Weather & Earth Science News

The last of the year! After a cold 2010, the Met Office announce (to no great surprise) that 2011 UK's second warmest year on record - the actual press release is here . Looks like being a mild but damp Hogmanay across many parts of Britain tonight, though hopefully not as wet for most as in NZ where New Year's Eve celebrations washed out . 34 die in south India cyclone And a record heatwave hits South Pole Why tornadoes take the weekends off in summer - it's all down to pollution World pays Ecuador not to extract oil from rainforest in an initiative that we may well see become commonplace in future decades. Cloud Appreciation Society's beautiful 2012 calendar is a hit with sky gazing fans - featuring a stunning photo of Nocties over Fort William taken by my good friend John Cameron.

As 'Thane' crosses the Indian coast, cyclonic storm leaves six dead in TN and Puducherry Freak foam storm swamps seaside resort of Cleverleys Across the UAE, nation offers prayers for rain More flooding in NZ as heavy rain hits Nelson and Tasman And as reports start coming in on 2011's weather records: Highest temperature reported in Austrian mountain areas since 1851 In Germany: 2011 was fifth warmest, third sunniest in record Perth swelters through hottest year

The Christmas Storm Dagmar cuts power, causes damage across Nordic regions as Sweden struggles with wrath of storm Dagmar and Norway counts cost of Christmas hurricane Meanwhile today, more floods expected as 90mph winds batter Scotland In Australia, violent summer weather cuts country in two Germany has 'mildest Christmas in decades' it's been Sweden's warmest December in 250 years and 2011 hottest year in France since 1900 And there's been a bumper crop of Christmas apples as 'two Springs and no Summer leave British plants in confusion . But mild weather could spell vegetable shortages come Spring. Eastern Canada braces for first major storm of the season Philippines storm death toll rises to nearly 1250 In India, high tidal waves lash Andhra coast as Cyclone Thane develops in the Bay of Biscay Taking the pulse of Ngozumpa , a Nepalese glacier that is producing a growing meltwater lake.

In stark contrast to one year ago, it've been a very mild, green Christmas in Britain this year - the warmest on record in N Ireland and overall the 3rd warmest for the whole country. Nonetheless, not good news for all as winds of 101mph recorded in Northern Isles Here in Evesham it was a breezy 12.3c which is a date record since 2003. Though in 2004 I recorded 14.4c on the 23rd December. Last year the max was -4.4c ! Which was also a date record... In Eire too, there's cheer for swimmers as unseasonal weather puts Greece in the shade Elsewhere, a rare white Christmas graces Texas panhandle and wild Christmas weather hits Australia as thousands mop up after hail barrage inflicts havoc on Christmas Day . And in the Philppines, more floods feared as new storm threatens Mindanao

After the Philippines floods: more than 1,000 remain missing New Zealand's Christchurh rocked by earthquakes again After heavy rain in Wales yesterday, flooding keeps Mid and West Wales fire crews busy Whilst following a landslide in the Highlands, tonnes of fallen rock block Lochcarron to Kyle road In the US, heavy snow closes roads, delays flights in West but in the NE, there's no snow, little go at ski resorts . Meanwhile, up in Fairbanks, with record setting weather another December to remember Whilst it;s going to be a mild Christmas in Britain, bear a thought for those in Western Australia where Pilbara sizzles again after 49.4c - the hottest WA DEcember day on record And in the SE of England don't take bath this Christmas as drought order is issued . Darwin on alert as cyclone develops offshore Airlines cleared to use Santa's short-cut - which can only increase Arctic warming And we all have just a year left as Mexico Maya begin 2012 'end of era' co...

The Daily Mail gets all confused with temperatures today as they ask will it be the warmest Christmas on record? There is in fact nothing at all amazing about a maximum temperature in December being higher than the April mean; and we're hardly looking at record temperatures when the predicted maximum temperature is still below the record highest minimum ! But that's journalists for you! And we'd need temperatures to get over 16c to have a chance of the warmest Christmas on record. I suspect around 12c will be closer the mark. But, at least they have some nice pictures to accompany their misleading nonsense. Meanwhile the Met Office provide this summary on how common a White Christmas is In Finland, unusually warm weather preventing birds flying south And how will warm weather affect your holidays? If you live in Toronto - which like so much of the northern Hemisphere is suffering a dearth of cold and snow this winter. Fourth hurricane-force windstorm blasting A...

Philippine floods: President declares national calamity with current estimates of up to 1,000 dead. It's a Christmas to forget in Mindanao . The Met Office supported charity Shelterbox assesses Philippines flood damage . In the US, deadly snowstorm halts travel across Great Plains But there's be no snow in Britain this Christmas - as indeed has looked the case since the beginning of the month. In fact, after a few days ago predicting a white Christmas, the tabloid press are now proclaiming Scotland in for hottest Christmas Day ever - not sure of that, although with southwesterly winds a fohn effect could bring very mild temperatures to the northeast. Looks like Piers Corbyn will be losing his bets this year! And on a more serious note, Scotland's cities' chances of a white Christmas rated with, on average, Aberdeen coming out top. But this years extreme weather baffles butterflies in Britain Aussies shiver in coldest start to summer in 50 years After recent r...

Over the weekend, Philippines flood toll passes 650 as search continues with mass burial for Philippines flood victims . Grim scenes indeed. It's been the worst storm of the year for a country which is sadly prone to such disasters. Here in Britain, still no snow seen in Evesham and we're looking very likely now to see an entirely snow free 2011. And a green Christmas. Just like in the US: dreaming of a white Christmas? Dash it all! They too have had a lot less snow than last year, and indeed only around half the longer term average. Must be this new ice age they keep telling us about! Although that said, today a major storm takes aim at SW Great Plains . Walker dies in avalanche on Y Garn in Snowdonia after a cornice he was standing on collapsed In Victoria, residents evacuated as storms cause flash flooding India cold wave claims dozens of lives in north - though I'm not quite sure how water pipes froze if the temperature only plummeted to +2.8c? Such co...

Yesterday's storm - named Joachim - caused a fair bit of damage. Jersey homes flooded and roads closed in heavy storm with a massive outage as storm batters northern France and Joachim lashes Switzerland . Meanwhile in Germany, winter storm 'Joachim' snarls traffic . Still no snow in Evesham - we even had rain this morning, despite the temperature having dropped to -1.6c (coldest night so far this autumn/winter). But there was snow elsewhere yesterday: in Wales, snow and ice strands motorists on A55 for up to five hours Nevis Range ski resort to open after storm repairs Philippines storm triggers deadly flash floods with reports of hundreds dead or missing Flooding, landslides claim more lives in Colombia Irene was tropical storm, not hurricane, over NJ Looks like we'll soon be able to gaze in awe and wonder at majestic wind turbines from the Cairngorms National Park as approval of Allt Duine wind farm recommended . Any excuse to build roads over the Monadh Liat...

In NZ flash flooding: man swept from armchair and earlier this week in WA thunderstorm causes widespread damage Snow on Bredon and the Cotswolds this morning, but nothing even fell in Evesham. Last time we had sleet was 27th December 2010. Some parts of the SE have seen snow today though, as well as Wales and further north as Britain wakes to snowfall and heavy rain as bookies slash odds of a White Christmas - though there is nothing at all at present to suggest the southern half of Britain will see snow on the 25th. Maybe Scotland. The storm that tracked across southern Britain overnight has had more impact on the Continent as winter storm 'Joachim' reaches Germany and storm Joachim arrives in Switzerland Yesterday morning, snow in Sheffield 'caught out' city council In Londonderry, storm-hit residents left to pick up pieces While in Wales, double lightning strike hits Arriva and FGW services And in Coventry, Keresley residents mystified by apple shower - f...

Snow and strong winds disrupt travel in Scotland with in Ireland a record breaker: monster wave in top surf spot and a severe weather warning as storms batter Ulster whilst heavy rain and snow disrupt traffic. In Hampshire, ex-ambassador Richard Wilkinson trapped as tree smashes roof and roof blown off Bexhill flats as gales batter South-east . Stormiest UK weather for years expected to continue and there could be more gales tonight, whilst although the big storm on Thursday/Friday now looks like tracking south bringing the worst of the winds through the Channel and especially into France - which could see some very serious conditions on Friday - there is now an increased risk for snow across the Midlands. All good wintry stuff! And during last week's storm, up on Orkney, seal pup blown into field of sheep by gale-force winds Poor spring blamed for affecting sea eagles Flooding means state of emergency declared in Nelson , NZ America's top hurricane forecasters give up...

Get ready for the windiest week of the year as storms are on their way to batter most of the UK - it's going to be wet, it's going to be very windy at times, and we might even see the odd flurry of snow. But after this week the weather looks like calming down a bit, especially in the south, and it's odds on from a rather mild, green Christmas. Some studding photos from Australia where you can expect to be drenched: rain causes Sydney chaos Motorists trapped in flooded Gothenburg on Friday night Britain's birds suffer bust and boom due to 2011's rollar-coaster weather Strong earthquake rattles Mexico, killing tow There have been 1,500 accidents and incidents on UK wind farms in the past 5 years - it would be useful it have a comparison with other forms of energy production though since on their own these figures don't really mean anything.

First air frost of the 'autumn' here in Evesham this morning, though only just with a min of -0.8c. Rather different to last December! This is the latest date on which I've recorded an air frost still my records begain in 2003. The previous latest date was 1st December 2009. Some more stories from Thursday's storms: Scotland clears up storm damage but many still without power Family flee as wind whips through house Oil vessels broke anchors in winds A82 briefly reopens and snow returns And the bad news is that there's more to come with another storm on Tuesday and a potentially much worse one next Friday. Snow fall in the Alps - and not a minute too soon In Nigeria, hot weather heralds severe harmattan A daft and frankly nonsensical Plain English award for Met Office 'gobbledygook' - apparently it's because they don't understand the difference between precipitation and rain. Idiots! Chile's Jorge Montt Glacier shrinks half a mile in a year ...

It was well forecast and with warnings heeded there appears, fortunately, to have been no serious injuries (though a number of vehicles were overturned and one person was injured in Lochailort when their static caravan blew over). Credible reports have come in of low level gusts in excess of 100mph whilst the 165mph recorded on Cairngorm was just short of the all time record (173mph). The Daily Mail runs with a headline claiming it was too windy for wind turbines! 165mph gales raise MORE questions about wind farms as gusts leave trail of destruction across country with a lot of great pictures including some of a wind turbine exploding - but this of course is not a reason to ban turbines any more than the pictures of lorries blown over is a reason to ban them. Met Office researchers fly into violent Atlantic storm affecting Scotland Police declare 'major incident' in storm-battered Lochaber with many roads blocked. The A82 south of Ft William was due to be closed over the we...

As Brisbane chills out through first week of summer - with today probably their coldest December day on record - it's been Sydney's coldest start to summer since 1960 . Here in Britain there's blizzard warning as gales sweep south with up to 4 inches of snow on the way by tomorrow - in Scotland. Nothing much expected down here whatever the media might say - though the odd flurry is possible on Friday with maybe a further risk of snow on Sunday night, before it turns milder again. Still, some nice pictures, especially of the white reindeer. The main concerns though are the winds across Scotland tomorrow and Friday. With another bad storm possible next week, and the current very unsettled conditions looking likely to persist through the month. In Germany, this season's first wintry weather causes road chaos French alpine glaciers in retreat New Taipei City sets record high winter temperature

Some good news for those planing a pre-Christmas ski trip as snow finally arrives in the Alps In Scotland, driver killed on M73 as wintry weather takes hold with caution urged in icy conditions across Scotland today . Global winds could explain record rains, tornadoes in the US this year Winter storm blasts New Mexico with snow, cold In WA, Perth hit by wild storms It wasn't just Europe that was warm this autumn as in South Korea highest-ever average temperature recorded for November . Dense smog in Beijing, China stops hundreds of flights Met Office warns of UK climate risks UK green energy projects fall by wayside in dash for gas Cores reveal when Dead Sea 'died' - it was back in the last interglacial, when the climate was warmer than today, suggesting that if GW continues it could dry up again, even without humans taking most of the inflowing water. NASA's Kepler confirms its first planet in habitable zone outside our solar system - but with different gravity and...

Driver killed as snow hits Britain but, a year after Britain ground to a halt under snow and ice, pictures show this season's warmer winter . Currently no indications of snow down in this parts before Christmas. It's been confirmed that Scotland has warmest November on record - with reports of midges still biting. But whilst it was a warm November in much of Europe, Bahrain shivers during a record cold month - with a mean temperature of just .... 23c! More contrasts in Finland where Helsinki 20 degrees warmer than last December High winds return to southern California Canary Island volcano: a new island in the making? And thousands flee as Indonesian volcano erupts Cornwall and Devon homes hit by earthquake And it now appears that after the LGM, there was simultaneous ice melt in Antarctica and Arctic - interesting.

It's here! England's first snowfall in Cumbria, and more is on the way this weekend - though really only for the hills at the moment, except perhaps in the far north of Scotland. There are sign though of a more general spread of snow later in the weekend. Winter has arrived, right on schedule. And just in case, there's plenty of salt stockpiled ready for winter roads . Cider firms enjoy bumper harvest after cold winter and mild spring November 2011 Jersey's mildest ever Calif. residents grapple with windstorm clean-up One more story from last weekend's storms in Norway where storm wave sweeps away film crew Bodies recovered in Indonesia landslide, 30 missing It would appear that over just the past 5 years the Arctic has taken a turn for the warmer . Whether the trend continues remains to be seen. Are rapidly growing windfarms a 'new Klondike' New projection shows global food demand doubling by 2050 Sharp decline in pollution from US power plants, NA...

Across a large part of England now there are calls for hose pipe ban after warmest November in 353 years . In Germany, parched November the driest month ever whilst Norway sees the warmest November in 111 years . And in Switzerland, mild weather fools trees - meaning that 'officially' it's now spring! - whilst so far, snow is a no-show at Swiss ski resorts . No drought worries in SW Scotland though, quite the opposite as flood family rescued after being cut off for two days whilst further north, slip could close A83 Rest and be Thankful for 24 hours - the 3rd time the road has been closed by a landslide in 4 years. Earlier this week, storm 'Berit' leaves 80,000 without power in southern Sweden Violent wind storm leaves path of destruction in California, other western states Abrupt permafrost thaw increases climate threat And it's being suggested that a drop in carbon dioxide levels led to polar ice sheet forming in Antarctica. Basically, whilst CO2 le...

The cold front yesterday may have only produced 1.6mm of rain here, with another double figure maximum, but elsewhere woman hurt as 'tornado' hits Greater Manchester , another tornado rips through Angelsey caravan park with another reported (but unconfirmed) at Breighton in E Yorkshire. And the Daily Mail highlight a driver caught out as floods hit Scotland following rain, gales and even a tornado . Meanwhile, daffodils flower in mild autumn at Eden Project in Cornwall And despite the snowstorm at the end of October, New England has also had a warm month with November expected to break temperature records in Mass. Bad weather lashes Malta and Gozo

Heavy rain causes flooding in Scotland - and there's plenty more to come But down south, Anglia Water granted drought permit after dry Spring (and summer and autumn ...) - I've only had half the average November rainfall so far this month so looking certain to be my 13th consecutive dry month. More remarkably, we've still not had an air frost nor even a day with a maximum temperature below 10c. Looks like it should turn colder over the weekend and into next week, although nothing exceptional for December. Whither now the record cold spell that was supposed to start on the 27th Nov (but then put back to the 29th when PC saw the lastest weather charts)? A daft headline from the normally reliable Guardian: despite warm autumn, 2011 temperatures fail to reach record highs , globally. Under La Nina we wouldn't have expected them to. It'll be interesting to see what the final UK figure is though. A better piece from the Met Office showing global average tempe...

Prince William helps rescue two crew by five missing after sinking in Irish Sea during gales at the weekend. Whilst storm force winds cut power supplies in Orkney In Europe it's snow joke: mild weather brings chaos to start of ski season Calgary buildings damaged in storm Flood threat follows big wet across Victoria Last week, three dead as deadly landslide hits town in Sicily NASA launches most capable and robust rover to Red Planet - successfully And an interesting development: outlook fair for amateurs as Met Office releases data - though it's not clear as yet exactly what data is being referred to here? Do they mean curret weather station reports or full model output (as we get from the American GFS)? I guess we'll find out in due course.

In Scotland, there's snow and large waves as winter storms continue - none of which is the least unusual this time of year - as winter storm 'Berit' barrels towards Sweden and there has been massive damage as Faroe Islands battered by hurricane force winds People rescued, cut off by rising floodwaters in northern NSW Russia's south hit by record low temperatures Across Europe, ski slopes starved of snow thanks to the mild, dry autumn Whilst all the recnet attention has been on Bangkok, flood woes mount in Thailand's south Heatwave kills 200 elephants ion Zimbabwe Climategate II: the scientists fight back whilst in the Guardian, Leo Hickman asks help us find clues in climate email hacker's message And OMG we are going to die: end of world speculation after new Mayan discovery !!! Of course, the Mayans didn't predict the end of the world and even if they did why would we think they were right when so many hundreds of other predictions have proven false....

Overnight a woman dies as storm-force winds batter into north and west of Scotland and there are fears a 'superwave' storm could hit Norway oil facilities today. It's quite a tight little depression, and there's another following in its wake with a warning of storm force winds and flood risks issued for Scotland this weekend. In the US, travellers face more delays as storms continue to batter the north Hurricane Kenneth sets record for Eastern Pacific storms being the lastest ever to form Unusual warmth leaves Scandinavia snow-free and wondering 'where's winter'? - today should also be the start of Piers Corbyn's predicted record cold spell for Britain. Hmmm .... it reached 13.8c overnight in my garden! In WA, rain brings reprieve but firefighters 'downbeat' over homes lost in bushfires. Elsewhere in Australia, rain drenches NSW, sparking flood rescues A good example of how the media spin stories to suit what they want you to believe: a...

Mild weather brews up a record tea crop - in Cornwall! Western parts of Switzerland seeing driest year in decades Heavy rain sets in over NSW as flooding hits outback There's been no let-up in greenhouse gas rise and there are no new climate concerns as 'ozone friendly' HFCs use grows - it's another greenhouse gas. Odd they never thought of that at the time? Ozone from rock fracture could serve as earthquake early warning And temperature records need to be at least 17 years long for seperating signal and noise in climate warming

The annual fog disruption of flights from Heathrow continues today - Floods hit homes and roads in Pembrokeshire overnight Cliff crumbles, streets floods as storm hits L.A. In NZ, helicopter rescues people caught in flooding New low temperature recorded in North Pole - that's North Pole, Alaska Climate change means Autumn's birds delay migration

Extreme weather will strike as climate change takes hold, IPCC warns in a report that has already been much discussed, expecially in the blogosphere. The report itself is the IPCC SREX Summary for Policymakers - but I've not myself read it as yet so I'll not comment further. More drought signs in England as Kennet and Avon Canal water levels lowest for 90 years whilst over in Cambridgeshire drought forces rail line closure after causing track movement Wind driven wildfire destroys 25 homes in Reno More accurate cyclone prediction model developed Cassini chronicles life of Saturn's giant storm And hypocrisy afoot as climate minister buys a castle with 16 bathrooms and a massive carbon footprint . But then, what would you expect of a politician, especially a very rich one who lives in a different world to the rest of us? Anyway, I bet Gore has an even bigger house!

Following on from Anglia Water's request for a drought order this winter, more water companies now warn that millions of households face water rationing and hosepipe bans next year . I've been warning of this for months. After a wet start, it now looks certain that November will be our 13th consecutive month with below average rainfall in Evesham. It's also been a very mild start to November - so much so that the weather's gone quackers as ducks born born six months earlier and roses bloom in November - though the roses in my garden have often been blooming at Christmas, so nothing unusual here. And no sign yet of the much publicised cold and snow for October, or, um, November then, er, well, December ..... In contrast, over in the US tornadoes in Southeast kill 6, flatten homes whilst up in Alaska record Fairbanks cold continues as air quality warnings issued Weather harder to predict, Environment Canada warns A silent flood misery for 1.8m in Cambodia, Vietnam ...

October 2011 the 10th warmest on record - but for land areas it was the 2nd warmest, indicating a continuing overall warming whilst La Nina produces cooler ocean surfaces. NOAA report here Record warm Irish temperatures fools Mother Nature that it is springtime For the first time in a decade, Anglia Water seeks winter drought order . Whilst across the Channel too low French water tables need heavy winter rains - and frankly at present there is nothing in the long range probability models to suggest either us or the French will get it with overall a drier than average winter looking most likely. Though I've a feeling another run of warm, wet and windy winters aren't too far away. And on the subject of lack of rain, Texas fire season roars on, with no end in sight In contrast, for Cyprus: excessive rain causes further problems and it's cold there too. A very interesting piece by Jonathan Amos on weather satellites and the gathering storm - we take the data gathered...

UK trees' fruit rippening '18 days earlier' : according to a new study autumn fruit, nuts and berries is appearing earlier due to changes in our climate (this, of course, follows on from spring flowering occurring earlier as well) Meanwhile, a scientist at the University of Kiel has said that global warming could being 50-degree days to Germany - though I'm not quite sure that's entirely been taken in context. Round 2 of winter storm hits parts of Alaska First winter snow falls in China UK air pollution 'puts lives at risk' According to the Thai PM, Bangkok floods could go into next year In Malaysia, 28,000 personnel on standby for floods , expected this winter - as happens most years. And Richard Black reports mixed messages on climate vulnerability

Autumn could be warmest on record - or, more likely, the second warmest on record after 2006. 18.2c in my garden yesterday was the highest temp I've recorded in November, with the offical UK max 18.1c in Hampshire. Felt a fine summer's day to me. Whilst autumn overall may not be warmest, November could well be. And, as the Sun put it Britain's hotter than Syria! No sign of the promised heavy snow and Arctic freeze so confidently promised for October or November by certain media outlets back in September! But whilst there's no sign of anything on our hills, snow covers Cape mountaintops in SA. In NZ, massive storm hits Rotorua Air pollution linked to extreme weather - given that we'll never cut down on CO2 emissions then it seems the way forward to mitigate the impacts of a warming world are obvious. So dont expect any action this decade .....

Sydney swelters with record night temperature highs Alaskans weather epic Bering Sea storm In Northern Ireland, family escapes flooding danger in Draperstown There was flooding in the UAE after Masirah Island witnesses heavy rain for hours Is climate scepticism a largely Anglo-Saxon phenomenon? And some great picture here of a baby elephant and its mother pulled from lagoon where they got stuck - I do think the last one of the mother 'crawling' out looks very human ..... But the real point of posting this story is that it demonstrates so well just how mammoths could have become entombed in similar muddy lagoons (albeit rather colder ones) in Siberia - eventually to become preserved as 'mummies'.

11 - 11 - 11 Remember Snow, hurricane-force winds batter Alaska and as the huge Alaska storm passes region, leaves widespread damage A spectacular picture here as storm front strikes Victoria whilst in Sydney, storm train chaos 'worst in a decade'. In Portugal, it was the hottest October on record Chance of a shower? You decide as Met Office launches new style weather forecasts Colorado cloud-seeding programme grow - though I'd take their estimates of its effect with a large does of salt. And Iran runs cloud seeding over drying up Orumiyeh lake Ten dead as second earthquake strikes Turkey In the Canaries, beaches shut amid concern over volcano gas And, Chile's volcano ash back forcing delays in air links to Chile Sea change can forecast South America wildfires Anti-wind farm campaigners stage conference in Ayr How global warming could cause animals to shrink And the wierd world of water gets a little wierder

Alaska braces for epic storm; evacuations begin - it could be one of the worst in Alaskan history. With winds up to 100mph and heavy snow, we're talking SERIOUS blizzards! Incredible video shows tornadoes that raked Oklahoma 1 day after earthquakes rattled the state And roofs lost in 'tornado-like storm' in Victoria whilst 'golf ball' hail thrashes Melbourne Bermuda issues tropical storm warning as Sean approaches Beijing in air pollution action Pakistan facing 'unimaginable catastrophe' after second year of floods World heading for irreversible climate change in five years, IEA warns . Well that's that then. Meanwhile there's another prediction that Arctic sea ice 'to melt by 2015' . I bet it doesn't. In the Canaries, undersea volcano now just 70 meters from surface As the US government confirms link between earthquakes and hydraulic fracturing , specualtion increases that this was the cause of the recent big quakes in Oklahoma Eur...

Flood alerts in Turin as river levels rise after rain , further south, Naples braces for flooding after heavy rains , whilst in the France floods - 3 dead, 100s evacuated after the Herault regions saw one years worth of rain in four days . Worth noting that 700mm is more than twice we've seen fall in Evesham all year. And in Thailand, floods approach Bangkok's rail system as northern provinces start cleaning up Deadly landslide strikes western Colombia Now officially over, the 2011 hurricane season costliest, deadliest in three years . All because of Irene and Lee. In Britain, autumn doesn't know whether its coming or going - though I would blame that on weather, not climate change. And I very much doubt the Highland midge has ever waited until July befor emaking an appearance! April is usual though it's not till late May or June they become a nuisance. There were none about in mid October this year. Oklahoma shaken by 5.6 magnitude earthquake , causing quite ...

M5 shut as 'several people' die in 27-vehicle crash . From accounts it appears that the motorway surface was still wet from recent rain and that there was patchy fog in the area - sporadic dense fog banks can be very dangerous. This appears the worst British motorway pile up since March 1997 when 3 people died and 160 vehicles were involved, again in an accident caused by fog. Earlier, flooding in Bridgewater sparks river wall collapse fear whilst in Wales, flooding hits Newport and stops Cardiff rugby match . Warm weather melts summit snow in Cairngorms - which actually isn't at all unusual! Although they have had unusually high temperatures. Italy floods: six killed in port city Genoa after torrential rainfall. More heavy rain is expected this weekend. Bangkok continues to battle Thailand floods In East Africa, floods cause havor for Somali displaced UA scientists find evidence of Roman period megadrought in SW USA - much to the confusion of some posters on WUWT w...

Heavy rain in desert regions can be deadly. The death toll from storm in Oman rises to 11 . We missed most of the rain in England yesterday (including a terrific thunderstorm that ran up just west of here) and had nothing overnight, though many dry eastern parts saw an inch. Just up the road from me there was a report of what may have been a tornado, although, rather bizarrely, the BBC suggest that homes damaged by funnel clouds in Worcestershire (obviously a funnel cloud does not reach the ground - else it is a tornado - and cannot cause damage. And there doesn't appear to have been any sightings of a funnel cloud either. We haven't got a clue how they came up with this one!) And more heavy rain and early snow cause havoc on Beirut In Western Australia, record rain turns bumper harvest to ruin There's been a November snow surprise for southerners in NZ New England's freak snowstorm blamed for at least 22 deaths In the Indian Ocean pollution makes powerful cyclon...

Global warming worsens weather extremes, international climate panel will say in a new report to be published later this month The govt have announced that a cold snap alert plan 'will save lives' whilst up in Scotland trains to be prioritised in severe winter weather . Always assuming we get any. Bangkok floods: anger grows in deluged districts whilst the neighbouring Cambodia floods bring mounting disease toll The weekend's early snow storm leaves major power outages in US , with the trees to blame for nor'easter destruction Doctors urge caution as fog shrouds Beijing Dozens fo houses collapse in China quake And some good nes as rains ease Somalia drought

As was forecast, snowstorm hits US east coast killing at least nine leaving more than 2.3 million without power as Northeast recovers from storm . The same wintry storm smacks Atlantic Canada as well. Here in Britain, a very mild weekend in places - reaching 18.5c in my garden and with nighttime temperatures hovering for the most part around 15c In Cornwall - parts of which have had a lot more run that us - Stithians reservoir low water level 'no great concern' despite being at only 37% of capacity. A dry winter could however cause problems not just in the SW but across much of the Midlands and East Anglian. Thailand floods: fears ease in Bangkok as barriers hold Underwater volcano creates a brand new Canary Island And finally, India welcomes world's 'seven billonth baby' - chosen entirely at random of course. It's been estimated that the world human population will reach 7,000,000,000 sometime today. Way back in 2000 there were ~6.1 billion of us and...

Wintry weather hits US, both east and west and, in particular Fall storm could dump more than a foot of snow in parts of New England US military to survey deadly Thai flooding Now this looks interesting. Retired meteorologist works on 'world's longest weather record' - Jim Rothwell has spent 20 years compiling a weather record for Central England back to 56BC. Be nice if in time this could be made available online. Human caused climate change major factor in more frequent Mediterranean droughts Another Chile volcano spews vapour and ash into air - and looks quite impressive with all the snow around A good, informative article here on what happens when our landfills are full? Personally I'd prefer all waste to be used to produce electricity by incineration. There'd be no need for recycling then, either. As dispute over the construction project continues, Brazil Amazon campaigners occupy Belo Morte dam NFU Scotland backs review of daylight savings time Good t...

Rescue workers in Italy search through mud for survivors of storm that killed at least 9 - with dramatic footage of the flash floods here And it's now reported that at least 11 have died as deadly floods hit Ghana capital Accra Turkey earthquake death toll passes 500 Tropical storm Rina lashes Mexican coast with rain as residents evacuated Here in Evesham it rain (lightly) for most of yesterday, producing 14.5mm and bringing the monthly rainfall total up to around 65% of average. Still looks like being the 12th consecutive month here with below normal rainfall. Warm Halloween weather to end mild October As the floods continue, Bangkok braced for high tide Interesting that Scottish winter death rate lowest in 20 years last winter - despite all the cold and snow. Glaciers in SW China feel brunt of climate change Dog helps lightning strike Redruth mayor The Met Office say that lack of computing power 'hindering weather forecasting' - though it doesn't seem to affect P...

One third of humanity faces biggest risks from climate change - with developing nations at most risk. And prosperpous Europeans at least risk, according to a new 'league table'. However, new research casts doubt on 'doomsday' water shortage predictions While in Greenland, research suggests we don't need record temperatures to produce record ice melt, because glacial melt cycle could become self-amplifying The stupidiest man in Britain? Father pushes toddler along in pushchair beneath towering waves as angler dies in flash floods Caution urged as flooded Northern Ireland roads re-open Water spout forms off Sussex coast 'Once in a century' events have become distressingly familiar for the Irish Hurricane Rina grows on path to Mexico's Cancun All of Bangkok vulnerable to floods, Thai PM Shinawatra warns Lucky Americans as northern lights seen as far south as Alabama Forest fires in the Mediterranean basin are becoming larger and more frequent, study fin...