Weather & Earth Science News

Vanuatu volcano eruption sparks Ambae island evacuation whilst on Bali, over 100,000 people flee their homes as Mount Agung steam cloud forms A sudden storm uproots trees, leaves thousands without power in Ottawa Hurricane Maria’s death toll in Puerto Rico is higher than official count, experts say - with some suggestions the real total could be in the hundreds .... Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article175955031.html#storylink=cpy Weird weather phenomenon causes fish to fall from the sky in northeastern Mexico Brisbane records hottest September day in at least 19 years More worrying news as tropical forests now emit more carbon than they capture due to deforestation, scientists claim A mystery at the Martian equator as NASA reveals surprise signs of 'significant' amount of ice New light shed on how Earth and Mars were created Solving the mystery of Pluto's giant blades of ice Tsunami ...

As predicted, records fall again in Australia.  NSW weather: September heat records broken again in Bourke, Delta whilst Birdsville breaks Queensland weather record as mercury hits 42.5C And in the US historic heat wave brings record-high temperatures to Midwest with yet more date records broken and the highest temperatures of the year recorded Trinidadian residents clean up after floods Vanuatu volcano: Infrared video shows Monaro sending columns of ash, rock billowing from crater Climate change made Lucifer heatwave far more likely, scientists find Scientists probe secrets of 'seventh continent' Zealandia submerged in South Pacific And plastic chunks on Arctic ice show how far pollution has spread

New temperature records expected as NSW, Queensland brace for second spring heatwave In NZ, a tornado takes out radio mast as rain, gusts batter rush-hour traffic Mexico earthquake: New tremor halts rescue operations Devastated scenes after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rica Bali volcano: Here's why the Earth will get a little cooler after Mount Agung erupts - let's hope it does erupt then.  There are a few tentative signs that we could have a cooler winter this year (having failed to have any winter at all since the sludge-fest of 2013) And in Antarctica: The wind sublimates snowflakes

Up to 50,000 residents flee from Bali volcano amid fears it is about to erupt .   So, what's happening at Mt Agung? Hurricane Maria sending high winds, surf up East Coast whilst in the Pacific, tropical storm Pilar drenches Mexico coast near Puerto Vallarta Toronto sets new record as temperatures soar around Ontario first fall weekend whilst across the border, Chicago heat wave sets record high for 5th day in row , in Buffalo, Sunday's 90-degree record high is also warmest day of 2017 and today, Detroit schools set early dismissal due to heat wave Meanwhile, down under, Canberra records its hottest ever September day   whilst Sydney sweats through hottest September night on record as a parched Australia suffers through its driest ever start to spring It was also one of the warmest days of the month n Evesham yesterday - very summery indeed - but unexpectedly heavy and prolonged rain overnight means today is already the 2nd wettest of 2017 ......

‘Thousands of people could die’: 70,000 in Puerto Rico urged to evacuate with dam in ‘imminent’ danger Hurricane Maria death toll now 30; Turks and Caicos battered by storm In Australia, the Hume Highway cut by bushfire, temperature records tumble as east coast swelters and Sydney sizzles as September heat record broken in NSW Watch out!  A big Antarctic iceberg edges out to sea Winter cold extremes linked to high-altitude polar vortex weakening And here are the winning entries in the 2017 Weather Photographer of the Year award

Hurricane Maria lashes the Turks and Caicos on path toward Bahamas as Hurricane Maria 'leaves 15 dead in Dominica' NSW weather: Record-breaking 40-degree temperature expected this weekend whilst Queensland's drought bites hard and drought maps questioned Bali volcano: Hundreds evacuated, travel advisory issued as Mt Agung threatens to erupt On last day of summer, snow falling in the Sierra Nevada And all these hurricanes: A perfect storm of chance and climate change? - Are recent storms evidence of climate change?  I quite like the answer given: mostly no, but with worrying undertones of yes .

Hurricane Maria: Whole of Puerto Rico without power whilst Dominica 'in daze' after storm leaves island cut off from world Mexico earthquake: Race to find survivors under collapsed school and are Mexico's two September earthquakes connected?   Probably not as their epicentres were quite a distance apart.  It was just bad coincidence. Istanbul breaks all-time heat record for September ahead of cold spell There is climate change flood risk concerns in Clyde coastal areas   including Faslane and, presumably, the MBA's bothy at Mark

Mexico earthquake leaves more than 200 dead, searches continue into evening  as videos and photos reveal chaos of deadly quake Yet more devastation in the Caribbean as Hurricane Maria hits Virgin Islands and bears down on Puerto Rico And, now downgraded to a tropical storm, Hurricane Jose brings rough surf, flooding to New Jersey shore Heavy rains batter Mumbai yet again; air, rail traffic hit Australia's southern winters are drying out. Here's why More evidence of water on Mars And a study shows that Paris climate aim 'still achievable' - albeit only if we act yesterday and do everything possible to curb CO2 emissions and continue to do so.  Unfortunately, because it predicts that if " emissions peak and decline to below current levels by 2030 and continue thereafter on a much steeper decline, which would be historically unprecedented " it may result in a " peak warming of 1.2-2.0c ".   Thus, " limiting wa...

'We've lost all that money can buy': Dominica PM reveals catastrophic destruction before he is rescued from his home as 160mph Hurricane Maria hits Caribbean island Hurricane Maria: British overseas territories warned Here in Evesham, Autumn arrives with the first morning fog.... Was Wolverhampton hit by mini-tornado?   No.  But there was a funnel cloud.... Australia's record-breaking winter beats average highs by 2C, Climate Council says  Arctic sea ice once again shows considerable melting - though not so much as last year.  The lastest figures probably provide a more accurate assessment of the current trend. August was the second hottest on record, NASA reveals   Urgent emission reductions needed to achieve 1.5°C warming limit   The mysterious dark side of Venus: Strange, chaotic clouds are revealed for the first time And how 'red snow' created by microbes is supercharging climate change by causing glaciers to ...

Powerful wind storm kills eight in Romania Swedish storm floods basements and shops in Malmö Swiss ski resorts wake up to September snow Typhoon makes landfall on Hokkaido after leaving 2 dead, 3 missing in Shikoku The threat to East Coast from Hurricane Jose increases; Maria upgraded to hurricane And the British press watchdog says climate change article was faulty (no surprise given that it was a David Rose article)

There's widespread destruction in central Vietnam after major typhoon - Doksuri was the biggest storm to hit the country in 10 years - whilst weakening Typhoon Talim brings heavy rain to southwestern Japan The end is nigh for Britain’s last snow - what is perhaps of more interest is that we have gone from experiencing record high numbers of surviving snow patches to the probability of none at all, in just a couple of years.    Suggesting wild annual variability. And Britain too experiences the consequence of severe weather as a pond in South Devon park floods as rain continues to fall .....

Typhoon Doksuri batters central Vietnam with winds, rains Mexico on alert for Tropical Storm Norma following Max's landfall Texas officials: Hurricane Harvey death toll at 82, ‘mass casualties have absolutely not happened’   whilst the Hurricane Irma death toll at 69; Florida power outage at 6.8 million people In India, cloud seeding focus now shifts to north Karnataka - because there are no "seedable" clouds in the south The first snow of winter falls on Ben Nevis And it's goodbye Cassini - the probe has taken it's last picture and will be dropped like litter into Saturn's atmosphere later today ....

Named Aileen in the UK and Sebastian in Europe, storm and hurricane-force winds kill three people across Germany whilst winds of up to storm force 10 batter the Dutch coast, bringing down trees Irma: Eight dead at Florida nursing home left without power as the USA's Irma death toll rises to 31 across 3 states .  Meanwhile, Hurricane Jose's looping path may bring it back toward Bahamas and US Record rain as typhoon batters southern Japanese islands whilst further south,  Vietnam orders evacuations as Typhoon Doksuri approaches Periglacial cold region 'tipping point' now inevitable The first global map of water in moon's soil And why are there so many berries this year?   Nothing to do with the forthcoming winter (which will, of course, be mild and virtually snow-free) but because we had a warm, dry spring and wet(tish) summer.

Taiwan battens down for Typhoon Talim, ships warned, flights cancelled whilst Hong Kong plagued by haze and smog as new typhoon threat looms   Dozens of blazes under watch as Sydney temperatures sail past 33C Hurricane Irma: Quarter of Florida Keys homes 'destroyed' whilst across the Caribbean the impacts of Hurricane Irma: Damage mapped Here in the UK we just experienced Storm Aileen: Winds bring travel disruption - rather early for a "winter" storm* and, of course, most of the country just had a breezy night.  But there was still horror as recycling bin is blown over by Storm Aileen in Birmingham .....  And I had a small plant pot blown over outside my shop! * surprised the Daily Express hasn't exclaimed it was the earliest named storm on record ..... Video shows methane leaking from beneath an Arctic river after spectacular eruption How openings in Antarctic sea ice affect worldwide climate A possible explanation f...

Three killed in Georgia and one in South Carolina as Irma heads north after weakening to a tropical depression.   But not before Irma’s storm surge swallows Jacksonville with record floods . And chaos grips Caribbean islands days after Irma's rampage In Croatia,  Dalmatia hit by Cyclone Gracija; floods and wind cause heavy damage Two die in landslides after Philippines hit with heavy rains Up to half a million people to be evacuated as giant Typhoon Talim approaches south-eastern China Meanwhile an amber warning for wind means the UK already has it's first "named storm" of the season, Aileen.

Hurricane Irma: Florida hit by 'life-threatening' storm, storm-surge floods the Keys, Miami and Naples   as  rescuers say the 10,000 people who stayed in Florida Keys for Hurricane Irma 'now have no water, food or power' amid fears of a 'humanitarian crisis' whilst more astounding scenes as Hurricane Irma's force sucks shorelines bare, exposes sea beds   A round-up of Caribbean islands left with trail of destruction An online prank forces sheriff to issue warning against shooting guns at approaching storm   Meanwhile, Cuba surveys toppled houses and flooded cities left behind by storm And a family killed in Livorno as storms cause flood chaos across Italy

As Cuba hit with strong winds and heavy rain , Americans begin the largest evacuation in US history as 5.6 million people are ordered to leave Florida as Irma strengthens to Category Five again .   And the entire island of Barbuda is evacuated as Hurricane Jose bears down in the devastated island. Meanwhile UK response found wanting, MPs say - as I said yesterday, the effects were anticipated a week ago.  It's too late to prepare aid after the event .... And people complain because our summer was a bit damp and cloudy at times ......  No should we forget the South Asia floods: Estimated 40 million across India, Bangladesh, Nepal affected Mexico earthquake: Death toll rises as rescue effort begins New Zealand hit by 2200 lightning strikes in 24 hours whilst an avalanche traps family of 17 in lodge overnight   Meanwhile, Evesham had it's biggest thunderstorm of the year yesterday with half an hour of torrential rain and freque...

Hurricane Irma pummels Turks and Caicos islands as the death toll from Hurricane Irma rises as Floridians on coast are urged to leave and in the British Virgin Islands, UK territory declares state of emergency .  This is also criticism of the UK's aid response.  Justifiably in my opinion - the likely impact of Irma was known a week ago and aid plans should have been put in place then.  HMS Ocean should already be on it's way .... Trio of hurricanes in Atlantic Ocean baffles weather scientists - it's unprecended to have three storms likely to make landfall around the same time And if that wasn't enough, on the Pacific coast there's been a Mexico earthquake: Tsunami confirmed as capital hit by magnitude-8.1 quake, killing five In California, the death toll from Bay Area heat wave hits 6 British Columbia's 'unprecedented' wildfire season may continue well into fall whilst this U.S. wildfire season is among the worst: Here's why ...

Irma wipes out two Caribbean islands destroying 95 per cent of Barbuda and St Martin, killing at least ten and with Jose and Katia, there are now three hurricanes in the Atlantic region for the first time in seven years Heat and high pressure: Why Hurricane Irma became the 'perfect storm' and hasn't slowed down yet Brian and Paul among Met Office storm names for 2017-18 The biggest solar flare in a decade causes radio blackout And a warmer world may bring more local, less global, temperature variability

Mass evacuation as Hurricane Irma rages into the Caribbean with 185mph winds after swelling to the size of France as Red Cross braces for 'major humanitarian response' - because when it comes to Irma: Category five hurricanes don't get much more powerful than this .   And heart-stopping video emerges of pilot flying intoHurricane Irma in order to measure the 200mph storm and predict its future movements Meanwhile, in Texas, Hurricane Harvey's floods caused Houston to SINK by almost an inch under the extreme weight Ash covers Oregon cities, wildfire smoke chokes US West In NZ a tornado hits South Island's West Coast as lightning hits North Discovery of boron on Mars adds to evidence for habitability And a bid to rescue Ben Nevis weather data - a slightly misleading headline as the datas isn't in danger, it just needs uploading in a digital format.  And there's a lot of data!

Hurricane Irma: Caribbean islands brace for powerful storm Devon and Cornwall are hit by floods with a foot of rain falling in just six hours on last day of school holidays - I am not sure quite where the Daily Fail gets a foot of rain from, but Plymouth did have 2 inches on Sunday .... More freezing conditions to come as parts of Tasmania turn white in spring cold snap Meanwhile, Australia's bushfire outlook: Warm, dry winter ratchets up threat level ahead of summer fire season Mawar brings flooding to southeast China Suggestions that ancient volcanic eruptions in Antarctica sparked rapid climate change in the southern hemisphere 17,700 years ago .  I am not entirely convinced that that's the whole story though. And intriguingly, the northern lights linked to North Sea whale strandings

Lightning strikes hurt 15 people at French music festival     Los Angeles wildfires: City battles 'largest fire in history' Hurricane Irma eyes Leeward Islands, looks set to strengthen Snow storm to hit Victoria and Australia’s east coast as wild weather forecast for Melbourne As flood waters rise, is urban sprawl as much to blame as climate change? Yes.  Climate change brings more extreme rainfall, urbanisation makes the consequences worse. And floods in drought season: is this the future for parts of India?

San Francisco sets all-time heat record downtown at 106 degrees during state's hottest recorded summer Tropical Storm Lidia lashes Mexico’s Baja California; 4 dead Tropical Storm Harvey: Thousands rescued from floodwaters, death toll rising And whilst Hurricane Irma looms, but it’s too early to predict landfall - despite fake predictions spreading on social media Tropical Cyclone Mawar closes in on Hong Kong, with wet weather set to continue into next week And Adelaideans wake to meteorological mystery and the earthquake that 'didn't happen'

According to BOM: Australia's hottest winter on record, maximum temperatures up nearly 2C on the long-term average Here, a wet summer comes to a close - for those parts of Britain that had a wet summer, that is.  In Evesham, only July was wetter than average, and that by just 1mm .....    US storm deaths: Death toll from Harvey passes 40 - this of course pales into significance when compared with the total number of deaths from flooding around the world this year.   Meanwhile, out in the Atlantic, Hurricane Irma becomes Category 3 storm And Tropical Storm Lidia hits Mexico's Baja peninsula with heavy rain, wind Far from Harvey's horrors, extreme heat scorches Western U.S., worsening wildfires and air quality South Asia floods: Mumbai building collapses as monsoon rains wreak havoc Understanding Australia through ancient Indigenous knowledge of seasons Record-low 2016 Antarctic sea ice due to 'perfect storm' of tropic...