Weather & Earth Science News

Brazil lightning strike kills four people on beach 
Storm kills 29 in Philippines, leaves 10 missing We're in a record 2014 freeze for England, Wales and Northern Ireland - though it's notable mainly for the fact that it is notable: cold weather having been so rare in what will be the warmest year on record.
Five homeless men die as France freezes
Winter's arrival brings Swiss travel chaos
And strange ice flows seen in Finland as Lapland chills to -35c - the lowest so far this winter
Environment Agency: 7,000 properties to be lost to the sea over the next century
2014 may be the first year with no below zero temps in Anchorage, Alaska - although they mean fahrenheit, so it was still often freezing there!
The weather teased, but tornadoes were few in Kansas in 2014
Big volcanic eruption near Tonga's capital

Winter finally arrived in Europe over the weekend with the French Alps worst hit as snow strands thousands of motorists in Savoy
A chilly night in Britain as lowest temperatures of 2014 recorded - I reached -3.9c which as well as the coldest temperature of the year is only just above the lowest recorded in 2013 as well (-4.1c) - it's at least three years now since we last had what I would consider a decent frost (below -5c)
Snowstorm paralyses major Russian highway - though the pictures don't make it look all that bad, certainly by Russian standards
In Sri Lanka dozens dead and more than 100,000 lose homes in mudslides with more rain forecast for flood-hit SE Asia

Storm Seniang: thousands flee as floods hit southern Philippines
Delhi records lowest temperature in five years
Sun's sizzling X-rays photographed from space

Severe flooding hits southeastern Asia with the Malay PM under fire as 118,000 flee worst Malaysia floods in decades
Motorists standed by snowfall in Yorkshire last night - but not a flake in Evesham ....
White Christmas hits Moscow flights
For France, 2014 warmest year on record, but wet
Tornadoes kill 4 in Mississippi; 50 injured during deep south severe weather just before Christmas

Hawaii's Big Island peaks achieve white Christmas whilst winter storm Eris brings snow to Rockies, Plains, Upper Midwest and Christmas morning wind gusts roar through southern California

Christmas weather breaks records in Atlantic Canada
In Uruguay, worst storm in 50 years hits Montevideo
And how global warming could turn Siberia into a giant crater 'time bomb'

Intense cold claims several lives across north India - deaths of homeless beggars are not uncommon there in winter as temperatures drop close to freezing
Floods hit Thailand and Malaysia
Passengers rescued from Glasgow train that drove into freak flood on Sunday night
Piers Corbyn has tweeted his Christmas forecast - which, er, is wrong from the very start since in order for it to turn less cold with thaw floods we would have needed it to have first been cold with lying snow!   Any local flooding is due to normal heavy rain (which was not preceeded by snow) and it looks like turning colder and dry over Christmas, with no snow on Christmas Eve (except in the Scottish Highlands) and no pounding of sea defences in Ireland or the SW, though there could be stormy conditions in the North Sea at the weekend - exact details remain uncertain as models struggle to determine the course of a low pressure system that is expected to undergo rapid cyclogenesis.   There's a small chance some plac…

As mentioned on Saturday, heavy rain in Scotland yesterday, now moving slowly down through northern England and into Wales has brought some localised flooding as dozens rescued from flooded Asda store in Kilmarnock
Strong winds sweep through Poland
India fog causes Delhi travel chaos
More die in flooding in Thai south
'Tipping points' for sea level rise-related flooding determined

And the Arctic is warming twice as fast as world average according to NOAA's latest Arctic Report Card

Hailstones 'the size of marbles' rain down in storm causing damage on Lewis whilst at Fassfern near Fort William, victims tell of fear as lightning hits four village homes in one night
No snow for Anchorage as strange weather lingers in Alaska's largest city
New, tighter timeline confirms ancient volcanism aligned with dinosaurs' extinction - it wasn't just the Chicxulub impact wot done it, it was the Deccan Traps eruptions too.  Probably.  As I have always thought.
And it's not just silly humans who like playing in the snow, birds build snow tunnels for fun too

Snow storm death toll in Japan rises; forecasters warn bad weather to continue
Although we're not looking at anything like the problems last Christmas, flooding causes train and road disruption in Powys and there is more rain likely over the coming days, so some further localised flooding is possible both in Wales, and in the Highlands as lying snow melts early next week, before it turns a bit cooler and drier again for Christmas (any snow on the 25th likely to be limited to Scottish hills).  Worth noting as well that the post-Christmas period could bring more problems with both wind and rain.
'Ice pancakes' found floating on the River Dee
South-east Queensland left battered by storms again
During last April's big tornado outbreak in the US, it appears that some birds 'heard tornados coming' and fled one day ahead
9 hurt, 1 missing after volcano erupts in Indonesia
Satelite date indicate 2014 will not be warmest year on record, but among top several - though for s…

Denmark has its hottest year on record - and it seems likely a few other countries, including the UK, may follow.
5 dead in snow-related accidents, travel disrupted in Japan Severe storms hit Brisbane and Ipswich leaving thousands without power
Satellites measure increase in Sun's energy absorbed in the Arctic
And the Met Office have issued their 2015 global mean temperature forecast with a not surprising expectation that it will be one of the warmest on record

Has there been a recent increase in UK weather records? - a report in Weather says Yes.  But note there is no specific attribution for why so many more warm records have been broken since 2000.
California's water woes quantified
Winds fan multiple bushfires in north-east Victoria
Heavy snow hits Japan's northern Hokkaido island, flights cancelled
Snowstorm congests traffic in Morroco

But a snow shortage worries Alpine ski resorts
Whilst red hot lava battles snow as Russian volcano erupts
Heavy rain causes havoc in NZ
Volcanic eruption in Cape Verde destroys two villages
A new scapegoat for global warming: Arctic ground squirrels unlock permafrost carbon ....
And methane 'bleches' discovered on Mars - a sign of life?  And vindication of the initial reports of methane detected by the Viking lander in the 1970s?

San Jose records wettest December in 60 years with Monday rain
It was a weird weather weekend in Kansas - with snow, fog and a tornado on the same day
Shocking moment family's beachfront home toppled into ocean during violent storm in Washington
Larnaca still reeling after weekend floods - officials say "it rained in the wrong places" ...
Last decade sees dramatic increase in chance of extreme hot European summers
Australia gets season's worst bushfire day - so far
Western Queensland towns could vanish with drought threat
Indonesia landslide: Jemblung death toll rises to 51
Parts of Pacific Ocean close to El Nino thresholds: Australia weather bureau
November temperatures end record streak, world still on pace for hottest year though
Arctic sea ice volume holds up in 2014
Massive study provides first detailed look at how Greenland's ice is vanishing whilst in a separate study, concerns are raised that migrating 'supraglacial' lakes could trigger future Greenland ice…

When is a weather bomb not a weather bomb?   When it's used to describe a storm that undergoes rapid cyclogenesis thousands of miles away and doesn't even approach the British Isles ....   The Met Office rightly criticial of the media hysteria about last week's quite normal weather.
Meanwhile, Piers Corbyn has been tying himself in knots (and even getting get a bit of criticism published on his own website) over his failed forecast of widespead cold and snow - with 'feet' of snow in NE England ....  Apparently it was all down to the lack of fronts - so when it was cold it was dry - and then when there were fronts it wasn't cold enough .... and the Germans pinched it all!  Except even in Germany there was just some light snow on Thursday evening that caused traffic congestion, due to icy roads, on autobahns  around Hessen.  Nothing notable even there.  He has also ignored the fact that we had a west or northwesterly airflow throughout, rather than the northeaste…

Tornado, mudslides triggered by powerful California storm with a wife and husband rescuse from floods after 'river of rain' triggers mudslides consuming dozens of homes on the west coast
Here, travellers escape disruption despite heavy rains, strongs winds and snow in some parts - it is unclear at the moment whether the snow in the Highlands yesterday was the major snow event predicted by Piers Corbyn to affect the whole of Britain between the 12th and 16th ....  Or, indeed, any of the major, disruptive, snow events predicted by James Madden to have been occurring since the beginning of November!
Queensland communities on flood watch as heavy rain to pound central areas
At least 11 dead and nearly 100 missing after a landslide smothers a village in central Indonesia
French mayor Rene Marratier jailed for role in deadly flood
Even in colour, Comet 67P is grey
And an icy walk on crystal clear mountain lake in Slovakia awes web

Flooding as storm pounds northern California and a falling tree kills man as rain, high winds thrash California, Oregon
Sea of clouds cover Grand Canyon in rare weather event
More travel disruption on roads and rail after snow and ice affect routes in Scotland
Surfers ride 'weather bomb' waves in Spain and Portugal
Video as freakish monster shelf cloud rolls in over Freeling property in South Australia
In Algeria: snowfall - cut off roads, isolated villages in Setif
And scientists estimate that there are now nearly 269,000 tons of plastic pollution floating in the ocean

Power is fully restored after lightning strikes in Scotland whilst wind reaches 144mph on St Kilda as storms cause chaos (that's on the summit of Hirta, not sea level) and huge waves crash on Orkney Islands
In NI, two lucky to be alive after being engulfed by waves at Portstewart Strand
Meanwhile, snow on A68 leaves up to 100 vehicles stranded as snow showers hit higher ground across northern Britain and at the (alleged) highest village in England, Flash, snow and high winds on A53 in Staffordshire bring road 'chaos'.
Rain hits N.Calif. as powerful storm moves inland
Winter storms pummel both sides of Canada with snow, rain and high winds
Got shorts?  Seattle crushes record for warmest December day
US tornado numbers among lowest in recorded history in 2014
As Queensland's storms continue, Brisbane, south-east hit by heavy rain, thunder and lightning
Flooding after heavy rain drowns two in Greece whilst the floods situation in southern, eastern Bulgaria remains dire
Video…

'Weather bomb' storm brings disruption to northern UK  But it is worth noting that the storm 'bombed' - ie underwent rapid cyclogenesis, deepening quickly - whilst it was still off Greenland and has in fact filled slightly as it has moved eastwards, far to the north of Scotland (so it's not hit us at all).  But you know what the media are like when they get hold of a sexy sounding weather term!  Nor is this the 'storm of the century' - it's not anywhere near on a par with the 2005 'Hebridean Hurricane', nor even some of last winter's storms.  The Met Office give us a closer look at 'weather bomb' and sets the record straight - but the media will undoubtedly ignore the facts in favour of scarier fiction ....

Meanwhile Piers Corbyn has gone public with his forecast for 12-16 December warning of feet of snow in parts of Britain (and he clearly does not mean the high tops of the Cairngorms) as northeasterly winds bring very cold temperatu…

Queensland storms: hail in southern Brisbane after heavy rain and strong winds on southern Gold Coast and fist-sized hailstones reported as violent storm lashes Murwillumbah
Disruption to travel services as stormy weather batters Scotland with heavy rain today before more snow showers and severe gales bring blizzard conditions to the hills.  There are also 'unusually high' waves forecast for Scotland whilst it's predicted the storm will bring 70ft waves and icy weather to coasts of Eire too.  Could also turn very windy (and wet) down south later on Thursday into Friday.   A stormy week then, but only what you expect in December.

And it's looking stormy down the eastern side of North America too with 'incredible' subtropical storms to drench B.C. and in San Francisco, warning of the biggest rain storm since 2008 to hit the Bay area
Do not panic about lack of snow in the Alps yet, say forecasters
Unruly autumnal weather wreaks havoc in Portugal

In the Czech Republic,…

Typhoon Hagupit sweeps across Philippines with reports of 21 dead, but today Hagupit weakens as it nears Philippine capital Manila
I was away in Glasgow for MBA meetings at the weekend, and on Sunday morning I saw my first snowflakes since March 2013 .......  Just some light passing showers and not quite the disruptive 8 inches that some had predicted!  Nonethesless, there were 'several' accidents as snow hits Scotland
 In Sydney, storms sweep across city for ninth consecutive day on Sunday, (lucky buggers!) with more severe weather on the way for New South Wales and Queensland  and some more pictures from the Daily Mail
Meanwhile, there's a heatwave warning for Marble Bar - the world's hottest town

Freak Russian blizzard: mad snow storm swallows cars, streets, buildings in far east

Rain still falling in California after major storm breaks records
California's drought is worst in 1,200 years, evidence suggests
In Japan, elderly couple die after being buried in snow i…

Ice, frozen rain paralyse Czech public transport with more pictures as ice storm downs power lines and freezes trees in Austria, Germany and Czech Republic
Fire and rain: havoc as storm hits Sydney
Storm drenches California but it's only a drop in State's drought
Philippines starts evacuating residents ahead of Typhoon Hagupit
Antarctic glacial melt rate triples in Amundsen Sea embayment
Amazon indigenous land loss threatens climate, study says
Barrage of small impacts likely erased much of Earth's primordial atmosphere
'Year of wierd weather' on course to be named Britain's warmest for almost 250 years (ie since the CET record began) - though December looks like bucking the trend and not being quite so mild.  Indeed, it was the second coldest morning of the year in Evesham today.  But still only down to -1.7c    And according to our old friend Nathan, eight inches expected by weekend as the big freeze hits Britain.  But only if you happen to live on the summit of Be…

For the first time, research confirms how global warming links to carbon dioxide
Rare ice storms hits Waldviertel in Austria
November produced a record soaking for south-east France
Cold wave grips Beijing and Seoul, brings snow to Japan as blizzard in north-east China suspects school, traffic
Another flood caused by heavy rain kills 11 in Morocco
High temperatures, low rainfall make it a spring scorcher for Queensland
And more or less I have been saying for many years, climate change drove mastodons to the brink of extinction, humans pushed them over

Australia has hottest spring on record as temperatures soar and Australia sweats over extreme hot weather
Meanwhile UN Climate talks begin as global tempratures break records
In California, heavy rain strands motorists, closes Pacific Coast Highway

Lack of snow threatens to disrupt start of Austrian ski season
Family buried by own house as tornado rips through town in the south of France

And there was chaos in the Canaries: 80mph winds batter holiday islands as freak storm uproots trees and 30ft waves crash onto tourist beaches

Yet more floods in south of France leave four dead
Israel's rain-logged capital lashed by winter storm
It never rains but it pours as floods hit drought stricken Brazil
A rare, accurate newspaper story about the prospects of snow this winter: an Arctic freeze? Snowstorms?  The worst winter on record?  Probably not says Met Office after cold weather warnings.   But the less said about the Daily Mail's misleading headline the better (there may be a little snow over some hills in Scotland on Monday, but that is all and it's notable only in that there has been so little so far!).  To be fair, several other media outlets are running the same headlines, which will no doubt lead to cries of "where is the snow they forecast?" and "the Met Office got it wrong again!" as well as triumphant calls from certain quarters that "see, we said there would be snow!".   You just can't win.

And I beg to disagree with the suggestion that "we have not seen a…

Flood leaves Gaza in ruins, UN declares state of emergency
Brisbane storm: huge clean-up in Queenslands with more pictures as Brisbane hail storm captured on social media whilst one Herston family trapped inside house after super hailstorm hits Brisbane
Torremolinos tornado: Devastation as freak storm rips through popular Costa del Sol holiday resort The dangers of snow clearing: two New York children, buried under snow for hours, rescued by local police
Met Office expects autumn to be UK's third warmest for more than 100 years (ie, since records began) - and still no sign of any cold or snowy weather on the horizon.

Brisbane storms catches city by surprise with widspread damage from winds and golf ball sized hailstones.  And in the west, wild storm brings havoc to Perth
Thanksgiving Day disruption as nor'easter storm blasts eastern US with heavy rain and snow
What happens in Siberia if it's so cold the brakes on the plane freeze? "If you want to fly, give the plane a push"
A report from the Royal Society reports that risk from extreme weather is set to rise (which to be fair, would be the case whatever was going on with the climate, simply by virtue of more and more people living in places already prone to extreme weather events, or even, as in Britain, just living on existing floodplains).

And other studies likewise tells us only what we already knew (and I've mentioned here numerous times over the past few years) that geo-engineering: climate fixes 'could harm billions'
Renewables 'biggest power source' in Scotland.  Except when it is very cold or very hot an…

Fierce winds 'no joke' as damage mounts in Toronto

Flood fears ease in snowy Buffalo


Antarctic ice thicker than previously thought, study finds


And global warming skeptics unmoved by extreme weather

Morroco flash flood leaves dozens dead
In South Africa, tornado sweeps through KZN
Strong earthquake hits central Japan, destroying buildinsg in ski town and there have been four dead in China earthquake this weekend.
Buffalo braces for flooding as seven feet of snow starts melting
But in the SW, as snow fades, California residents are left high and very dry
More than 100 glaciers have vanished from Glacier National Park - and soon there will be none
Spectacular sea fog blankets Sydney during heatwave as NSW records its hottest ever November day, whilst today in Sydney, 15,000 properties lose power as bureau warns of damaging hail in regional NSW
And  extreme weather 'could become normal' warms World Bank report

Sadly, regional newspapers have been conned into publishing more utter crap as, for example, it is claimed snow and record low temperatures could hit south west within days.  The story is just a repeat of the lies Nathan Rao spread earlier in the week and shows that regional media are no better than anyone else at checking basic facts!  Mind the Telegraph isn't much better warning winter to arrive with below-freezing icy blast - with overnight temperatures predicted to fall to -4c in the Scottish Highlands on Sunday!  Oh my!  There is no unusually cold weather on the horizon and certainly no snow apart from some transient falls over higher hills, mainly in Scotland - and we're set to see November end as yet another warmer than normal month.
Meanwhile, the heat goes on: Earth headed for warmest year on record as NOAA data confirms October the warmest ever recorded.  The 4th such this year.  So it's not just us.

Buildings collapse and thirteen die in snowstorm that ha…

Flood fears as snowfall in north-eastern USA subsides whilst dramatic aerial photos show force of Buffalo storm
Australia sizzles: more than 25 bushfires burning as heatwave hits eastern states
Reindeer threatened after heavy rains in Norway freeze their food solid
Denmark to have second warmest autumn ever
Giant sinkhole swallows up old min in Russia's Urals
And some great mammatus pictures by Mike Hollingshead

Northern US braced for more snowstorms after seven die and why is record cold and snow hitting US so early?   Also, from the MetO, more on US snowfall and will it impact UK?  (short answer, no - and the only place it may drop to -7c is the summit of Cairngorm, whatever Nathan Rao might say!)
Commuter chaos and blackouts as storm hits southeast Queensland whilst further south yet another heatwave begins with NSW rural fire service warning of a severe fire danger throughout the state
Researchers prove for first time that ash clouds can cross Atlantic ocean
And careful where you swim (not that you would till next summer now), because acid rain has turned Canadian lakes into a kind of jelly

The Yanks continue to pinch all the cold and snow .....  with 4 killed as 'thunder snow' slams New York and all 50 US states sink below freezing point after second polar plunge dumps five feet of snow on Great Lakes.  Some early signs that we could see some colder weather in Britain by the beginning of December, though no severe frosts or snow to low level at all likely at present.
Commuter chaos as storm halts trains, floods streets in Brisbane
Drone captures aftermath of Italy floods
Sun's magnetic field boosts lightning strikes across UK - though I think I will need to see a bit more lightning that the one big storm we had in July before I am convinced!
Chelyabinsk meteor #2? Massive flash over Russia’s Urals stuns locals & scientists
And the Jurassic climate of large swath of western US was more complex than previously known - just in case anyone was thinking of building a time machine and popping back there for a holiday any time soon ....

Arctic blast that killed 11 people over the weekend sweeps across the US, leaving half of lower 48 states covered in snow - and it is events like this that on the face of it (if you dont think about it) seem to support the assertions of a so-called climatologist: 30-year cold spell strikes Earth.  In fact, it seems he's just a (former?) aeronautical engineer (working on a space shuttle doesn't make you a climate expert) and is selling a book which, typically, predicts really catastrophic cold weather in about 10 years time: soon enough for the gullible to worry about, but far enough off that by the time it doesn't happen they will have forgotten who scammed them into beleiving in it.   Meanwhile, it has just been discovered that the World extends beyond the borders of the contiguous US states - and it's getting warmer.... Earth has warmest October on record as ocean temperatures top charts (according to NASA, JMA and UAH - NOAA data not yet in) keeping us well on track…

Another rant as the media run another load of complete twaddle, falsely claiming that heavy rain and strong gales expected in 'wettest winter since 1981'.    The Met Office have made no such claim and in any case, since last winter was the wettest on record, this winter can only either beat that, to be the wettest ever, or be the wettest since, er, last year ....  The Mail and most other newspapers - national and local - have made similar claims, which appear to have originated, in of all places,  The Sunday Times.  The full article is behind a paywall and I have not therefore read it all, but from the opening paragraphs this seems to be based on nothing more than the fact that the latest MetO contingency planner's forecast, issued last month, suggested a 25% probability that the period Nov-Jan will be wetter than average, and only 15% that it will be drier than average.    Expect a Met Office rebuttal of the claims later today.  

The Telegraph more accurately says only t…

Over 50 inches of snow blankets Wisconsin town; possible State record whilst north-east Ohio hammered by first lake effect snow event of the season
Temperatures soar as Brisbane records its lowest annual rainfall since 1957

140kmh winds leave path of damage in NZ

Eire sees the calm after the storm as rain eases off
Rocky Mountain storms lead to new findings about hailstones
This summer we had the warmest oceans ever recorded (but they were probably warmer still in the Cretaceous!)
Exclusive new pictures inside Siberian crater
Alaska shows no sign of rising Arctic methane, NASA study shows
Extreme storms erupt in Uranus, baffling astronomers

And Mars, too, has macroweather: But weather forecasting on the Red Planet is likely to be even trickier than on Earth

Congratulations to ESA for succesfully making mankind's first soft landing on a comet.  But whilst Philae lander sends back first ever image from comet, with its battery life limited, it's 'time for risks' with comet lander today.
Heavy rain causes flooding across Northern Ireland whist there is disruption as hurricane-force winds hit Devon coast and a roof ripped off in Barry as gale force winds hit Wales.   And this morning, M25 'collapses' after roadworks and heavy rain - though it is not as yet clear as to what extent the rain itslef was responsible.
Fifth person dies in latest Italian storms
Climate change 'will make lightning strike more' - hmmm, believe that when I see it!

And it's warmer in Alaska than Texas right now

Couple found dead after landslide engulfs home  after more torrential rain in Liguria, Italy
First winter storm of season kills four in Minnesota in weather related traffic accidents as Arctic blast hits Canada and US
Dust storm over southern Colorado captured from plane, satellite
Pembrokeshire flooding returns as heavy rain continues
English coastline flood risk from waves reassessed
Rosetta mission: robots heads towards comet surface
And just for a laugh, according to the Daily Express we're facing  Britain's 30 days of storms: UK set for half a month's rain in just two hours and if that isn't bad enough, we also have a Polar Vortex Warning: Latest winter weather models show UK faces months of heavy snow.   Both stories are, of course, equally true.  Along with reports that a face of dog faced men have been found living on the Moon and a plague of leprechauns means that after Monday, rainbows will not be seen in Britain or Ireland ever again.

As dubbed by the Weather Channel, winter storm Astro: nearly 400 accidents reported in Minnesota; wisconsin roads covered in snow.
Polar vortex: the misused weather term of 2014 - good to see the US media correcting the ignorance of their colleagues!
In Italy, two missing in new flood emergency
Southern Sweden had 201 days of summer this year - nearly 50 more than usual
New leaflet gives walkers and climbers avalanche advice - and a well written piece on the snow that survived summer in Scotland this year
Hawaii lava destroys first home in Pahoa
And finally common sense prevails, L'Aquila quake: scientists see convictions overturned

Exceptional rain expected in Italy over the next few days with flooding very likely as rare cyclone suspends aircraft activity, power outages reported in Malta.  More on the Mediterannean Cyclone - or Medicane - on Jeff Master's blog
Rapidly strengthening monster storm becomes most intense ever for Alaska
Heavy rain causes severe flooding in Campbeltown yesterday, with further flooding in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion after downpours in Wales.  And the outlook looks wet for much of the country over the next week or so: expect more floods.
Bewick's swans arrival at Slimbridge heralds 'late' winter - and whilst I don't believe their arrival time has any bearing on our winter, I do agree - as mentioned before - that it will be late with a mild December but a notably cold/snowy spell sometime around late January or early February (probably the only really wintry spell for many of us, though a further late burst of cold weather in early Spring is also possible) - all based…

Severe flooding hits Haiti, Dominican Republic
Intense storm headed to Alaska's Aleutian islands
With the season now officially over it's been a tale of two oceans: Pacific out-hurricanes Atlantic
'Catastrophic' busfire warming for South Australia
In SW Scotland, flooding and landslip shuts A77 north of Cairnryan whilst drivers warned as roads flood in Northern Ireland.  Yes, it's autumn and it's wet.  Again.  With plenty more rain expected this month - but nothing cold yet on the horizon.  Despite what some idiot newspapers might suggest.
Italy swamped by flash floods whilst rare tornado tears through Catania, Italy
Rare, spectacular weather phenomenom rattles social media as irridescence appears in a fallstreak and is captured on camera.

In France, one dead as storm batters south-east

Tuscany residents saved as floods hit Italy


Storm causes chaos in Sydney as 6000 lightning strikes hit in one hour


First snow of the season falls across Snowdonia


Death toll in BA province flooding rises to three

Typhoon Nuri slowly weakens


And Japan's kamikaze winds, the stuff of legend, may have been real

In Argentina BA, province keep flooding after endless rain

More flooding as south-eastern France hit by violent storms

At least one dead after train crashes in cyclone in eastern Siberia

Maine digs out of first nor'easter that dropped more than a foot of snow and left 80,000 without power

Could rain save Hawaiian town from destruction?  Probably not, but it has briefly slowed the very slow advance of the lava.

Arctic warming: scientists identify new driver - basically a new positive feeback: open oceans hold more infrared energy, making them warmer, making more sea ice melt ....

In the US, a powerful storm brings record snow to Southeast before it slams into New England with plenty of pictures in the Daily Mail as snow blankets parts of the South
Here on Sunday, tornado leaves path of destruction in Leicestershire
Bushfire emergency in Blue Mountains as Sydney experiences hottest day since January
Sri Lanka landslide: 38 feared dead as death toll revised down
After rapidly intensifying Super Typhoon Nuri may planet's strongest storm of 2014
Fossil fuels should be phased out by 2100 says IPCC - wot!?  No more Victorian technology to light our homes?!!
Experts predict ice-free Arctic by 2020 on same day UN releases climate report - note to Wattsy & co: one expert making a prediction is not a statement of fact.
2014 Antarctic ozone hole holds steady
And Highland Council's 430 million year old headache - geology makes further landslides inevitable on the Stromeferry by-pass