Weather & Earth Science News

Djibouti experiences two years of rain in a single day, with no end in sight for East Africa as Kenyan flood rescue missions hindered by havoc But drought-hit South Africa braces for fresh heatwave Freak waves flood Marshall Islands homes A vigorous storm brings heavy rain and snow to California and prompts tornado warning near Phoenix whilst snow and rain slam Arizona as blizzard bears down on Midwest, Plains Albania earthquake: Rescue efforts wind down with the death toll now at 49 There are concerns that Amazon fires intensify Andes glacier melt with consequences for water security And here are five of the main reasons people continue to deny climate change

Can we avoid catastrophic climate change?  It may be too late ..... Nine climate tipping points now 'active,' warn scientists (although nt everyone agrees) The US gets hit by a couple of storms: 'Bomb cyclone' paralyzes the US on Thanksgiving, with Southern California bracing for flash flooding Summer outlook from Bureau of Meteorology suggests hot, dry times to continue across Australia How Russian birch trees are ‘climbing mountains’ due to climate change And how wet has 2019 autumn really been?   Wetter in some places than others.  

Albania is hit by series of aftershocks as death toll from its worst earthquake in decades rises to 28 whilst the Greek island of Crete is hit by 6.0-magnitude earthquake That was Denver’s biggest November snowstorm since 1994 Why El Niño weather events are looking increasingly dangerous as the climate changes More impacts of pollution and a global throw-away society as a Thai deer found dead after consuming 7kg of waste including underwear and coffee grounds And some mysterious ripples in clouds over Antarctica that were photographed from ISS and provoked wild conspiracy theories are caused by islands, say meteorologists - pretty obvious when you look at the pictures, to be honest!

There have now been at least nine people killed as deadly rainstorms hit parts of France, Greece and Italy . And at least another six dead and scores injured as 6.4-magnitude earthquake hits Albania collapsing buildings Severe weather warning sees thunderstorm lash Sydney, damaging power lines and uprooting trees Shocking 'then and now' pictures of Switzerland's glaciers reveal how much ice has melted since the 1800s Greenhouse gas concentrations again break records and the UN says there's a 'bleak' outlook as carbon emissions gap grows but when it comes to coal: Is this the beginning of the end?   Maybe .... And we'll see an ice-free Arctic this century, latest research says

Four dead and one missing after south-east France hit by rainstorms and floods whilst a motorway bridge collapses after mudslide as storms sweep Italy Death toll from Kenya landslides surges to 60 And an unearthed journal reveals coal industry knew about climate change and dangers of burning fossil fuels in 1966 - admitting 'it could melt icecaps and flood cities including New York'

Yesterday, more flooding causes problems in west Dorset with concerns elsewhere over the weekend as more heavy rain is due This week saw more bushfires, smoky cities and a thunderstorm asthma warning as Australia's east coast swelters and the dust storms are being made worse by Australia's drought. Here's how they work In South Africa, the third KZN tornado in one month, tears through Utrecht area  Part of a vital Antarctic glacier has unexpectedly stopped thinning whilst it's suggested that Iceland’s melting glaciers are nothing to panic about The Weather Channel offers 8 things we'll remember from the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season And you have to assume that James Madden and Nathan Rao are now doing this on purpose ..... Yes, once again the UK snow forecast: Coldest winter in 100 YEARS as 3-month sub-zero freeze hits Britain

SA bushfires burning out of control after day of catastrophic conditions, residents told to take shelter whilst yet another State issues alerts as the ongoing bushfire threat spreads to Victoria as first Code Red declared since 2010 The Met Office tell us to keep a weather eye open And the sea ice between Russia and Alaska is at record lows, scientists warn

Pictures from earlier today show Sydney blanketed by smoke from NSW bushfires while in the south, more than 100 SA schools to close in catastrophic fire conditions It's not just Venice: The extreme weather lashing all of Italy A new study shows a rise in global wind speed to boost green power .  This follows a decline in average global wind speed from the 1980s.   The reasons for these changes are not clear.  It may all change again .... Heat wave, drought kills more elephants in Zimbabwe Brazil's Amazon deforestation highest since 2008, space agency says - the Brazilian president will no doubt dispute this .... Roger Pielke Jnr explains that, contrary to a new paper published last week, no, hurricanes are not bigger, stronger and more dangerous .  Well, not in the USA, which, of course, is the only place that matters .... Whilst everyone worries about CO2, greenhouse gas nitrous oxide emissions have 'increased substantially' in the past...

A severe storm hits South East Queensland, bringing giant hailstones and destructive winds with the Sunshine Coast hail storm declared 'catastrophe' as Insurance Council estimates $40 million in damage .   Meanwhile,  in the west, temperature records smashed across Perth and regional WA during weekend heatwave An NZ tornado injures two in Christchurch May's huge Flow Country wildfire 'doubled Scotland's emissions' for the 6 days it burned Venice closes its iconic St Mark's Square as city suffers another major flood Heavy snow in Alps causes avalanches and travel disruptions for Austrians And in Alaska,  a record-high temp, then record-breaking snowfall hit Anchorage Saturday

We made the news yesterday as the Avon reached it's highest level since the record floods of July 2007. River Avon flooding: Schools, roads and hospital shut .   And there's now 'alarm' over winter flood prospects in England - rightly so as it's early in the season and any persistent rain is only going to bring levels back up again very quickly.  I'd be surprised if we don't see similar flooding again this winter. And some interesting comments as flood-hit farmers in spat with George Monbiot about dredging Flooded Venice battles new tidal surge Southeast France thrown into chaos by first heavy snow of the season In Australia, Perth endures hottest November day since records began as Western Australia sizzles in the heat . Meanwhile, BOM warns storms could start more blazes in Queensland Shrubbier Arctic tundra likely accelerates permafrost thawing, study finds Reports of a 'deep rumble' as earthquakes felt near Glen Coe And...

The Avon is at it's highest level since November 2012 (about 12ft above it's normal summer level) today with schools and roads shut as floodwaters rise , after yesterday saw the heaviest rainfall of the year and major disruption on trains as rain persists Update: levels actually peaked at just over 4m making it the worst floods since July 2007 Venice braces for more flooding with water levels set to reach 5ft again today as locals battle to clean up 'devastation'  Waves of ash wash up on NSW beaches, Port Macquarie records world's dirtiest air as bushfires burn .   Meanwhile, a cauldron of extreme heat developing in WA is heading straight for the east coast bushfire zone And the stunning image captures rare moment 'upward lightning' shoots out of a volcano in Guatemala

About an inch of rain (half a month's worth for this dry part of the world) overnight with more to come through the day - some flooding likely around here later - as snow falls in parts of Britain with ice warnings in place as the country braces for half a month's worth of rain today amid fresh flood fears for submerged towns Meanwhile, yesterday we had the first "ice day" of the season in parts of the Highlands, with the temperature at Dalwhinnie not getting above -1.6c due to freezing fog. Australia bushfires: Death toll rises as communities remain on alert Stalled weather patterns will get bigger due to climate change - which means more heatwaves, droughts ..... or periods of cold, wet and windy weather, depending on where the jet stream stalls Climate change expected to shift location of East Asian Monsoons With Mars methane mystery unsolved, Curiosity serves scientists a new one: Oxygen And how western plastics 'poisoning Indone...

As Venice floods: Climate change behind highest tide in 50 years, says mayor Arctic blast: US temperatures plummet to record lows England floods: What is making them worse?   Ironically, one of the problems is flood defences - which simply move the water downstream even quicker ..... A wall of fire fanned by powerful winds closes in on three Queensland towns whilst on the other side of the country there's a Geraldton bushfire emergency as two blazes threaten lives and homes in WA port city So, fire, climate change and prescribed burning: What do the experts have to say?  A new timelapse shows the oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has lost 95 percent of its mass in the past 35 years And why individual climate models may not provide the complete picture

A new study shows that bigger hurricanes are now more damaging and three times more frequent than 100 years ago NSW bushfires spread to Sydney suburb of Turramurra, firefighters in action across the state as windy change moves through whilst Queensland's bushfire devastation captured in pictures and the terrifying moment a 'fiery tornado' sends debris and sheets of iron flying as farmer in a ute desperately tries to reverse to safety England flooding: Cobra to meet over northern floods Four people are injured and buildings damaged as earthquake hits southern France Arctic blast hitting the US predicted to break hundreds of weather records Israel's record heat wave not over yet Ice loss causing Arctic to reflect less heat , more so than black soot And scientists find eternal Nile to be more ancient than previously thought

School closures and evacuations warnings as NSW catastrophic fires loom for Sydney as a cold front drags in hot, blustery air and sudden dangerous wind changes whilst further north, Queensland fire emergency leaves Brisbane's air quality worse than Beijing But is climate change to blame for Australia's bushfires?   It seems politicians prefer to think not. Cyclone Bulbul: 20 dead and millions displaced as storm hits India and Bangladesh  Last week's flood victim was ex Derbyshire High Sheriff Annie Hall whilst an RAF Chinook helicopter works through the night to shore up defences in flood-hit Yorkshire as more heavy rain is forecast for today and tomorrow Welsh grass fires: 'Unprecedented' weather doubles call-outs in 2018 Climate change: Speed limits for ships can have 'massive' benefits  And airlines accused of hypocrisy over 'fuel-tankering ' - although I can't help but wonder if the same charge might well...

NSW fires destroy at least 150 homes, three people found dead whilst Queensland fires emergency flares up on Sunshine Coast, residents urged to evacuate And how the fires in NSW partly caused by delayed monsoons in India, experts say England flooding: River warnings and rail delays continue with one fatality reported The UN warns of an 'emergency unfolding' in flooded South Sudan Bangladesh: Mass evacuation as Cyclone Bulbul approaches And h ow scientists got climate change so wrong

Sheffield flooding: Torrential rain leaves city flooded and as a result, dozens spend night in Sheffield Meadowhall shopping centre unable to get home due to transport disruption - it was hardly a life-threatening situation, but some did have to buy pajamas from Primark ....  And this morning more homes evacuated as rain causes travel chaos In Australia, NSW fires destroy homes, leave people trapped as RFS fights 16 emergency blazes - an unprecedented number.  And Queensland fires force thousands of residents to evacuate near Cooroibah, north of Brisbane . And as fire seasons overlap in Australia and California, sharing firefighting resources will only get harder warns a Californian fire veteran. Terrifying footage shows 'four-minute' tornado rip up warehouses in Greece on Monday 'Ice eggs' cover Finland beach in rare weather event Tropical Cyclone Matmo is reborn as Bulbul after travelling 1,000 miles over land In Pictures: Floods ...

After it's revealed that last month hottest October on record: EU climate service comes the announcement climate change: ‘Clear and unequivocal’ emergency, say scientists But October wasn't warm everywhere, and NZ has now had two cooler than average months in a row for the first time in nearly three years How climate change alters Highland red deer gene poo l on Rum Last winter saw more people caught in fewer avalanches in Scotland's hills - more people in the hills, with less awareness of the dangers?  Or just "one of those things"?   Super Typhoon Halong among strongest storms ever seen on Earth  And satellite tracking shows how ships affect clouds and climate

The Russian Met agency report that October is another warmest month in the Northern Hemisphere (translated) as Russian Arctic island temperatures hit record highs Woman found dead in landslide after storm batters France  Another reason not to use them: Apple weather app's hilarious response after Sydney tornado warning The world is getting wetter, yet water may become less available for North America and Eurasia The first pictures and video of the largest methane fountain so far discovered in the Arctic Ocean  And more evidence that deep sea vents had ideal conditions for origin of life

On Saturday, parts of southern Britain saw strong winds: Woman killed and ferry travel disrupted Meanwhile, Storm Amélie leaves thousands without electricity in France Delhi gasps under 'eye-burning' smog amid worst pollution crisis with even airline flights being cancelled. ‘We have been abandoned,’ say CAR flood victims In southern Africa, deadly heatwave hits SADC states And they're dancing in the streets as drought-stricken western NSW receives best rainfall in years

California fires: More blazes sparked in Los Angeles area whilst elsewhere in the US record snowfall hits parts of Midwest as storm strikes East Coast, bringing outages and downed trees and a driver dies after being swept away in East Coast floodwaters and another is killed when heavy winds topple tree onto his van English fracking halted after government pulls support over earthquake fears To help the government formulate policies on climate change: Thousands invited to join citizens' assembly.   I could do that: In my opinion, what's needed is a campaign highlighting the financial and societal benefits of changes our lifestyles to reduce our carbon footprints; countering those who disingenuously claim doing so costs us money for no benefit .... And the incredible moment lightning strikes a gas station and leaves a 15-foot hole in the ground

How goats help save Ronald Reagan Presidential Library from the Californian wildfires - by eating surrounding vegetation.   Millions of masks distributed to students in 'gas chamber' Delhi blighted by toxic smog, much of it due to farmers burning stubble .... South Sudan president declares state of emergency for flood victims Tropical cyclones affect ing Oman and Somalia: 2 damaging systems in Arabian Sea Brazil wildfires: Blaze advances across Pantanal wetlands Climate change 'making mountaineering riskier' - melting ice increases the risk of rock falls in alpine regions Meanwhile, the world's fastest-thinning glacier identified in Patagonia Two million-year-old ice provides snapshot of Earth's greenhouse gas history A new study says climate impact from loss of intact tropical forests grossly underreported And it's claimed that climate policies 'will transform UK landscape '.  More trees and hedges sounds good, but ...