Weather & Earth Science News

In Western Australia, Broome lost in the flood of a tropical superstorm whilst snow follows summer heat as Tasmanian weather lives up to reputation for extremes And NZ's heatwave breaks with fires and flooding as storm hits parched South Island An 'unusually large' cyclone churns through the Antarctic sea ice impacting further on record-low sea ice levels  Record warm January temperatures logged in Russian Arctic UK regional weather forecasts could be improved using jet stream data How to reduce heat extremes by 2-3 degrees Celsius by painting infratsructure and changing farming methods And one for the chemtrail nutters to freak out over as NASA reveals a photo showing how even ship emissions leave tracks in the clouds .  Unlike contrails, ship trails may have a slight overall cooling effect.

Record temperature hits Clyde as Otago swelters and the New Zealand heatwave sparks health alerts and scramble for fans In Australia, Daly River residents airlifted from Northern Territory community as floodwaters rise, Darwin dam spills whilst further west, it was 'Worse than a cyclone': Tropical low devastates WA's north Lake Forest hottest spot in U.S. as January heat wave breaks records, broils Southern California The world’s oceans rise to hottest temperatures ever recorded ‘by far’

Lots of pictures, as usual from the Daily Fail, as wintry blast sweeps across Middle East  Nearly 50,000 homes lose power across Victoria as the mercury hits a sweltering 45C The River Seine reaches its highest level yet during recent Paris flood, with 1,500 people evacuated Extreme weather in China forces thousands of evacuations as heavy snow and ice cause chaos across the country And in Sakhalin on Siberia's  Pacific coast a man opens door to find he lives in an igloo

As the drought continues, Cape Town may be the world's first major city to run dry Floods cripple Paris after the River Seine bursts its banks Heavy snow hits central Shanghai for first time in a decade with trains canceled, airports closed, traffic jammed as winter bites Central, East China  Families enjoy day of sledding as snow drapes Saudi Arabian mountains Northern Territory monsoonal weather sees cars swept of roads by floodwaters Tokyo experiences coldest day in nearly half a century In Wales, a 'funnel cloud' damages homes in storm at Pont Creuddyn A winter warmth record for Denmark on Wednesday And how tiny particles have outsize impact on storm clouds, precipitation

Flood waters rise across much of France with Paris seeing the River Seine rises towards 6-metre mark as barriers deployed In southern Scotland, flooding strikes after overnight rain whilst Storm Georgina unleashes her fury over the north of Scotland Waiau records highest temperature in New Zealand for almost six years whilst in Australia, heatwave leads to near record January temperatures And in contrast, Tokyo experiences coldest day in 48 years Discovery Channel storm chaser Joel Taylor dies at 38 Record jump in 2014-2016 global temperatures largest since 1900 whilst the rise in severity of hottest days outpaces global average temperature increase Volcanic tremors force suspension of rescue operation after eruption, avalanche at Japan ski resort Philippines' Mayon volcano spews red-hot lava as thousands flee - one of several active volcanos around the Pacific at present.  But the Ring of Fire's volcanic and quake acti...

This happened early yesterday morning, though I didn't pick it up till later in the day: Landslide forces train to derail as Britain is hit by floods after weekend snow thaw .  Location is about 3/4 mile east of Essan, by the Muidhe. Unfortunately, at the moment, all weather has been cancelled because Met Office unable to update forecasts because of fire at £97m supercomputer building in Devon More breaking news: Alaska earthquake prompts tsunami alert Skier killed and at least 16 injured after massive volcanic eruption consumes Japanese mountain resort whilst there have been thousands stranded, scores injured in snowbound Tokyo after the city saw it's heaviest snowfall in 4 years Extreme drought grips parts of South Africa And another reason never to start; climate engineering, once started, would have severe impacts if stopped

More snow at the weekend, cauing disruption in Scotland and some joy in the Midlands where it was unexpected.  We even had a few flakes in Evesham on Sunday morning, amide the rain ....  In Eskdalemuir rescuers find man in snowdrifts whilst in the Highlands there was traffic chaos at Nevis Range and Glencoe ski centres The SW saw just rain though and in North Devon flooding: Homes evacuated after landslides hit More snow in Europe too.  Sweden's snow depth sets new seasonal record whilst in the Alps, heavy snow cuts off Zermatt once again, other villages evacuated SW Finland faces worst winter flooding in 13 years Sydney swelters through warmest start to the year on record Beijing embraces first winter snow - it usually falls in late November .... 13 die after massive landslide throws bus into abyss in Colombia In Mozambique: Tropical storm kills 7, displaces 87,000 others Philippines raises alert level after explosion at Mount Mayon volcano Th...

Storm name controversy in the wake of Fionn/not-Fionn/no-name/David/Friederike .....  Liam Dutton explains why I criticised Met Eireann for naming Storm Fionn whilst the Met Office criticised for not naming storm which battered Britain .  So should the Met Office have named last night’s storm? Yes and no.  Yes, it should under the current policy, but it's a policy I am not alone in thinking should be dropped - not least because of the way it's deliberately misused by the media to cause confusion, concern and to generate sales ....  And the rest of Europe needs to get it's act together too and agree that if a storm IS named, it's only named once! Whatever its name, storm kills at least seven as it rips roofs from buildings and flips trucks in Europe with all long-distance trains cancelled across Germany until further notice due to hurricane as a video shows pedestrians get blown away in shocking footage as 140kph gusts batter Netherlands .   Th...

Overnight and this morning more travel disruption as high winds and snow hit UK   - but it wasn't Storm Fionn, as some media still claim .  That affected Ireland on Tuesday night.   Whilst unnamed by the MetO, last night's storm - which seemed worse in Evesham than Storm Eleanor - has been dubbed David by the French.  And Friederike by the Germans ....  Meanwhile, as the storm moves into Europe, 'code red' storm halts Dutch trains and flights whilst trains cancelled in western Germany until further notice due to storm In the US there have been at least 12 deaths from snow, ice and record cold in South   Sydney set to bake in 43 degree temperatures again during five-day heatwave as people are warned to stay indoors Iranians pray for rain amid water crisis  And the U.S. sets record of 246 straight days without a tornado death

Tropical heat wave sends temperatures to record levels in Alaska - where it was even (briefly) warmer than Florida ....   And across the Arctic weather anomalies accelerate the melting of sea ice Moscow only got six minutes of sunshine in December - its gloomiest month on record Heavy snow in places yesterday, especially the Borders, saw hundreds of stranded drivers spend a freezing night in their cars - and where's Sir Andy Flurry? Keeping track of Scotland's gritters Meanwhile the media have been completely flummoxed after thinking windy weather tonight would be named Storm Fionn - only for Met Eireann to designate the name to winds on their west coast last night. Storm Fionn aftermath: Thousands of people without power, snow and strong winds forecast. As yet, no name allocated for tonight and winds don't now look likely to be strong enough to warrant one. ....  However, forecasters issue new warning of persistent heavy snow for parts of Scotland a...

Perth saturated as ex-Cyclone Joyce brings four months of rain in a day A heatwave in NZ as Dunedin temperature soars to record 35C In the US, the South prepares for wintry mix of snow and ice whilst a state of emergency declared, evacuations ordered as ice jams clog Northeast waterways The dramatic moment a tornado sends debris flying as it rips through village in France Thousands flee as volcano erupts in Philippines Dangerous Cyclone Berguitta threatens La Reunion, Mauritius with damaging wind, flooding rain And as temperatures sink to -60C in Yakutia, heroic Chinese tourists take a swim!

California mudslide toll rises to 20, as search continues with four more still missing Perth bushfire paints skies 'vivid orange' Peru quake: Magnitude 7.1 sea tremor topples buildings Madagascar cyclone death toll hits 51, 22 missing And t hink the weather is unpredictable on Earth? NASA image reveals the incredible cloud belts of Jupiter where gigantic storms with winds that reach 129,000mph rage

Black snow troubles pollution-weary Kazakhs in Temirtau In the US, Winter Storm Hunter spreading a mess of snow, ice from the Tennessee Valley to northern New England California mudslides: Man 'barely made it out' of car swept away by muddy floodwaters whilst today the  'Window closing' for missing as death toll rises to 18 Perth set for downpour as ex-tropical Cyclone Joyce heads south Hail and ice an 'unusual' summer surprise for Tasmanians in January - I always associate hail with summer storms anyway! New temperature record for Singapore in 2017, another sign of climate change In Africa, DRC floods leave 45 dead, thousands homeless Jet stream changes since 1960s linked to more extreme weather The climate impacts of deforestation are even more than previously thought ...... now what I have been saying for years? And on Mars: Huge water ice reserves found on Red Planet suggest potential for human colonisation

After heavy rain falling on hillsides denuded of vegetation by wildfires, California mudslides death toll rises with 17 still missing   Alps snowfall: Trains reach tourists stranded in Zermatt Global Sea Ice hits new record low for 2nd year straight whilst the current Arctic sea ice cover second lowest since 1979: data centre BOM annual climate statement shows 2017 was Australia's third-warmest year on record   Evacuations as downpours lash West Coast of NZ Tropical Cyclone Joyce declared a category one system as WA prepares for impact  And from the Telegraph, where he wrote a popular column, Philip Eden, meteorologist – obituary

Sad news this morning as it's announced that one of Britain's most kind and knowledgeable meteorologists has passed away.  Philip had been suffering Parkinson's and dementia for several years.   No obituary has been posted yet. In California: Rescuers search for mudslide survivors with 13 so far confirmed dead Alps snow strands thousands of tourists in Switzerland .  Again In WA, a yellow alert for Kimberley and Pilbara as cyclone bears down And 2017 was the third warmest year on record for the U.S. according to preliminary NOAA data

Madagascar cyclone kills 29, displaces thousands Snow falls in Sahara desert for third time in 40 years whilst some Spanish beaches are covered in ice as freezing temperatures cause hailstones to settle on the sand Sydney storms light up city after record heat Further highlighting the amount of plastic in our oceans, Storm Eleanor leaves 'tidal wave of waste' in Cornwall More weather memories, this time the 1982 blizzard when it snowed for 36 hours Evacuations ordered in fire-ravaged Southern California ahead of rain Stunning bright light turned night to day over vast swathe of Russia as what seems to have been another meteorite break up in the atmosphere  Methane hydrate dissociation off Spitsbergen not caused by climate change And El Nino's long reach to Antarctic ice

NSW heatwave: Sydney swelters then storms as humid conditions continue whilst thousands of flying foxes 'boiled alive' after record-breaking heatwave sees them fall from the sky   Another cyclone could hit WA's north within days, as residents count cost of severe storm Record breaking cold snap that caused Boston's coldest day in more than a century and parts of Maine to shiver in -20f comes to end Extreme weather: Social media reaction in US and Australia The day of Scotland's most deadly storm 50 years ago.  Though Scotland has been hit by many stronger storms since - it was decaying infrastructure that resulted in some many deaths Reminding us once again that other countries don't cope any better with severe winter weather than Britain, roads closed and trains cancelled as storm Cora hits Sweden whilst snow in Spain traps thousands of people in cars overnight Tornado rips through 2 towns in French Pyrenees PNG volca...

In the US, incredible aerial photos show freezing conditions across the northeast as cities dig out from 'bomb cyclone' while braving frigid temperatures whilst a river of frozen floodwater traps dozens of cars in frigid Boston while wind chill dips to minus 100 in New Hampshire and two dozen, including a 9-year-old girl, are confirmed dead Alps weather: Heavy snow cuts off ski resorts again South-east England at risk of water shortages this summer, officials warn Australia's southern states swelter in soaring temperatures Israel pounded by heavy rain, lightning in worst storm of winter In DR Congo, flood tragedy highlights perils of urban sprawl NASA catches Tropical Cyclone Ava's landfall on Madagascar's coast  And why climate change may be to blame for dangerous cold blanketing eastern U.S.

Boston drowns in historic 15ft flood of ice water as historic ‘bomb cyclone’ unleashes blizzard conditions from coastal Virginia to New England and further south, iguanas freezing up and falling from trees in Florida amid 'bomb cyclone' cold snap In Europe, more heavy snow cuts off Alps ski resorts France storms: Death toll rises to three as flood and avalanche warnings remain  Here, Storm Eleanor changes shape of Cornwall beaches Flooding wrecks havoc in coastal town Kaiauain as NZers are warned don't relax yet - deadly storm to pummel the country another 26 hours Trains cancelled, classes suspended in China snowstorms First direct proof of ozone hole recovery due to chemicals ban And the ocean is losing its breath -- here's the global scope

After crossing Britain, deadly Storm Eleanor batters Europe ;  renamed by the Germans,  Storm Burglind causes havoc in Switzerland, derails train In the US winter storm rakes East Coast, bringing snow to Florida, Georgia, Carolinas while researchers reveal how America's weather is 'in the wrong place' .   But in the west, Sierra Nevada has just 3% of the expected snow as fears rise of drought's return to California Whilst it sometimes seems that wildfires are getting bigger and more frequent, in fact the opposite is the case (they just get reported more due to the internet) and these fire reductions 'make methane numbers add up' And new analysis of Tabby's Star: Alien megastructure not the cause of dimming of the 'most mysterious star in the universe' - although it could be debris left over from the destruction of an alien megastructure (or even a planet) .....

A rather breezy night as Eleanor kept trying to open my bedroom window wider to get in ..... Travel chaos and thousands left without power as UK lashed by 100mph winds .  In Cornwall, it was waves that caused damage as Portreath harbour wall destroyed by Storm Eleanor near the Waterfront Inn whilst in Ireland a massive clean-up operation underway as country braces for more gale force winds - colder but settled weather should set in by the weekend.  At least nine deaths from cold as vast area of US gripped by Arctic chill A new UEA study predicts a significantly drier world at 2ºC - though I'm not sure how that correlates with paleoclimates when Earth was warmer?   I thought it was usually a case of colder = drier / warmer = wetter (with, of course, regional variations) ...... And according to NASA's figures, 2017 was the hottest year on record without an El Niño, thanks to global warming

Bliadhna Mhath Ur! North America's record-shattering cold reaches as far south as Florida; parts of Niagara Falls freeze over and Niagara Falls’ breathtaking winter views are the upside of this extreme cold .  Meanwhile,  in the west, 'magical' photos catch B.C. valley wrapped in ice after winter storm One dead and thousands stranded due to heavy snow in Alps at the weekend Today, thousands without power in France after storm Carmen And in Australia wild storm wreaks havoc on NSW north coast, with more storms forecast