Weather & Earth Science News

Eire has been badly hit by Storm Frank: 'It's like a war zone' - women with children rescued from cars as towns devastated throughout the country   600 without power as Northern Ireland is paralysed by fearsome 78mph gales Storm Frank: Thousands without power as Scotland battered   North Wales hit by Storm Frank as bad weather onslaught continues And it's not just us affected as 'freak' Iceland weather bomb sets up Arctic for extreme heat Captured on CCTV,  ancient Yorkshire bridge collapses in the floods in Tadcaster Meanwhile, floods unleash unprecedented criticism - but the question remains: how much money does it take to stop it raining - which remains the only way of preventing floods like this occurring .....   Next month could see southern England in the line for heavy rain and possibly flooding down here too. And whilst it is questionable how much it has affected the weather in Britain, around the world El Nino weat...

The wine bar with water half way up its windows! The stark images of flood-hit Britons battling to save their property… as 'nightmare' flooding hits York after rivers overflow - all thanks  to record breaking December rainfall - and there is more on the way as Storm Frank threatens more misery .   What exactly the government are meant to do to stop such rain has yet to be explained by those demanding action ....   Meanwhile, so far as I am aware, not one single person in Britain is literally homeless (living in a makeshift shelter on the streets), a scene all too common however when floods occur elsewhere in the world. Also, no-one has died in Britain.    In the US there are 47 now dead - including a 7-year-old boy and a mother who was on Facetime with her husband when he watched her get swept away by a tornado meaning that  this month is now the deadliest December for tornadoes in over 60 years whilst historic and unseasonable...

Just a quick note today to cover the main - and sadly serious - weather related stories this Christmas.   In the US, a tornado hits Birmingham, Alabama, trapping people in demolished houses as freak weather continues to batter the South .  This comes after 15 killed as tornadoes rip across souther US days before Christmas A black Chrismas in Victoria: Great Ocean Road fire: Number of homes lost in Christmas Day blaze rises to 116 Here in Britain, more severe flooding today with further stormy weather to come. Met Office issues red weather warning amid flooding in Lancashire and Yorkshire whilst floods close A5 and A55 in North Wales And in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay flooding displaces 150,000

In the US, six dead in Christmas tornadoes: Terrifying video shows truck being wiped out by twister Meanwhile, scores of eastern U.S. cities to shatter Christmas Eve warm weather records In Eire, almost 2,000 homes still without power after Storm Eva's brutal gales Here, we are still expecting more wind and rain over Christmas - most places can expect half a month's rainfall before the year is out - and there's a new storm to follow on the heels of Eva and bring fresh flooding next week. A Christmas Cyclone watch declared for Northern Territory communities between Port Roper and Queensland border Air pollution and fog forces school shutdown in Bosnian capital whilst in Italy, Milan limits daytime traffic to battle smog And French plants blossom in mild December

Further flooding worsens troubles for Cumbrian towns hit by Storm Desmond , and more heavy rain is expected over Christma.  Ironically, down here it's looking set to end quite a dry year with over 100mm still needed to bring the total up to average. Winter heat wave, of a sort, envelops usually frigid Moscow - with records being broken there as well. Post-Christmas storm to slam central US with flooding, severe weather and snow whilst northeast ski resorts battle Mother Nature in exceptionally snow-less December December heatwave shatters records in south-eastern Australia   40 cities on pollution alert as north China continues to choke on smog Trapped CO2 gas may form Martian gullies - not water  And giant comets could pose danger to life on Earth - but only if they hit us

Spectacular polar stratospheric clouds lighting up Norway skies It's too cold for school in Yakutsk, as temperature hits minus 45C Over the weekend, snow finally arrives in Buffalo, breaking records with the latest recorded December snowfall since 1899 Elsewhere in the US, Winter Storm Fergus bringing  heavy snow, gusty winds to the West in contrast to which hundreds of warm records are in jeopardy this week across the Eastern U.S.   Most of Queensland struggling through history-making drought Horrific China landslide blamed on man-made garbage pile and rainfall Extinction of large animals could make climate change worse East Antarctic ice sheet has remained frozen for 14 million years, team reports

December temperature records broken in Finland as Swedes bask in record winter temperatures .  It's also been a record December in France whilst balmy Britain basks in record December temperatures as Christmas exodus begins   In Scotland, warm weather hits all five Scottish ski resorts (as I predicted it would back in September - Madden etal take note!) And down in NZ, Christchurch temperature hits record December high of 36.1C So, with daffodils in bloom, the warmest ever December: how worrying is the world’s strange weather?   It's a combinatioin of El Nino and underlying AGW.  Expect worse in the future ...  Bridge submerged as flooding hits parts of Wales Avalanche hits Norway's Arctic Svalbard after worst storm in 30 years Death toll rises to 45 in storm-hit Philippines   Thousands of dead fish wash up to the surface of a lake near Jakarta following torrential rains Christmas cyclone expected to hit Queensla...

Cute koalas wilt in trees and drink from water bottles as Adelaide hits a sweltering 42 degrees and Melbourne prepares for the hottest December night on record   Victorian bushfires: Buildings lost in Scotsburn fire as crews work into the night Philippines storm death toll hits 35 as rains threaten to worsen flooding Storm chaser captures incredibly rare UF0-like meteorological phenomenon known as a ‘sprite’   The ultimate ‘blue marble’ picture: Nasa releases stunning new image of Earth taken from a spacecraft orbiting the moon   There are 12 different 'flavors' of rainbow: Scientist reveals how rain and sun's position in the sky can change an arc's color And scientists peg anthropocene to first farmers 6,000 years ago

Now it's so warm seasonal ice rinks across the country are melting as bookies slash odds on it being Britain's hottest Christmas ever and will this be the warmest Christmas ever for Ireland? - too soon to say whether it will be, but more record high temperatures are expected before the year's end and there's not the slightest hint of a frost for much of the British Isles, let alone snow.  In parts of the US too, warmest Christmas in living memory possible as 'blowtorch' weather pattern likely in the East, Midwest .  And even in Austria, mild temperatures dash white Christmas hopes Meanwhile November, autumn and year-to-date were all hottest on record for Earth, NOAA says  and that trend looks like continung with 2016 set to be hottest year on record globally , beating what looks set to be the 2015 record.  And it's a tropical start to Scotland's latest avalanche season So, December weather: Why is it so mild? Australians flock to the...

Kurnell is declared a 'natural disaster zone' after TORNADO smashes into Sydney suburb 'like a freight train' with 213km/h winds tearing roofs off homes in a matter of minutes and the aftermath of Sydney's freak tornado: Incredible pictures trace the path of destruction that reduced suburb of Kurnell to a disaster zone And watch terrifying footage taken from inside the eye of 213km/h tornado that tore apart Kurnell - and led to Sydney suburb being declared a 'natural disaster zone' Elsewhere, the moment terrified Christmas shoppers ran screaming after wild Sydney weather caused the roof to cave in at Bondi Sydney's super storm: How it formed It now looks like at least 13 killed, thousands flee as Typhoon Melor strikes Philippines Record-setting Colorado snowstorm snarls traffic, forces airline cancellations Here, a white Christmas looking unlikely as UK temperatures remain well above normal - indeed, I am nopt now expecting t...

Typhoon kills 4 in Philippines, cuts power ahead of Christmas  Last weekend's Bering Sea storm among strongest non-tropical cyclones on record   Dramatic flooding to come in Ireland as the Shannon River’s waters rise and more rain expected Heavy snow shuts Highland schools - but down south the outlook remains very mild and a white Christmas is most definitely not on the cards.  And it's not just here; in the US the East's winter summerland: Toasty temperatures return for Christmas   whilst in Europe, ski resorts in French Alps forced to delay start of season as slopes remain bare due to balmy December weather Aura mission tracks global pollution trends  Volcanic event causes ice age during Jurassic   And climate outlook may be worse than feared, global study suggests - but I suspect they are wrong.   Climate isn't a simple algorithim ....

As Typhoon Melor threatens central Philippines, hundreds of thousands evacuated Japan swept by record rains Monster Bering Sea storm lashes at Aleutians, western Alaska   Welcome to summer in Australia: Bushfires rage in Queensland and SA while snow is falling in Tasmania   Winter tornadoes touch down in East Texas damaging 50 homes and injuring two And here apparently it's colder than the South Pole: Britain freezes as temperatures plummet to -10C with more misery on the way for deluged towns as 60 flood alerts are still in place - a headline repeated in other papers which conveniently overlooks the simple fact that yesterday the temperature fell to -29c at the South Pole ....   Some nice pictures though that contrast starkly with the mild, drab weather in the south of Britain.

Powerful Alaska storm to rival strongest on record   2015 will likely end as the least deadly tornado year on record in the U.S.   Watch thousands of tumbleweeds tear across Montana in 50 mph wind gusts A "State of Uncertainty" is declared as extreme storm to hit Iceland And climate change means days are getting longer, scientists find .  But only by a millisecond

Rain causes further Cumbria flooding as Scientists link UK storm to man-made global warming .  And Storm Desmond claims its third victim: Pensioner, 70, hit by sign blown over in high winds dies in hospital - as new aerial pictures show the awesome scale of the floods that have hit Cumbria .   More rain is expected this weekend. Meanwhile, Met Éireann rules out any 'Storm Patrick' because name is a 'cliché' Thousands of homes without electricity after more than 73,000 lightning strikes hit Queensland and wild weather rips up trees and tears down 150 power lines Pacific Northwest braces for landslides as lethal storms leave two dead   Stunning photos of a forest of 'snow monsters' in Japanese mountains  Interestingly, models overestimate rainfall increases due to climate change, experts say A new method to predict sea ice changes years in advance NASA has an explanation for Ceres' mystery bright spots

Hell freezes over ..... temperature goes below freezing point in Saudi cities whilst Damascus experiences its coldest December night on record As the clear-up continues, more heavy rain forecast for Cumbria and in Eire country's at-risk areas to expect worst flooding in 20 years over next 48 hours In Washington State massive flooding threatens communities as rain, snowmelt continue  DR Congo floods kill '20 people in Kinshasa'   South Africa reaches record December temperatures on El Nino Volcanic chain underlies Antarctica And clearing up dust's effect on climate - does it cause warming or cooling?

With 13 inches in 24 hours: Flooding storm ‘Desmond’ shatters U.K. rainfall records Storm Desmond: Body recovered in search for man who fell into River Gowan, Staveley - with dramatic pictures there of damage at Pooley (no-longer-a) Bridge and Dunmail Raise - as engineers battle to restore power to homes .   But can we build defences against indefensible floods ? And with those rainfall records broken did climate change have an impact on Storm Desmond?   In the US too, flooding and landslides after record rainfall pounds Pacific Northwest   Iranians photograph the first snow of the season Global fossil-fuel emissions predicted to decline for 2015   Greenland glaciers retreating at record pace whilst study undercuts idea that 'Medieval Warm Period' was global - though we should be wary of assuming glacial extent is a proxy for temperature.   Other factor may also affect their advance and retreat.  Warm nights coul...

Keyboard problems, so not much comment from me .....   I will let the pictures speak for themselves Aerial photographs show widespread flooding across Cumbria caused by Storm Desmond   Schools, hospitals and transport disrupted by flooding   Army trucks used as ambulances after flooding cuts power in Lancaster At least one death as body found in river in Kendal Floods hit across large parts of Scotland   Residents evacuated from Aviemore homes as floods hit Clean-up operation after NI flooding whilst in Eire Clean-up begins as pictures show extent of flooding around the country Environmental campaigners say Storm Desmond is a sign of things to come And at Malham Cove: Storm Desmond brings 'highest' waterfall back to life Elsewhere in the world: Parts of Denmark left underwater after rains   Floods hit northen Peru   Adelaide records its hottest night since 1897 with a minimum of 33C... as ...

2,000 without power and flights diverted as Storm Desmond, hits Ireland, but with some Highland rivers reported to have reached record levels, flood warnings issued as Storm Desmond brings heavy winds and rain across Scotland .   More rain in northern England too with Cumbria hit by flooding after heavy rain yesterday, before this lastest round. Blizzardy Buffalo turns balmy, breaks 116-year record for no snow Heavy snow halts daily life across Turkey In southern India, power supply restored as Chennai floodwaters recede Headlines claim Vikings were not spurred to Greenland by warm weather, research shows - but that is a media assumption   The research shows glacial extent was unchanged.   This is not necessarily a proxy for temperature.   And New Horizons: Sharpest images of Pluto's surface are quite amazing

It was a warm and dull November Nearly 14mm of rain in Evesham yesterday, my wettest day for some time, most of it falling in a short period of time in the vening as an active cold front came through.   No problems here, but in Wales, firefighters rescue passengers from flood-struck cars overnight while heavy rain on the Isle of Man causes landlside and floods and there was floods chaos in Cumbria .   Meanwhile snow and heavy rain across Midlothian and Borders leaves drivers struggling Rockington cleaning up damage after wild storm lashes central Queensland city In southern India, floodwaters recede as Chennai rain eases How the typically quiet Central Pacific hurricane season shattered records this year Pictures as Nicaragua's Momotombo volcano erupts for 1st time in 110 years and Mount Etna: Incredible video of the volcano erupting for first time in two years   The contrails conspiracy is not just garbage, it's letting aviation off th...

India's Chennai hit by fresh rain and deadly flooding and with one metre of rain expected to compound heavy flooding in India's Tamil Nadu, troops deployed Two women found dead next to raging rivers as Storm Clodagh blows out of Britain following two days of gales, wind and snow - and there is a lot more rain on the way, especially for Wales with flooding down the Severn valley likely to be an issue next week. Australian weather serves up sun and snow in first week of Summer India's Chennai hit by fresh rain and deadly flooding  and with one metre of rain expected to compound heavy flooding in India's Tamil Nadu, troops deployed Beijing pollution: Schools keep children indoors Large loss of Alaska permafrost pojected by 2100 Why Europe will eventually turn cold (or possibly not ...) And some unexpected 'weather' spotted on the Moon

Huge clear up as Storm Gorm hits Sweden In the US, there's another winter storm dumping snow on northern Plains Tonga facing up to rising sea levels Video of a 'doofnado': Australian revellers charge into whirlwind (or dust devil)   whilst elsewhere in Australia backpackers struck by lightning whilst taking 'storm selfie'   Stormageddon! Photographer creates incredible composite image of Brisbane being struck by 107,000 bolts of lightning Air pollution is choking Bosnia, experts warn And the 2015 hurricane season in review: 11 things we will remember