Weather & Earth Science News

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...

A rather wet day in the west yesterday, expecially in the Dublin area where over 80mm rain fell in places. Northern Ireland floods cause transport havoc . In County Tyrone, 18 people rescued from flood waters . In County Wicklow body found in search for Garda swept away by floods whilst across Dublin flood waters recede but driving conditions difficult . Problems in the SW of England too with rivers on flood warning as storms lash Westcountry whilst floods force sewerage down Conwall's Par village street But, 60mph winds and flooding as winter blasts back: So why are parts of the country still facing a hosepipe ban? Because some of us have had little more than half the normal rainfall so far this year - in Evesham just 10.2mm this month, about 23% of average. We had only a trace last night - not sufficent to register in my gauge. One I missed last week: severe flooding shuts Colosseum in Rome The season is coming to an end, but it's not over yet as Hurricane Rina for...

Turkey earthquake: desperate search for survivors with so far 217 confimed dead amid fears toll could rise to 1,000 As the drought continues in the Vale - only 10.2mm so far this month and not a lot on the horizon - heavy rain in Torquay closes seafront road with weather warning as flooding hits Northern Ireland 'Read for winter' campaign launches in Scotland New tropical storm forming in rain-soaked Central America Thailand floods: waters advance on north Bangkok area Plate tectonics may control reversals in Earth's magnetic field And finally it's nice to see that Piers Corbyn's warning of a North Sea storm around 21-23rd October has been proven correct as it's wet and windy in the SW, Ireland and Wales ....... And I bet there's snow in Svalbard this week too. He even managed to predict a whole 2 days beforehand that it's be a bit cooler the middle of last week. What a clever chappie!

Elderly British couple swept to their death in Benidorm flash floods Tornado tears up Templand in Dumfries, last Monday Thailand floods: crisis to last 'six to four weeks' Glaciers on China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau melting fast due to global warming New study shows no simultaneous warming of northern and southern hemispheres as a result of climate change for 20,000 years Until now.

Not quite the result some had been expecting as global warming confirmed by 'independent' study . So far the best the snti-science denail squad have been able to come up with is that the this annoucement has been made before the relevant papers have been peer reviewed. I'm also interested in theor suggestion that: ...the global temperature correlates more closely with the state of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index - a measure of sea surface temperature in the north Atlantic. There are theories suggesting that the AMO index is in turn driven by fluctuations in the north Atlantic current commonly called the Gulf Stream. The team suggests it is worth investigating whether the long-term AMO cycles, which are thought to last 65-70 years, may play a part in the temperature rise, fall and rise again seen during the 20th Century Something to look at with regards the LIA and even full scale glaciations perhaps? Both of which seem to be cent...

Time for the annual round-up of various forecasts for the coming winter in Britain. Let's see if anyone does better than they did last year! My own thoughts are that we will see some cold and perhaps snowy weather, most likely in December and January, but that for most people it will be nowhere near as harsh as last winter. We could see more milder, stormier, conditions at times as well. In other words, a normal mix of normal weather. Though like last year I also suspect we'll see an early spring set in in February. And that's based mostly on gut feeling. Sod's Law further suggests that after so much money spent by authorities preparing in case of a repeat of last December (remember than much of last January and February were mild and largely frost free - it was not a cold winter ) it will be a mild and wet winter. With complaints about why more wasn't spent on flood defences ..... So to the forecasts: The one which has recieved most publicity so far has b...

Kids flee as 'tornado' rips roof from Cumbrian nursery school Dust storm shrouds Texas city No let-up as Thai authorities battle against flood Snow and high winds hit parts of Scotland And in preparation for the coming winter they've got an extra 20,000 tonnes of salt to treat Cumbria's roads , across the Pennines north east councils 'ready' for third harsh winter Nothing new here: climate change 'grave' threat to security and health . Hasn't that always been the case? Just look at what happen in the 6th century AD

Central America floods and landslides leave 80 dead It was t-shirt weather in the Highlands last Friday and down here seems to have been another very warm weekend. But now Britons set to feel chill as autumn finally arrives . 'Bout time! Thai flooding: key business parkpark Navanokorn evacuated whilst 'obsolete' Thai radar blamed for failure to predict rain severity Killed by the drought, dead trees will mar Texas landscape for decades Planting trees ' boost African crop yields and food security ' Tipping points for tropical forest and savannah New research shows how life might have survived 'snowball earth' Animals 'shrinking' due to climate change Global temperatures in September were eighth warmest on record - the full NOAA report is here

Hurricane Jova crosses Mexico's Pacific coast First hand reports of the Thailand floods: 'roads are now rivers' as Thailand races to defned Bangkok from floods Really bad news for, er, somebody, as the price of peanuct butter to soar after hot weather ruined harvest in the US According to Accuweather B.C. winter forecast to be coldest on record . We will see. Polar mission finds thin ice floes and 'warm' water in high Arctic Even record-setting rain isn't enough to break Texas drought - whilst here in Evesham it's so far a record breaking warm and dry October with only 3.5mm. However indications are that the second half of the month will be a lot more unsettled - cooler and wetter! No more updates till next week as I'm off home to Moidart in search of rain, followed by the MBA AGM in Crianlarich at the weekend.

Thailand races to defend Bangkok from floods How our Indian summer is set to make pumpkins a little less pumped for Halloween San Antonio keeps water flowing amid a deep drought whilst Colorada empties popular lake to pay its water bill . Hurricane Jova closes in on western Mexico Antarctic lake mission targets life and climate signs Glacier lakes: growing danger zones in the Himalaya It looks like there has been an underwater volcanic eruption near Spanish Canary island Michael Hanlon makes a fool of himself by building a great big man of straw and asking Mini Ice-Age or global warming: Why can't they make their minds up? Does he really not realise that it's the media he works for that keep coming up with these daft predictions, not the scientists who invariably are saying something very, very different (the recent 'ice age' claims being a case in point). Shame on you Michael. Or maybe that was the point? To further mislead the public and champion the cause of...

Floods drown Asia's rice bowl as Thailand scrambles to prevent humanitarian disaster from floods Hot sunny weather blankets Central, Eastern Canada In Germany, cold front blankets Brocken in snow - must have been quite a spectre! Ultraviolet light shone on cold winter conundrum . Or is it? Seems to the correlation is not quite so clear cut (look at the period 1760-1800 for example). And the LIA could, IMO, be better described as a period in which there was a greater frequency of cooler summers. Not cold winters. Hence the glacial increases across the whole of the N Hemisphere at that time. All in accord with declining axial tilt and something which IMO ought be continuing today. Though I accept that long term variations in UV may have been another contributory factor. Australia's alpine parks face threat of hotter, drier climate - and no more snow! New Zealand oil spill reaches shore as weather holds up response Warm weather 'knocks High St sales ' - it ce...

As Thailand battles to protect its capital, Bangkok's neighbours shoulder flood burden Floods in Philippines could last a month Storm knocks power out in Queensland Snow flurries on Saturn's moon would make for perfect piste Oh dear, the Express just can't stop themselves. Apparently now -20c to hit Britain . And yes, it's quite likely that somewhere on the Highlands will see temperatures down to -20c at some point this coming winter .... but not any time soon. Though air frosts are possible in many places " within a matter of weeks ". As indeed is rain. And clouds. And Christmas decorations in the shops. I'm surprised to hear that Europeans fear climate change more than financial turmoil - though I guess it depends on how the question is worded. Much less of a surprise - because I've been saying it for years - is Myles Allen's opinion that Al Gore is doing a disservice to science by overplaying the link between climate change and wea...

Those who forecast a cold October with widespread snow will be jumping with joy because yesterday there was snow in Cairngorms, Glencoe, Glenshee and Nevis Range (and on a few other hills too). Though of course this is as unusual as a steak in Texas. And the Daily Express hits back at thise who criticised it's increasingly inaccurate and misleading stories by telling us we told you snow Storm wreaks havoc in Nova Scotia Australia, New Zealand in airlifts to drought-hit Tuvalu Rain brings cheer to Fujairah, Ajman and RAK - the UAE don't exactly get a lot of the stuff! The US, Chicago area expected to endure worst winter weather in the nation . According to Accuweather. Heatwave brings rare moths to UK Triple rainbows exist, photo evidence shows Researchers report on changes in Arctic sea ice after return of research vessel Polarstern . Meanwhile researchers think they've found why climate models underestimate Arctic sea ice retreat . Small NZ glaciers face uncertain f...

2011 has been the year the weather went wonky (so stand by for snow in days) - or at least, expect a dusting of snow if you're on the Ben tomorrow ( as forecast last Thursday ). But there isn't a new hurricane to hit Britain - just a bit of normal autumn wind and rain (the Express have rather excelled themselves in their efforts to produce the most misleading, inaccurate piece of scaremongery of the year - maybe they want to be the new Weekly World News or Daily Sport? Expect them to annouce fresh evidence there was never a WWII bomber on the Moon, any day soon ... ). Whether the wind and rain in Scotland is the severe storm that Piers Corbyn forecast for last weekend is a moot point. He too has been working overtime - in trying to find some means of arguing through interdimensional illogicality that his forecast was correct even though it couldn't have been more wrong if he's predicted torrential frog falls in Wales, a swarm of F5 tornadoes in the Wash and a met...

A scorcher of a weekend with both Saturday and Sunday's date records smashed. Here in Evesham it reached 29.0c on Saturday to make it the 2nd warmest day of the year whilst last night was the warmest of the year, dropping only to 17.3c - which would be warm were it the maximum. Nationally, the record UK temperature for October set at 29.9c - recorded on Saturday at Gravesend. But apparently north braced for Hurricane Ophelia as south basks in record-breaking heat . Er, no. Ophelia will entirely dissipate in the Atlantic, though a depression is expected to intensify to the north of Scotland bringing wet and windy conditions later this week. Heavy rain triggers deadly Algeria floods Tuvalu declares emergency over water shortage Floods slowly reced in typhoon-battered Philippines as locals ask for boats, food In South Africa, tornado flattens Free State homes In NZ, weather experts argue over forecast, rain radar And in Australia, ski season closes after lack-lustre winter Arcti...

Second typhoon slams Philippines whilst in Vietnam, Typhoon Nesat wreaks havoc in coastal areas . But in Macau they're confidently predicting no more typhoons this year . In the Atlantic, Hurricane Ophelia grows to category 3 but looks unlikely to threaten America. Another record warm day in England yesterday as September ended opn 29.2c whilst in my garden it hit 28.9c making the 2nd warmest day of the year. A lot of manmade cloud today as aircraft fly through very humid air ahead of the front now stretched over Ireland and Scotland, so not expecting it to end quite so warm, though further east there's still a slim chance the October record could be beaten as October's weather predicted to break temperature record . The Daily Mail has some nice pictures - and when you've finished oggling the girls in skimpy bikinis, there's also a interesting piece on how Victorians enjoyed the great autumn heatwave of 1895 Autumn heatwave could help lower grey seal mortality ...