Weather & Earth Science News

Scores of people trapped, rescued from flash flooding in north Texas while volunteers search for missing after central Texas flood earlier in the week Possible freak tornadoes strike across Britain with another possible alleged mini tornado hits Bedworth in Warwickshire - in each case a tornado cannot be ruled out (at least one funnel cloud was photogrpahed in England yesterday) though there is currently no direct evidence that it was anything but straight line wind damage on a gust front. Tourists struck by lightning in Crete Andres strengthens into a hurricane south of Mexico - the first of the Eastern Pacific season And Boston still has snow piles - and they're filled with trash

India's killer heatwave is now so hot it causes raods to melt , but some relied as India heat wave eases after nearly 1,700 deaths Here in Britain it's been a cold and wet May - with more rain expected before the month's end Bad weather increasingly affecting ferries, says CalMac Tornado tears through drilling rig in Canadian, Texas Aerial footage shows how Houston was left underwater by flood as rescuers spend sixth day hunting for victims and either remain missing with the death toll now at 21 Alaska's record warmth captured in colourful NASA photo There's heat and haboobs in northeast Africa and the Levant Mount Shindake violently erupts in Japan Below normal Atlantic hurricane season is likely this year 2015 set to be warmest on record, warn climate scientists Severe ozone depletion avoided , thanks to the Montreal Protocol Researchers solve another piece of the puzzle how forests can affect our climate Long suspe

Whilst I was away .... Infant is ripped from her mother and at least 13 are killed after tornado ravages homes and flings cars like matchsticks in Mexico . While in Texas and Oklahoma, flooding death toll rises to 17 as Houston hammered by rain, flooding from deadly storm In Florida, children hurt as waterspout uproots bounce house India heatwave toll passes 1,000 Wolf volcano erupts on Galapagos island Sudden onset of ice loss in Antarctica so large it affects Earth's gravity field

Last update for a week as I head off into the Atholl hills tomorrow and thanks to the planned rail strike, don't as yet know when I will return ......   Earth has warmest 12-month stretch on record for fourth straight month and overall, April fourth warmest on record In Chile: Homes swept away by flood water following torrential rain and captured on film Dozens of tornadoes reported across Texas, Oklahoma Heatwave sweeps north India whilst a dust storm kills at least seven, many houses damaged in Rajasthan Pictures of rare red 'lightning' sprites captured in New Mexico and Europe New evidence links Arctic warming with severe weather Did a megaflood kill off America's first metropolis?  Mississippi River and not droughts to blame for demise of Cahokia A study finds that moderately cold weather 'more deadly than heatwaves or extreme cold' - logical really, since in extreme weather people are more incline

Flood, mudslide sweep away homes in Colombia, killing 58 Winds hamper battle against raging B.C. wildfire Yukon's May heatwave shatters records Blazes break out across Israel as mercury soars in blistering heatwave Hot in Japan too where 2 dead, 480 hospitalized due to heat exhaustion in one week as temperatures hit levels more usual for July Trees blown down and trampolines left upturned in street after 'tornado' hits South Wales - most likely just straight line winds though.   And a supposed tornado captured on film in Siberia is probably an unsually violent dust devil. Glacier collapses in China's Xinjiang burying over 100 cattle and destroying homes.   Presumably it was in a hanging valley and fell into the lower valley below. Global warming fuelling fewer but stronger hurricanes, study says And the science behind Australia's spooky 'spider rain'

Tornadoes hit Plains region as part of powerful US storm system whilst snow, ice and wind storm blasts Manitoba - such snow being unusual there this late in May Heatwave sizzles throughout Israel In China, three people killed by lightning as heavy rains flood Guangxi Finland's Pudasjarvi floods near record levels Nepal earthquake deadliest on record (for the country)

Washington Governor declares drought emergency Meanwhile, oddly late season Pacific storm pushes San Diego towards wettest May on record British butterflies flourish thanks to April sun Typhoon Dolphin lashes Guam, nearby islands; power, water supplies cut Lightning kills 2, injures 9 in south China after it struck a bus shelter Vast Antarctic ice shelf a few years from disintegration, NASA says Climate scientists find warming in the upper atmosphere: Elusive tropospheric hot spot located - another nail in the coffin of global warming deniers

Record May temperatures for Spain as the all-time May heat record for Europe falls for the 2nd time this month .   It only reached 9.9c in my garden yesterday - rather cold for May! German hailstorm causes injuries Spring storm brings thunder, lightning to southern California Two days of torrential rain brings flooding nightmare in Houston area In NZ, vicious twister leaves Mount Maunganui school 'absolutely heartbroken' whilst torrential rain not over for Wellington Not exactly weather: Its raining spiders in NSW Pacific typhoon heads towards northern Guam Met Office awarded for its work overseas New study shows Antarctic ice shelf is thinning from above and below The MetO explain El Nino and its impact on global weather - note, no suggestion it has much affect on British weather, let alone causes cold winters! And astronomers map weather on six distant planets

In NZ, Queenstown and Wanaka face flood threat as heavy rain, snow continues Kenya floods: deadly mosque wall collapse in Nairobi Nepal earthquake: rescue resumes after deadly tremor - the death toll from yesterday's quake is under a hundred, including 17 in India, as unsettled Earth continues to rattle Nepal and monsoon rains pose risk of more landlsides after powerful second quake Taiwan lifts water rationing as rains from Typhoon Noul ease drought Heat wave warning for Spain whilst Portugal temperature record set to be broken with today likely the hottest May day ever in Iberia Astronaut captures massive lightning storm from ISS And whilst they weren't the only ones peddling this nonsense, the Express of course had the worst of the headlines, asserting incorrectly that rare weather phenomenon 'El Nino' to spark worst winter in Britain for years .  There is no firm correlation between ENSO and the climate in Britain, though it may be on

Nepal earthquake, magnitude 7.3, strikes near Everest - as usual it may be some time before we know the scale of its impact. Latest reports have five dead, dozens injured after tornadoes blast central  U.S. Snow in Calgary: How residents are accepting the blame Victoria braced for high winds and snow as storm lashes Tasmania Heavy rain causes major flooding in Wellington Australia's Bureau of Meteorology officially declares a major El Nino; predicts drier, hotter conditions Typhoon Noul hits Japan's coast bringing strong winds and huge tides Gale force winds blow huge cruise ships off course from Western Isles A 'bum slide warning' to hillwalkers tackling Ben Nevis (or, indeed any other hill) - it's a great fun way of getting down, but never attempt it without an ice axe and being sure of the run out at the bottom! Sentinel to measure ocean height Scientists show how 'breaking waves' perturb Earth's magnetic field S

One dead as tornadoes sweep Texas, tropical storm Ana closes in on the Carolinas and two inches of hail rain down on Colorado whilst Texas Guard make dramatic flood rescues near Krum and on Sunday night, at least 20 injured, homes destroyed as severe storm sweeps through north Texas   Watch as rainbow meets tornado in Colorado Rapid City gets record snowfall for May Typhoon Noul kills two, flattens houses, as it lashes northeast Philippines Winds smash historic Woolnorth in NW Tasmania And there was a Himalayan 'drop after Nepal earthquake' of around 1m.  It is not yet know whether Everest was affected, but in any case the difference is negligable.

US Dept of Agriculture interactive map compares past and present snowpack - western snowpack levels very low In Nebraska, flooding claims life of Fairbury woman April sea-ice extent near record low (in the Arctic) Typhoon Noul closes in on Philippines NASA have produced an image showing thirteen years worth of clouds on Earth - not surprisingly Britain is one of the cloudier places! And here's a beautiful timelapse video of hole punch clouds forming

Global carbon dioxide levels break 400ppm milestone Subtropical Storm Ana forms - the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season Typhoon Noul: Philippines evacuates residents threatened by typhoon, volcano More storms headed for Great Plains after tornadoes kill one, injure 12 in Oklahoma and lead to floods in Nebraska.. while snow falls in Northern California Geochemical process on Saturn's moon Enceladus linked to life's origin Australia PM's adviser says climate change is a UN hoax .  No doubt he also believes the Illuminati rule the world and the Queen is a 2,000 year old reptilian space alien ..... And the world’s planes in a single image: Stunning satellite map shows 15,000 aircraft as they travel around the planet

Tiger scare near Oklahoma City as tornado hits safari park - one of  at least 20 to hit the Midwest - as unprecendented flash flood emergency hits Oklahoma City; All-time May record busted More than 12 million trees killed by California drought   Cold snap in Tasmania brings heavy snow and road warnings Australia's strange 2014/15 cyclone season - some intense storms, but with less of them

One man killed by a tornado as violent storms batter northern Germany whilst heavy rain and lightnoing strikes in Sweden   It was the sunniest April in UK since 1929, Met Office says Dust storm engulfs country towns as severe winds lash Victoria and NSW whilst Tuesday’s storm in Adelaide has destroyed a building site, delayed work on $8.4m Henley Square revamp Immense ocean swell generates massive waves, flooding coastal areas in Latin America,  but bringing delight for some surfers as Kiwi waves slam California coast With the earthquake death toll now exceeding 7,500, bad weather disrupts links with avalanche-hit Nepal village Warm oceans caused hottest dust bowl years in 1934/36 New warning about climate change linked to peat bogs in the Siberan permafrost And Arctic ice melting faster and earlier as scientists demand action

In Queenslands five people killed after three cars swept away by floodwaters with thousands of people in northern NSW cut off as heavy rain moves down the coast and a sixth victim as boy, 6, dies after being swept out to sea as he walked on the beach with his father and brother in storm-battered NSW Two Arctic ice researchers presumabled drowned after unseasonably high temperatures - believed to have fallen through thin in Why is Oregon's 'Lost Lake' disappearing each winter?  No-one knows .... And China says no to amateur weathermen - with a £5,200 fine if you predict whether it will rain tomorrow ....

Storm leaves 3 dead in Havana Queensland commuters rescued from floodwaters as NSW put on alert .  Meanwhile, there have been record April low temperatures in parts of Northern Territory - although cold for them is a relative term! Eastern Finland sees pre-May Day whiteout Heatwave continues in Rajasthan; Jaipur observes hottest day of the year so far Nepal quake: Towns near epicentre 'devastated' - Red Cross Japanese island residents get seaside surprise as 1,000ft rises above the surface overnight - I recall something similar occurring in Alaska a few years back, though unfortunately can't trace a link to the story.  It's all down to landslides. Heatwaves 'more likely' in England - good news for some, I suppose, though it was the mild winter that helped make last year a record warm one, moreso than the July heat wave. Gravity data show that Antarctic ice sheet is melting increasingly faster Climate change risk to '