Weather & Earth Science News

If you want to survive wild weather, get fit!  Ill-prepared, fat Aussies under threat from extreme weather Body of sixth victim found as Queensland's flood recovery begins And video footage as  'ghost car' emerges from Queensland storm foam Amber warning as high winds batter north and west Scotland - just a run of the mill winter storm.  Meanwhile flood warnings issued for Wales .  And my garden it now quite waterlogged.  More rain expected this week ..... Britain in the snow seen from above - clearly showing a green Vale of Evesham (apart from the summit of Bredon)! Record warmth across central US gives way to severe storms, possible tornadoes, then snow Some research from the UEA which I think is a little misleading: why flying could produce less carbon than taking a bus .   It doesn't.  The (arguably) unnecessary CO2 emissons are still produced.  Carbon trading schemes just mean people make money out of it.  CArbon trading will, I

Ex-Oswald continues to impact eastern Australia with areas of Sydney flooded by heaviest rainfall in a decade while storms knock out half of Brisbane's train lines with now a drinking water threat for Brisbane as city excapes major flooding .  And also a heartwarming rescue amid flood despair . Meanwhile in NZ, heatwave brings growing fire risk in Wairarapa Did we experience the worst storm in years at the weekend?  Er, I don't think so.  Nor do the Met Office .  But when did the tabloid press ever allow facts get in the way of a misleading and false story? Tornado hits Bristol Channel Scientist Dr Tim Boyd 'killed by lightning' in Argyll And no surprise to me that there's doubt over Jakarta cloud seeding Severe pollution shrouds Chinese capital .  Again. Crisis-hit Greeks chop up forests to stay warm - damaging their long term future as so many have done before.  And creating more pollution ..... Climate change impacts to US coasts threaten

Flooding in Queensland not expected to be nearly as bad as in 2011, but this time they've had strong winds as well causing damage - including a fence and tree in my brothers' garden! Australia floods leave hundreds stranded in Bundaberg with heartbreak as Qld flood crisis continues whilst in NSW, Lismore residents prepare to evacuate as torrential rain and wild winds head towards Sydney Meanwhile, after sixth tornado hits southeast Queensland , there comtroversy as you say tornado, I say ..... tornadic squall : it seems some Australians are questioning whether they get tornadoes in Australia ......    At least all agree they don't get 'mini tornadoes'! Here in Britain over the weekend, a lucky rescue as baby blown into Watchet Harbour water by gust of wind M4 South Wales: 11 hurt in four-car crash after hail Kayaker drowns in swollen river as big freeze turns into deadly deluge And in Scotland, flooding hotspot hit again as snow melts Plane catches o

5 tornadoes leave trail of destruction on the Queensland coast with rescues, inundations and wreckages across central Queensland as rainfall record go under and north NSW told to prepare for floods, wind as ex-Oswald continues causing problems. Meanwhile, in Evesham we ended up with zero snowflakes and just 1.6mm of rain from last night's system, though other parts of the country did get a lot of snow:  mountain rescue teams called in to help motorists trapped in cars on M6 for eight hours after heavy snow   whilst in Wales, flooding hits west, snow hits north .   In Scotland, Arctic chill to thaw at weekend and across Britain, the big freeze is over, but heavy rain and thawing snow could bring floods to many more parts over the coming days.  Arctic blast hits eastern USA with Canadians gripped by bone-chilling temperatures too Floods displace 70,000 and kill 36 in Mozambique Prediction of Asian summer monsoon and tropical storm activity close at hand

Dramatic rescues as central Queensland floods with current news live: Oswald brings flood chaos to Queensland Meanwhile, in WA, rain lashes the Pilbara as Peta moves inland Just traces of snow left in Evesham now, but we may get a little more later today before it turns to rain.   Thereafter looking rather wet for the foreseeable future.  As February fill-dyke comes in, flooding looks like becoming an issue once again. Flood warning as more snow forecast for parts of UK Already, heavy snow and strong winds cause problems in Scotland And can building snowmen really help to prevent flooding?   No, not unless you build hundreds of millions of them.  But any excuse, eh?   Just no snow left in my garden to build one!  In South Africa: Limpopo flood death toll rises to 12 And the storm that never was: why meteorologists are often wrong Hailstones reveal life in a storm cloud Are tornado alleys a myth? Controversy as Ireland to build 'giant&

A bit more snow overnight with around 2cm accumulation in places, and some light flurries continuing this morning.   However half my garden remains bare - it's simply not been cold enough and the ground remains warm.   A disappointing spell of weather given the otential, though other parts have fared somewhat better (or worse according to your inclination) 30 drivers abandon their cars and are rescued by police in Somerset blizzard last night In Wales there's hazardous road condition following overnight snow But the 'end in sight' for freezing weather - not very freezing as the case may be! And on the humerous side, pictures of page freeze girls and a f-f-few f-f-fellas - from The Sun, of course.    Mozambique 'to evacuate thousands' because of flooding Andes glaciers are vanishing at unprecedented rates, study says

Travel disruption continues in snow - mainly in the north today, though the SW also saw some snow overnight and more snow to hit south-west and north-east England today.  We might get a little more in Evesham this evening: it's largely just patches of frozen slush left in town now.  And the temp hasn't fallen below -1.1c since the snow fell last Friday.   Hardly cold. School closures in Northern Ireland as roads are hit by snow chaos with disruption as snow falls for fifth day in Wales In the SE it's quite pathetic to see that snow causes misery for rail commuters .  Why?   It's not even severe cold or heavy snow!   Just normal winter weather such as we expect every year.  But this is what I like to see:  Tattingstone Primary School defies the snow to open its doors to pupils .   Tattingstone is a small village off the main road, south of Ipswich, where I once reguarly drank.  The modern obsession with closing schools at the slightest hint of snow or ic

Sadly, fine winter weather on the Hill can turn deadly.   Survivor pays emotional tribute to four young friends killed in Glen Coe avalanche tragdedy .   Fly now, free ....  More snow yesterday though it was light in Evesham and for a time even turned to sleet, meaning only about another 1cm of accumulation.   It's expected that the big freeze will last at least 4 more days though at the moment it looks like Evesham is simply in for a cold, grey week with a slow thaw, but further snow does remain possible. Today, snow warnings in place across Scotland Wales snow: 20 schools shut as freeze continues England snow: icy conditions cause disruption And there's a snow warning in force for parts of Northern Ireland Meanwhile, Boris Johnson makes himself look a bit silly (and short of memory) saying it's snowing and it really feels like the start of a mini ice age .  Where was he in the late 70s and 80s I wonder?   What would he have thought in '47, '

Ended up with ~8cm snow yesterday in Evesham, with about 6cm snow cover today after slight melting and compaction, although I did measure one piece of level, undistrubed, snow at 12cm.   Further top-ups possible tomorrow afternoon/evening and again Tuesday morning with it likely to remain cold through till at the least the end of the week. The official overnight lows and latest snow depths from the Met Office Despite not much snow, and plenty of warning, Heathrow cancels flights and transport is delayed by snow with a f urther Heathrow disruption warning as more snow expected tomorrow Snow across England hits travel and closes schools Wales snow: warning of ice after day of disruption Bad weather leaves 2,400 NI homes without electricity And rural areas of eastern Scotland urged to prepare for snow Elsewhere: Flood death toll in Jakarta rises to 14 Melt ponds cause Arctic ice to melt more rapidly Predictions that climate change to profoundly affec

Sydney bakes in hottest day on record as bushfires rage - to put that into perspective: "Last summer only saw the mercury reach a top of 33.4 degrees, and [the city] recorded just two days over 30. On average, the city typically reaches 40 degrees once every three summers, although this year has seen an unusually hot start. http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/1243812/sydney-breaks-temperature-record/?cs=12 And Canberra sets new record for January temperature , though it was only the second hottest day on record for the Capital. The other main news today of course is the heavy snow across Wales and a large part of England.  About an inch so far here, as I write, but it's expected to continue all day .... Snow across England hits travel and closes schools Wales snow: school, roads and airport closed Heavy snow sweeps into Wales and the West Country with up to a foot on the way No doubt much more on the disruption this causes in tomorrow's

Winter has arrived.  A cold frosty morning in Evesham with low cloud and a few tiny flakes of snow  and likely to remain close to freezing all day.   Just a precursor of what's to come  Friday with this winter's biggest snowfall on the way this weekend and a risk it may remain cold through next week as well. Sadly, similar conditions with low cloud in London has resulted in a tragedy as  two die in helicopter crane crash in Vauxhall, London - we can only hope that there are no further victims under the debris as this occurred in a busy street in the morning rush hour.  So far, the east has been hardest hit as snow shuts hundreds of Norfolk schools - scenes to be replicated across the country in the coming days Snowstorm hits Moscow, causes traffic jams In NZ, hot weather sparks insect rise Northern Ohio breaks record high; unseasonable national weather not all that unusual 2012 was in top 10 warmest on record - the 9th warmest in fact.   shouldn't

It was actually the wettest day of the year so far in Evesham yesterday, with rain through the day and showers in the evening.  But in the north and east, chaos on roads and railways as up to seven inches of snow falls Meanwhile, Japanese transport disrupted by heavy snowfall - who says it's only the British who can't cope? In Australia, Stonehenge among towns damaged in Outback storm and Judah hit by storm after Blackall in central Queensland by tornado as 120km/h winds comes to town Whilst in Perth hot night chases a temperature record Wet weather produces perfect brew for Cornish tea producers but Channel Island's wet weather 'demoralising' for farmers and it's also been bad weather for bugs Global warming has increased monthly heat records worldwide by a factor of five, study finds Volcano lave flows worry Italian island of Stomboli

We finally got some snow in Evesham early this morning - probably about 2cm, but it quickly started melting and as I write it's now raining .....   Britain wakes up to snow with more to come .  Places further east may well see more snow through today, but so far it's not presented any problems.  The end of the week looks potentially interesting with uncertainty as to how well Atlantic fronts will push eastwards across Britain, into the cold air that we'll be seeing over the next few days. A subject of discussion for a few years in internet forums, sudden stratospheric warming responsible for UK's icy blast - although in fact the effects of the SSW haven't really been seen as yet and although the coming week looks like being cold, it still doesn't look like being anything unusual for January.  And in Japan, snow blankets Tokyo for first time this winter, disrupting train, plane services Queensland's heawave sees concern for western rail lines as

The world won't end.  Again.   NASA rules out Earth impact in 2036 for asteroid Apophis - damn, I was rather looking forward to it .... The USA goes a record 199 days without a tornado death California hit by freezing weather and snow as the East basks in unseasonal warmth As Australian bushfires rage, warning of more heatwaves Oh, and "credit" to Piers Corbyn who has not only finally jumped on the sudden stratospheric warming bandwagon (just a few years late - though he's quick to criticise the MetO for explaining to the public what it is, before he discovered it) but also issuing a ' public warning ' for cold weather starting this weekend, just days after everyone else .......   Though of course Piers goes for far more snow than anyone else.  And if one garden in one street in one village anywhere in Britain gets more snow than in 2010, then you'll know he was right!  His mate Nathan Rao has predicted the worst freeze for 20 years .

A very poor personal opinion piece by James Delingpole in the Mail yesterday, masquerading as a serious news story, prompted myself to write a letter to the Editor and the Met Office to issue a firm rebuttal.   The crazy climate change obession that's made the Met Office a menace says Delingpole,  who clearly bases his opinions on tabloid headlines and conspiracy websites, and not the actual source data (which he'd probably not understand anyway).  Addressing the Daily Mail and James Delingpole's 'crazy climate change obsession' article reply the MetO.  Doesn't paint Delingpole in a very good light!   But sadly, the latter is unlikely to be read by anything like so many as the former, and once again the public have been deliberately lied to and misled by the media .  My full letter to the Mail is reproduced below: Dear Sir Having given up a whole page of the Mail to an ill-informed personal rant by someone who clearly garners all his information

Hottest on record: 2012 was America's warmest ever year - per latest data from NOAA .  It was also the second worst year for extreme weather.  And suggestions are that US 2012 heat record 'partly due to climate change' . Which makes it even more ironic that the anti-science lobby and some tabloids are claiming global warming has stalled since 1998 -  in fact it's done nothing of the sort: future temperatures are simply expected to continue rising at a slightly lower rate than previously predicted.  For the truth, read what the Met Office actually say on their updates to our decadal forecast .   The annually updated, experimental , decadal forecast is here .   The BBC also offer a more sober report on how the MetO's climate model forecast revised . Meanwhile, it looks like here in Britain, winter is coming!   Model output over the past couple of days has moved increasingly towards consensus on a spell of much colder weather for Britain from this weeken

In Australia, weather bureau upgrades temperature scale with new colours - they've had to introduce a new colour due to expected temps in excess of 50c in the interior as 'exceptional' heatwave topples records and searing temperatures fan Australia wildfires .  And although cool change a respite from scorcher across Australia more records look likely to be broken in the coming days.  NZ has also briefly seen temperatures near record high in South before summer's extreme weather to continue with more rain and gales In South America, hot dry weather leaves Brazil at risk of energy rationing And there have been high temperatures in France and Switzerland too. Here in Britain, warm start to year rings snowdrops out weeks early - but whilst we may not see -15c next, it does look like turning a bit more 'seasonal' over the coming days.  The (model) jury is still out on how severe or prolonged any cold spell might be.  Don't count your snowmen just

China sees coldest weather in 28 years But no let up in Australia where in Sydney, sweltering state braces for record heatwave Here in Britain, floods and wet weather could spell poor year for wildlife in 2013 Heavy rain, strong winds bring floods across Israel Worst drought in decades hits Brazil north-east Whilst in South Africa, drought cripples Limpopo farmers - the worst there since 1983 Feeling under the weather?  It could be because of all the rain And the lastest in the ever changing sea level saga is that future sea level rise frm melting ice could be substantially greater than IPCC estimates

One feared dead as devastating Tasmania wildfire downgraded whilst across Australia, nation to bake as heatwave grinds on As Britain dries out (no precipitation at all so far this year in Evesham) how do we go about predicting the next flood ? Snow, icy rain freeze south, east China Frozen Alaska bucking global waming trend - thanks to the PDO

Homes lost in Tasmania fires as Australia's south swelters with temperatures up to 48c in South Australia and in Victoria, State swelters as Melbourne tops 40c and heatwave heralds hot, dry summer . In contrast, Delhi breaks 44-year record as maximum temperature plunges below 10c   No surprise that 2012 was UK's second wettest year on record - although it was only the 3rd wettest since 2007 in Evesham, and national records only go back to 1910.    In Michigan, while temperatures hit record highs, lake levels at record lows Idaho Power uses cloud seeding to enhance winter snowpack Cyclone lashes Reunion in the Indian Ocean Snowstorms delay 299 train services in Hokkaido El Nino weather pattern not linked to climate change, researchers believe Weather systems seek Victor, Volker or Vincent - I hadn't realised that Berlin University sold the right to name storms, but it seems to be a commercial success.  I don't think I'

Bliadhna mhath ur!   Happy new year. It'll be a few days before we get all the data in for 2012, although it looks certain to have been the warmest year in history for the USA and possibly the wettest ever in Britain .....   Meantime, the Met Office have issued their 2013 global temperature forecast and it's expected to be warmer than 2012 which, provisionally is the 9th warmest year on record.  Not bad for an ice age! Not much in the way of notable weather around the world over the new year, though today in NZ, floods, heavy rain cut off South Island roads Weather in Wales improving after flooding on Monday Jersey sees wettest three months on record In Cambridgeshire, seal swims miles inland through flood waters Mandurah, in WA, enjoys record-breaking December weather India fog disrupts flights and trains And the eerie lunar landscape caused by Hurricane Sandy on the shores of New York City