26th October - Today's News: 'Perfect Storm' Heading for NE USA?

Sandy pounds Bahamas after killing 21 in Caribbean and now Hurricane Sandy barrels towards US as meteorologist warns 'perfect storm' could pose 'greatest risk to human life' with Florida coastline under storm warning.   But as the polt thickens .... and our chance for snow rises it's worth noting there is still uncertainty on what track the storm will take over the weekend.

Here in Britain, gritters at the ready for Arctic blast of winter at half-term.  Well, it'll be a bit frosty tomorrow morning and there'll be snow on the Scottish hills for a time.   Hardly unusual.   But never let the mundane get in the way of a good headline, eh?   Btw, what happened to our 'blood rain'?   Just been damp and drizzly here all week ....

Meanwhile, in Sweden, icy roads after season's first snow hits Stockholm

Clean-up in flood hit Nicosia suburb

One dead as magnitude 5.3 earthquake hits southern Italy

Stunning pictures capture fore tornado at Thargomindah in Queensland

At least 11 killed as mudslide engulfs small village in Peru after heavy rains

Good news?  2012 Antarctic ozone hole second smallest in 20 years

Climate change may alter amphibian evolution and did the changing climate shrink Europe's ancient hippos?

Worrying suggestions that 850 billion tons of carbon stored in frozen Arctic ground could be released.   Why wasn't this released before though, when it was even warmer early in the Holocene?   The answer is actually simple (the frozen meat analogy).   The permafrost had been deep frozen for thousands of years, and took time to slowly thaw.  The onset of the Neoglacial stopped that thaw process being completed, with the permafrost staying just below thaw level.  Until now it's warmed up again - and this time because, unlike 10,000 years ago, the permafrost is only just frozen, it'll thaw out much more quickly.   Imagine a large joint of meat that is in the freezer at -20c for a week.  Take it out for 3 hours and it'll still remain largely frozen.   Stick it in the fridge at 1c - so it barely thaws anymore - for another week.  Then remove it again.   After another 3 hours it'll be pretty much thawed out .....   Do not eat!

Cassini records Saturn mega-storm, and incredible burp, for history

And, the annual nonsense, extend out summer time, we're afraid of the dark.   Tough, it's life. The Germans, Americans and most others manage quite well woithout winging every bloody year.  Move to another planet if you don't like it!    I do with we should put the clocks back to proper time at the end of September though when the impact would be less noticeable for the lazy sods who don't get up till midday and expect to play tennis outdoors till midnight.