space Weather Init...

Storm winds and rain hit Scotland - bringing the first road closures due to snow - and further south, storms across Devon and Cornwall result in road debris . Homes evacuated as heavy rain drenches Nova Scotia Storm-battered Haiti cleans up Tomas wreckage Indonesia volcano causes more flight chaos - interestingly, airlines cancelled flights despite authorities saying it was safe to fly ..... the very opposite to what they did earlier this year in Europe. Crops that reflect sunlight could offset global warming, scientists claim And EU's biofuels goals may raise greenhouse gas emissions

Nigeria isn't normally known for volcanic activity, but there's been a volcanic eruption in Benue, 1 killed, property destroyed Meanwhile, in SE Asia airlines make Indonesia a no-fly zone after Mount Merapi's worst eruption yet . There seems to be some confusion in Ireland at the moment with Dublin braced for hurricane ..... in fact, the storm predicted for Sunday and Monday has nothing at all to do with any hurricane: it's a normal North Atlantic depression which, less normally, will be developing south of Greenland and then tracking south to bring heavy rain and strong winds across much of the British Isles. There were, however, fatal floods as Hurricane Tomas sweeps over Haiti - it's now heading towards the Turks and Caicos Islands where a British Naval vessel is already positioned to provide aid if needed (demonstrating once again how vital our navy is!) In India, Andhra, Tamil Nadu brace for Cyclone Jal New temperature high in Prague - I assume it's th...

Breaking news this morning is that tropical storm Tomas lashes Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica with heavy rain and as a result there are tense evacuations in Haiti - as clearly stated, the main problem is likely to be mudslides caused by heavy rain falling on massively denuded hillsides. Dozens die in new Mount Merapi eruption in Indonesia - many victims of a pyroclastic cloud. Costa Rica landslide kills at least 20 as storm hits Flooding returns to west Cumbria after heavy rain - 160mm reported yesterday at Seathwaite - and there's likely to be more rain over the coming days too. Impact 'catastrophe calculator' updated - and looks great fun! Matt Hughes, 'Storm Chasers' star, dies from non chasing 'injury' - sadly, he committed suicide after suffering depression. The 2010 series of Stormchasers will probably be shown in the UK early next year. In Malaysia, nearly 40,000 evacuated in Kedah, flood eases in Perlis Heat spike breaks records in southern California...

After severe storms dropped a huge amount of rain in northern Italy ( reportedly 810mm fell in the space of 62 hours at Piancavallo), storms in Italy cause deaths, evacuations . As usual with such events in Europe, it's not easy to find decent English language coverage of the events. However the Daily Mail have picked the story up - and provided some good photos as they often do - in conjunction with another European story; a large crater opens up beneath German town swallowing car . There is also video footage on the BBC as mudslides kill three in Tuscany . Clean-up begins on holiday island of St Lucia after Hurricane Tomas claims 14 lives - and now storm takes aim at devastated Haiti . Though now only a tropical storm, Tomas is the last thing the country needs right now. Though to be fair, it's had a very lucky escape thus far this season. As floods continue to hit Thailand, Thai soldiers race to help flooded southern city - with even an aircraft carrier being deploy...

Over the weekend, Hurricane Tomas lashes Caribbean islands and although today Tomas down to a tropical storm, Haiti still on alert . Meanwhile, in the Indian Ocean there's a cyclone headed for Cocos Islands whilst reports suggests there were 170,000 affected by cyclone Giri in Myanmar last month. Mars volcanic deposit tells of warm and wet environment It was the wettest October in nearly 4 decades in Brisbane whilst for Sydney rain clouds out sunny October . Stay off our patch, oil industry tells North Sea wind farm developers And new insights on Arctic Quaternary climate variability from paleao-records and numerical modelling suggests that during the early Holocene there may have been " periods of ice free summers in the central Arctic Ocean ". Which seems to have got them excited on WUWT . But not here on W&ES - because we already knew this to be the case !