2nd March - Today's News: Floods Hit California Wine Country

Floods and mudslides turn California wine towns to 'islands'

The heat continues in Australia as Cape Bruny in Tasmania's south overtakes Hobart to set a new March temperature high

 whilst the wet season missing in action for Northern Territory, as Barkly cattle country bakes and waters run dry

It's not just Britain that has seen early wildfires, they are already blazing in Siberia as well - due to a lack of snow - as a train on Trans-Siberian railway goes through wall of fire from grass and forest inferno

New research from Arctic: Thawing permafrost peatlands may add to atmospheric CO2 burden

UK Antarctic meteorite hunt bags large haul but UK's Halley Antarctic base in third winter shutdown due to uncertainty over ice stability (evacuation being problematic in winter darkness)

Asteroids hitting Mars could have made hot rain fall for decades

And ‘There will be 1,075 tornadoes’: Weather vendor’s prediction draws scrutiny