Weather & Earth Science News

Looks like this morning we saw the British date record for lowest temperature fall, though we'll need to wait till all data is in to know the exact figure.  Even in my garden it was down to -3.5c - which compares with a minimum in the whole of January and February of -3.6c.   And there are a few snow showers around in the east again - as well as deep drifts remaining in many parts.  So definitely looks like being one of our coldest Easters. In Wales, major roads all reopen following snow But you think the weather's bad here?  This man is trapped by a wall of snow in his own house in Ukraine But whilst freezing cold March sets records across Europe , it's a different story in SE Asia where in Viet Nam, early hot weather covers north region and Thailand engulfed in heatwave as temperatures soar to 41 degrees And more evidence that bloody silly time is a bad idea: change of clocks in spring linked to a host of ills

Little surprise that it's set to be the coldest and dullest March since the 1960s   or even that Britain's colder than the Arctic - if you live 'in' Aonach Mor ....... (actually, apart from seemingly not knowing Aonach Mor is a 4,000 high mountain, not a village, the article is surprisingly good for the Daily Express). Snow drifts continue counties road closures in Wales  and just who is responsible for clearing Northern Ireland roads and pathways? No flip-flops on Snowdon this Easter as Snowdon Mountain Railway to close over Easter due to snow - conditions will be superby for winter hillwalking, climbing and skiing this weekend, but the emphasis is on winter ! Snow and cold weather in March adds £80 to cost of heating homes - though in my experience, most people have their heating on through March anyway.  Mind, even I've had it on for an hour or two most mornings this month.  And a tongue-in-cheek suggestion on how the government could end th...

'We'll freeze for another month': Dire weather gripping UK could last until end of April say forecasters - not entirely accurate, but indications are that the current run of colder than normal weather will continue for the foreseeable future.  The Daily Mail has pictures and stories on the suffering of the lambs .  Further heavy snowfall, expecially in the south, is not expected, at the moment, though obviously cannot be entirely ruled out. Meanwhile, snow and ice bring further travel disruption to Scotland ,  there is deep snow still lying in some areas of Northern Ireland .   Isle of Man snowfall 'heaviest in 50 years' .   And 'thousands of puffins may be dead' in North Sea storms - though I'm not aware it's been that much more stormy than usual.  Across Europe, record snow brings Kiev to a halt whilst record cold sweeps Moscow after snowstorm .   Austria hit by 100-vehicle crash in snow . And migrating golden plovers stuck in ...

Sping snow: thousands of animals feared dead as  army helicopter to drop food to NI snowbound animals .   In Cumbria, hamlet faces 'dire' situation - though I remain surprised that in rural areas people only hold enough food for a day or 2 ......  I live less than 5 minutes from a Tesco and shop daily, but I still generally have enough food to last me a week to 10 days at any one time.   Back in 81/82 we lived a mile from the road, down a farm track that was completed blocked for well over a week.  Had to walk across the fields to get to the village to catch the school bus (no closures in those days!).  Does make you wonder .....   Meanwhile, in Wales, Gwynfryn villagers 'snowed in' by drifts whilst work to restore power in Arran and Kintyre continues . Like a great many businesses, my trade has been adversely affected by the continuing cold weather as atrocious spring weather prompts triple-dip recession fears .   And...

Amazing scenes in parts of Britain over the weekend - needless to say not even any lying snow in Evesham!   Though with a max of +0.9c yesterday was my coldest March day on record.   Indications are that it'll remain cold with a further risk of snow in places through this week, and possibly some more widespread snow for some over Easter .......   Winter continues unabated.  But I've a feeling when the weather does change we could see a shift to the opposite extreme.  Heatwave on the way?   We'll see! Britain braced for a white Easter: Blizzards and icy blasts all week... then get ready for a heatwave next month! And more pictures from the BBC as severe weather continues across UK Thousands of homes in Arran, Kintyre and Wigtonshire without power Ice, wind and fire hit the Highlands with a small earthquake to boot One snowbound family near Wrexham forced to burn furniture and another couple in car stuck in snowdrift...

Needless to say, the snow is the main story today.  We even have a 1cm of slushy stuff in Evesham! As weather warnings continue into the weekend the island of Arran could be without mains electricity until next week ,  there are 3,000 without power after more snow with snow chaos across North Wales - reports of 2ft in places -  and 35,000 homes without power after snow in Northern Ireland.  Rescue teams  aid stranded drivers in Cumbria.  And in Cornwall house collapse: body found .   In all, three die as storm strikes Devon and Cornwall Live coverage of events here But is the weather worse under a coalition government?   Well, I always blamed the lack of good winters in the late 90s and 00s on Labour ..... and notably, under Bliar it was significantly warmer .....  And more serious news from the US: Punxsutawney Phil 'indicted' in Ohio over spring prediction Spring snowstorm wreaks havoc on Edmontone area highways i...

It may be Spring, astronomically speaking as well as meteorologically, but there's still no end to winter in Britain as heavy snow and rain cause disruption across the country.  There's bad flooding in Devon and Cornwall - with more rain to come here - and Looe house collapses after landslide .  In Eire, Cork suburb badly hit by overnight flooding  as well.  But elsewhere it's the snow and wind that gets the headlines as snow causes 'hazardous conditions' in parts of Scotland with Northern Ireland hit by snow, sleet and strong winds ,  schools and roads shut as snow sweeps in across Wales and conditions expected to turn worse across a large part of England later today and into Saturday.   We may even get some snow in Evesham!  And gas is running low as chill continues - but at least the wind means the turbines should be turning.... Meanwhile, winter shows no remorse as snow falls till Easter in Germany Pictures from one "hail" of...

Its the Spring Equinox today, so however you look at it, winter is over.   Or not: snow causes chaos in Tayside and Fife and more to come in many parts of Britain over the coming days with next week also looking rather cold with March now looking like being the coldest for 50 years.   Mind, snow is more common at Easter than Christmas .... Freak hail storm at Exmoor Zoo leaves cars stranded (not sure what was freaky about it though!) Ice blades threaten Europa landing More evidence that there was once flowing water on Mars as Curiosity breaks rock to reveal dazzling white interior And finally,  David Rose - whom I've briefly criticised before and, er, once again in more detail - continues to reguritate the same lies and disinformation to the public, in direct contravention of the journalists' code of conduct : claiming once again that that there is no global warming .   My friends at Skeptical Science have been on the case thoug...

Schools closed and roads affected as snow hits Scotland whilst early snow and ice disrupts commuters in Ireland Slovakia closes several roads for heavy snow Ignore the usual inaccurate, deliberately misleading, headline: just some good pictures here of snow in Britain.   And more pictures of  worst March snowfall in decades in eastern Europe And it's not just Britain and Europe still in the thralls of winter as March snowstorm blankets southern Manitoba and winter's last snowstorm heads for New England Meanwhile, parts of dought-stricken Midwest flood Flooding, lightning and twister hit North Island as rainfall benefits some regions in drought-hit NZ Rains cause deadly landslides in Petropolis, Brazil 'Large crack' opens on Dorset coastline - another big landslide looks imminent There could be ten times more hurricane surges in future, new research predicts .  But models have been known to be wrong and can only ever be as good as th...

A little wintry in places over the weekend, though I never saw any snow fall myself in Glasgow (but there was some light sleety snow falling as the train crossed back through the Southern Uplands yesterday afternoon) - and Evesham missed out as well.  This week it's NE England and especially eastern Scotland that look like bearing the brunt of the snowfall, but there's still time for the south to see some more as well. Oxfordshire council angry over 'unexpected snowfall' But in Europe they've been hit even harder as Hungary uses tanks to rescue snowbound motorists whilst record snow floods Moscow streets Sweden hit by 'unusually low' temperatures Albania hit by severe flooding Has the weather become stormier as the climate warms? Ocean plankton sponge up nearly twice the carbon currently assumed

Snow and ice keep France on alert whilst  Guernsey Airport remains shut due to snow and Jersey couple trapped by tree after snow are named .  Snow and ice cause travel chaos across southern England and Europe faces more travel chaos as snow turns to ice. Meanwhile, a new record low temperature in Limburg And problems of a different sort at Caister as lifeboat launch area washed away by tides and storms Floods force evacuations in Andalusia Cyclone Tim takes over in Queensland as Sandra moves on to batter Lord Howe island   Canadian Arctic glacier melt accelerating, irreversible, projections suggest (effectively irreversible, over the next few centuries, all else being equal, that is)

With a max of +1.7c yesterday was my coldest March day on record, whilst a flurry produced a slight dusting here this morning .....  Somewhat colder and snowier down towards the Channel though as hundreds of drivers left stranded overnight as storm causes traffic chaos across the South-east .   In the Channel Islands, Jersey Airport suspends flights for second day   whilst Guernsey snow hits schools, roads, buses and airport .  There's been some impressive drifting too. Roads, flights and trains hit by snow in France as other parts of Europe gripped by winter weather outbreak as well. Meanwhile, snow and ice cause travel chaos in Scotland   but up in Sutherland and the Hebrides they could do with snow as Highland crews called on to tackle wildfires - it's that season again. And in stark contrast, down under, Melbourne breaks heatwave record Study predicts lag in summer rains over parts of US and Mexico Remote clouds responsible for climate mode...

Tiny, tiny, tiny flurries of snow ......  And a braw wind.   But a bit more serious elsewhere as snow closes Guernsey Airport runway after forecasters issue Channel Islands red snow warning - a rare thing down there.   And Siberian spring will mean snow all week .  Perhaps.  For some. In Lothian, Councils 'ill-prepared' as snow hampers commuters - no excuse as warnings and forecasts well out well in advance And snow and wind will make for some of the worst weather of the year in Ireland In the US a massive storm dumps 14 inches of snow in Colorado whilst in New England, storm sweeps Plum Island homes into ocean Third cyclone of the season looms in Gulf of Carpentaria while Cyclone Sandra drenches Solomons In the Netherlands, new weather record set - longest non-stop rain - I suspect the British record runs for several days! Dust storm shrounds Tokyo in haze Storm kills 2, causes damage in Sao Paulo Amplified greenhouse...

Records tumble as heat rolls on with Melbourne to get even hotter next week Storm brings snow, hail and crashes to southern California Snow storm blankets New York City, leaving pretty scenes and sloshy commute and more spectacular pictures as ice islands form in the middle of Lake Michigan Invasion of flies hits West Midlands in warm weather - well, we did have a fairly warm day on Tuesday .....  No doubt the cold over the next few days will soon sort them out though! And even when it's producing a story supporting global warming, the Daily Mail still gets its wrong, claiming Earth at its warmest since last ice age - no it isn't and the report (also posted here in a less sensational form yesterday) says nothing of the sort - only that it's warmer than it's been for at least 70% of the last 10,000 years. Meanwhile, large rise in CO2 emissions sounds climate change alarm And Spanish sperm whale death linked to UK supermarket supplier...

Reconstruction of Earth climate history shows significance of recent temperature rise - inevitably, Wattsy & Co refute the reconstruction because it doesn't show what they want to see.  That's religion for you. (btw some of the comments are quite amusing - or would be if they weren't meant to be deadly serious - and some just reveal a gross lack of understanding) Slowly the MetO are coming around to the thinking that there could actually be some fairly widespread snow across parts of England - particularly the N Midlands, but possibly also Worcs. - on Sunday ......   Going to be an interesting few days, though nothing yet set in stone.  Snow forecast for South as winter returns .  For now though it's just damp, foggy, dreich. But will our forecasts prove more accurate than those in the US, where heavy snow forecast earlier this week in D.C. failed to materialise?  Why are Europeans better at predicting the weather?    There has ...

Winter is coming ..... again.  A gorgeous spring day yesterday for much of the country (excpet where fog lingered) with 17.5c in Trawsgoed and 15.9c in my garden.   Today, cool, damp and dreary.  And next week there's a good chance we'll not only see some sharp frosts, but some snow showers too: which this time of year will a) be photogenic and b) not too disruptive as an snow that settles should soon melt.  Best time of the year for snow, in my opinion.   Added to which, we have a chance of seeing Comet PanSTARRS in the early evening next week - so with luck, lots of photo ops! NZ's wettest place struggles with drought Melbourne faces 10-day heatwave Massive winter storm grounds 2,600 US flights as snow storm that plastered Chicago reaches D.C. In SW Japan, Kumamoto warns residents to stay indoors as smog drifts from China Millions of Indians facing worst drought in decades - but due more to government ineptitude (and increa...

Yet another snowstorm hits north-central US, heads to mid-Atlantic whilst across the border, the same snowstorm blasts into Manitoba . Here in Britain, after a frosty start, it's a fine, sunny, spring-like day - but there's a risk we could see snow in England as well next week ....  There certainly isn't a March heatwave on the way ! (one warm day doth not a heatwave make). In Thailand, storm rips through 300 Phayao homes Rain and floods hit Fiji But in NZ, rain too little for parched pastures And despite too much rain and floods in some areas, drought conditions tighten grip on parts of Qld, NSW and SA Father dies sheltering 9-year old daughter from blizzard in Japan Fire and ice: Russia's Plosky Tolbachik spews lava after 30 years Anb there are 'wierd ice caves' on Creag Meagaidh - but no-one seems to know how they formed ......

Heavy snow kills 8 in Japan Brisbane bucketing set to continue as south-east Queensland drenched again UK must adapt for weather extremes, says Environment Agency - well duh!  There always have been and always will be extreme weather events, even in a country with such a generally benign climate as Britain.  But it's always cheaper in the short term to pretend they won't happen.... Moderate earthquake in southwest China destroys 700 homes, injures 30 people

Japan's record snowfall still not the deepest ever Meanwhile, snow continues to accumulate in Fairbanks, Alaska - but for the 4th year running, totals are below average.  And drawn-out snowstorm lingers in Maine, New Hampshire Seattle suffers through 'drippiest' February on record - lots of wet days, but no great accumulation In Australia, Top End sweats on rain as Wet goes walkabout - looking like their driest wet season on record Myanmar's fish farms suffer amid early heatwave What is the chance of lightning striking St Peter's (as happened the day the Pope announced his resignation) Volcanic aerosols, not pollutants, tamped down recent Earth warming - does it still never occur to scientists that just maybe it could be both?

It's the first day of Spring, meteorologically speaking - and grey as ever here in Evesham!  My second coldest February, though one more notable for its lack of hard frosts.  The Daily Mail are astounded to discover that 4 of the last 5 winters have been colder than average and their headline writer somehow thinks this has some bearing on global warming.....   Perhaps someone should point out to him that a) there are more than 3 months in the year and b) the British Isles do not cover the entire planet!  Details in the story itself seem correct though.  Oddly, they never seem to run headlines about warmer than average temperatures.  Wonder why?  Headlines, like for example: records confirm this summer as our hottest .  In Australia, that is.  With speculation it could possibly even be the hottest on record across the S Hemisphere as a whole. Meanwhile, Western Australia hit by Tropical Cyclone Rusty whilst rain causes NSW airpor...