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Showing posts from April, 2017

28th April - Today's News: Waterspout Filmed off Devon Coast

Watch as waterspout creates tornado effect off Devon coast Second death confirmed in North Carolina flooding Typhoon Haiyan’s electric spectacular in the eye of the storm Global warming accounts for tripling of extreme West African Sahel storms Tsunami formation: Study challenges long-held theory And were humans in North America 130,000 year ago?  Mastodon discovery shakes up understanding of early humans in the New World - but it's really very circumstantial evidence and I am not convinced by it.

26th April - Today's News: One Dead in N Carolina Floods

At least 1 dead as widespread flash flooding swamps Raleigh, North Carolina Well technically it snowed in Evesham yesterday - we had a little graupel mixed in with sleet and a massive 0.5mm worth of rain .....   Once again April has been snowier than December! March tops April's warmest day in Denmark for first time in 44 years Stunning 'iceberg doodles' reveal how glaciers have transformed the ocean floor at Earth's poles   Is climate change responsible for record-setting extreme weather events? Satellite images show California's wildflower 'super bloom' visible from space We just breached the 410 ppm threshold for CO2 And the century-old mystery of Antarctica's Blood Falls solved

25th April - Today's News: Nesting Osprey Buried by Scottish Snow

Swathes of Britain hit by snow with one poor nesting osprey buried by April snowfalls at Loch Garten Devon's Woodbury Common fire caused 'rare cloud phenomenon' at the weekend Another Colombia landslide kills at least 17 in Manizales - caused by heavy rain There are large wildfires and major flooding as Siberia faces a spring that's both dry and wet Great Barrier Reef: Making clouds brighter could help to curb coral bleaching, scientists say A new study suggests Arctic thaw to cause up to $90 trillion damage to roads and buildings Do ancient stone carvings confirm how comet struck Earth in 10,950BC, sparking the rise of civilisation ?  No, they don't.  They just show how susceptible people are to confirmation bias. And was the artist Munch inspired by 'screaming clouds' ? 

24th April - Today's News: New Atmospheric Phenomenon Discovered: "Steve"

New atmospheric phenomenon named Steve discovered by aurora watchers Heatwave in India claims 4,620 lives in four years In Thailand, nation swelters in heatwave with storms expected A spring heat wave drives Israelis to the beach But Europe's late spring freeze worries farmers.  And this is in the Daily Express, so it must be true! Antarctica is a big nuclear launchpad from which scientists control weather

21st April - Today's News: Tropical Storm Arlene Forms in Atlantic

The first named system in April since Ana in 2003, Tropical Storm Arlene intensifies slightly in the open Atlantic; no threat to land East Coast told to brace for giant 4m waves as another large storm takes aim for New Zealand Snow, strong wind complicate traffic on Czech, Slovak roads Sticking to their religion, regardless of what they see before them, in Louisiana: As the seas around them rise, fishermen deny climate change And some reasons to fear the next UK heatwave - one of which is that we have spend thousands insulating our homes to make them warmer ....

20th April - Today's News: March 2017 2nd Warmest on Record, Despite no El Nino

Despite no El Nino, March and year to date were 2nd warmest on record for world .  Still believe global warming is a hoax Mr President?  The hurricane season’s first depression just formed in the Atlantic Ocean In Canada's Martime provinces, they ask where is spring? Winter-like weather continues with snow, record-breaking cold Meanwhile in Europe, unseasonal snowfall brings Bosnian capital to halt But in South Africa, an autumn heatwave hits drought-stricken Western, Northern Cape The MetO always seem to be a day behind ..... but as pointed out yesterday, early April remains dry but some rain is on the horizon (though it won't be much, and there's the potential for some damaging frosts, and even snow in places, if latest model output is anything to go by)   Arctic river ice deposits rapidly disappearing - melting up to a month earlier than they once did. Water is streaming across Antarctica - the continent is not quite so froz

19th April - Today's News: Water Shortage Warning After Dry Winter

Water companies warn parts of UK could see drought this summer after the driest winter in more than 20 years - and more worrying, many places have only seen 1mm or 2 of rain in April, with nothing much on the horizon either.   At this time of year more rain is needed because of plant growth, which extracts more water from the ground.   Given recent trends, we could have both water shortages and floods this summer - with rain falling in more intense downpours, and long dry spells inbetween. But before then, we could see snow next week (and not just over hills).  And not just here.  Much of Europe continmues to experience a colder than usual second half of April.  Denmark has coldest April night this century .  There's already spring snow in Serbia .  And after spring weather, Slovakia faces record cold and snow Iceberg tourists flock to Newfoundland town NASA images show new crack in Greenland's Petermann Glacier And the Southern Alps will likely save NZ from

18th April - Today's News: A Cold, Snowy Easter in Parts of Europe

Six photos that show just how cold it was over Easter weekend in Germany and it was a freezing Easter for Sweden as temperatures hit -20C in the north The first northern hemisphere cyclone of the year, Cyclone Maarutha makes landfall in Myanmar A significant mile-wide tornado, rated EF3, damages several homes near Dimmitt, Texas and why 2017’s tornado season is off to such an active start Nasa examines 'extreme' rainfall dumped on NZ by ex-cyclones Debbie and Cook  At least 40 dead as massive floods hit Iran As a continuing heatwave sweeps India, Rajasthan’s Ganganagar hits 46°C And how a retreating Yukon glacier caused a river to disappear  

14th April - Today's News: Life on Enceladus?

As NZ residents clean up after massive storm the good news is that it wasn't nearly as bad as expected: Cyclone Cook was supposed to be a record-breaker, so what happened?  After 63 feet of snow, Northern California mountains break record for wettest water year And could there be (very simple) life on Enceladus? NASA missions provide new insights into 'ocean worlds' in our solar system

13th April - Today's News: Ex-Cook Makes Landfall in NZ

Cyclone Cook strikes NZ - Storm makes landfall but at least Auckland dodges Cyclone Cook as it tracks east Climate change scientists' bid to drill Everest glacier And Oh No!  It's them Chemytrails again! Stunning photos capture rare 'rainbow contrails' behind flights as they land at Heathrow Airport

12th April - Today's News: Ex-Cook Could be Worst Storm to Hit NZ Since 1968

Cyclone Cook set to bring chaos across New Zealand in wild weather week - it's predicted to be the worst storm since 1968 - with warning that 'extreme weather' is heading for Auckland .    In Australia, Darwin hit by one of its coldest ever days - but at 22.1c it still sounds hot to me! Argentina floods damage homes in south Flammable floodplains are weak spot of Amazon forest Before the Chemtrail nutters get too excited, this is just a small scale trial test to see if the idea could work - and I am certain there will be nothing at all to see from the ground as aerosols to protect Earth from global warming will be sprayed into the stratosphere next year .   I also remain certain that large scale operations will never take place since the consequences of doing so are likely to be at least as bad as doing nothing.   And let's face it, we can't even stop burning down rainforests yet ......   Meanwhile,  huge permafrost thaw can be limited by a

11th April - Today's News: Cyclone Cook Bears Down on NZ

They're just drying out from ex-Debbie, now Cyclone Cook bearing down on NZ with flood-stricken Bay of Plenty in line for wet weather double punch But in Australia, cyclone warning cancelled for Tiwi Islands and Darwin Snow falls, heavy rain, strong winds strike Victoria Like long-lasting snow?  Head to New England .... Caribou, Maine, has had a foot or more of snow on the ground for a record-shattering 132 consecutive days And after my comments yesterday, the MetO issued a blog post asking are the next three months going to be scorching? -  and confirming what I said.  Although they say almost the same thing every time we get these silly stories and every time it gets completely forgotten/ignored by the media.   Hopefully the message is slowly creeping through to the public though.

10th April - Today's News: Multiple Tornadoes in Washington DC

In the US, multiple tornadoes hit the D.C. area Thursday. A UK date record on Sunday with 25.5c recorded in Cambridge (and a slightly dodgy 24.9c in my garden) - there is however absolutely nothing to suggest 3 month of hot weather are on the way (as some headlines - including the Scotsman - suggest today), other than the fact that, usually, April, May and June are warmer than March!  The headline appears to be a viral one based on this usual misinterpretation of the Met Office Contingency Planner's Forecast issued last month which does suggest a much higher probablity that April-June will be warmer than average, than colder - mainly due to higher than average sea temeperature - but that doesn't mean a heatwave. Warm Atlantic waters wage a new assault on Arctic ice from below In Australia: Brisbane has warmest March on record, Perth coldest in 18 years Great Barrier Reef: Two-thirds damaged in 'unprecedented' bleaching Cyclone Debbie: Why was af

8th April - Today's News: Ex-Debbie Floods Recede in Australia, NZ

In NZ, flood damage in Edgecumbe is 'mind-blowing' - mayor whilst in Australia, Rockhampton's 'fairly good flood' finally recedes In parts of Washington and Oregon a deadly wind storm knocks down trees, thousands lose power Scientists link California droughts, floods to distinctive atmospheric waves And an atmosphere detected around an Earth-like planet

6th April - Today's News: Thousands Evacuated as Ex-Debbie Brings Floods to NZ

New Zealand's North Island pounded by tail end of ex-Cyclone Debbie, thousands evacuated but how did Cyclone Debbie turn into the storm deluging New Zealand? Meanwhile, in Rockhampton: Homes in Australian city flooded as river peaks Tornadoes, damages reported as severe weather outbreak batters the southeast USA Photos show the consequences as parts of eastern Canada hit with 2m of snow over the past week Satellite images of Peru floods show devastation Waves on sun give NASA new insight into space weather forecasting And it's purple lightning: Photographer captures a rare weather phenomenon as storm creates a violet flash upwards into in the sky

5th April - Today's News: Why We Should Forget About Climate Change

In Queensland, Rockhampton floodwaters due to peak later and remain high until the weekend whilst a pregnant cow survives 70-kilometre swim in NSW floodwater to scramble out of river at Pimlico Controversy as storm chasers drove into a tornado on purpose. Then their peers berated them.  Evidence of ancient 'geological Brexit' revealed - how the Straits of Dover formed 450,000 years ago Future carbon dioxide, climate warming potentially unprecedented in 420 million years - that's by the 23rd century.  And of course, orbital parameters, continental configuration and vegetation - amongst other things -  are (will be) all very different now to then, so we can't really draw parallels.   It's not only CO2 that controls climate. And an interesting blog piece on why we should forget about climate change (it's not what you might think - and I entirely agree with it).

4th April - Today's News: Ex-Debbie Hits NZ

Ex-Debbie's impacts continue to be felt, as the remnent hit NZ's North island where State of emergency declared in Whanganui and Kohimarama cliff collapses on units as Cyclone Debbie hits NZ It was one of the mildest Marches for the South East and also the warmest on record for my garden (from 2003).  And across the Channel, March hits temperature record in France too. As storms sweep through South; 5 killed in the US Colombia declares emergency as first Mocoa landslide victims buried Botswana rocked by earthquake‚ aftershocks felt in South Africa And here we go again - first state of emergency of new wildfire season in Siberia

3rd April - Today's News: Hundreds Dead, Missing in Colombian Landslide

Colombia landslide leaves at least 254 dead and hundreds missing Tornadoes kill 2 in Louisiana, while severe storms trigger water rescues in Mississippi 5 Dead In Maharashtra As Heat Wave Sweeps Through Parts Of India but it's now thought it may have been heat radiation from rocks sizzled Bhira at 46.5 deg C: IMD NSW floods: Girl escaped car that entered Tweed River, three other passengers feared dead meanwhile video emerges of a Gold Coast family saved as their home swept away   whilst floods in NSW and Queensland claim more lives .  But good news as exhausted horse saved from floods in Australia whilst thousands of birds flock to Australia's inland lakes after record rain  And in the Highlands, we had the fewest avalanches recorded in almost 10 years - though that was largely down to the lack of heavy snow fall this winter.

1st April - Today's News: Ex-Debbie Flood Toll Rises to Three

Cyclone Debbie: Third person dies as flood crisis continues for NSW and Queensland Massive north Atlantic storm sends surge of ice into St. John's, Newfoundland harbor whilst blizzard conditions drop up to 50 centimetres of snow Thousands of tourists flock to capture California's rare wildflower 'super bloom' brought about by the wet winter  For the UK, March 2017: rather warm and dry for some - including me.  It was almost virtually frost free ....   In fact the lowest temp I have recorded since 6th February is just -0.1c.   Very unusual. Dozens feared dead as landslide hits homes in Indonesia .  Caused by rain?   Or caused by rain falling on recently deforested hillsides .....? The incredible now and then images that reveal the full extent of the planet's receding glaciers Research suggests some of Greenland's coastal ice will be permanently lost by 2100 - by which they presumably mean lost for a long time, but not necess