Weather & Earth Science News

North Queensland pounded as Cyclone Dylan crosses coast Meanwhile the South Australian towns where it gets really hot battle for recognition US Deep South snow maroons motorists in scenes reminiscent of England (back when we used to get snow in winter .... ) More floods and gales to cause transport chaos across much of Britain - could be snow to even low levels for a time in Scotland too, and a lot more above 2,000ft where there is already some of the deepest snow for years, in fact there's more snow at Scots resorts than 2010 winter olympics site , Whistler in Canada.  And indeed, more than many other resorts in the US and the Alps. Meanwhile, a waves and tides alert on Devon and Cornwall coast while high tides prompt Aberystwyth university students move . No real surpise that January rain breaks records in parts of England .  Even  in Evesham we're looking at close on 200% of normal January rainfall this month. Heavy rain, snow pounds Italy ...

US Midwest nears record cold as officials issue weather warnings whilst deep south in winter storm emergency with children trapped in schools and on buses in rare Atlanta snow storm In contrast, record warmth and confused plants - an Alaskan January to remember More rain, more flooding to come for Britain though, with February showing no signs of bringing any change in the unsettled and wet weather and more storms set to batter parts of UK .   Whilst Scotland's weather: heavy snow expected on Friday .  Meanwhile farmers urged by WWF to do more to prevent flooding .   And Sod's Weather Law* says we'll be worrying about water shortages before the year is out. * Sod was a Neolithic farmer who noticed that whenever there was a spell of one particular type of weather causing problems - such as prolonged heavy rain leading to flooding - everyone would run around panicing and demanding that 'they' should do more to  improve flood defences.  A...

Freeze frames: where is has snowed for weeks - the predominantly westerly weather patterns this winter have brought good snow to higher ground in the Highlands, but little if any elsewhere and the pattern looks like persisting through February now, with more flooding in the south, but probably plenty more snow to come for the likes of Glencoe and Cairngorm.   Cold settled weather is actually not good for the ski resorts in Britain and this wet, windy and for the most part mild winter could be one of the best ever for the Scottish centers.  And belated snowfall boosts Bulgaria's ski resorts .  But spare a thought for those in America where ski resorts seen as buyout targets amid US West drought - whilst the NE has seen snow, the Sierra Nevada have not.   Chicago nearing 30-year deep freeze record Avalanche blocks only road leading to Alaskan port city of Valdez And once-in-a-generation winter storm descends on Deep South - just further rubbing it in for u...

A squall line came down across the country on Saturday afternoon producing some dramatic weather (although not in Evesham .... ) as West Bromwich church and houses hit by lightning in storm , in Warks, Galley Common families assess damage after 'mini tornado' whilst in Surrey, Clobham 'mini-tornado lifted cats in air' .   A lucky escape as walkers burned in lightning strike in Snowdonia    and in the Daily Mail, the usual pictures of ice, snow and rain...       Worth noting that there is no confirmation of any tornadoes as yet, many people these days assume any damage caused by sudden winds is tornadic, very often that's not the case.   Overnight, the first snow of winter hits south of England - although it was barely noticeable (and of course missed Evesham).  The pictures are from the North York Moors. .  Meanwhile, according to Christopher Booker: Somerset flooding: there's nothing 'natural' about this man-made floodin...

The usual round up of US pictures in the Mail as the big freeze continues with sub-zero temperatures here to stay for at least a week... and even Texas is getting snow - there's also a possibility England could see some snow next week, though not holding out much hope of seeing any here, and mostly it'll be wet, transient, stuff as our unsettled winter continues, but slowly becoming just a little colder too.   Rain is the immediate concern though, in the Somerset Floods: 'major incident' declared with 'call in the army' plea to avert flooding on Somerset Levels, as more heavy rain approaches California suffering worst drought in over a century Philippines flood death toll rises to 56 Weird 'gavity waves' in Venus clouds spotted by spacecraft

In Thailand, record lows kill 63, destroy rice crop - though worth remembering that the record minimum of 15.6c in Bangkok would still be a very warm summer's night in Britain .... Snow storms in New York continue to cause travel chaos for tourists due to fly to the US - I assume it's causing similar chaos for those travelling on business?   And eastern Canada hit with two-wave snowstorm Freak snow storm hits parts of Huddersfield and brings town to halt - well it is winter!  Looks like some places could see some snow next week, though at the moment doesn't look like being much or long lasting.  Still no sign of any prolonged cold, or, indeed, settled weather - with rain this weekend likely to bring more flood problems. In Germany, snow prompts weather alerts -14c forecast Russia Winter Olympics: conditions at Sochi games 'appalling' as snow 'disappears' but even in Arizona, snow is a no-show in Flagstaff - lots of places not getting ...

US east coast hit with heavy snow and bitter cold with more pictures in the Mail as winter storm Janus dumps a foot of snow on the Northeast, breaking snowfall records in New York Here in Britain there are continuing signs that the weather will turn gradually colder with an increasing risk of snow over high ground over the next week, though nothing especially cold or snowy on the horizon as yet. And yes, 'we can have snow even in a globally warmed world,' Nasa boss warns as it is revealed 2013 was the fourth hottest year since records began .   So what happened to the 'pause' aka new ice age then? Additionally, the NOAA state of the climate report for December reveals it to have been the 3rd warmest on record - despite snow in the US Severe storms sweep across southeast Queensland Rain lashes north India, winter chill returns with Kashmir buried under thick snow, people angry with goverment response Scotland had a glacier up to 1700s say scienti...

Great balls of lightning! Bizarre glow that has eluded scientists for centuries is captured on video for the first time - ball lightning has of course been seen, and possibly filmed, many times before, but never under scientific circumstances. Temperatures hit -41c in Swedish cold snap   - which is quite chilly even for them.  Here, we've had 3 air frosts in a row in Evesham - so it does at last feels almost like winter.  No sign of snow - although at times this week the rain will be quite cold and could just possibly be a little sleety.   Once again, the Americans pinch the proper wintry weather as another snow storm threatens commuter disruption on US east coast There is snow in the Scottish hills though where one fortunate walker survives huge avalanche in Cairngorms whilst Cairngorm plunge survivor Ollie Daniel  speaks of ordeal after he plunged through a cornice on Sunday. In NZ, cyclone's tail packs a windy punch on North Island ...

A weekend of wild weather across southern Europe: Knee-deep hail hits Lisbon in severe storm on Friday.  Not sure it looks knee-deep, but impressive nontheless.  Two dead, hundreds evacuated in flood-hit French Riviera and landslides in Italy force 200 from their homes . Whilst further north,  woman drowns, many fall through treacherous  Gulf of Finland ice - which is thinner than it normally is this time of year South-east Australian heatwave 'one of the most significant' on record says Bureau of Meteorology First storm in the year claims 40 in Philippines 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits lower North Island Is our Sun falling silent?   Maybe.  But the Little Ice Age began 250 years before the Maunder Minimum and we're in a high CO2, warming world now.  So whatever happens, it won't be the same as the late 17th century.   Meanwhile, apparently new scientific evidence claims a slowdown in the Gulf Stream will mean Britain w...

Flood warnings in place across the South East again, and even in Evesham we've now already had around 15% more rain than average for the whole of January - with 2 whole weeks still to go.  And nearly 50 of Britain's key wildlife sites hit in flooding over the past few weeks. Australians flee deadly wildfire so fierce 'it is creating own weather' whilst freelance photographer captures spectacular images of Adelaide's biggest skyshow - now that's lightning! Winter finally arrives in parts of Europe as snow deluge causes travel chaos in Warsaw  It's a long, long time since I looked at Lloyds List, but the insurance industry newspaper as an interesting and informative piece on the consequences of recent weather as Europe sodden after storm cluster Smog has been an on-going story in the Balkans this winter as stagnant smog leaves Kosovo capital choking Whilst in another country often beset by the same problem,  smog in China prompts auth...

Heatwave halts Australian Open tennis matches but after South Australia's five-day heatwave hospitalises 219 people, cool change has arrived Mild spell causes birds to break into song and flowers to bloom but there's more south east road and rail closures after overnight flooding and another wet day looming in Saturday as mild wet winter continues in early January figures Ironically, given the mild winter thus far, heavy snow boosts Scotland's ski resorts - unsettled weather brings more precipitation and it's just been cold enough, with few milder intrusions, for much of it to fall as snow at higher levels whilst strong winds have drifted it into the right places.  But snow news means good and bad news for Bulgaria where ski resorts are suffering. California fire burns in dry windy week, arid year - the wildfire season just never ended 'Extreme' heatwave to persist in S.A. Floods, landslide kill at least 13 in Indonesia Flash...

Sydney saved from worst of heat reaching record highs elsewhere whilst UN report says temperatures in Adelaide will make it world's hottest city on Thursday .  But as other capitals sweat, it's cool to be in Darwin where the temperature reached only a 'chilly' 25.7c as Tropical Cyclone Dylan developing and inching towards WA coast Heavy rains trigger landslides in Philippines whilst in Indonesia, as the annual floods threaten the capital, government to modify weather to avert flooding in Jakarta .  I bet it doesn't make any difference .... 'Storm proofing' saved homes from 'mini tornado' in Devon on Monday A strange sight in Norway: school of fish frozen as winter hits with some better pictures here In the US, Weather Channel dropped by DirecTV - no more daft names for every low pressure system? Pine Island Glacier's retreat 'irreversible' Sun-blown ISON comet remains harvested in Antarctica Giant tr...

South-east Australia sizzles as heatwave takes hold with temperatures of 45c in Adelaide and 42c in Melbourne and records tumble as mercury rises in Tasmania to give parts of the island their warmest January day on record Flooding in Britain: anatomy of a storm Storms uncover ancient trees at Newgale, Pembrokeshire A brief video from South Carolina as record breaking winds tear down US house that was under construction Some interesting tales of a largely forgotten war as melting glaciers in northern Italy reveal corpses of WW1 soldiers Half a million in Kosovo facing water shortage due, in part, to a very dry winter Global warming 'pause' isn't what skeptics say it is (in fact, it isn't really there at all ....) And finally, Piers Corbyn's December forecast is now online and reveals, as expected, that whilst he did forecast some stormy periods for Britain in December (mainly for Scotland though), he missed the worst period - ...

Contact made with Tonga's isolated islands as relief efforts get underway after Cyclone Ian - the most powerful storm to hit the Tongan archipelago It's all go in Australia as temperatures expected to soar across country as heatwave shows no sign of cooling whilst four missing found as Perth hills bushfire toll mounts in the north Darwin under cyclone watch and to gap it all, earthquake hits Melbourne's east And it's not all cold in the USA either as Wichita hits record high temperature for January But is America's 'polar vortex' linked to record warm winter in Russia?    Yes. Unrecorded tsunami from 1,300 year ago uncovered by high school students in Japan

Polar vortex over US brings abnormally mild weather to Scandinavia   and reindeer go hungry as mild Swedish winter bites Flood warnings as river levels set to rise again in England - and more rain coming tomorrow night.  The Avon though is currently below it's normal winter flood level.  Meanwhile, it's claimed that lack of research linking climate change and floods is a scandal - but what if there is no link?  What if a bigger contributory factor is urbanisation of flood prone areas?   After all, we had just as bad floods in the 90s that I recall well, and indeed many times before then.  Whilst above average, rainfall amounts have not, so far as I am aware, been in any way unusually excessive .... Wind warning added as big storm blows into B.C. California suffers worse drought since 1970s West Australian heatwave closes national parks, dams as temperatures head towards 44c in Perth Cyclone Ian strikes Tonga, destroying homes in...

In Australia, latest heatwave conditions tipped to move from WA to eastern states in coming days with a red alert: fire, health warnings for Perth ahead of 44c scorcher Whilst in South America,  Zoo animals chomp on popsicles as extreme heat wave roasts Brazil and compounded by the heat, Chile forest fires spark health alerts as smoke spreads   Lightning kills three people on beach in Argentina Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian due to bring hurricane-force winds to Tongan islands Footage of cascades of ice an Niagara Falls freezes Here, Oxford residents flee rising flood waters - with more heavy rain expected next week (but no freeze or snow, regardless of what the media might say) But storms' link to climate change uncertain say the Met Office - and right they are too Scientists in NZ warn of giant quake risk off east coast of North Island Massive exoplanets may be more Earth-like than thought - increasing the possibility of them harbouring life...

Big freeze shatters North America temperature records - even Hell has frozen over! Meanwhile, the Met Office explain what is causing the extreme cold over North America? But beware the trick of turning boiling water into snow: at least 50 people injured trying it in the US And it's starting to look like we could see winter finally arrive in southern Britain next week - with temperatures plummeting in some places to several degrees below freezing at night!   Actually, looks like a couple of days of cold, grey, dross here and at present no sign we'll see any snow.  But plenty of time yet for that. In England, further flooding risk as heavy rain forecast tonight - and there looks to be more next week, before the cold air seeps in from the east.  And UK floods prompt space charter activation - I'm amazed this data isn't available as a matter of course! Tumultuous tides wreak havoc along coastline of Portugal Whilst Switzerland soaks up sprin...

In the US, deep freeze closes schools, grounds flights as North America arctic blast creeps east and plenty of pictures in the Mail as coldest temperatures recorded in 20 years whilst Canadians experience jolting 'frost quakes' as temperatures plunge So, with all this cold, is global warming a myth?   No.  Not least because only a part of North America is colder than usual.  Everywhere else isn't. Flood warnings continue for much of Britain as Welsh coast battered again but storms ease and flood alert for Northern Ireland's coastal areas passes - whilst winds should now moderate, more rain is expected, especially in the south where many rivers are already in flood (the Avon is up by nearly 3 feet over it's normal level and it could be days before it drops, though to be fair this is still only 'normal winter flood' level) Meanwhile, dramatic evidence of the shattering power of the waves: As storms continue to lash Britain, a huge chunk of Cornwall ...

Weather hits travel as many return to work with some great pictures in the Mail as stormy weather wreaks havoc on roads and rail - although sadly they continue to perpetuate the myth that we've had the 'worst storm(s) for 20 years': that's a misinterpretation of an item from the Met Office who reported that December was the windiest month since 1993 .  Not quite the same thing.   Meanwhile today in Wales, more e vacuations under way ahead of storm with more coastal flooding possible, in NI a flood warning for parts of Belfast and Ards peninsular whilst Atlantic swell sparks surf concerns for Devon and Cornwall .  And there's an orange alert along Atlantic coast of France.  Winds are expected to ease after today and there are currently no more severe storms expected, though it's not going to be especially cold or settled. And flood-hit UK must prepare for more extreme weather, says climate adviser (worth noting that over the past few colder winters I...

Death toll rises in Northeast storm; record lows likely whilst in Canada, blizzard weakens in Maritimes, moves on to Newfoundland More rain (and flooding) across England today, another storm coming in tomorrow, means communities face more disruption .  A wealth of good pictures in the Mail, as usual, though I don't think was really the fiercest storm for 20 years Aberystwyth and Borth clear after high tides As mentioned yesterday, River Severn bursts banks at Minsterworth after bore In Scotland, flood concerns switch to east coast (no Piers, that is NOT your North Sea storm surge!) Newly discovered Ichthyosaur fossil at Charmouth narrowly misses storm destruction And across the Channel, parts of Brittany flooded amid high tide fears There's also been sea surges with rain, high tide in NZ Meanwhile, in Queensland heatwave: Brisbane spared predicted maximum temperature - it only reached 38.7c ..... Reasearchers use Hubble telescope ...

Homes evacuated as storm surge hits UK with 30ft waves expected - the West and SW worst affected as the latest storm coincides with the highest tides of the year and a long fetch.  High volumes of water currently heading downstream after recent rain and floods exasperate the problem.  As I write, people trapped in their homes in Cardigan as tidal surge hits and the tide is surging up the Severn with evacuations at Minsterworth (where the river is just below it's highest ever recorded level) - and concern no doubt in Gloucester.   The risk extends to more northern location through today where there's a warning of Northern Ireland floods and  tidal surge 'could cause flooding' in Scotland.   No doubt plenty of pictures tomorrow. (Worth noting that Piers Corbyn forecast a North Sea Storm surge to hit the east coast and Low Countries after the New Year's Day storm - I wonder if he'll claim this completely different storm affecting Altantic c...

A bliadhna mhath ur!   A happy new year - although you'd be forgiven for thinking it was the same old broken 2013 model as stormy start to 2014 brings road and rail delays in Wales whilst severe weather prompts several rescues in Devon.   A pleasant respite today - before more wind a rain tonight.  And another storm coming on Sunday .... No change in America either as 2014's first big storm bears down on northeast US SA's north prepares for catastrophic fire danger as ex-Tropical Cyclone Christine approaches while as heatwave hits inland Australia: scorching temperatures tipped to break, bringing relief Heatwave kills seven in Argentina Cyclone Bejisa: French island of Reunion on red alert Solution to cloud riddle reveals hotter future - global temperatures could rise by at least 4c by 2100, all else being equal .... And finally, I didn't pick this up at the time, but rather a local story to me as woman badly injured by 'pan...