Weather & Earth Science News

France hits record temperature of 45.9C whilst 30c yesterday in Kintail meant it was also the UK's warmest day so far as temperatures soar - but today is likely to be even hotter, with 30c+ in many parts of England.  Including Evesham. So is climate change causing Europe’s intense heat? A scientist weighs in And introducing the Dragonfly: Drone helicopter to fly on Saturn's moon, Titan

Europe heat wave sparks massive wildfire in Spain, record temperatures in France Unexpected summer snow hits W. Mongolia  How damage to the ozone layer and climate change forming feedback loop A second PNG volcano eruption in days stretches scarce humanitarian resources And it turns out planes are even worse for the climate than we thought due to increasing numbers (and persistency) of contrails

European heatwave sets new June temperature records in Germany, Poland and Czechia with more records likely over the next few days.  Saturday looks like being the only really hot day here though. Fire-scarred landscape looks like snow has come down in June as flowers bloom on the moors above Bolton There's no end in sight for record Midwest flood crisi s as high waters continue to swamp towns and agricultural fields throughout the Mississippi basin Under the Greenland Ice Sheet: 'More than 50 hidden lakes' detected Papua New Guinea's Mount Ulawun volcano erupts and sends thousands of residents fleeing Roads and deforestation explode in the Congo basin - impacting not just the wildlife, but in due course the global climate as well And on Monday evening there were pink rainbows spotted over south and west of England

It may end up the wettest day of the year here, after some heavy rain this morning.  Not exactly a heatwave though, but it is fairly humid.   Last year, the 25th June was the first day to see 30c reached, I think it'll be Friday or Saturday before anywhere sees that this year.  Not as wet as Edinburgh and Stirling yesterday though as heavy rain and flash floods cause travel chaos across Scotland and rescue for 14 in Stirling trapped by flash floods whilst Stirling Tesco roof collapses amid heavy downpours as thunderstorms lash UK And it's not just here, as torrential rain causes traffic chaos in Belgrade But mostly it's hot as searing heat across Europe sparks scramble for shade

Darwin CBD buildings evacuated after magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Banda Sea A line of storms leaves 1,000 mile path of destruction, impacting four US major cities on Friday.  Meanwhile, Colorado got almost 2 feet of snow on the first day of summer This week in France 40C heatwave could break June records but it doesn't like being quite so warm in Britain Perth weather delivers winter drenching as BOM records city's wettest June in almost 15 years And how the Indonesian capital Jakata is sinking towards disaster

A ‘dangerous heatwave’ to sweep Europe bringing temperatures up to 40C, forecasters say next week - and it'll be pretty warm (and humid) even here.  Parts of the Highlands, however, saw temperatures down to freezing earlier this morning! But in the US, on the first day of (astronomical) summer, s now temporarily closes road to Yellowstone .  Which probably means global warming is a hoax .... Hawaiian heat wave: With temps in 90s, nearly 30 records matched or broken since May  Happiness comes in waves: Rare formation of cloud covers netizens' attention - KH waves are something I have still never seen ....   Meanwhile, Boulder possibly witness to rare helix cloud formation .  Which is something else I have never seen.  But I did see my first nocties of the year last night; they were widely visible across Europe and even down to the SW of England. India is running out of water, fast and whilst Chennai's the latest city to have almo...

For future reference purposes, as these can sometimes be tricky to track down 2009: Svensmark: "global warming stopped and a cooling is beginning" 2010: New Ice Age 'to begin in 2014' 2013: New Research Paper Predicts 15 Years Of Cooling 2014: Forget Global Cooling Predictions…It’s Already Happening!  2016: Scientists Predict New Ice Age By 2019 As Sun ‘Goes Blank’ 2018: The 'imminent mini ice age' myth is back, and it's still wrong And the infamous Don Easterbrook projection showing just how much it will be cooling after the year 2000 ....

Video footage shows super-cell tornado forming in Texas as wild weather sweeps the country And we may - just may - have some interesting weather here before long.  It' looks like it's getting hot and humid next week - with the added risk of some big thunderstorms ....  If we don't I'll blame Laura!   But it shouldn't be as bad here as on the continent where temperatures of 35-40 Celsius expected to grip Europe next week Clean electricity overtaking fossil fuels in Britain And I'm pleased to see that a major study finds no conclusive links to health effects from waste incinerators - I'd like to see much more incineration and as near zero landfill as possible.  Incinerators being best built adjacent to existing landfill sites, which they can then "mine" for more fuel ....

A rare, clockwise-spinning tornado touches down in South Dakota Amazing slow-motion videos show dramatic scope of East Sussex lightning storm on Tuesday night An ice tsunami in the extreme north of Russia means summer is finally here In the grip of a heatwave, and with reservoirs at near record low levels, a water crisis grips India's Chennai Cold War spy satellite images show Himalayan glaciers are melting fast Plate tectonics may have driven 'Cambrian Explosion' And with more storms and rising seas, which U.S. cities should be saved first?    Obviously none, because the president doesn't believe in it .....

Greenland’s ‘unusual’ melting sea ice captured in stunning image - not sure I'd be comfortable crossing ice that was under water like that!   But does make a great picture.  And it looks like the Arctic could face another scorching annus horribilis with record high temperatures and even more melting ... This comes as 2019 on track to be Earth's third warmest year on record, NOAA says Every river in the UK contains microplastic with the River Mersey more polluted than the 'great Pacific garbage patch' though not sure it's true to say every river ....   I bet there's not much in some Highland rivers.  Yet. Stunning pictures show storm clouds over Suffolk before a lightning strike fire destroys Shotley bungalow roof   as homes are left without power and roads flooded as thunderstorms lash Britain overnight (for Britain read "parts of SE England" - you have to remember that most journalists couldn't find the British Isles on a map. ...

We still have time to act on climate change - but records will tumble for next 20 years regardless of emissions: study .   Meanwhile, brutally simple illustration shows climate change's true scale everywhere on Earth A few interesting comments as the Daily Mail claim that Worcester is almost completely cut off by floodwater with the racecourse and cricket ground submerged - the latter part is correct, but that's because they are on the floodplain which floods every year ....  It's not unusual.    However the Severn is higher than usual for the time of year and I suspect some of the Severn Way that I walked this time last year is currently underwater. This year's wildfire season in California could be worse than last year's, officials warn From breakup to 'fake-up': How a changing Yukon River is reshaping an age-old ice bridge A warning that the Atlantic Ocean 'running out of breath' Mars' mysterious, intense dust stor...

Storm kills woman tourist on Lake Geneva whilst France to declare natural emergency after deadly storm kills another person and destroys orchards.   Meanwhile Corsica comes within 0.2C of heat record Heat wave hits Iraq – and sparks begin to fly Girl, three, is among four injured as freak 'tornado' sends huge bouncy castle flying From Cyprus, video footage of the Nicosia tornado that overturned  cars at the weekend Yet to see any myself this year, but so far it's been an amazing June for noctilucent clouds And Greenland was 40 degrees hotter than normal this week, and things are getting intense

Arctic permafrost melting 70 years sooner than expected, study finds whilst Arctic sea ice extent just hit a record low for early June Severe storms continue to batter Europe but here it just rains.... A new study shows no direct link between North Atlantic currents, sea level along New England coast How warming waters in western tropical Pacific may affect West Antarctic Ice Sheet And rare 'superflares' could one day threaten Earth .  But probably not this week.

Terrifying landslide shoves cars aside like children's toys as at least 49 are killed and 4.5million affected as heavy rain lashes southern China Rain-soaked Britain faces a fifth day of wet weather with RAF called in as a river bursts its banks and floods streets (contrary to the impression one of the picture captions gives, the Avon has not spread into Worcester ..... and it's not even close to flood levels).  And some very unlucky flood passengers stranded on rescue train Why is so much of the US under water? Surging temperatures break 18 heat records in southern B.C. Alarming wildfires rage near giant ‘Mouth of Hell’ gash in the tundra, a wonder of Siberia - interesting comments there about an almost "snowless" winter, and temperatures now at 30c ..... Saturn's rings — and their propellers, waves, speckles and secrets — come into focus with Cassini's final images A new Greenland map captures changing Arctic in fine detail ...

Over 35mm of rain this week in Evesham now, which isn't really a lot but does make it the wettest spell of weather for quite some time, and means June will be my first month with above average rainfall since March 2018.  But across the UK, drenched Brits are driven to despair as a fourth day of 'treacherous' flash floods leaves motorists stranded in their cars and train tracks submerged ‘Tornado’ spotted over the Isle Of Wight as storms hit Hot weather brings plagues of insects to Sardinia and northern Italy - I think I prefer the rain to locusts! Injuries at wedding as more storms hit Germany Man struck by lightning at Copenhagen Airport California Heat Wave: Why It’s 100 Degrees in San Francisco in June Cyclone Vayu: India cyclone changes course overnight and doesn't yet make landfall Old ice and snow yields tracer of preindustrial ozone - and it's now 40% higher How much does climate change affect the risk of armed c...

Whilst we've avoided all the heavier rain, it's still a rather damp, and cold, week.  Yesterday's maxima of 11.3c (also recorded in Pershore) was the lowest June maxima since my records began in 2003.   This morning there's been more Wales flooding: Driver rescued as rain set to continue And it's not just been wet here.  In China rains: Thousands stranded after record downpour However, in contrast, record-breaking, 'dangerous' heat wave bakes western U.S. whilst India staring at longest heatwave in 3 decades, monsoon relief unlikely soon and it's been hot and stormy in the east of Europe where 'doomsday' hail storm smashes windows in Bavaria The jet stream is kaput. In the Indian Ocean, Cyclone Vayu turns very severe; 300,000 being evacuated in Gujarat Nearly a billion people facing high exposure to climate change effects, Global Peace Index finds So h ow can city dwellers help with climate change? Buy l...

A bit of a wet week in England, although so far only 13.5mm in Evesham.  Heavy rain causes road and rail chaos with unconfirmed reports of over 100mm of rain in some parts of the Home Counties yesterday and overnight. Meanwhile a 125-year weather record just broke in the US, but the floods will keep coming  as wildfires, heat waves foreshadow what could be a perilous summer across the globe .  It's not just El Nino; the jet stream is broke .....  This is the reality of climate change. Wild winter weather sees Perth beaches eroded 8 killed, 11 injured in thunderstorm in eastern India whilst Delhi witnesses hottest June day on record; Northwest India enters third week of intense heat Uganda's first wet season causes destruction And mysterious holes in Antarctic sea ice explained by years of robotic data

Lightning strike death on Highlands mountain was 'freak accident' Finnish thunderstorms knock out power to thousands; snow in next week's forecast and parts of England - including Evesham - may well see 2 months worth of rain this week as the jet streams breaks down completely and a significant meridional pattern develops across the northen hemisphere.  Yes, cold and wet is a symptom of global warming.  This is not the usual "European monsoon" that traditional occurs in June as the jet stream ramps up and sends Atlantic depressions barrelling across the UK from the west.   This is slow moving and coming from the south .... One dead and six injured in Dallas crane collapse amid severe thunderstorms And scientists close in on hidden Scottish meteorite crater, believed to be in the Minch .  It formed over a billion years ago though ....

In France: Storm Miguel leaves 3 dead after lifeboat capsizes In Britain a funnel cloud forms over Brent Knoll as storm sweeps into Burnham whilst a picture shows tornado near to Somerset town as Storm Miguel arrives .  And there's flash flooding in Cardiff after thunderstorm .  There wasn't as much rain in Evesham as expected and we had just a few distant rumbles of thunder.  India burns as heat wave grips 53.9% of the population, Churu worst-hit at 50.8 degrees Torrential rain lashes Japan Could climate change make more of Siberia habitable? And Arctic coast erosion revealed by drone images - with the coastline of Herschel Island retreating up to 14.5m in just 40 days during summer 2017.

Radar confirms at least 6 tornadoes in southeast Louisiana; injuries reported And 'It was basically a direct hit': Tornado confirmed in Fort Smith in Canada's Northern Territories In Germany, Brandenburg dubbed 'hotspot of Europe' as extreme weather continues In Australia, it looks like Perth and WA set to be hit with one of the year's most powerful storms Rain or shine: Watching the weather for 250 years at the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford

Tornado rips through western German city Don't assume what the weather radar shows is necessarily rain ...... ladybird bloom spotted on National Weather Service radar over southern California Mississippi River flooding nearing 1993 records in some locations and disaster could last weeks  whilst towards the coast, tropical disturbance threatens more flooding for the US Heat wave intensifies in several parts of India Americans consume 50,000 microplastics a year and breathe in 60,000 more every 12 months A well timed photo as Qatar Airways plane creates amazing rainbow 'contrail' in the sky as it flies over Germany Have we reached solar minimum? The sun has been without spots for 16 consecutive days And on the 75th anniversary, the RAF weathermen who helped save D-Day

Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere hit record high in May Is this snow in southern Italy in June? No, it's just a monster hail storm In eastern Australia, gale-force winds and storms rolling north after lashing Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane whilst even a little, rare, snow falls near Stanthorpe as wind gusts lower temperature Twisters move north: A very rare tornado judged 'probable' in Northwest Territories Evidence that downpours of torrential rain more frequent with global warming NZers get a light show as lightning strikes Auckland's Sky Tower Londoners baffled as ‘black hole' clouds appear above capital - but it's just asperitas 11,000 people have been forced to evacuate as firefighters battle wildfires in Canada Everest glaciers 'retreating dramatically' as pollution found buried deep in snow, scientist says A good piece on how the Middle East's drought cycle will probably lead to even more refugee...

Not much in the way of details in the English media, but a translated page show t he stunning videos of the tornadoes that hit southern Chile killing at least one person.  BBC showing just a video as t ornadoes wreak havoc in Chile 10 Indian cities among world’s 15 hottest places as intense heatwave sweeps northern plains   as pre-monsoon temperatures hit record levels again Yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far for the UK, with 28.8c on the Norfolk coast, though not so hot in Evesham where Saturday took that honour, and in fact we actually had a little bit of much needed rain.  May was my driest on record (from 2007) and I am now 14 consecutive months since I last had above average rainfall.  Climate change?  Too soon to say. Warm too in parts of Europe where heavy storms hit western Germany following heat wave And on Nanda Devi: Rescued climbers search for missing mountaineers - the group includes Martin Moran, wh...

Britain in two-week coal-free record - and perhaps of even more interest, on the 14th May we generated 25% of electricity from solar alone (I guess it wasn't a very windy day!) After weeks of deadly tornadoes and flooding in the nation's heartland, severe weather shifts to Northeastern US In Turkey, ancient people watched a volcano erupt. This may be their illustration of it . And how climate change is already affecting global food production -- unequally