Weather & Earth Science News

A few small flurries yesterday and already today in Evesham, but just the barest of dustings on the ground.  More expected over the coming days - though whether we see a big covering or not remains to be seen.    Certainly not yet a case that heavy snow causes UK-wide disruption - but it has caused problems in a few places.   And similar problems in Europe with traffic chaos as icy blast hits Sweden and slippery roads and rail disruptions in Hamburg whilst snow, low temperatures in Bulgaria disrupt traffic, close schools in some districts .  In Switzerland the ‘Beast from the East’ brings record low temperatures , and more pictures as Rome enjoys its first snowfall in six years, as priests and tourists wage snowball war .

Tornadoes destroy homes in Tennessee, Kentucky as wild storms hit central US In Australia, Canberra hit by heavy rain, flash flooding inundates homes whilst an 'unusual' thunderstorm hits Perth's south, tearing off roofs, flooding homes Record snow fall hits Japan's north Scientists flock to Twitter highlighting ‘weird’ and ‘wacky’ weather event in the Arctic - with northern Greenland experiencing temperatures abive freezing .... Spectacular light pillars illuminate St. Petersburg skies Powerful earthquake hits Papua New Guinea Today in England, trains cancelled as snow arrives in UK and temperatures plummet - although it doesn't now look like being that cold this week and there are doubts as to how much snow we may get on Friday before it turns milder again.   Meanwhile rare snowfall blankets Rome, closing schools and in Germany the coldest night of year has Germans shivering, from Hamburg to Bavaria

Winter is coming ...... Down to -4.6c in myh garden this morning which is the lowest this year, and the lowest February figure since 2012.   Hoping to beat that nicely next week, when we could even see some ice days.  And, just maybe, some snow.   For once the media aren't over-hyping when they say that the Met Office warns of disruptive snow as Siberian freeze hits UK - and it really is coming from Siberia! Meanwhile, Arctic temperatures soar 45 degrees above normal, flooded by extremely mild air on all sides At least 3 dead as heavy rain, floods swamp central U.S. And in Queensland there were six rescues on Sunshine, Fraser Coasts as torrential rain floods state's south-east

Scientists at a conference in NZ suggest that stronger storms mean new 'category six' scale may be needed Terrifying footage shows the full force of Cyclone Gita as raging river of mud tears trees from the ground In the US, e xtreme warmth shatters records in East, but cooler days are coming as Washington surges to 82 degrees, its warmest temperature ever recorded so early in the year and Central Park heat breaks 88-year record as temperatures soar into 70s .  Meanwhile,  rescue crews used boats to help residents amid midwest flooding whilst in the Rockies Denver drops 72 degrees in 40 hours, lands in all-time top temp swings And a genetic study shows that Ancient Britons 'replaced' by newcomers

Former cyclone Gita crosses New Zealand, leaving destruction in its wake whilst video shows how Canterbury's aptly named Terrible Gully turned to river of rock by ex-Cyclone Gita Meanwhile cyclone season takes toll on northern WA as yet another tropical low looms whilst it's been suggested that Cyclone Kelvin may have been fuelled by 'brown oceans' as it moved over inland WA Arctic sea ice at record low January levels Research by Newcastle University suggests that Europe's cities face more extreme weather than previously thought as a result of rising global temperatures and climate change Like the flap of a butterfly's wings, distant tropical storms have ripple effects on weather close to home And another of those "forgotten" (not by me!) causes of anthropogenic climate change: How land use change has warmed Earth's surface

Ex-Cyclone Gita hits NZ ...... State of emergency declared in Nelson Tasman District whilst several Christchurch residents evacuate as Heathcote River threatens to overflow Dust storm takes outback Queensland town by surprise, damages homes Saturday's earthquake felt across much of England and Wales was the first day-time one I have experienced.  Didn't last long mind, and no-one else in the shop at the time even noticed it .... Driving through flood water 'risks lives' - it's staggering the number of people who have to be rescued each year Mount Sinabung: Airlines issue 'red notice' as Indonesian volcano erupts on island of Sumatra Mozambique rubbish dump collapse kills 17 after heavy rains Why Ugandans are feeling the heatwave On Campbell Island, in the Southern Ocean, the 'loneliest tree' records human epoch Hubble sees Neptune's mysterious shrinking storm And the world's ocean plastic ti...

Clean-up begins after major flooding hits Rio Torrential rain causes floods in Limassol And in the Middle East, there's been flash-flooding in Baghdad, basking in the sun in Riyadh   Cyclone threat downgraded for northern WA but record rain swamps Broome  but across the Tasman Sea, Cyclone Gita will be 'a significant storm' when it reaches NZ - MetService Mexico earthquake: Strong tremor hits Oaxaca state Soft tissue fossil clues could help search for ancient life on Earth and other planets Apaprently humans will actually react pretty well to news of alien life - and why wouldn't they? And is winter coming to England?   The Met Office issue a press release warning cold conditions likely with risk of snow for the end of February into March, thanks to a recent sudden stratospheric warming events