Weather & Earth Science News

Topping up the snow fall from earlier in the week, weekend megablizzards leave two meters of snow in NSW and Victoria Funnel of cloud spotted just off the south coast at Sussex whilst over the past fews days there have also been water spouts spotted off Dutch islands and rare 'waterspout' twisters strike off the coast of Norway Flood damage on part of Big Sioux 'worst in 17 years' whilst flash flooding in Memphis metro area and eastern Arkansas prompts evacuations and up in Canada, there's prairie flooding: parts of Sask., Man. inundated Brazil flood refugees increase tenfold to 50,000 with at least 14,000 evacuated after flooding in Argentine NE In Nigeria, flood ravages Ibadan again, claims 15 lives 23 killed as downpours pound south China with dramatic footage of landslide in China , and another three killed in NE China flood In India, as heatwave grips state, Pune record lowest rainfall in June since 1970 Record highs in...

Heavy rain continues in parts of South America as Paraguay floods lead to evacuation of thousands Thunderstorms in England yesterday as flash flooding in parts of Norfolk causes disruption (no thunder in Evesham of course!) Actor Rob Lowe's family have to be rescued on European vacation after house in the South of France is almost washed away In India, landslides, floods in Guwahati leave 9 dead And in Alaska, flooding in Denali National Park leaves more than 100 stranded Images from space show how Nebraska's twin tornadoes scarred the Earth Coromandel after the storm that hit NZ this week Though there haven't been any exceptionally hot days, there haven't been any cold days either and early figures suggest one of the warmest Junes on record in Britain, especially Scotland New research suggests that ancient ocean currents may have changed pacing and intensity of ice ages: Slowing of currents may have flipped switch ...

Vast stretches of Minnesota are flooded as swollen rivers overflow In Texas, storm brings welcome rain but also street flooding A house is damaged as tornado touches down in New Tecumseth, Ont. Lightning strike blows Georgia man out of his boots , literally Plenty of pictures in the Daily Mail as Australia sees more than 80,000 homes without power: Severe weather batters the east coast as SES volunteers respond to thousands of calls across Victoria and NSW  while storm smashes wind energy records - presumably they don't need to switch off their turbines when it gets a bit breezy as we do in this country? In NZ, the north of South Island region soaked by winter storms with some families evacuated due to flooding Near Toulouse, in France, a month of rain falls in three hours as more severe storms strike the country In South Africa last week, 20,000 affected by Cape storms and flooding Haze: Malaysia calls for immediate action by Indonesia as ...

Victoria hit by 'weather bomb' with destrictive winds, storm surge and more high winds forecast whilst blizzard conditions hit NSW Snowy Mountains, south-east Here in Britain, it's raining hay!  Dust devil tornado caught on camera in Lancashire (it's not a tornado!) NOAA's May data is now out and its the warmest yet of the datasets showing May was the hottest month ever for Earth (hottest May, that is) NASA maps show Asia's insane June heat wave Icelandic glacier retreats 887m in 20 years Major earthquake hits off Alaska's Aleutian Islands Wild land map published for Scotland - including, of course, North Moidart.  But I cannot help but wonder whether, had this been done 10 or so years ago, the area covering the Monadh Liath might not have extended further SW to include what was then probably the wildest, emptiest, least visited tract of upland moor anywhere in Britain - and is now the site of the Glen Doe reservoir and fur...

Today in Australia, trees fall as severe weather sweeps down on SA, with more storms on the way whilst for the first time this winter a proper covering of  snow falls on Victoria's peaks .   And a hailstorm transforms beachside town of Forster into winter wonderland . Of course, it's winter in Australia, but in Europe last week there was snow in June?  Only in Norway ..... though not quite, since snow in June raises eyebrows in Estonia as well  Pictures of the moment man was saved from flash floods that killed a dozen in Bulgaria Heavy rains cause flooding in parts of north Texas Heavy rains in China kill 26 Regional weather extremes linked to atmospheric variations Mysterious 'magic island' appears on Saturn's moon Titan

Bulgarian floods: at least 10 killed in port city of Varna with recriminations and a day of mourning declared as death toll in Varna floods rises In North America, wild weather sees snow in the Northern Rockies While cities fight Big Sioux River flooding in 3 states but Alberta flooding not as bad as feared There's terror in the plain states as tornado flattens South Dakota village Tornado with 100mph winds hits Verona in New York state Incredible Pittsburgh lightning photos go viral And storm chaser photo of dying girl stirs controversy - but would the same criticism have been levelled at a photo-journalist who equally makes money by documenting human tragedy and selling such pictures? Dozens dead due to heat wave in Sehwan , Pakistan National Geographic has to drastically redraw parts of its Atlas because of Arctic ice loss And as has been said before, re-routing flights could reduce climate impacts - by reducing contrail formation.

A mild night here in Evesham with a min of just 14.9c - warmest of the year - and, though largely unreported in the national (ie London) press, the Scots bask in sun as heatwave makes country hotter than holiday hotspot Ibiza whilst Ireland's heatwave rivals Rio and surpasses the Mediterranean - if confirmed, Newport, Co Mayo's 27c would be the highest temp recorded in the British Isles so far this year. Not quite as hot as India though, where heat wave continues in Rajasthan, Ganganagar sizzles at 45.2 deg celsius whilst across the country the recent (and in places on-going) Indian heat wave claims hundreds of lives In contrast, coldest June night in 50 years brings summertime snow to northern Finland Tornado rips off roofs, tosses trees, in southern Ontario Apparent pause in global warming blamed on 'lousy data' by ESA - as I have pointed out a few times, in my opinion there has been no pause, as shown by the steady increase in global temp for ea...

Deadly US tornadoes strike Nebraska with dramatic footage of two twisters side by side and many more pictures of the damage in the Daily Mail as  terrifying 200mph tornado cluster levels Nebraska town killing two, including one child, and leaving sixteen people critical Waves of rain flood roads, trap towns in South Dakota Winter floods: MPS criticise spending priorities Bizarre headlines in the British media that a drought could be on the way as experts predict 'very little rain' for the next week ...... although much of the country (including Evesham) has already seen as much rain in the first two weeks of June as we'd expect for the whole month.   And reservoirs across the country are full.   Climate forced ancient Peruvians to migrate Ponds 'predict sea ice melt' 'Weedy thing' thrives as Antaractic shores warm Mount Etna erupts in spectacular display  And for once something that is not being attributed to global warmin...

Third warmest May in satellite record may portend record-setting El Nino and maybe silence those who still maintain that there is no global warming trend - bearing in mind the prediction comes from 'sceptic' John Christie.   It's the warmest recorded non-El Nino May. A surprise tropical downpour for a few minutes in Evesham on Friday evening kicked off a night of big thunderstorms for many places southeast of here as storms leave homes without power in Oxfordhire and Berkshire and pair tell how storm struck TV box and set bedroom on fire . No thunder or lightning for Evesham, of course,    The first of the season for China, Tropical Storm Hagibis hits Guangdong Contrary to some previous suggestions that a warming Arctic may have been the reason for recent cold winters, it now appears that Arctic warming linked to fewer European and US cold weather events And it's not just climate that is affected, as deforestation leaves fish undersized and under...

Record temperatures recorded in the Czech Republic   as early summer heat broils northern hemisphere Delhi has recorded the longest heat wave in 19 years , but finally rain ends long heatwave, Met says worst over whilst in the west freak tidal waves flood Mumbai shoreline Floods kill 10 in southern Brazil but rain easing ahead of the first World Cup matches due to be played in the region on Monday.  And just across the border in Argentina, the Ignazu Falls overflow in flood of Biblical proportions Millions of swamp spiders spin mega-web after flooding in NZ Kim Jong-Un calls out North Korean Met Office for incorrect forecasts - they probably forecast scattered showers and it remained dry all day in Kim's back garden ..... New satellite image shows major ice chunk breaking off Greenland glacier Scientists discover link between climate change and ocean currents over 6 million years And finally, will it reach 30c somewhere in the UK today?...

Although the story beneath is somewhat better than the cr*p spouted by the Express and Star, even the Independent manage to mislead with their headline that Britain could be in for the hottest summer ever .... - which many will read as 'is'.   In fact there's no reason to suppose it'll be the hottest at all and the Met Office's outlook for the UK summer 2014 simply suggests that there's 25% chance it'll be in the warmest category ..... and a 15% chance in the coldest.   So odds are, it'll be near, or just above, average when all three months are taken into consideration.   Though this doesn't mean it won't be the hottest summer ever - or indeed the coldest - simply that it's not forecast to be. 'Chilly' 20c Cairns day break record - I'd be happy if that was the warmest it ever got!   It's the lowest maxima they've recorded there since 1995. Heavy rain causes flash flooding in Preston North Island hit by vio...

Deadly summer storms hit West Germany after heat wave with six dead in North Rhine-Westphalia Alerts lifted after hailstorms lash France Here, flash floods stop Lincoln and Worksop rail services while weird clouds herald Midlands storm (which, of course, missed Evesham) Rare mountain tornado rips through Park County at 10,000ft asl and another twister flips offices as severe storms bring hail and tornadoes to Colorado Rain, wind lash New Zealand Once again, mercury soars to record levels in North India Antarctic volcanoes add to sea level rise And dark side of the Moon: 55-year mystery solved - why there are 'maria' on the near-side but not the far-side

Afghanistan flash floods kills dozens in Baghlan province with officials on Sunday saying 81 bodies recovered after flash flood in remote Afghanistan province .   Snow and rain in Chile strand nearly 10,000 Heat wave continues to grip Gujarat, north India as Delhi heat breaks 62-year record, temperature touches 47 degrees .  Ouch! As warm, humid, thundery conditions continue to affect much of Britain,  Country Antrim homes flooded and properties damaged and at least three homes are hit as 7,000 lightning bolts hit Britain over weekend France sees hail 'the size of tennis balls' as more storms on the way warns Meteo France Siberia is known for its winter cold: will it soon be as famous for its summer floods? The moment when a massive supercell storm rolls over New Mexico desert caught on camera   And an excellent piece by Simon Usborne on the dangers of believing what you read in the media:  Weather wars at the Met Office: Is it going to ...

Woke to lots of thunder this morning - but as always the storm itself by-passed Evesham.  Still awaiting a proper, big, overhead storm here - the last one I experienced was in Suffolk in 1994 .....! No reports as yet of problems from today's storms, but there has been a lot of lightning already, and more storms to come. Meanwhile, a lucky escape in Canada as a surveillance camera captures the dramatic moment lightning struck a pick-up truck In Colorado, Trindad teen survives tornado that literally blew over him Barbeques covered with June snowfall in Churchill, Manitoba Powerful dust storm sweeps across Tehran once again El Nino 70% likely to arrive late summer, says US weather forecaster Saving trees in tropics could cut emissions by one-fifth - haven't I been arguing along those lines all along? Based on 2010 emission data ( from wikipedia ) that's the same as everyone (and every company, every industrial process, every home, every vehicle) in the ...

Parts of western Japan experience record rainfall - 528.5mm overnight in Shimanto Australia's 2014 snow season to open without snow Heatwave grips N India; Delhi sizzles at 44.7c Pollution link to irregular heartbeat and lung clotting Pollution, erosion and flooding risk posed by China mountain removal Traces of another world found on the Moon , supporting the Theia impact theory aka 'big splatt' And finally, today is the 70th D-Day anniversary: 'World-changing' day remembered .   To those who were there in 1944: thank you.

Over 7,000 affected, 15 dead as rains, floods wreak havoc in Sri Lanka - with some reports suggesting up to 23 fatalities and up to 100,000 affected With 22.8mm of persistent rain it was the wettest day of the year in Evesham yesterday, whilst over in Lincolnshire tornado-like clouds brew over Britain as forecasters warn thundery rain and hailstorms are set to hit the UK this weekend - 5ft craters not expected. In the Altai region of Siberia, almost 21,500 people cannot return to their waterlogged homes after  worst flooding in 45 years Midwest braces for more storms after 4,300 cars pounded by hail 5 die in Guatemala landslide caused by heavy rains Last month, 60,000 cattle dead in Bolivia cold wave - though no suggestions the weather is anything much out of the ordinary (bearing in mind it is winter down there) And in the endless see-sawing of was it man or climate, latest study concludes human, not climate, to blame for ice age era disappearance of larg...

Rain inundates Istanbul , with 10 surreal images of Istanbul showered by rain S China downpours cause casualties, economic losses Flood in Siberia subsiding Baseball-sized hail hits Nebraska The Daily Express appear to have teamed up with the Syfy Channel (who brought us Sharknado ) this week, warning in the most over-the-top dramatic tones possible of  a SHOCK WEATHER FORECAST: the worst hailstorms in 170 years to hit Britain this weekend ..... ..... in reality it does look like we'll have a thundery plume over parts of the country and there's a risk of some biggish thunderstorms which may produce the odd tornado or some big hail - maybe marble sized - though it's too early to say for sure or, indeed, where may be worst affected.  Many places will see nothing (including, of course, Evesham ..... ) and there's no indication any storms will be any worse that the sort we see under similar conditions every single year. And astronomers discov...

Dramatic pictures from Tehran of the moment Iranian capital was hit by 150km/h dust wall which blacked out sun, killed five and injured 30 'Tornadoes' spotted over Kent Australia's past two years the hottest in record, Climate Council says In Japan, heat wave continues to blanket the nation And an update on the record May heat wave in northeast Asia Lightning kills 13 people in eastern India Research in the US suggests that feminine storm names create less urgency   World's best thermometer made from light  Modern ocean acidification is outpacing ancient upheaval: Rate may be ten times faster And forget geoengineering, reducing emissions will be primary way to fight climate change , study find.   Really?  So when do we start .....

Like the Daily Mail, Russia Today is often good wth photos, and plenty here as hundreds evacuated as heavy floods sweep across Russia's Siberia 800 flee forest fire; two die of heatstroke as China gripped by 40c temperatures with record temperatures in South Korea as region swelters in unseasonal heat - and the temperatures are big in Japan as well In Britain, climate change to boost summer flash floods, study says - and although it's only based on one model it's in complete agreement with various other studies ......   Overall, summers will be drier, but with more heavy downpours leading to flash flooding.  A apparent contradiction which the tabloid press with no doubt struggle with for many years to come!