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Showing posts from July, 2017

31st July - Today's News: Taiwan Hit by Two Tropical Storms

Taiwan is hit by second typhoon in just two days after tropical storm battered the island, injuring 111   India floods: 213 killed in Gujarat as receding waters reveal more victims Suspected tornado hits Perth's north as storm sweeps through whilst in the east, Sunday was Sydney's hottest July day on record Better than sex? Why we are so obsessed with the weather (if you're an Australia .... )  Apparently, Britain is set to be battered by more heavy rain and even thunderstorms this week - rain?  Probably.  Heavy?  Unlikely.  Thunderstorms?  No chance!   Evesham continues to buck the national trend and thanks to catching the edge of a shower yesterday evening we are only now just a fraction above the long term average rainfall for the month, none of it having been heavy.   And the last time thunder was heard here was September 2016 .... But whilst our British summer has turned cool and damp (and far more pleasant, as well as normal, in my

29th July - Today's News: Record Miami Heat

How strange is this heavy summer rain event in D.C.? Very.   Meanwhile, down in Florida, with countless records smashed, this year is bringing new meaning to Miami heat Floods hit southwest Taiwan ahead of Typhoon Nesat Melbourne wakes to wild winds 10 die in northwest China flood  And the MetO release their State of the UK Climate 2016 report

28th July - Today's News: Violent Thunderstorm Strikes Istanbul

Passenger jet is battered by 'golfball-size hailstones' and forced to land as thunderstorm floods Istanbul Central Germany begins clean-up effort after heavy flooding Storm batters south-west WA as strong winds down trees, damage homes India floods kill 120 people in Gujarat state It should be obvious (unless you're one of those deniers in as permanent state of confusion) but what's the difference between Global Warming and Climate Change? And the prescence (or not) of trees can make or break city weather

27th July - Today's News: Storms Bring Flooding to Germany

One woman missing and disaster alert sounded amid storms across Germany There's a heat wave in Iceland this week with the highest temperatures since at least 2012 How the freak weather which caused 'extremely localised' flooding in Gloucester happened - this was on Tuesday afternoon, when Evesham remained totally dry (even when the radar showed a shower overhead!) .....  Another 'mini-tornado' causes trail of destruction in Wigan - looking at the damge, a tornado looks quite possible.   However this freak mini-tornado caught on camera spinning away in Oswestry plant hire yard is clearly a dust devil The Daily Mail go into full blown hyperbole again with incredible photos of huge storm clouds that have plunged Venice in to darkness look like a scene from Independence Day And the terrifying moment tourists gasp as their bus inches past a raging wildfire as it engulfs a roadside house on the French island of Corsica as fires rage acro

26th July - Today's News: French Wildfires Force Evacuations

France wildfires force mass evacuation And in Russia, officials resort to artificial rain to tackle raging wildfires in Siberia Off the coast of Alabama an underwater cypress forest from ice age reveals its secrets 'Hindcasting' study investigates the extreme 2013 Colorado flood and finds that human-induced climate change made the storm more severe than it would otherwise have been. And are humans to blame for worsening heat waves in China? Could spraying particles into marine clouds help cool the planet? Could 'cocktail geoengineering' save the climate?   Or could it just make it worse .....  their models suggest whilst preventing warming they still cause major precipitation pattern change, which as I keep suggesting, is a more serious issue.   Venus's turbulent atmosphere

25th July - Today's News: Italian Drought and French Wildfires

Rome hit by water rationing as Italy struggles with drought whilst Pope Francis shuts off Vatican fountains amid Italy drought France tackles fierce forest fires on Riviera and in Corsica Storm-ravaged Vietnamese province closes beaches with Sonca bearing down A special report on Asia under water: How 137 million people's lives are being put at risk - whilst the rain may be natural, its effects are aggravated by human activity and land-use changes.  And the fact there are simply so many people ..... Rescuer clung to boy plucked from Arizona flash flood as another group is caught out on Sunday A bizarre - but seemingly true - story from NZ where three rabbits in Otago ride out of flood on woolly sheep.   Meanwhile there are more flood fears as new front to bring downpours, snow down to 300m  Sea level fears as Greenland darkens Small earthquake felt in west Highlands New evidence that the Moon has a water-rich interior And flying to bothies? 

24th July - Today's News: Funnel Clouds & Waterspouts Spotted in England & Wales

Another thunder-free weekend in Evesham, but some rumbles elsewhere and alsoa few funnel clouds and waterspouts.  In East Anglis, funnel clouds reported across the region in turbulent weather  whilst this incredible twister stunned people at Welsh country park and another twister is caught on video over the River Tees .  Down on the south coast a waterspout may also have come ashore as a tornado Nothing as dramatic as the moment an ocean waterspout blows through a shopping centre and a hotel car park in Western Australia though Coverack flood: How it happened, the people who were rescued and the huge recovery effort And after the New Zealand storms: Clean-up underway as Christchurch and Dunedin residents survey damage Looking ahead, there's a high risk of 'unprecedented' winter downpours - Met Office .  Though that doesn't mean we'll necessarily see anything this winter And new Channel 4 Weather graphics launch today - but unfortunat

22nd July - Today's News: New Zealand Floods: Troops Mobilised

New Zealand storms spark flooding and evacuations, mobilisation of troops The world’s most-populated city, Shanghai, just had its hottest day in recorded history Brazil registers coldest period in last four years, says National Meteorological Institute   More rain here yesterday evening means we're now almost up to average rainfall for the month to date - still some way off 2007 totals though!    More from the BBC remembering the wettest summer on record - 10 years on from the 2007 floods And incredible footage shows bone dry Yorkshire Dales stream filling up to become a fast-flowing torrent in just two minutes after heavy rainfall - it's the Kingsdale Beck which most of the time is a dry stream bed.

21st July - Today's News: Remembering the 2007 Floods

More flood damage after severe storms hit north Wales on Wednesday Heavy storms flood streets, kill one in west Germany And flooding too on NZ's South Island as storm continues to sweep south, state of emergency declared Greece-Turkey earthquake: Two killed on island of Kos Indonesian sea cave preserves 5,000-year snapshot of tsunamis The world's third-hottest June puts 2017 on track to make hat-trick of hottest years Do cows really lie down when it’s about to rain?   No, but a red sky at night does often mean a fine day tomorrow  By 2080 Siberia to become 'the go-to place to live due to climate change' And how unprecedented rainfall led to record breaking floods in Worcestershire (the 251mm I recorded in Evesham is more than I have so far recorded all this year) whilst a few of my pics feature in the local paper amid stories and photos from the devastating July 2007 floods

19th July - Today's News: Lightning Storms and Flash Floods Hit Southern England

Yesterday and overnight lightning strikes and flash floods sweep through Britain as the UK is hit by freak electrical storms (the Daily Mail still thinks Britain means SE England .... but it does have the best pictures) - but there was as much rain, thunder and lightning in Evesham as there were volcanic eruptions ......   Still not heard a single rumble of thunder this year!   And radar returns suggests parts of the Lizard may have had as much rain in an hour as we have had here all year as Coverack wakes up to 'devastation' Meanwhile, the rain in Spain falls mainly… in the form of huge lumps of ice! With golf ball sized hail. Heavy rain causes flash flooding in Istanbul Adriatic fires prompt evacuations in Montenegro and Croatia There's also been flash flooding across Trinidad Swiss glacier reveals couple lost in 1942 Human-made aerosols identified as driver in shifting global rainfall patterns - and of course, injecting even more aer

17th July - Today's News: At Least 9 Dead in Arizona Flash Flood

At least nine dead in flash flood at popular Arizona swimming hole Thousands of Illinois homes swamped by flood waters as rivers keep rising In Chile: 280,000 lose power in first Santiago snowfall for 20 years And South Africans go gaga for snow too After Tropical Storm Talas hits Vietnam, leaves one dead, 10 missing some stranded tourists rescued from China island as Tropical Storm Talas approaches Marine heatwave off Australian coast "almost certainly" caused by climate change: study  And you can now fly over the surface of Pluto in stunning NASA video as New Horizons maps reveal the planet's surface in unprecedented detail

15th July - Today's News: Torrential Rain in NE China & Eastern Siberia

St Swithin's Day.  It's raining ....... !   But I don't think we'll see a great deal of rain over the next 40 days.   Still on track for a dry July with less than half the average rainfall to date. Monster storm smashes down the doors of an office building and causes a huge blast in a Chinese city with reports of 8 dead, 1 missing in NE China downpours Meanwhile, in Irkutsk, Siberia 'We're sorry to announce holiday flight is delayed because the runway has turned into a lake' Scores killed in India floods and landslides as the Monsoon sets in But a flash drought hits the US Northern Plains and Canada Fernanda becomes a powerful Category 4 hurricane in Pacific 'That's why we chase': Alberta storm chaser pursues the perfect storm How last winter's snow is disrupting this Sierra Nevada summer Central Chile to endure unusual snow, record cold this weekend In Tanzania 'Mountain of Go

14th July - Today's News: Record Highs in Spanish Heatwave

Córdoba sets new temperature record as heatwave continues in Spain whilst much of southern Europe swelters as heatwave sparks wildfires and closes tourist sites A 'Once in a decade event' as snow falls in Rotorua   on NZ's North Island, whilst on South Island waves crash over Wellington motorways as storm brings high winds, slips and flooding Heavy rain kills 2 in Guangxi, strands 9,000 air passengers in Sichuan but in Shanghai there's no let-up from 37-degree days for over a week and air pollution too A 2 minute video of tornado captured touching down up-close in Iowa this week The waterfall in the sky: Incredible moment rain falls on half of Taipei  Storm uproots trees, blows away roofs in KL , the capital of Malaysia Pyrocumulus cloud: How fires can create their own weather systems Perfectly common sense:  Waste products, not crops, key to boosting UK biofuels Juno and the Great Red Spot: First NASA images f

12th July - Today's News: Giant Iceberg Breaks from Larsen C Ice Shelf

Expected for some time, and now confirmed: Giant iceberg splits from Antarctic A whopping 8.8mm of rain yesterday and overnight breings me up to 48% of average for the month so far.  Although some models do suggest a risk of thnderstorms (!!!!) next week, there is little sign of any further frontal rain and this could well end up another dry month.   So far, only May has seen above average rainfall here in 2017.  A very mild month also looks to be on the cards with temperature at average or above for the foreseeable future (after yesterday's maxima dropped below average for the first time in weeks). Wellington wintry weather to worsen, as flights are disrupted and lots of photos as New Zealand shivers through a classic winter storm Not many English language reports on this: Rare tornado spotted near Vienna International Airport An auspicious sign?  Lightning strikes father of the bride during his speech Warm winter events in Arctic becoming more frequent,

11th July - Today's News: Temperatures Hit 50c in North China Heatwave

China in the grip of sweltering heatwave with temperatures hitting 50 deg C - the highest temp reported on Ogimet was 49.0c at Turpan yesterday.  Officially the highest temperature ever recorded in China was 50.3c at Turpan in July 2015. Torrential rain floods Paris metro and turns stairs into waterfalls as city experiences its wettest July hour for 137 years British Columbia wildfires - 14,000 evacuated as fires spread Shells record West Antarctic glacier retreat Strengthening of West African Monsoon during Green Sahara period may have affected El Niño Southern Oscillation Stalagmites from Iranian cave foretell grim future for Middle East climate - it's gonna be dry Juno and the Great Red Spot: Buzzing Jupiter's mammoth storm And a prelude to global extinction: Human impact on Earth's animals

10th July - Today's News: Thousands of Cattle Dead in California Heatwave

California heat wave kills thousands of cattle and overwhelms dairy industry whilst California wildfires threaten hundreds of homes, force evacuations Violent storms end Swiss heatwave - here, the latest heatwave looks like end on just a very damp note with a front bringing persistent rain, some of it heavy, tomorrow.  It may even be the wettest day of the year, though welcome relief for some.  We have had less than 8mm of rain in the past 30 days ....  But still no storms .... Japanese rescuers race against time as flood death toll hits 18 And New Zealanders warned that the 'most significant snow storm in recent years' expected for South Island this week

8th July - Today's News: Record Heatwave in Eastern North America

In British Columbia, temperature records broken, campfire bans in effect whilst B.C. declares state of emergency as wildfires burn out of control .  Further south, Palm Springs hits new record high temperature as Southern California broils - these are only date records being broken though.  And there are complaints that in there's a 120-degree heat wave and media silence on climate change Death toll rises to 16 in flood-hit Kyushu  In India, half of Assam affected by flood, death toll mounts to 22 Rare 5.8 earthquake strikes western Montana, the area's strongest temblor in nearly 60 years And the massive volcano that scientists can't find - it's eruption in 1465 had global impacts, but where was it?

7th July - Today's News: Death Toll Rises as Japan Rains Continue

In Japan, death toll rises to 7 as Kyushu remains on alert for rain Cleanup begins after storm causes 'carnage' across Auckland  “Snow” falls in Kenya and everyone loses their minds  (it was actually hail) Saudi Arabia sees record temperature in central, eastern parts of Kingdom Warnings of new Arctic explosions at some 700-plus sites in Yamal due to thawing permafrost   During the last ice age, falling sea level caused volcanoes to overflow Climate change isn't necessarily all bad: Rainfall might abruptly increase in Africa's Sahel Wind-propelled waters drove Antarctic melting for millennia And cops film bizarre ‘tornado’ of straw swirling around Hertfordshire field

6th July - Today's News: 11 Missing in Japan Floods

Japan floods: 11 missing, 500,000 to evacuate after days of torrential rain in Fukuoka and Oita Storm drones could improve tornado early warning Australia's alps transformed by the first decent snowfall of winter Researchers at Harvard University have been reconciling predictions of climate change and find that a doubling of CO2 could result in a higher increase in temps than thought.  Although I am curious as to whether they took into account the very long term cooling pattern the Earth is currently (or was) in (the Neoglacial).  Also, any periodic oceanic-atmospheric warming trend is matched by a subsequent cooling trend, which may complicate predictions further. West Antarctic Ice Sheet loss over the last 11,000 years seen in new study And could we soon predict the weather 10 years into the future?    No, we won't be able to predict whether it will rain at 3pm on the 16th July 2027 in Lower Slaughter.   But we may be able to predict whether we are l

5th July - Today's News: Snow Chasers of Western Australia

Snow chasers race to Bluff Knoll in WA's Great Southern region in search of snow - just a few flakes is all they crave!    Bit like us in Evesham .... In Japan, one dead, thousands evacuate as Shimane sees ‘rain like it has never seen before’ caused by TS Nanmadol Down in the Antarctic, giant 'white wanderer' poised to break free Man trapped in China flood incredibly rescued by colleagues with only moments to spare And last summer's devastating floods leave carpet of wildflowers across southern Western Australia 

4th July - Today's News: First Tibetan 'Tornado' Since 1961

Incredible footage shows a tornado circling over Tibet as local residents watch in shock   (although it looks like there is no ground contact, so it's probably just a fuinnel cloud.  Rare nonetheless) Nanmadol, third typhoon of season, moves northeast along Japan’s Pacific coast In Cyprus, the highest temperatures in 30 years claim two lives And how simultaneous widespread global heat waves are the new norm But the sun fails to warm Finland during coldest June in over a decade NZ snow easing after affecting travel in deep south Heavy rain in Southern China causes floods, killing 56 A 'big bang' and 'pillar of fire' as latest of two new craters forms this week in the Arctic

3rd July - Today's News: Records Broken in Eastern Mediterranean Heatwave

More high temperature records broken as Istanbul roasts in 106-year record heatwave and in Bulgaria: Heat records broken, as temperatures are about to fall as heat plagues southeastern Europe whilst in Israel there are 2 dead, 3 hurt in drowning incidents amid heat wave Meanwhile, Rome turns off its public drinking fountains to cope with drought In Western Australia, where snow is even rarer than in Evesham, Bluff Knoll locals, tourists brave freezing temperatures to frolic in 'fluffy' snow whilst record breaking cold weather hits Australia’s south east But a warning that Australia could suffer from droughts and heatwaves as the tropical zone expands On Friday, in Kent, there was a funnel cloud seen at Whitfield, with other sightings at Barham and Deal Spanish waters reach record high temperatures India sees monsoon rain fury in several states, Assam flood situation grim Thousands battle floods along Yangtze River as major Yang

1st July - Today's News: Edinburgh's Wettest Ever June

Britain's wet and warm June comes to a close (we've had about 70% of average rainfall in Evesham) - Edinburgh has ‘wettest June on record’ - whilst in France June is second hottest since 1900 Berlin firefighters work to tackle flooding after 'heaviest rain in a century' In NZ, cars stuck in snow for hours as wild weather hits the country whilst temperatures across Australia to plummet as low as -10C as parts of the country woke up to snow and frost Black carbon varies, but stubbornly persists, in snow and ice around the world