Weather & Earth Science News

After attracting widespread scorn, a laughably erroneous weather story in IBT has been removed .   The journalist responsible did genuinely appear to think that weekend rain and floods in North Carolina were caused by (Pacific) Tropical Storm Flossie!    And we thought UK media weather stories were bad. Meanwhile, in the real world, Flossie downgraded from storm; Hawaii rainy, windy Arizona officials weigh 'stupid motorist law' for tour bus driver in flood - I wish we had a similar law in this country, if only for the idiots who deliberately drive into floods in Britain every year..... Last weekend saw record rainfall for Philadelphia, flooding for entire region Rare atmospheric phenomemon over Armagh - a sprite! Tornadoes and floods strike across Sweden Czechs hit pools and swimming holes on hottest day of year at the weekend, whilst storms hit across France And where W&ESN leads , the BBC follow, reporting that China issues heat alert ...

Shanghai sweats through hottest July on record with a record high temperature recorded in Shanghai last week. And in baked Fairbanks: hot summer continues to break weather records .   But elsewhere in the US, there's embarassing cold: northern Minnesota town dips to 35 on 29 July Todmorden flash floods amid torrential rain (worth saying that Evesham received no measureable rainfall at all yesterday as the storms once again bypassed us).  But whilst temperatures this week have briefly dropped down to near average, heatwave set to return with temperatures soaring to 32c thanks to 'Spanish plume' Warm weather sees boom in UK jellyfish blooms Hawaii braces as tropical storm crosses islands Milan tornado: 12 hurt after twister strikes 2013 shaping up to be one of Australia's hottest years on record Ice-free Arctic winters could explain amplified warming during Pliocene

Heatwave fries Poland   Hailstorm deals 'catastrophic' damage to Burgundy vineyards   whilst ping-pong ball hail hits the southwest of Germany And the warmest day so far this year sees near-record level temperatures recorded in Switzerland As the weather turns a little cooler in Britain, heavy thunderstorms cause problems in some parts over the weekend.   Fire at Greenock house may have been caused by lightning .  In Ireland, hospital evacuated after storms cause flood chaos .    And there's more thunder and lightning predicted for today following heavy downpours over the weekend .   Current signs are that unsettled, though still mostly quite warm, weather will continue well into August - wet if you catch the showers, but pleasant in the sun if you don't.   Some hot days in the SE also likely. Bus swept away in Arizona flash flood Hawaii braces for weakened tropical storm Flossie A possible record heat wave continues...

Heavy rain causes flooding in Nottinghamshire where they had over a month's worth fall in a day (67.8mm) - closer to home, Pershore saw 56.4mm - also over a month's worth of rain - fall yesterday,  twice as much as fell a few miles away in Evesham (we had 28.5mm).  Meanwhile, lightning 'explodes' church tower in Ramsbottom and the usual photos from the Daily Mail as spectacular storms across Britain destroy homes And rather interesting to see that UK forests still feeling the impacts of 1976 drought (though that should of course be the 1975-76 drought) 'Rivers of rain' to make severe floods twice as likely by end of century North American Monsoon batters US and Mexico Deadly cold grips South America with parts of southern Brazil blanketed by snow - a sight not seen in 38 years Indonesia prepares cloud seeding as haze returns  Tropical ecosystems regulate variations in Earth's carbon dioxide levels - but what happens when the...

Well that was fun!   First decent thunderstorm in ages - even saw some CG lightning.   With varying intensity it lasted the best part of 3 hours and produced over 28mm of rain. Storms follow hottest day for years and plenty of pictures in the Daily Mail as summer ends with a bang (although summer is far from over!) Family flees Gillingham home after lightning starts fire as storm batters Kent and causes chaos for Southeastern passengers And Irish heatwave over as rain and clouds make unwelcome return Meanwhile, wild weekend weather causes storm damage, flash flooding in parts of Canada and last Friday storm a 'weather war' climatologist says Heatwave and pollution alert issued in France Severe drought plagues northeast Brazil Rescue teams in China's quake-hit Gansu - death toll currently 94 New Zealand tectonic fault larger than thought Alaska looks for answers in glacier's summer flood surges David Shukman asks why has global wa...

Relief at last! Beautiful rainbow appears over New York City as heatwave finally lets up whilst elsewhere in the US, heavy rains flood Phoenix area; prompt road closures Here in Britain, National Farmers' Union issues grass fires warning as hot weather continues but there are  storms expected after temperatures peak early in week - though it still looks like remaining quite warm in the south until at least the weekend.   Meanwhile, in Scotland, as sunbathers sizzle in 32c temperatures on the beach .... there's snow in the hills - a nice scene from Loch Morlich, where the temperature actually reached 29.6c After Melbourne saw it's warmest July day on record on Thursday, weekend coldest in 13 years .   And meanwhile rains bring welcome relief for farmers in Tasmania Torrential rain suspends railway operations in NW China China's Gansu province hit by powerful earthquakes whilst New Zealand earthquake damages Wellington parliament Too ...

As heatwave continues with north-west set to be hot spot ,  naturalists urge British public to help wildlife survive the hot weather - plenty of food & water for the birds (and occasional hedgehog) in my garden.  In fact the birds have been eating a lot more of late than they did in the winter!   And gritters called in as heatwave melts roads in 32c heat while fires devastate countryside whilst branches crash down from trees under stress (ironically with a pictures of a riverside tree that clearly is well positioned to suffer no such problems at all!) And it's not just the heat, it's the ozone: hidden heat wave dangers exposed Storms in Quebec, Ontario leave thousands without power Crashes, fallen trees and snow in Adelaide Hills  as wild weather lashes SA whilst in Victoria, big chill hits state with rain and snow Two killed as third flood hits Kunming in SW China Flood kills five in Turkey's Hatay

2 weeks into the heatwave and at last the end is in sight - although not for another week.  And it looks like we could see a nice thundery breakdown - which apart from anything else will bring some much needed rain (and maybe some flash flooding).   But that's not till next week.  For now, heatwave takes hold with Britain on wildfire alert - that figure of 15% average rainfall presumably applies to the UK as a whole: many places have seen no rain at all so far this month.   There's also fire and health warnings as hot weather continues in Scotland   - something not mentioned there is that hillwalkers also need to be aware that many smaller burns will have dried up, meaning fewer sources of fresh water on the hill. In Peterborough, rare'dust devil' photographed at Posh stadium Meanwhile, over in the USA, hot weather stuck in reverse over East California fire prompts 6,000 residents to flee   Rain on the way after winds buffet South Au...

Met Office increases health alert level as UK hot weather continues , but there are no plans to impose a hosepipe ban - fortunately we had a wet winter which replenished reservoir and groundwater supplies, so despite the heat and lack of recent rain (just 0.5mm this month in Evesham) we're in a much better position than we were in 2011. Oh, and by the way, the highest temp this year - so far - is now reported by the MetO as 31.5c in Somerset on Saturday.   Not 31.9c as reported by the Daily Mail (which ironically includes a screenshot of the MetO website showing the latest temp data!) - lots of pictures of scantily glad girls there though...... 'Wizard of Oz' whirlwind hits girls' school in Whitley , near Reading.  Probably a dust devil. Wild weather rocks the US: Brutal heatwave bakes Northeast as wildfires rage in California and severe storms hit Southwest Tsunami could swamp Cornwall, scientists warn - that's if there's a massive earthquake off P...

Torrential rain hts Korean peninisular resulting in Two killed, hundreds homeless in North Korea floods while torrential rain storms in South Korea lead to flooding and landslides Lots of pictures in the Daily Mail showing London's landmarks suffer in the heatwave as temperatures are set to soar into the 90s - it was close again yesterday with 30.9c at Heathrow.   However we're not yet as warm as last summer when it reached 32.4c at Cavendish in Suffolk (media take note!). And even hotter conditions across the Pond where blistering heatwave to bake US north-east for rest of the week But a  poor summer for Iceland, with continuing  rain throughout July and there's been July snow in Lapland Tornadoes, rain hit parts of Saskatchewan Nearly 300 dead or missing in China rain, typhoon Scientists outline long-term sea-level rise in response to warming of planet High carbon dioxide spurs wetlands to absorb more carbon Heart of space weath...

Saturday saw 31.6c in my back garden (30.8c at Pershore College); a little cooler at 29.1c on Sunday.  Currently indications are that across the south of Britain the heatwave will persist for at least another 10 days with temps typically in the 26-28c range inland, and a good chance on most days that that somewhere may see 30c+.   Temps not quite on a par with July 2006 but certainly the 'best' heatwave we've had since then.  It could be the longest hot spell in a decade - especially if, as I suspect, any cooler weather, currently indicated by models as setting in towards the end of the month (if it occurs - and I'm not yet convinced it will)  is just temporary.  As we've seen in recent years, once patterns get established they become very hard to shift.  All due to a weaker jet stream. The hottest place on Sunday was Bournemouth which recorded 31c as Bournemouth beach attracts 120,000 visitors in heatwave - good news at least for those involved in ...

Typhoon Soulik makes landfall in Taiwan Dust storm grounds some flights at Arizona airport Smoke from Canadian wildfires observed in Europe In NZ, flooding cuts off Wairarapa town Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million death worldwide each year, expert say Durrow, in Co Laois, yesterday became the first place in the British Isles to hit 30c this summer - but it looks like quite a few places will be following suite today.   With even higher temperatures likely over the next couple of weeks as the heat continues to build.    Records could be broken before month end. And the forecast for 2018 is cloudy with record heat .  Not sure I like the sound of that ......  !

Met Office alert over scorching weekend as wildfires are sparked and temperatures rise towards 30c - the first 'heat-health' alert of the summer has been issued, and current indications are that the heatwave will persist for another two weeks in the south.   And it's been hotter than Lanzarote as Ireland again sizzles in heatwave Meanwhile, once again the Met Office respond to media disinformation/lies, this time from The Spectator: how accurate is the Met Office? Tropical Storm Chantal kills one in Dominican Republic Taiwan braces for Typhoon Soulik  China floods kill at least 31 people, 166 missing in Sichuan Province Little surprise really that contribution of Greenland's ice sheet to sea level rise will continue to increase Scientists cast doubt on what triggered Antarctic glaciation ~34mya - it may not have been down to the creation of the Antarctic Circum-polar Current after all. Glass rain may give planet blue hue

Yesterday was Scotland's turn to have their warmest day of the year, thus far, and lo and behold! Trains disrupted by hot weather And in Eire, country poised for first ever 'orange alert' heat warning Why Toronto was drenched by record rainfall Tropical Storm Chantal will threaten Florida this weekend as Caribbean braces for arrival of hurricane season Heatwave kills 3, hospitalises 2,500 across Japan China Sichuan landslide 'buries up to 40 people' after torrential rain The Monsoon brings heaviest rain in 4 years; traffic pain across Delhi Antarctica's Pine Island glacier produces giant iceberg Wildfires may contribute more to global warming than previously predicted Amazingly preserved woolly mammoth found frozen in Siberia after 39,000 YEARS goes on display in Tokyo New idea tackles Earth's core puzzle

Toronto storms leave 300,000 without power with hundreds rescued from flooded GO train And a crazy hail storm in Alberta, Canada on July 6 2013 left a distinct trail on the ground In India, Assam flood situation remains critical Stormy waters lie ahead for both Atlantic and Pacific Shame on the Sunday Times as the MetO are forced to point out yet again that despite lies peddled by the gutter press, they made no prediction for a 'decade of wash-out summers' China free coal policy in the north 'cut lifespans' due to the resulting increase in pollution Some good news as studies show deserts 'greening' from rising carbon dioxide And it's just remotely possible that Antarctic Lake Vostok 'might have fish'

Hail storm leaves a white carpet in New Mexico while a couple die from extreme heat in Utah as other areas are hit by floods A little sunburnt today after spending much of yesterday sat in the garden (mostly in the shade) as temperatures reached 28.9c.    Sunday was hottest day of the year and there's more sizzling weather to come - whilst it may not be quite so warm everyday, it looks like staying warm and dry in the south for another 2 weeks.  In NZ, tornado touches down near Palmerston North whilst in Canada, tornado touches down near Roblin Antarctic Lake Vostok brurried under two miles of ice found to teem with life

Summer has arrived in Britain and, across the south at least, looks set to stay for some considerable time.  Temperatures are predicted to get close to 30c in the Home Counties, and perhaps across towards Worcestershire on Sunday (my garden, for example) though it may turn just slightly cooler through next week.   But it's agony for hay fever sufferers as temperatures oar to 30c And the US sees wild holiday weather as heat and humidity heads to the North East Calgary hit with flash floods from heavy rain Arizona's deadly Yarnell wildfire nears Endgame In NZ, wild night leaves Cantabrians without power Huge waves hit Chile and Peru Arctic sea ice cover is smaller, younger, thinner - although extent is so far greater than this time last year. a record melt by September would be no surprise Scientists find the origins of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent And showing the Irish really are daft as a brush, Republic of Ireland time...

Now that's what I call a thunderstorm: over a foot of hail swamps New Mexico town More details emerging on the Yarnell Hill tragedy where 19 firefighters died from Cliff Mass's weather blog and Climate Central .   Sadly, it appears the disaster could have been avoided had meteorological insight been provided at the time.  Meanwhile, the fire rages on although deadly Arizona fire nearly half-contained, say officials . Summer arrives in Britain (about time, some say!) with heatwave to last until mid-July in England and Wales, say forecasters - though it may turn more unsettled in Scotland before then.  I have a feeling that it may be longer than that though.  Models do not handle strong blocks over the UK very well and invariably suggest them breaking down sooner than actually occurs.   This could be a record breaker, or at least one on par with 2006. In the US, two more deaths blamed on Las Vegas heat wave whilst in New England, 1 missing i...

Hot in Canada as heat wave shatters temperature records across B.C . whilst in Alberta, blackouts hit province during heat wave but flood areas spared And in the US, heat wave persists in West as flooding threatens East   while Los Angeles temperatures reach all-time high as parts of California and Nevada come out of their hottest June ever Here in Britain, our long awaited heat wave looks like arriving on Friday and setting in for much of the month.  Stark contrast to recent summers.  But does sun + people = happiness?   In NZ, June was a month of rain, wind and more rain Rescue after deadly earthquake in Indonesia's Aceh Antarctic flood produces 'ice crater' Greenhouse gas likely altering ocean foodchain: atmospheric CO 2 has big consequences for tiny bacteria And is 2,000,002,013AD - the year the world will end?

Arizona blaze rages on as 19 dead firefighters are named Meanwhile, record-toppling heat heads north, and it's 'just going to get hotter' - 129.6f was recorded in Death Valley on Sunday, the USA's highest ever recorded June temperature.  The world record hasn't broken yet though. Nat Geo have quite a good interview with Martin Tingley, from Harvard Uni on what's behind the heat wave: climate change or weather? Tornado batters parts of New Jersey A warmer than average July ahead, predicts Met Office - I may even beat the 29.6c recorded in my garden during the "cold, wet" July we had last year ...... !  It does look like being a very dry month, which after only half the normal rainfall here in June, and with only May this year producing just above average rainfall, may not be a good thing long term.  Hopefully clear night skies will give a chance of seeing the mysterious summer clouds of the night - aka nocties Tourists strand...

Tragic news from the US where 19 firefighters die battling Arizona wildfire near Yarnell .   The fire was started by lightning and once they get going, wildfires create own weather systems .   Meanwhile, at 117 degrees! Las Vegas ties all-time record as deadly heat wave bakes West and Death Valley braces for record heat - though the world record hasn't fallen yet. And why you can't always rely on the radar: Texas weathermen picked up an apocalyptic-like storm on their radar that turned out to be a huge cloud of dust, bugs, pollen and even birds Rare 'rain-on-snow' event contributed to Canmore deluge in Alberta last month India floods: 'thousands still missing' in Uttarakhand whilst pictures emerge of town buried in mud abandoned .   And as the Monsoon continues, Kolkata sinks in knee=deep water, more rain likely Heavy rain causes landslides, fallen trees in Sydney   Tropical storm leaves 10,000 stranded at Philippine ports El N...