Weather & Earth Science News

The year ends on a decidedly damp note for a large part of Australia where Queensland water levels still rising and Queensland floods spur more evacuations . However, whilst Rockhampton faces forced evacuations some locals hope the pub will stay dry and beer will keep wet . And in NZ, after a deluge on Tuesday, farmers begin big flood clean-up Philippine floods kill two and displace thousands High demand cancels giant Berlin snowball fight Winter storms pummel western United States In China, extreme patterns speak of climate change And in Canada, Winter Olympics weather declared top weather news story for 2010 In north India, rain disrupts air traffic, but most of Himachal gets snowfall In Sweden, wind power and reindeers struggle to coexist And finally, as we end 2010, there's relief for Britons as Arctic air is replaced by wintry showers and balmy 12c breezes - as daft and contradictory headline as ever from the Daily Mail.

Well the big thaw is now well underway. Throughout yesterday there was a constant drip, drip, drip, crash, bang, wallop as the icicles came down, and now there's just dirty mounds of ice littering the streets and pavements. Some of these will certainly still be there in 2011. But the thaw is not without its problems. There's a big rise in burst water pipes in Wales, Scotland and NI and millions face New Year water shortage after thaw in Northern Ireland sparks spate of burst pipes . One unexpected consequence of the cold spell has been that in Yorkshire, Knipe Point cliff homes threatened by new landslip - sounds like some freeze-thaw action taking place, making the cliffs crumble more than normal. On-going floods force mass evacuations in Queensland, Australia And North-east US struggles for normality after blizzards whilst in Canada, storm disruptions continue in Maritimes Cold wave kills 4 in northern India Greenland ice sheet future grim says Aberystwyth study

Hope you all had a good Christmas. It was by far the coldest I've ever experienced with a minima of -13.5c on Christmas Day morning, rising to a daytime max of -5.3c. However, this morning a bit of a thaw has set in with the temperature now up to +1.8c which is the warmest it's been here in Evesham since the 16th (it also just reached +1.8c on the 17th). Drips have resumed but this time they're not forming more icicles. Total, deep, snow cover remains though and some more snow looks likely for a time this evening before the real thaw sets in tomorrow. However, despite December 'set to be coldest since 1910' (when the England and Wales temperature series began) and warnings that freezing weather set to return across the country (an odd headline given it will be nowhere near as cold today or tomorrow as it was over the weekend and any snow will turn to rain as temperatures rise tomorrow and on Wednesday) the headline news today is that eastern USA hit by winter ...

Masses and masses of icicles. Packed snow and ice everywhere - although main roads and pavements in the high street are now clear. At least no more snow is expected - we could see some ahead of milder air pushing in from the west late on Sunday and through Monday, but I suspect little will get here although freezing rain is a worrying possibility. By Wednesday it should be comparatively milder - though still below normal temperatures - and a thaw ought to have set in. Meanwhile, signs are that for Britain this could be the coldest Christmas on record, with temperatures expected to drop to at least -18c in places tonight and remain below freezing throughout Christmas Day. Hope Santa's packed his thermals! Christmas travellers struggle as winter weather hits trains and roads There's a record low for water temperature in London's taps Snow paralyses transport in parts of Western Europe - but the good news is that Piers Corbyn's predicted Christmas Blizzard looks as...

On and on and on it snows, when it'll stop, nobody knows ..... Actually it looks like today should see the last of it for most people, with dry but very cold conditions setting in for Christmas. And 2-3" here overnight. Passengers face further misery as more snow sweeps Britain Better news for some as London travel getting back to normal after snow not so for others with the M5 in Worcestershire partly blocked by overnight snow . Heavy snow hits North Wales as concern rises over grit In Northern Ireland cold weather continues to bite with further record temperatures Oh, and a small earthquake shakes Cumbria residents And, having been pestered by politicians and the media to answer the question, Scientists say biting winters driven by global warming . And they're probably right. Though I wouldn't expect the public let alone media commentators to understand how it can be getting warming and yet we experience more severe winters (here's a clue: how big is Brita...

What a weekend! After a light dusting of snow on Friday night it started snowing again just as I got up at 6.00am Saturday morning - and didn't stop for 10 hours. A total of 11 inches on the grass. And then, overnight the temperature fell to -16.2c in my garden and -19.5c at Pershore Throckmorton (a site record for there). My previous lowest temperature was -10.5c. During the day the temperature only rose to -7.3c and last night fell back to -14.6c As I write, the south coast is getting pummeled with more heavy snow, but fortunately we're only likely to get some light stuff later, if anything at all. But it's expected to remain below freezing all week. Pershore temperatures drop to -19c Hundreds more flights cancelled as BAA criticism intensifies Police urge motorists to avoid the A38 after major snowfall overnight Travel warning as Scotland's freeze continues Ambulance response warning as more snow due in Wales Record low temperature recorded in Northern Ireland ...

Well the snow is back with a vengance today in Evesham with around 5" this morning - and though it's eased off now, we could see more later. In addition, there are indications that temperatures here and in many other parts of Britain may not rise above freezing again until after Christmas..... A white Christmas looks likely on the ground at least because this snow will not be going anywhere, though Christmas Day itself still doesn't look like producing any snow in most places. Britain left reeling under fresh winter blast North-west England travel warning after heavy snowfall While snow brings chaos across Europe In Canada, New brunswick flood damage 'beyond imagination'

Well, it's back. Though only a few flakes so far in Evesham. Heavy snow and ice cause disruption across UK Schools close as snowfalls blanket the Highlands Freeze returns as Wales prepares for 'Black Friday' Ulster hit by heavy snowfall Two dead in Germany as more snow threatens Europe Elsewhere: Cuba registers record low temperature in 50 years Colombia flooding continues with thousands homeless Loss of Arctic ice may promote hybrid marine mammals Ancient forest emerges mummified from the Arctic Cyclone lasting more than five years is detected on Saturn Iapetus moon's might ridge stirs debate

White Christmas likely as forecasters predict return of Arctic weather to UK - though it's only our old friend Jonathan Powell saying a white Christmas is a certainty (and he's no more a counterpart to the MetO than I am!). Looks possible for some, at least with lying snow even if only rain or sleet falls through the day. But whilst we take a breather from the cold and snow, problems continue in North America where Ontario snowstorm maroons hundreds and bone-chilling cold plods into North-east US while in the Mid-west, after brutal snow-storm, US starts clearing up . Whilst some States like Georgia and Florida have seen very low temperatures, elsewhere, Arizona and California have been breaking records for heat. So not all bad. Globally, it still looks like 2010 is probably the hottest year ever recorded One dead in severe Brisbane storm On I missed from last week: Panama Canal reopens after closure due to rain Scottish Govt outlines weather response changes Life may have...

Quiet weather in the UK at the moment - a brief respite before an Arctic front sweeps down on Thursday to bring a very cold and perhaps snowy weekend and run in to Christmas. However, not so in the US as winter storm warning brings snow, sub-zero wind chills ; season's first big snow storm slams southeast Michigan ; and storm buries mid-west, crippling roads, airports . And in the Pacific NW, sandbags battle record-setting flood . More flooding in Australia too where brave teens rescue stranded girl as flash floods keep Qld crews busy . Middle East countries hit by storms bringing snow in Jerusalem With no guarantee of delivery due to the weather, Tesco and Sainsbury halt online orders in Scotland Solar storm could knock out power grids and satellites - but will in fact simply produce a nice auroral display. And finally, my heartfelt thanks to Runrig - and all the crowd at Warwick Arts Centre - for making Saturday night such a remarkable, memorable occasion. Possibly the...

The thaw has now set in across Britain and Scotland faces flood nightmare as temperatures shoot up by 20c But it's still wintry elsewhere: Snowstorm traps drivers in Estonia In Germany, snow keeps falling, traffic chaos continues Earlier in the week, Eiffel Tower shut and roads blocked by Paris snowfall In Ireland, weather claims its sixth victim as thaw brings new dangers Extreme weather hammers large parts of Canada In Australia, disaster declared as river swallows town of Queanbeyan and today, Vic, Qld floods ease, NSW still at threat Meteor fireball spotted in skies over Britain Cloud 'feedback' affects global climate and warming Greenland ice flow driven by short term weather extremes, not gradual warming 'Greener' climate prediction shows plants slow warming And one for Graham Hancock fans: is there a lost civilisation under Persian Gulf?

The temperature in my back garden rose to the heady heights of -4.9c yesterday afternoon, by far the coldest day I've ever recorded. Whilst I wasn't able to get out and take any photos during the brief period in the afternoon when the fog cleared and the sun shone on a frozen winter wonderland, I did get out with tripod for some night-time shots after work. I think they came out rather well! And on a different note, a friend on Ukweatherworld found this little cartoon which seems to be based exactly on the 'Vale Effect' whereby storms always pass around rather than over Evesham! http://xkcd.com/831/ And back to the weather news, and it's much of the same old same old, I'm afraid as North York Moors drivers stranded in heavy snow and fresh snow brings Scotland to a halt We were caught out by a perfect storm says Salmond It's cold and snowy across the Atlantic too with Northern Maine digging out of snowstorm as snowfall blankets Montreal and there...

And so it goes on. Scotland and N Ireland were hit badly by snow yesterday whilst elsewhere it was a bitterly cold day, with widespread freezing fog, lots of hoar frosts and even some 'fog' or 'power station' snow. The temperature in Evesham this morning was down to -7.7c and is not expected to rise much through the day as the fog persists. Three Scots police forces urge driver not to travel Motorists trapped overnight in freezing weather Heavy snow leads to 'horrendous' driving conditions in NI 100 children trapped overnight as snow forces them to sleep in classrooms Freeze bites hard in Wales with temperature of -14c Big freeze death toll rises, leaves drivers trapped and threatens Christmas It currently looks like a brief respite this coming weekend, before turning colder again next week and the likelihood of more snow before Christmas.

After a slightly milder weekend in the south, the freeze returns. Across the snowfields of Yorkshire the temperature this morning fell to at least -18c - a record for the county. In Evesham it was only -5.3c but we had freezing fog and a good covering of 'power station snow'. By the way, that's a record 13 consecutive frosts for me now. There's more, heavy, snow falling across Scotland and N Ireland at the moment. Indications are it will turn milder by the end of the week for a few days, but long term outlook is for cold and often snowy conditions to continue into 2011. It's a real winter at last! So the latest news this morning is that the big freeze returns whilst Edinburgh airport closed by snow Over the weekend, more than 10,000 skiers flock to Scotland's slopes Up on the Yorkshire Moors, snow leads to 'ultimate pub lock-in' Severe weather, air strike, disrupt travel across Europe Deluge continues in southern, central Qld Hundreds missing in...

We were supposed to get some rain or sleet or snow or something last night - the first band of snow passed over Evesham without a flake falling from the sky and the second, heavier band also produced zilch - contrary to what the radar indicated. Think someone has erected a big umbrella over us! Temperatures have however risen to above 2c and a slow thaw of the remaining icy patches left over from Tuesday light snowfall is underway. Outlook remains cold though with some more sharp frosts expected in the coming week. Roof at Tesco store collapses under weight of snow Trains restored to north of Scotland In Edinburgh, they've issued an Arthur's Seat avalanche warming - and all hills throughout the country are likely to be at risk this weekend First the freeze, now the panic buying despite the slight thaw in some areas today The snow is clearing ... now for the ice age However Europe's deadly cold snap maintains grip with at least 60 dead in Europe as snow, floods cause...

And the big freeze continues with still no further snow in Evesham apart from a few odd flakes - much of Tuesday's fall has gone in town though sheltered spots still retain a covering. Down to -7.1c this morning, but that's nothing to Altnaharra in Sutherland this week where it fell to -21.2c on Wednesday morning and there was a maxima of -14.0c yesterday. Last night it fell to -20.1c in Braemar. Ice warning across Scotland as temperatures drop with the Scotland rail network crippled by weather . Travel chaos hits UK after more heavy snow - over a foot fell in many parts of the SE and South on Wednesday night. Snow leaves commuters stranded So far, wind prevents heavy snow in Wales Jersey's Christmas festival launch cancelled after snow But amid all the misery, Britons enjoy the lighter side of the big freeze Two elderly people die in own gardens in Cumbria In N.I., schools closed and travel disrupted in heavy snow this morning with the weather across UK to become much...

About 2cm of snow fell in Evesham early on Tuesday morning, most of which is still around today. But compared with many parts we've had nothing. Snow and ice causes disruption as cold spell continues Heavy snow shuts Gatwick Airport Heavy snow disrupts schools, travel and Grimsby hospital Motorists urged to avoid the M25 in Surrey Fresh snow disrupts London Victoria rail services Snow brings part of South Yorkshire to a standstill Scots die in freak accident as snow continues Heavy snow closes Forth Bridge and section of M8 Petrol stations run out of fuel as tankers get stuck Scottish ski resorts predict bumper season as snow comes early And it's not just in Britain as Ireland gets another blanket of snow and the worst is yet to come In Germany, accidents and delays rise as weather worsens Snow forces Geneva airport closure Sweden braces for record freeze While in America Spokane breaks record for most snow in November NSW sees wettest summer start in 60 years whilst for Bris...