Weather & Earth Science News

Last update for a couple of days as I'm off to MBA meeting sin Glasgow tomorrow. Freak tornado smashes steel mill in Italian town of Taranto Moscow hit by biggest snowfall in 50 years (for November, that is) (oh, and by the way, there are signs that Britain could have the coldest December for 2 years - you have been warned!) Victorian record falls in heatwave   but in Western Australia, deadly storm: man dies after tree crushes  caravan As flood defences hold and levels start to fall, rescue boat take villagers to buy supplies in Somerset Rock fall closes Jigger's Bank in Shropshire Man in car rescued from floodwater in Shropshire - I hope he's charged with the full costs.    There are too many very stupid motorists out there who seem incapable of understanding that cars are not boats. Small earthquake felt in Cumbria And finally, giant black hole in tiny galaxy confounds astronomers - although maybe they answer the question when t...

Hundreds still homeless as they await return to flood-hit homes Sadly in Wales, rescuers find woman dead at St Asaph and there's anger as Ruthin's Glasdir estate hit by floods East coast rail services hit by landslide near Darlington River levels across North Yorkshire reach their peak Floods and phlegmatism: tales from Tewkesbury - where folk expect floods And from Cambridgeshire, warnings that stranded drivers face prosecution if they'd ignored warning signs   Wild storm hits Western Australia whilst in Victoria, hot air and winds could drive mercury to record levels this week After a snowstorm in Japan, 41,000 Hokkaido homes lose power The latest is the ever-changing sea level saga is that sea levels to rise by more than 1m by 2100 Thawing of permafrost expected to caue significant additional global warming, not yet accounted for in climate predictions Some good news as Amazon deforestaion 'at record low' And ...

The worse hit area today is North Wales where 500 told to leave homes in St Asaph   as across the country, flooding continues to threaten hundreds of homes .   Levels in Evesham have fallen further and looks like we're now out of the 'danger zone', though folk downstream at Tewkesbury continue to worry as the Severn rises and Gloucestershire flooding residents make rescue decision Elsewhere in Wales, roads closed and trains cancelled Trail of destruction as floods spead north Travel disrupted by heavy rain in northern England and Wales Flood warning after South Yorkshire boat rescue drama and pumped-up firefighters save Beverley homes .   In Essex, men in car flood rescued by boat The good news is that today should see the last of the rain for at least a few days with colder, frosty, weather on the way.   Though sadly this only leads to the Daily Express reguritating the same old rubbish, scaring the public by falsely claimi...

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny in Evesham, giving me a chance to get out and take a few photos.  The river level continued to rise through the day peaking at just below 4m - still a meter and a half below the 2007 levels and as a consequence, although disruptive, there doesn't appear at present to have been too much serious damage to property in the town . Today local schools are closed . Across the country, more than 800 homes flooded as storm hit with  almost 300 flood warnings issued as Britain faces further deluges   Lots of pictures from around the country in the Daily Mail Over the weekend: A55 at Bangor closed as 70mph wind batter Wales Homes evacuated after landslide near Bristol Malmesbury flooding: four people rescued from homes Woman in tent killed in Exeter tree fall as floods hit county Man dies as car goes into river in Cambridgeshire And near Alcester in Friday, three swept away in car escape injury

Excellent night in Wolverhampton last night watching Runrig in one of their best shows ever.   Thanks guys!  Whilst I was out, another 14.5mm of rain fell, though surprisingly this doesn't seem to have raised the river level any higher - to the relief of many.   But another inch is forecast for Saturday night ..... Already Evesham has been in the news as the BBC report on how floating caravans on the Avon protected - these caravans were submerged to their roofs in 2007.   Meanwhile the local paper reports in flooding chaos in the Vale . But we're not the only ones, problems have been widespread across the country Birmingham mosque and house roofs blown off in strong winds Driver dies after his car is swept around by rising water leaving him trapped inside North Wales hit by flooding and travel nightmare after rain batters region Residents evacuated after Exeter wall collapse And in the US: Fog suspected in 100-vehicle Texas...

After 24.9mm of rain yesterday, river levels in Evesham are the highest we've had for some time, with more rain to come later today and through the weekend.   So a few worried folk about as heavy rain due to cause more flooding in Midlands and South West .   Just so long as I get to Wolverhampton and back tonight for the Runrig gig! 'Turn off Christmas lights and buy sandbags': warning to families as torrential rain causes flooding and fierce winds delay ferries In Galloway today Lochans and Leswalt power cut after lightning strikes as heavy rain and strong winds sweep across Scotland Meanwhile, further afield a huge Martian dust storm picks up steam but more intriguing news as Curiosity team set to announce 'major discovery on surface of Red planet' - is there life in Mars?

It's a wet day in England - over half an inch of rain here already this morning.  More wet and windy weather over the next couple of days as well.  But looks like turning more settled and a good deal colder next week.  The start of winter?  Maybe .... In Wales, weather warning issued as downpours trigger problems for drivers whilst heavy rain causes flooding in the West And never one to let the chance of a misleading sensational weather related headline get away, the Express today have decided that Britain to face floods for 100 years .   Well here's news: we've been facing floods for millions of years and will do so for every year for at least the next few million.   Don't forget that Nathan Rao has also assured us that this'll be the coldest winter for 100 years ...... New Zealand's Mount Tongaririo erupts Universities to study far north peat bog restoration - though of course, we shouldn't forget that it was, at least in part, ...

The Pacific NW experiences record rainfall in season's first big storm   Scottish flooding: flood warnings remain in place after heavy rain whilst road collapses and dozens evacuated as wet weather brings misery to parts of Britain - typical mild but wet & windy autumn weather. Fires break out across South Australia as lightning replaces hot weather whilst from Sunday, great footage as a waterspout thunders across NSW coast Snow storm claims two more lives on Great Wall of China Proposed storm surge barriers for Manhattan could worsen effects on nearby areas What goes down, must come back up: effects of 2010-11 La Nina on global sea level .  So that's why the anti-science mob have been denying sea levels are rising.  They forgot to factor in La Nina.  Idiots! 'Mount Doom' set to erupt in New Zealand And there are claims that "seeding" clouds produces 20% more rain in the Middle East

In SE Queensland, residents clean up after wild weather weekend as Bureau or Meteorology chief says superstorm 'just blew up on the city' Also in Australia, researchers confirm first 'fire tornado' during 2003 bushfire Solar storm as desert plan to power Europe falters And this morning there's disruption for drivers as heavy rain lashes Scotland

Massive storm hits southeast Queensland - the superstorm hits Australia's east coast with 4,000 lightning strikes in one hour in Brisbane .   That's more than we've had in Evesham in the past 1,000 years I think! There was goose carnage as fog engulfs Germany - as hundreds landed on roads and autobahns around Berlin, where inevitably they were hit by traffic unable to see them Tornado strikes southern Portugal with video footage here There's a 90 percent chance 2012 will be the warmest ever of U.S.   with the latest NOAA data also showing October to have been the 5th warmest on record.  Interestingly, Britain is highlighted in their report for our below average temps in October! NASA data puts October as the 2nd warmest. Himalayan glaciers will shrink by almost 10 percent, even if temperatures hold steady Melt water on Mars could sustain life, new research suggests And, um, here in Britain ..... snow predicted for three months . ...

This is not really a news story, and in fact it appears to be from last January, but I couldn't resist it for novelty value.  Global cooling coming?   David Archibald (a 'polymath') predicts mid latitude temps will fall by 4.9c over the next 20 years......   OMG!    And that's not all.  Some Russia guy reckons New Little Ice Age near with a drop in temps starting in 2014! I think we'll all die laughing, long before we freeze! In more serious news: Freak 'mini tornado' sweeps microlight across Lincolnshire airfield - this occurred back on the 28th July though. In the Algarve, heavy rain causes flood damage and leave 20 homeless Sri Lanka to investigate cause of red rain received in some parts Dust-devils flirt with Curiosity Mars rover whilst meteorites reveal warm water existed on Mars

Thousands gather for stunning total eclipse over Australia   (as usual, the Daily Mail has the best pictures!) Elsewhere in Queensland, heaven help us: our driest city prays for rain In Britain, soggy weather prompts bumper crop of Christmas trees More from the ongoing Italy floods: Tuscany and Umbria  take brunt of rain Snowstorms in China may be worst in 50 years In Indonesia, heavy rains bring widespread flooding in Sumatra, Kalimantan 16 people killed, 71 injured in N Myanmar earthquake at the weekend Roots of deadly 2010 India flood identified: findings could improve warnings Electricity from burning trees is 'dirtier than coal' - but only if  we take into account the 'cost' of transporting the wood to Britain from New Zealand (and half of it comes from Britain anyway).  Not a fair comparison at all.   And whilst coal produces CO2 that would otherwise remain sequestered in the Earth for millions of years, wood produce...

In Canada, storm buries Manitoba town with 65cm of snow   whilst on the other side of the world, transportation disrupted and schools cancelled as snowstorms hit China Three die in Italy floods as heavy rain continues In South Australia, bushfire threat to lives unless weather changes And in the north, thousands gather for Australia total eclipse In England, Southern Water reservoirs return to 'healthy levels Deadly Nepal flood due to 'small rockslide' Why Delhi has again become submerged by smog In Japan, fault under Oi nuclear plant may be active, geologist warns -  though it seems the 'last activity' was at least 120,000 years ago.  So maybe not a imminient concern ...

Heavy rains flood Venice A sure sign it's going to be mild: road salt stocks at 'record level' ahead of winter Deadly earthquake hits northern Burma whilst a 6.5 earthquake strikes Guatemala as panicked residents flee to the streets Poles apart: satellites reveal why Antarctic sea ice grows as Arctic melts And climate change could kill off Pandas - although if we hadn't destroyed much of their natural habitat, and made migration so difficult, it wouldn't be such an issue.

Guatemala earthquake: search for San Marcos missing - currently 52 dead with another 22 unaccounted for Satellite images show how Hurricane Sandy changes coastline in New Jersey In Israel, rain, cold and strong winds hit North, Center New research suggests extreme weather preceded collapse of ancient Maya civilisation There's exected to be enhanced melting of northern Greenland in a warm climate with future warming likely to be on high side of climate projections, analysis finds .   I doubt Wattsy's crew will agree!

Record snowfalls, new power outages, flood warnings as storm slams Northeast The US East coast in fresh chaos as thousands stranded and without power after Sandy's victims hit by massive snow storm Meanwhile, Guatamala earthquake kills dozens in mountain villages And Slovenian towns, villages flooded whilst in neighbouring Croatia floods force hundreds to evacuate Death toll in south India floods rises to 45 In Argentina, yellow alert issued as heatwave hits BA city  Red hair?   It might be down to the weather ... And a 'super-Earth' exoplanet spotted 42 light years away

Bonfire fright as 30ft high 'fire tornado' is caught on camera - never heard of it happening before, but it looks genuine. And in NZ, caravan-tossing tornado 'not a tall story' A number of water related stories today: UK water resources 'left to weather's mercy' Thousands displaced by floods in India's Andhra Pradesh following last week's Cyclone Nilam As waters finally recede, the final figures from Nigeria: floods claim 363 lives, displace 2.1 million say NEMA Laos approves Xayaburi 'mega' dam on Mekong to generate electricity to sell to neighbouring Thailand Torrential rains cause flood havoc in northern Sumatra Indian monsoon failure more frequent with global warming, report suggests And climate modeler identifies trigger for Earth's last big freeze , the Younger Dryas.  Or rather, that the release of water believed to have triggered it must have been into the Arctic rather than the St Lawrance river. Oh, and appa...

Flood warnings after snowfall in western England yesterday - which came as a bit of surprise, although models (NAE) did indicate on Saturday the risk of snow for higher ground in Wiltshire.   Just cold rain here, of course ..... There were seven cars stuck in Hampshire flood waters yesterday, and 15 saved and 40 moved from Pendine caravan park in Wales Meanwhile, bonfire night set to be a washout as torrential rain sparks flood warnings across the country on coldest Novemeber 5 in 14 years - although this being the Daily Mail it should be explained that by 'country' they mean southern England.  And regardless what the max temp recorded anywhere in Britain today turns out to be, it doesn't mean everywhere will be having its coldest Nov 5th. Wild storm forecast to sweep across South Australia Heavy rains in India's Andhra Pradesh kill 22 people Two Japanese tourists die in Great Wall storm as cold spell brings blizzard, freezing rain to north China ...

Time-lapse NASA satellite shows Sandy's path of destruction along US east coast - following a path almost exactly as predicted Pleased to see that New York marathon cancelled after protests - the death toll in the US after Sandy now stands at 96, with 40 deaths in NYC.   Meanwhile, concern grows for WV people still snow-bound Venice under water: winter storms bring warning of worse to come every year South Dublin residents avoided a tornado last month Climate change affecting overall weather patterns, may affect water availability in California NASA rover finds clues to changes in Mars' atmosphere

A state-by-state look at superstorm's effects Amid the many tragedies, epic storm claims 2 missing NVC boys, aged 2 and 4, ripped from arms of their mother Springsteen pays tribute to storm-damaged N'Jersey shore And there's anger as fuel shortages hamper recover NASA adds up Hurricane Sandy's rainfall from space Cuba leader Raul Castro says island 'hard hit' by Sandy But where there's disaster, humour is never far behind as Sandy spoofs flood the internet Meanwhile, UK 'likely to face winter floods' - if it rains a lot. Locally we had about average rainfall last month and there's no expectation of problems in these parts. Winter bites as snow falls on the hills of Donegal for the first time this season - more likely over the next few days which look like being a bit chilly across the British Isles, though as usual the Express makes a complete hash of it with another nonsense headline . Tropical storm in I...