Weather & Earth Science News

Colorado hail storm delivers tennis ball-size ice Britain has seen a north-south rainfall divide for July - Evesham itself has now had just a fraction over 20% of average rainfall and it's the driest summer month and 4th driest month overall in my records (from 2007) Dramatic footage shows twister above the skies of Essex Bad news as the SNP get their way and wreak more destruction to despicable useless high moors where no-one ever goes as plans for the biggest windfarm in the Highlands are to go ahead Portugal swelters through July Caught on camera: tornado rips off roofs in northern Vietnam Over 100 dead in South Asia monsoon flooding ‘Volcano of Fire’ erupts spectacularly in Guatemala, authorities on alert whilst this volcano in Hawaii looks as if it’s smiling And China's $30 million project to control the weather - well, seed clouds to dubious effect, anyway ...

Tropical Storm Mirinae barrels across southwest China Man struck by lightning as storm rips through Edmonton whilst more heavy rains pound Toronto, causing flooding on major roadways Monsoon flooding in India affects 1.6m people and submerges national park Heat wave sparks anthrax outbreak in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets area apparently after an infected reindeer carcass thaws out of the permafrost  WMO examines reported record temperature of 54°C in Kuwait Current atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations likely commit to warmings greater than 1.5C over land Jupiter's great red spot heats planet's upper atmosphere And there's a puzzling paucity of large craters on dwarf planet Ceres

In south Africa, wild weather continues as a tornado hits Tembisa and another tornado hits Joburg in peak traffic Tens of thousands of alpacas are dying in Peru during bitter cold snap but, again, we shouldn't forget that it is mid winter! In NYC, did the Empire Strike back? Amazing footage shows the moment when lightning forks into the iconic skyscraper and the Freedom Tower In Nepal, at least 39 dead in floods, landslides across country Earlier today, Taipei records second highest July temperature on record Caught on video, the terrifying moment a powerful tornado looms over a Chinese motorway before ripping through toll gates Dramatic pictures show the devastating wildfire that sparked a state of emergency in Europe (well, the Greek island of Chios) When will she blow? Iceland’s vicious Katla volcano rumbles Fascinating photos capture magical snow tunnels on Scotland's highest mountain And have you noticed there aren’t many mi...

More snow, rain and a tornado hit SA in extreme weather shock (well, it is mid-winter) as snow chasers cost KZN farmers thousands in damages California wildfire: 10,000 homes evacuated from path of Sand Fire In NZ, more temperature records broken as tropical winds streamed over the country And US researchers find that farmland 'increases the severity of thunderstorms'

Torrential rain and floods leave more than 200 people dead in China  Tropical Storm Darby brings heavy rains, winds and power outages to Hawaii Los Angeles homes, cars and palm trees covered in pink flame-retardant as ferocious wildfire rages through 22,000 acres of land As the USA's blistering heat wave continues into Monday   Adelaide weather: Houses damaged by wild winds, Seaford train services cancelled as coastal erosion from storms puts sandy beaches at risk Siberia's wildfires seen from 1 million miles away: even the tundra is burning And Christopher Burt re-assesses the hottest reliably measured air temperatures on Earth

Subject to confirmation, two Middle East locations hit 129 degrees, hottest ever in Eastern Hemisphere, maybe the world - the official highest recorded temperature of 56.7c in Death Valley in 1913 is disputed .  In any case, these are the highest credibily recorded temperatures outside of Death valley. Sweltering heat wave hits USA's three biggest cities but it's chiller in parts of Canada where July snowfall hits Northern N.W.T. communities China floods: At least 78 killed and 'millions homeless' Tasmania weather: Snow, hail and wind send chills throughout the state SA weather: High winds recorded as BoM issues severe warning   Giant mountains on Venus may help explain bizarre clouds And does this photo show a tornado in Edinburgh?   Well it's certainly an impressive funnel cloud, but whether it made contact with the ground to become a tornado is impossible to say

Dundee road ‘destroyed by lightning’ and a collection of pictures and videos of other incredible lightning strikes across Scotland this week And passengers escape Russian trolleybus inferno after lightning strike   Winter warmth breaks Australian records   but not everywhere in the world is warm, as a severe winter chill grips Peru As heat wave cooks eastern US, another one in store for southwest Storm cleanup starts as Winnipeggers gauge damage Drought 'shuts down Amazon carbon sink' A NASA study suggests that historical records miss a fifth of global warming Can palm oil be sustainable?   Possibly.  But I would still rather see are obsessive demand for it reduced.  That the damage has already been done (in terms of mass deforestation) is not in itself a reason to persist ...  And the Antarctic Peninsula has been cooling, but that doesn’t disprove global warming

It may have been warm here in Britain, but it was nothing compared with the Middle East where Iraq heat wave sends temperatures up to 53 degrees Celsius Meanwhile, down under, Canberra records warmest ever July night and it's forecast that parts of Australia and NZ could see more July temperature records broken in the next few days. In the Alps, the Rhone Glacier covered in blankets to stave off its inevitable melting Deluge hits Siberia's largest city, causing 'waterfall' near city's railway station Arizona monsoon storm floods social media with great pictures of a strong microburst over Phoenix 13 killed, over 60 unaccounted for in China rains As heat records pile up, La Niña may usher in cooler 2017 Vitamin D supplements 'advised for everyone' in Britain, because we don't get enough sunlight.  Not, I think, because there isn't enough sunlight, but rather our lifestyles mean that, especially in winter, we are ra...

With a max of 34.3c in my garden (33.4c at Pershore) yesterday was my hottest day since July 2006, and the overnight min of 21.2c made it my warmest night on record.  And there was chaos as trains are cancelled because rails are too hot and roads melt as temperatures pass 33C .  No relief down here - and continuing exceptionally dry - but lightning storms hit parts of Scotland after hottest day .  The highest temps were actually in the Channel Islands where Tuesday was the hottest July day since records began in Jersey It was also a ‘tropical’ day throughout NL whilst more storms to bring abrupt end to France's record heatwave Dramatic footage as landslide destroys homes in China And 2016 climate trends continue to break records as NASA announce June was globally the warmest on record.  Again.

Rain records tumble in Queensland but drought not over Fog blankets Sydney, stopping ferries and delaying flights   Cool snow tunnels defy Highland summer Rail line blocked, homes collapse as landslides, floods hit area of central China   Severe storms lash central and southern Japan India's monsoon rainfall breaks 50-year record in Mathura, flood alert sounded And a 'sea ice hurricane' spotted off the coast of Newfoundland

Summer interrupted in Italy, Switzerland as snow whitens the Alps   whilst more weird weather hits Siberia: tornadoes, floods, now snow .  Elsewhere in Europe, Poland battered by damaging storms   and Belarus suffers storm damage Storm clouds put on epic sunset show along North Carolina Outer Banks   Tulsa clobbered by damaging winds, flooding; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's home suffers tree damage as storm hit the US Plains and NE Northern Alaska heat wave brings record temperature to Deadhorse Tasmanian town of Huonville braces for worst flood in 20 years as waters rise Tropical storm kills 69 in China   Tropical cyclones on track to grow more intense as temperatures rise Ocean warming primary cause of Antarctic Peninsula glacier retreat And the 2014 Bárdarbunga eruption: a record-breaking volcanic kettle on Iceland explored

In Australia, one dead as cold snap hits south-east Australia, bringing snow and strong winds Tornadoes, flooding leave damage in Minnesota   Flash flood alert: Saskatchewan town orders evacuation after road gives way    Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountains got plastered with snow this weekend. Yes, it’s July And here in Britain it's supposed to be July! Tornado hits Wales as heavy showers spark flood warnings (actually it's a waterspout).   Has been a bit cool and cloudy of late, but thats the British summer for you.  It's why we invented Benidorm ....   And in Evesham at least it remains rather dry with just over 5mm of rain this month so far (and not a lot more forecast over the next couple of weeks). Hong Kong hit by more than 10,000 strikes in dramatic 12-hour summer thunderstorm   Chinese plane makes miraculous landing after hailstorm cracks cockpit windows Harsh Weather Takes its Toll in Peru’s Southern A...

Super typhoon Nepartak leaves 9 dead in China as hundreds of thousands flee severe flooding meanwhile Hong Kong records hottest day in almost half a century as Typhoon Nepartak nears   'Shocking images' reveal death of 10,000 hectares of mangroves across Northern Australia with climate change being blamed In South Australia, two people hurt, trees down in severe winds, possible snow Tuesday Lightning Rainbow Lights Up Florida Sky   How a single word sparked a four-year saga of climate fact-checking and blog backlash And the Met Office explain  how our forecasts measure up

Arctic sea ice crashes to record low for June China braces as super typhoon Nepartak kills three in Taiwan   Bolivia's Lake Poopó Is Dry – Another Victim of Climate Change WA earthquake: Expert predicts more aftershocks Nasa study reignites claims giant canyon on the red planet may still hold flowing water And despite reports in local media - copied without thought from the Daily Express - there is no massive Spanish plume on the way, nor 6 week heatwave.    As usual, Rao & Corbyn made it all up.  Next week is looking rather cool, though it should improve a little next weekend.  With near normal temperatures ...

Super typhoon Nepartak causes devastation across Taiwan's coastline   In the US, June 2016 was warmest on record for Lower 48, NOAA says Tennessee declares state of emergency after floods force evacuations, water rescues   In arctic Canada, western Nunavut community enjoys early summer heat wave (but 29.2c appears to be a date record, not an all time one).  Double tornado strike over Siberia, sparking fear from a crane driver - and children Australia's vast kelp forests devastated by marine heatwave, study reveals with up to 90% destroyed Drought stalls tree growth and shuts down Amazon carbon sink, researchers find In Japan, three dead and 490 rushed to hospital in Thursday’s heat wave Researchers assess heatwave risks associated with climate change - with many of the heat-related deaths in London and Paris in the 2003 heatwave attributed to climate change ... Forget El Niño, forecasters say 'The Blob' was to blame for stra...

Now a Cat 5 storm, Taiwan braces for super typhoon Nepartak with up to 1 metre of rain expected China steps up flood rescue in Wuhan In Victoria, a jet-skiing farmer plucks man and two kids from Gippsland floodwaters June temperatures in Israel soar to record-breaking heights Pilot captures incredible nighttime thunderstorm photo over the Pacific Ocean Ocean circulation implicated in past abrupt climate changes - the 1,500 year cycle long observed but not as yet properly explained Astronomers find evidence of water clouds in first spectrum of coldest brown dwarf And some good pictures as model braves eight tornadoes in one day to ensure she gets the perfect storm photo

Typhoon Nepartak: First north-western Pacific storm of 2016 forms after record calm It's hot and thundery in Finland as Kuusamo claims summer heat record at 28.8 degrees Celsius Why China’s massive floods this year are different from 1998’s catastrophic disaster that killed 3,000 In Colombia, people freak out over incredible 'Independence Day' cloud as it slowly moves over city on July 4 As Glaciers Melt in Alaska, Landslides Follow This new Antarctica study is bad news for climate change doubters - there's an explanation for the increase in sea ice, and the factors that caused it have now changed.  Antarctic sea ice should now be back on the decline ....   Time will tell.  Lush Venus? Searing Earth? It could have happened . Life in the solar system could have been very different And dinosaurs killed off by 'one-two punch' of climate change and asteroid strike – study .  But we knew that already, didn't we ...

Catch up time after a long weekend in Newtonmore (my last MBA Trustee's meeting for a few years) ... Flooding kills more than 180 people in central and southern China   Flash floods, landslides kill at least 50 people in Pakistan, India, officials say   Bad news for Britons: Warming unlikely to limit chances of UK soggy summers     Record heat and abnormal flooding as Siberia gets freak weather   Intense heatwave sees temperatures soar across Spain Icy blast brings SNOW and wettest July day in 75 years to Adelaide   In NZ, a balmy June saw temperature records fall   Dozens injured as severe weather batters Cuba Hurricane Blas Expected to Become First Major Hurricane of the Eastern Pacific Season Amazon fires: Humans make rainforest more flammable   'Healing' detected in Antarctic ozone hole And more data soon as Juno probe enters into orbit around Jupiter