Weather & Earth Science News

Scores feared dead in DR Congo flood disaster Sri Lanka landslide: ten dead and 300 missing Devastating pictures show Sao Paulo's worst drought in 80 years Delhi chokes on toxic smog after Diwali last week Madden and Rao are at it again, make daft claims that Britain to face Arctic winter as mild autumn triggers polar gales and heavy snow - which is true in the same way that it's true I am a bowl of petunias. There were yet more landslides and disruption as heavy rain hits Scotland yesterday, and lots of good photos in the Mail, showing the contrasting conditions across Britain (it reached 20.6c in my garden) as hottest Halloween approaches with temperatures set to reach 21C despite councils already preparing for winter .   'Loud boom' as earthquake hits Nottinghamshire - nothing heard or felt here though, but it was interesting seeing the first reports come in on social media 'real time'. Hawaiian village evacuates as Kilauea lava t...

  First'big heat event' melts Australian temperature records with several sites recording their highest ever October temperature. Meanwhile, in Argentina, scorching city breaks October heat record, storm alert issued Quite a contrast in weather here at the moment with heavy rain continuing across parts of Scotland - though it has finally dried up in the NW....   Landslip-hit A82 partially reopened south of Fort William yesterday, but overnight there have been more landslides as heavy rain batters west of Scotland - whilst in many places down south, there's a Halloween heatwave as temperatures soar to 21c for half-term .   Denmark gets sunny end to near-record October - it could yet be their warmest ever Gujarat on high alert after Cyclone Nilofar turns into very severe storm Major cities in Hokkaido get first snowfall of season Met Office to build new £97m supercomputer with 1.5km resolution - so still not enough to forecast whether it ...

More heavy rain over the weekend in Scotland, with cars stuck between A82 landslips in the Highlands south of Fort William and flood & travel chaos as storm hits Scotland hard And from last weekend,  workers reveal how they feared for their lives as tornado swept in off loch Etive Greece flooding, caused by slow-moving remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo, covers Athens streets whilst further east, heavy snowfall in Bulgaria disrupts road and rail traffic Overnight, wild storms cause chaos across Australia's south-east... as dramatic pictures of the electrical storm light up social media (lots of good ligtning pictures)  and more storms in SE Queensland today as temperatures soar during spring heatwave Evacuations possible as lava continues to flow from Hawaii volcano Cyclone Nilofar approached India's Gujarat state Climate change caused by ocean, not just atmosphere Meanwhile, global warming has doubled the risk of harsh winters in Eurasia, re...

Karakorum glacier anomaly resolved, a cold case of climate science - glaciers are not retreating there because weather patterns mean they have not been seeing a decline in snowfall like other parts of the Himalaya.  Which is what I assumed was the case all along ... There has been flooding around metro Vancouver due to heavy rain Rare tornado rips roofs in Washington state Trains disrupted between Norwich and Lowestoft due to flooding after high tides Snow causes chaos in western Austria  It's been determined that last January's freak winter wave 'was Spain's biggest ever' Honduras drought puts thousands 'at risk' of hunger North China in grip of smog again UK science chief warns on acid oceans Colossal volcanic eruption could destroy Japan at any time: study Apparently, ' there is no climate crisis': Man-made global warming is a lie and not backed up by science, claims leading meteorologist - except J...

Although it was just a breezy day with the odd shower here - normal for autumn - conditions were more severe elsewhere as remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo batter Scotland whilst in England woman dies and others injured in high winds .  And a rare 'tornado' sighting captured on camera in Burton - or rather not, as it's a fake ! In the Netherlands, storm causes localised flooding in Rotterdam but little damage France has just seen the hottest mid-October weekend since '54 Tropical Storm Trudy's rains cause mudslides, leave at least six dead in southern Mexico There has just been the first snow of the season for Moscow and northern Iran What the floods did to Kashmir's grand heritage A global surge of great earthquakes from 2004-2014 and implications for Cascadia Zombie glacier surprises scientists and raises questions about our warming climate And on Tuesday, wind farms outstrip nuclear power .  Fine, so long as it is wi...

Hurricane Gonzalo: disruption as remnants of storm hit UK although its not quite the "worst storm in years" as Nathan Rao promised .... (though his article also points out it was only forecast to be the worst storm since ex-Bertha in August, which I am not sure is all that many years ago!).  And the top wind speeds as Gonzalo's remnants felt are nothing unusual for the time of year. In Northern Ireland, 'terrifying tornado' strikes in Aghyan last Thursday In the Pacific, Hawaii rides out storm but remote islands still at risk And a massive debris pile reveals risk of huge tsunamis in Hawaii Saskatchewan getting hit with an October heatwave California's drought: get grimmer, say experts In Adelaide, record October temperatures to be given a nudge and fire danger escalates And Shanghai's record high gives way to cloud, showers Pictures of Kashmir floods aftermath After 7 weeks of eruption: stunning aerial video of Icela...

Hurricane Gonzalo: Bermuda 'bruised' by direct hit after which the storm moved north as Hurricane Gonzalo douses Newfoundland, moves off-shore - with the Hurricane Gonzalo remnants to bring strong winds and rain to UK on Tuesday.  But we are not going to be hit by a hurricane! In the Pacific, Ana downgraded to tropical storml Hawaii relaxes Thousands of holidaying Brits caught in Tenerife flash floods that left one dead Record breaking heatwave continues for Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia 'Mini tornado' leaves trail of destruction in Llanelli last week Nepal disaster: relief as some UK trekkers make contact Nicaragua rains: downpours leave 22 dead Australia volcanic mystery explained Comet Siding Spring skims past Mars

Powerful Hurricane Gonzalo roars towards Bermuda whilst Britain on alert for flooding and high winds from Hurricane Gonzalo - which is currently heading towards Bermuda ....    Latest prediction do have it heading towards northern Britain next week, although what form it may be in by then remains to be seen.   Tuesday does look a bit wet and windy though, albeit nothing untoward for October. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Ana could graze Hawaii as a hurricane Exeter flooding sees elderly people evacuated from home whilst flooding in parts of Belfast damages homes And Danes warned to stay indoors after heavy rains Heavy rains flood Toronto roads during evening commute Nepal blizzards: rescue teams reach Thorung La pass to rescue 40 trekkers tapped there, but at least 29 are known to have died and the final toll in Nepal's worst such disaster could be higher. Video showing kangaroos jump in the snow as Australia is hit by storms Stunning...

Blizzard and avalanche kill at least 20 trekkers in Himalaya - the death toll may however end higher after Cyclone Hudhud caused unexpected heavy snowfall in the Annapurna region, catching many trekking groups out. Category 4 Hurricane Gonzalo churns towards Bermuda - it's now the strongest Atlantic hurricane since 2012 In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Ana weakens but still on track to hit Hawaii Anger grows as torrential rain brings more misery to flood-soaked Italy Monster waves batter coast as Sydney mops up after destructive storm And are reports of a 'Monster Storm' hitting the UK true?   No more than reports that this will be the coldest winter on record or that a London double decker bus has been found on the Moon ....

What has been describes as a "1 in 100 year" NSW storm, snowfall cuts power to tens of thousands: rescues in Sydney as Octsnober strikes again in Blue Mountains for second time in 24 months .  Today, Sydney cleans up after major storm and  'once every 100 years': what made the Sydney storm so ferocious Monster storm that stretches from the coast of Spain to Canada threatens to wreak havoc on both sides of the Atlantic - in other words, there's a big area of low pressure in the North Atlantic and it's going to be wet and windy in western parts of Britain and Ireland this weekend.   Normal weather then. Two dead after at least 25 tornadoes touch down in Southeast, Ohio Valley during severe weather outbreak Hurricane Gonzalo kills one in St Martin and grows to category 3 storm Cyclone Hudhud impact: heavy rain kills 18 in Uttar Pradesh Typhoon Vongfong sweep Japan leaving 2 dead, 91 injured Video footage of drivers trapped in f...

Hurricane Gonzalo forms in Caribbean after battering Antigua as a tropical storm.   It now has the Virgin Islands in its sights before heading for Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, over the weekend, Fay becomes hurricane after brushing Bermuda with high winds, rain but soon reverted back to tropical storm status And over in the Pacific, Hawaii on watch as Tropical Storm Ana could hit Big Island as a hurricane A fair bit of rain here over the past 24 hours: 27.1mm in my garden (spread over 2 days) and much more elsewhere with some homes in Essex flooded amid heavy rain and at least one record tumbles as there's a month's worth of rain in little more than a day - Monday was Wattisham's wettest October day ever. And in the south of France, yet more heavy rain strikes Gard and Herault over the weekend whilst in Switzerland, heavy rain triggers landslides in Ticino 2 killed as storms sweep across several states in the US Soggy Sydney mops up after wild weather but...

Six die and 400,000 are forced to evacuate their homes as Cyclone Hudhud batters India’s east coast with 120mph winds whilst further east massive waves pound Japan and China and 200,000 flee their homes as 'super-typhoon' Vongfong hits Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Gonzalez forms  in Atlantic, heads for Puerto Rico Stunning images of spectacular lightning storm over Norfolk on Saturday More rain at the weekend mean more floods ravage south of France And today, storms smash through Sydney's suburbs

Sao Paulo facing water shutoffs as the drought crisis in parts of Brazil continues, whilst after a three year dry spell, is California heading into a mega-drought? In Wales this week, lightning damage 'worst in 20 years' - Western Power Heavy smog engulfs parts of northern China This winter's first snow surprised the shepherds in Krygyzstan How Cyclone Hudhud got its name Indonesian volcano Mount Sinabung spews out lava and ash as it continues to erupt for fourth successive day Temperature and water vapour on an exoplanet mapped  

Odisha braces for cyclonic storm Hudhud, deploys rescue teams, orders evacuation from vulnerable places  whilst Japan braces for strongest storm this year Two impressive videos (for the UK) as tornado forms in front of motorists on M53 whilst a second terrifying tornado video shows twister just metres away from motorist in Cumbria Extreme weather lashes southern France again whilst in Italy there is one man dead in Genoa flooding 2014 on target to be the warmest year in three centuries in the Netherlands - with October so far close to average in Britain it remains to be seen whether we too may see our warmest ever year. US weather forecaster says El Nino favored to begin in 1-2 months Climate change alters the ecological impacts of seasons A new fusion reactor concept could be cheaper than coal And finally, it seems we're in for another very severe cold and snowy winter just like last year with winter 2014 to be 'coldest for century' Brita...

Another day of heavy thundery showers - we even had thunder in Evesham, followed by some impressive mammatus - with several tornado reports.  In Derbyshire, Alfreton tornado rips off roof and damages cars whilst a rare UK twister filmed on the Wirral and another mini-tornado reported in south Cumbria (looks full size to me though!).   And in the SE, parts of Strood flooded and a mini tornado was reported in Rochester during another storm. Meanwhile, today's high tides prompt 11 coastal flood warnings Atlantic hurricane season weakest since 1983 Japan and India braced for tropical cyclones Antarctic sea ice reaches new record maximum China earthquake leaves 300 injured, 1 dead

Super Typhoon Vongfong becomes most intense storm of 2014 - but is expected to weaken before hitting Japan at the weekend Here, stormy autumnal weather continues as Britain battered by torrential rain, thunderstorms and 50mph winds that are flooding seafronts with foam - although occasional light showers more the mark for Evesham so far! UK Met Office to open 'solar storm' centre

South of France under flood waters once again Man hit by falling wall in Bridlington as autumn storms lash Britain whilst Eire is blown over by first violent storm of winter and heavy rain triggers mudflow in Argyll Three U.S. airmen presumed dead after being swept out to sea while taking pictures of massive waves caused by Typhoon Phanfone on Sunday, with another storm on the way as Japan braced for the effects of Typhoon Vongfong Australia's Bureau of Meteorology to change terminology for rain forecasts Strong winds seep through Melbourne on bizarre day of weather Drought continues to worsen on Sao Paulo Lightning kills 11 Colombian tribe members during ritual Earth's ocean abyss has not warmed, NASA study finds whilst ocean warming in southern hemisphere under-estimated, scientists suggest And if you worry about polar vortexes this winter, just remember it could be much worse: swirling cloud at Titan's pole is cold and toxic

There are thousands with power after storm in NI as the British Isles get their first autumnal storm of the year - it's even wet & windy down in Evesham! Also today, storms lash lower North Island in NZ, whilst in Australia, electricity being restored after 100kph winds lash SA While in the Med on Sunday, flights diverted as sudden storm lashes Malta, some damage reported .   Must be the time of year! Deadly Typhoon Phanfone heads out of Tokyo Different depths reveal ocean warming trends And this weekend saw the first snowfalls of the season on Scotland's highest summits

Powerful Typhoon Phanfone takes aim at Japan whilst at the Japanese volcano: rescuers find three more bodies as typhoon looms - bringing the number of confirmed fatalities to 50.  First snow in Reykjavik has fallen Severe weather hits Dallas, hundreds of thousands in Texas lose power Triple-digit fall temperatures roasting California Scientists to 'fast track' evidence linking global warming to wild weather Met Office launches space weather forecasting service

Pacific sees storm deja vu as Atlantic's time winds down In the US, the Weather Channel's list of winter storms takes battering from forecasters In Japan, 16 still missing on volcano; typhoon threatens recovery effort And underwater landslide doubled sixe of 2011 Japanese tsunami Walruses mass in vast numbers on Alaska beach as sea ice retreats Antarctic sea ice hits new max; continent still warming It's good to see that forests are emerging out from the shadow of fossil fuels in climate debate - but is it too little too late? Previously unseen details of  seafloor exposed in new map - which prompts the latest daft question from Wattsy:  one wonders how many of these newly found thousands of volcanic seamounts are producing CO2 that bubble into the ocean?   Because as everyone knows, volcanoes only produce CO2 (or warm the oceans) if we know they are there ...... right?   Er ..... Idiots!   (Though good to see my old f...

More pictures and details as floods hit France and Spain , especially Herault where ‘Natural disaster’ forces 4,000 people to evacuate in Montpellier after half its annual rainfall hits the popular French tourist spot in a few hours Japan Mount Ontake volcano: death toll reaches 48 Severe storms blanket Denver, Colorado area with hail Is Typhoon Panafone a threat for Tokyo, Japan? There was chaos in Mumbai after just 30 minutes rain Were there once glaciers in the Grand Canyon of Mars? And the Aral Sea loses its eastern lobe and the real effects of human activity on the environment, and consequently, the regional climate, show up all too clearly from space