15th February - Today's News: January Warmest on Record?

Global temperatures leap higher in January, smashing records yet again according to JMA and NASA data.  I expect NOAA and HadCru to say the same.  UAH satelite data shows January to be the warmest month since 1998, however atmospheric temps usually respond slower to El Nino so we can expect coming months to be higher.

The US sees President's Day chaos as 1,200-mile-long storm stretches across 17 Eastern states but in the SW, temperatures soars into 90s as Southern California heat wave continues

'Severe' earthquake close to Christchurch results in injuries and cliff collapse whilst today a second severe earthquake south of New Zealand felt as far north as Dunedin

Niue issues alerts as cyclone Winston nears Tonga's Vava'u

In Japan, temperatures fall back after setting record highs for February

More severe drought in the Marshall Islands

In the eye of the storm - climate change in the Pacific

Scottish beavers 'help to prevent flooding', says study

Even the Guardian get their headlines wrong; there is not a big freeze coming to UK from blast of cold Arctic air - though it was nice and frosty this morning, and rain may turn to snow for a time tomorrow (I wait with interest to see if a flake falls in Evesham ... but expect only sleet) and Thursday in places, it's not going to be particularly cold and will be much milder again in three days time ....

Anyone planning on bagging some new hills will be pleased to hear that the Ordnance Survey releases digital map of Mars surface.  But does it show any potential bothies?!

And the mystery about the Chelyabinsk superbolide continues three years later