Weather & Earth Science News

Kenya flooding: At least seven dead in building collapse There were 'loud bangs' as lightning strikes planes over London The official opening of Snowdon summit cancelled because of snow (they mean the cafe: the summit is of course open all year round!) Daytime cooking ban in India as heatwave claims 300 lives The hidden world under western Antarctica: Researchers reveal ‘giant wetlands’ 800 metres beneath the ice sheet And it's not just climate change: Human activity is a major factor driving wildfires

Difficult to find any news stories specific to this, but yesterday saw lying snow to sea level across the Inner Hebrides and parts of the mainland coast around Lochaber.   This is unusual even in winter ...  A picture from Coll was used by the BBC as they warned Met Office issues snow warning whilst for some reason Tiree featured as walkers and climbers warned of late spring avalanches Today snow has fallen across parts of northern England and mainland Scotland - not entirely unknown this time of year, but still unusual to see so much settling to lower levels as snow and sleet hit bank holiday weekend getaway and there's a travel warning as spring snow falls in north and east Scotland .  We haven't seen snow like that in Evesham - at any time of year - in years! And on the continent, there's weather chaos as Austria hit by April snow In contrast, extreme heat sears southeast Asia with all-time records; worst heat wave in Thailand in 65 years Second In...

It's nearly May but it's snowing in London - actually, most of the 'snow' at low levels in England yesterday was partially melted graupel.  We even had some in Evesham from some nice, convective, April showers and hopefully there will be more today.  And, as the MetO point out, snow in late April more common that you may think . Meanwhile, in Stoke a 'mini tornado' in May Bank and Wolstanton devastates residents after damage to buildings and car In the US, storm expands after bringing tornadoes, hail, high winds and as hail the size of grapefruits struck Nebraska and Kansas Tuesday. How does hail get that large? Punishing heat wave sets records across Asia Fires break out across Israel as country is hit by heat wave Is Greenland making Europe wetter? Climate change on icy island may be blocking weather systems, making summers worse further south And citizen scientists collected rare ice data, confirm warming since industrial...

Earth getting greener due to rising carbon dioxide levels, global snapshot shows In Argentina 40,000 affected by heavy flooding in Northeast region Woman dies, animals killed, homes wrecked by storms in Thailand Floods cause deaths and block food aid in drought-hit Ethiopia And wind farms' climate impact recorded for first time - they cause warming! 

Cyclone Amos: Samoans counting the cost of late season storm Seven people injured and 500 homes damaged as sudden tornado hits Chinese city Hundreds of tons of soil, rocks and debris crash down on to the Bournemouth seafront demolishing the public toilets  Sentinels in constant watch on mighty polar glaciers Huge never-before-seen lake spotted hiding under Antarctic ice Ecuador declares national mourning as quake death toll rises to 646 And scientists discover new reef system at mouth of Amazon River

There are now 330 million impacted by India heat wave that has killed at least 160, officials say Vietnam's Mekong Delta hit with worst drought in 90 years Samoas and Wallis brace for an intensifying Cyclone Amos Flooded southeast Texas gets more wet weather In Virginia, softball game interrupted by massive dust devil whilst more dramatically another dust devil lifts elementary schoolboy into the air in Gansu, China Record-busting spring snowstorm leaves giant cleanup in Newfoundland Global warming is making weather better: 80 per cent of Americans are benefiting from nicer conditions than 40 years ag o  Although here in Britain some of us would prefer colder Aftershock measuring 5.8 magnitude brings fresh misery to Japan whilst another 6.0 quake strikes Ecuador amid recovery efforts Two volcanoes trigger crises of the late antiquity - the "536AD cold event" And a nice story from Siberia for Earth Day:  Heroic rescue saves whales tra...

Ecuador quake deaths pass 500 with hundreds still missing whilst in the Japan earthquakes: Aftershocks, quakes continue to rattle survivors as death toll hits 47 Incredible aerial images reveal horror aftermath of deadly Houston floods which killed seven   In Canada, rare April lightning storm rocks Northwest Territories 'Twister' spotted over Guernsey?   No, just an impressive looking funnel cloud Tropical storm looming over Fiji could develop into a cyclone threatening thousands of Aussie holidaymakers   A marine heatwave: longest warm spell for Tasmanian waters since records began NOAA confirm that in March, Earth’s temperature deviated more from normal than any previous month India says 330 million people affected by severe drought   El Chichon eruption implicated in Mayan upheaval   Just 7% of Australia's Great Barrier Reef escapes bleaching   Ancient tectonic activity was trigger for ice ages 50...

Houston region swamped and shut down by ‘historic’ flood with 5 dead as Record Rainfall Floods Houston  and a lucky escape as reporter rescues man from Houston flood waters on live TV   Meanwhile 89 degrees in April!? Seattle tops 122-year-old temperature record Tropical cyclone ‘Fantala’ hits Seychelles island of Farquhar; infrastructure damaged with reports that Cyclone Fantala strongest storm ever on record in Indian Ocean 2014's record Balkan floods linked to jamming of giant airstreams   Video footage as firefighters flee whirling 'fire tornado' in Canada   Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano spews ash two miles into the air Ecuador earthquake: At least 413 people confirmed dead   Economic losses from natural disasters counted  And not exactly new news, but further confirmation that dinosaurs 'already in decline' before asteroid apocalypse

Ecuador earthquake: at least 272 killed with many still trapped whilst following the latest Japan earthquake: 'Nearly 250,000 told to leave amid fear of tremors'   as devastating landslide rips a Japanese mountain apart: Death toll rises to 41 after second earthquake destroys roads, bridges and homes   Chile floods: 4 million people without water as world's largest copper mine suspends operations   The Plains and Colorado hit with more snow and rain as more than 16million people prep for severe weather   Flash floods hit Houston area as storm drenches Harris Country   Record high temperatures continue across Alaska China releases dam water to ease SE Asia drought Powerful tornado rips through Uruguayan city killing at least four And some nice pictures of mammatus as Leicestershire photographers make the most of the weekend's 'weird' weather after snow brings abrupt halt to Spring as wintry conditions set in

Well that was a surprise.  Hot on the heels of Thursday's thunder, this morning we had snow in Evesham - for the first time since January 2015.  A good hour and a half's worth of big flakes (up to 2") which sadly failed to settle on the wet ground, though Bredon was looking white on the way in to work.  Snow stops play on the first day of the cricket season as a dusting covers the north of Britain . Globally, the impacts of El Nino coupled with underlying AGW continue as March temperature smashes 100-year global record based on NASA and JMA data. Japan's second massive earthquake in 24 hours kills 18 people, sparks devastating landslides and razes scores of buildings to the ground while Mount Aso volcano erupts following violent earthquake streak in Japan Tornado kills 4, injures hundreds in Uruguay while Iraq hit by actual tornado after years of bombing by UK Tornado jets (some unfortunate and unnecessary anglophobic comments there, but I guess Putin ...

Japan earthquake: Aftershocks rattle country's south-west after nine die, hundreds injured in tremor Landspout tornado swirling near Calgary is 1st of season for Prairies while in the USA, tornado activity to ramp up in May after unusually cool April suppressed severe weather   Huge hailstones damage 1,000 houses in northern Vietnam Satellite images reveal dramatic tropical glacier retreat in PNG NOAA issues La Niña watch as tropical Pacific temperatures tank And thunder!  Yes we had a thunderstorm near Evesham yesterday evening (it actually passed over Bredon and deluged Pershore whilst Evesham remained dry, but there was quite a bit of thunder and a little more associated with a shower that did bring us rain later).  That's the first thunder I have heard since I was in the Borders at the beginning of July last year, and the first local thunderstorm I have experienced since July 2014.   It was more dramatic in the east t...

Noah's Ark flooded in western Siberia as animals rescued in emergency operation Greenland is melting two months early: Freak warm weather triggers record-breaking loss of ice sheet   In Alaska, rescuers dug through 4 feet of snow to reach stranded skiers   Softball-sized hail pummels north Texas during severe weather; 1 killed in Arkansas storms   Twentieth century warming allowed moose to colonize the Alaskan tundra India heatwave death toll rises to 135 as Hyderabad records 43 degree Celsius, highest temperature in 43 years   Malawi declares state of emergency over drought And there is now a consensus on consensus: Expertise matters in agreement over human-caused climate change - though sadly it has still not stopped some people continue to refute the (abhorrent to them) idea that 97% of climate scientists agree that human activity is causing climate change.  Why?   I don't think even they really know ....

‘Godzilla’ El Niño is dead Sunday's Devon and Cornwall storm: Huge waves and lucky escapes   India 'water train' brings relief to drought affected state whilst Odisha capital records all-time high temperature of 45.8°C Heatwave shuts 259 Malaysian schools   Thousands of emergency calls due to Saudi rain An end of an era as National Weather Service to stop writing its forecasts in  all caps as it resembles screaming The last minutes of the dinosaurs: Scientists say fossil find of charred bones shows something ‘strange’ was going on (interesting finds, misleading headline!) And Planet 9 takes shape: Newfound planet in our outer solar system simulated - assuming, of course, that " Rupert " exists...

Storm and high tide combination brings huge waves and disruption across Cornwall and Devon Cork on alert once again as rain and high tides cause flooding   Some 150 people trapped in lifts during Hong Kong storm Afghanistan earthquake shakes major cities   Despite being 'the biggest threat facing humanity' climate change and its impacts fail to make headlines, says study .  What?  A bigger threat than One Direction breaking up?!!!  And solar storm scientists prepare for geomagnetic event that could destroy technology across the world for years

Panasonic says it created a weather forecast model that beats the European but no, we can't have free access to it .... Fiji escapes a further pummelling as Cyclone Zena heads to Tonga   Texas Panhandle dust storm looks like a massive tsunami   Seattle basks in brief 'heat storm' after record rain Indian heat wave claims over 100 lives in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana   Torrential rain triggers flooding in Argentina, Uruguay   Deadly floods hit Ethiopia Climate models underestimate global warming by exaggerating cloud brightening   And six to 10 million years ago: Ice-free summers at the North Pole

Cyclone Zena intensifies to Category 3 with Tropical Cyclone Zena to Bring More Flooding Rain to Fiji Six Weeks After Cyclone Winston   Sydney records hottest April day Oklahoma storm trackers help man narrowly escape raging wildfire   Spring storm descends on eastern Newfoundland   Interactive maps reveals more rain and less snow set to come for most of the US Heat wave conditions grip central India In the Yucatan, project to drill into 'dinosaur crater' gets under way   And ancient Mars bombardment likely enhanced life-supporting habitat 4 billion years ago

A Chinese waterspout capsizes tourist boat in dramatic freak weather footage caught on mobile phone whilst incredible photos show Shanghai skyscrapers emerging from thick fog In the US Winter Storm Ursula closes schools; bus overturns in New York's Adirondack Mountains, injuring several whilst bad storm damage in S. Jersey caused by microburst, not tornado   California in a state of chronic drought Spring is in the air as migrating birds flock early to Siberia Scientists warn that water cycle instability is here to stay posing major political and economic risks And volcanoes, wildfires and flooding from space: Nasa releases 3 million amazing shots of Earth revealing its changing landscape

Pakistan floods kill at least 53 after heavy rains Meanwhile heavy rain in Fiji likely to persist as floodwaters rise In the US, more than 300,000 without power as winds sock Midwest and plenty of spring snow, rain and thunder ahead for the Northeast after severe storms spawn at least 20 tornadoes from Plains to South Comet 67P presented in silhouette And waking Kiwis stunned to find they were going to be hotter than Mercury

Snow falls in Guadeloupe in extraordinary weather phenomenon   The temperature just hit 71 degrees. In Alaska. In March.   The rise of the ridiculously resilient ridge: California drought patterns becoming more common Terrifying footage captures the moment an entire roof being blown off a residential building during a storm in China   New cause of exceptional Greenland melt revealed   Size matters: NASA measures raindrop sizes from space to understand storms And according to the Westboro Baptist Church God hates climate scientists - not that it matters since they also think God is going to destroy the world with fire any day soon!

Oklahoma is battered by multiple tornadoes while Arkansas is hit by 'life-threatening' flash floods as dangerous weather causes havoc across the South and Midwest while more violent tornadoes, storms in the South threaten 9 million .  In Australia, March temperatures sets record as hottest ever, Bureau of Meteorology says   Flash floods force evacuations in northwest Spain   Central Germany gets April Fooled with heavy snowfall As Thailand hit by its worst drought in decades , Chinese dams blamed for exacerbating Southeast Asian drought Sea-level rise could nearly double over earlier estimates in next 100 years   Nasa studies raindrops from orbit in an effort to improve weather forecasting Another "no sh*t Sherlock" revelation: agriculture expansion could reduce rainfall in Brazil's Cerrado   Mile-high Mars mounds built by wind and climate change