RARE OCTOBER CYCLONE IN INDIAN OCEAN (OCT 15)

Tropical Cyclone Anais is estimated to have a maximum wind of 115 mph as of early this morning, which is equivalent to a category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean.
The southwestern Indian Ocean is prone to tropical cyclones but what makes Anais so rare is that it is occurring in October, which is early springtime in the southern Hemisphere.

The peak period for tropical events in this part of the world is normally during our winter months of January-March.

Anais is forecast to move southwest in the general direction of Madagascar for the next five days and weaken as it moves into cooler waters and unfavorable winds.

We rarely hear much about the southern Indian Ocean storms as the area has little land and the storms mostly stay at sea.

Occasionally Madagascar or the island nations of Mauritius and Reunion will take a hit, and more rarely a storm will reach mainland Africa.

Forecast responsibility for this region is through the French weather service, Meteo France, located in La Reunion to the east of Madagascar.

The countries in the Indian Ocean simply refer to these storms as Tropical Cyclones, regardless of intensity.

Tropical Cyclone Anais is the same thing as a hurricane in the Atlantic or typhoon in the western Pacific.

However, note that it rotates the opposite direction, clockwise, because it is in the southern Hemisphere.

To illustrate how unusual this event is, Anais is like having a Category 3 hurricane in the Caribbean in April.

Source

scientists warn the UK must plan for "periodic swings of drought conditions and flooding"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19995084

Dust storm shuts down interstate in northern Okla.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A massive dust storm swirling reddish-brown clouds over northern Oklahoma triggered a multi-vehicle accident along a major interstate Thursday, forcing police to shut down part of the heavily traveled roadway amid near blackout conditions.

In a scene reminiscent of the Dust Bowl days, choking dust suspended on strong wind gusts shrouded Interstate 35, which links Dallas and Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Mo. Video from television station helicopters showed the four-lane highway virtually disappearing into billowing dust on the harsh landscape near Blackwell, plus dozens of vehicles scattered in the median and on the shoulders.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Jodi Palmer, a dispatcher with the Kay County Sheriff's Office. "In this area alone, the dirt is blowing because we've been in a drought. I think from the drought everything's so dry and the wind is high."

The highway patrol said the dust storm caused a multi-car accident, and local police said nearly three dozen cars and tractor-trailers were involved. Blackwell Police Chief Fred LeValley said nine people were injured, but there were no fatalities.

State transportation workers were called into to close the highway between U.S. 60 and Oklahoma 11, an 8-mile stretch of the cross-country roadway.

"We have very high winds and blowing dust causing a near blackout condition," Capt. James West of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Thursday afternoon. He said visibility was less than 10 feet.

The stretch of closed roadway reopened Thursday evening after crews cleaned up debris and waited for winds to die down, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said.

The area is just south of the Kansas state line in far northern Oklahoma. Interstate 35 runs from the Mexican border in south Texas to Duluth, Minn.

A red flag fire warning was in place for parts of northern Oklahoma on Thursday, as was a blowing dust advisory.

The National Weather Service forecast for the area said winds would subside to 20 mph or lower overnight but that gusts as high as 28 mph could continue. Calm winds were expected by Friday night.

The area has suffered through an extended drought and many farmers had recently loosened the soil while preparing for the winter wheat season.

"You have the perfect combination of extended drought in that area ... and we have the extremely strong winds," said Gary McManus, the Oklahoma associate state climatologist.

"Also, the timing is bad because a lot of those farm fields are bare. The soil is so dry, it's like powder. Basically what you have is a whole bunch of topsoil waiting for the wind to blow it away. It's no different from the 1930s than it is now."

Steve Austin, a Kay County commissioner, said visibility was terrible.

"It looked like a huge fog was over the city of Ponca City," he said. "We've had dust storms before, but I don't remember anything of this magnitude in years."

 http://news.yahoo.com/dust-storm-shuts-down-interstate-northern-okl...

From Drought to Deluge in Spain (Oct 21) -

Two bridges collapsed and roads were closed when heavy rain and flooding hit Sadaba, near Zaragoza, in Spain

After the driest winter in 70 years and the worst forest fires in a decade, Spain and Portugal have been hit by strong winds and flooding rains and there has been some loss of life.

The heavy rain set in after an Atlantic storm system came arrived from the west. It quickly ran into a large area of high pressure which had developed over central Europe, dragging warm moist air in from the Mediterranean. The resulting converging winds forced the air to rise rapidly resulting in the violent downpours.

The worst of the flooding hit the northeastern Catalonia region of Spain. Here, emergency management teams working in Gerona province, found the body of a woman in the sea after she was swept away by a huge wave on the beach at Lloret del Mar.

Authorities are also looking for two other people who have since been reported missing. Citizens were urged to take extreme precautions all along the coast where waves as high as 2.5 metres battered the shores.

The region of Aragon experienced heavy rain, causing flooding and widespread damage in the province of Zaragoza. The torrential downpours raised the water level of a river until it flooded houses and stores and damaged cars parked along the roadways.

Meanwhile, Villadolid, located on the Spanish Plain to the north of Madrid recorded 44mm of rain in 24 hours on Thursday. Further north, Santander had 67mm in the same period Thursday evening going into Friday.

The worst of the rain is now moving into the western Mediterranean Sea, but there will still be further sharp showers affecting eastern Spain over the next couple of days. Any respite thereafter is likely to be short-lived. More heavy rain is expected to move across Spain and Portugal by the middle of next week.

Source

Interesting how the forecasters are saying look out for red rain... since when has the Sahara had red sand/dust?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2220928/Scenes-Red-October-...

Reflecting on a stunning autumn as 20C days are predicted for this week... but watch out for 'blood rain' at Halloween due to red dust blown from the Sahara

• The onset of autumn has transformed the foliage around the Lake District into a glorious patchwork of green, red and gold
• Forecasters are predicting unseasonably warm weather next week thanks to a warm band of air from North Africa, but warned the mild conditions won't last, with snow on its way towards the end of the week
• 'Blood rain' also expected as band carries red Saharan dust

UK experiences 'weirdest' weather (Oct 19)

The UK has experienced its "weirdest" weather on record in the past few months, scientists say.

The driest spring for over a century gave way to the wettest recorded April to June in a dramatic turnaround never documented before.

The scientists said there was no evidence that the weather changes were a result of Man-made climate change.

But experts from three bodies warned the UK must plan for periodic swings of drought conditions and flooding.

The warning came from the Environment Agency, Met Office and Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) at a joint briefing in London.

Terry Marsh, from the CEH, said there was no close modern precedent for the extraordinary switch in river flows. The nearest comparison was 1903 but this year was, he said, truly remarkable.

What was also remarkable - and also fortunate - was that more people did not suffer from flooding. Indeed, one major message of the briefing was that society has been steadily increasing its resilience to floods.

Paul Mustow, head of flood management at the Environment Agency, told BBC News that 4,500 properties had been flooded this year.

"But if you look back to 2007 when over 55,000 properties were flooded, we were relatively lucky - if lucky is the right word - for the impacts we saw this summer," he said. ...

Source

Central Australia baking in rare October heat

Much of central Australia is baking in heat not experienced at this time of year in decades.

Temperatures have been reaching the high thirties each day for about a week, the longest it has been this hot at this time of year in more than 20 years.

Source

5 Tornadoes and 2 Feet of Snow in Northern California (Oct 22) -

Chain installers work as snow falls on eastbound Interstate 80 near Nyack, Calif., Monday, Oct. 22, 2012.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20121023/WIRE/121029935?Title=T...

Fall looked a lot like winter across Northern California on Monday as the first major storm of the season spawned 5 tornadoes, brought out snow plows on Interstate 80 and showered the rest of the parched region with much-needed rain.

The tornado touched down 40 miles north of Sacramento. Only minor damage was reported when it hit at 3:15 p.m. near Yuba City.

There were several other reports of funnel clouds north of Sacramento, but no others touched down, said National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Kurth.

Forecasters were calling for up to 2 feet of snow at the highest elevations in the northern Sierra Nevada, a good sign for a state dependent on winter snow accumulation for its water supply.

"It looks like Mother Nature threw us our first snowball," said Rochelle Jenkins of Caltrans, which was enforcing chain controls above 4,300 feet on I-80, the state's main highway from San Francisco to Reno, Nev.

There were reports of downed power lines and trees across the northern half of the state.

Despite the threat of rain, the skies remained clear so the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals could play the deciding seventh game of the National League Championship Series at AT&T Park

Before the game there was a 30 to 40 percent chance of scattered showers across the region at game time, said Charles Bell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"It's one of these cases where one city could pick up a little, but one 20 miles away would be dry," he said. "If any go through it will be relatively light — less than a tenth of an inch — and fairly brief."

Earlier in the day, chain controls were in effect on U.S. Highway 50 southwest of Lake Tahoe. By late morning, nearly an inch of rain had fallen on Sacramento.

Law enforcement authorities were working most of the morning to clear five jackknifed big rigs that forced the closing of Highway 20 east of Nevada City, where at least 6 inches of snow had accumulated by midmorning.

Caltrans, meanwhile, worked to keep traffic flowing through a 10-mile construction zone on I-80 about 75 miles northeast of Sacramento, using plows to toss snow over concrete barriers.

A winter storm warning above 5,500 feet was in effect until 5 a.m. Tuesday. The heaviest snowfall was expected on Monday, though snow showers were expected into Tuesday night, said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

More widespread precipitation was expected to move across Northern California on Wednesday.

In the southern Sierra Nevada, the California Highway Patrol issued a chain warning for Highway 168 near Shaver Lake. Yosemite National Park was expecting about 8 inches of snow above 6,000 feet. Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Road were closed at 10 p.m. Sunday, but officials intended to assess conditions on both as weather improves.

The storm system originated in the Gulf of Alaska and has stalled over the Pacific Northwest, bringing colder temperatures and gusty winds of 80 mph at the crests of the Sierra Nevada.

hurricane sandy surprising experts.  lower pressure than expected, taking a rare turn that models show hurricanes taking in the past, but meteorologists still seem surprised, and just the size of it! 

the zetas stated they aren't sure what the council of the worlds will do in the time between now and the announcement, if and when it comes.?

sozt
This puts the announcement on hold until after the election. Just what the
Council of Worlds decides to do, in the meantime, is unknown at this time. They
have declared war on the cover-up, but cannot fault Obama for trying. He
struggled for a month during sabotage by professional cover-up artists.
Disasters within the US, which Obama addresses well and with compassion, would
not hurt Obama’s chances, and in fact would likely enhance them. Thus the S
American roll with some sinking of Caribbean islands, extreme N American bow
tension and early New Madrid quakes might occur, as all of this is well behind
schedule. Signs in the skies are beginning to be seen without filters,
worldwide, and this trend is likely to increase so the Earth changes are
connected to this presence. end sozt

http://www.zetatalk5.com/ning/20oc2012.htm

the z's didn't say hurricane, but if that was the plan, they wouldn't:)

the wheather channel is on overtime and, with the storms rare left turn, are very weary of this storm

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Hurricane "Sandy" throughout the North American continent
Climate anomalies were also slaughtered in Europe. In Moscow meteorologists promise unprecedented cold and freezing rain.
Last week climate anomalies have also shot on the Eurasian continent. Because of snowfall a few French and Swiss cities remained without electricity. Moscow meteorologists predict rain and icy cold strong. Two years ago, 27 people suffered from this phenomenon of nature

Traduced by google

http://www.2012un-nouveau-paradigme.com/article-les-calamites-clima...

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Weather Alert: New degradation around the Mediterranean
Depression will grow in the Mediterranean and circulate between the Balearic Islands, Corsica and the Gulf of Genoa, bringing with it moderate to heavy rains in the Mediterranean.
Accumulations are expected in the range of 80 to 100 mm
http://www.2012un-nouveau-paradigme.com/article-alerte-meteo-nouvel...

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Heavy rains wreak havoc in Buenos Aires- Argentine- and its suburbs

Heavy rains have wreaked havoc Monday in Buenos Aires and its suburbs, where two people were killed, while power cuts multiplied and transport was severely disrupted, officials said.
In six hours of 3:00 to 9:00 local, it rained 87.4 mm, according to the Meteorological Service nationalism
Many avenues of the capital and several expressways leading to downtown were flooded, some vehicles being blocked and other washed out.
Five of the seven subway lines in the capital, as well as several suburban rail links have their service interrupted for several hours. The water is locally engulfed in subway stations, up to flood some ways, according to images broadcast by several TV channels.
Several failures have hit the traffic light system, contributing to the impression of chaos in this city of 14 million people.
http://www.2012un-nouveau-paradigme.com/article-de-fortes-pluies-se...

Flooding on the coast of the Balkans with hurricane force winds

Thursday, 1. november 2012

In Croatia, the night had the fierce, occasionally hurricane south at speeds even exceeding 120 kilometers per hour stopped several ferry connections to the area of ​​Split - including the islands of Brac and Vis and between Mljetom and Peljesac. Peljesac is t. i. Ladislav cyclone caused extensive damage. High waves were also insulted parts of Split.
 
Rijeka is the water from entering the city center and includes main flooded market. Also, in several places in the area Pula sea level rises caused a number of problems, the sea is also flood the area of Zadar. Due to situation hampered transport in the river and in Gorski Kotar.

Sources:

bitly.com/RxU9x6

bit.ly/PpSSKi

Hottest November day in decades for parts of southeast QLD

It's been a hot day for parts of southeast Queensland, but a cooler change is sweeping through the region.

Built up heat from over central Australia was dragged over the region by northwesterly winds during the morning, bringing the hottest November day for many years to a range of places.

Maryborough was one of the warmest, maxing out at 36 degrees, its warmest November day in 18 years.

Double Island Point reached 33 degrees at midday, which was the hottest day there since January and the hottest November day since 1957. Meanwhile Bundaberg airport recorded their hottest day since February at 32.

Source

Flooding in Slovenia: parts of the country under water

MONDAY 05/11/2012

Floods in Slovenia caused a lot of trouble and fear among the population. Water has flooded many buildings and roads and triggered a series of landslides. It is closed several roads and rail links.

Red alarm for large parts of the country. Centenary water: Severe clock on the Drava river, sirens and record levels of river flow. Dravograd suffered great disaster, black cut off from the world.Traffic information center for the State Highway on its website indicates that almost half of the roads in our country crippled by flood.

bitly.com/WqTbIH

bitly.com/SIsBGE

Hottest Year On Record In The U.S. Might Still Be 2012, Despite Cooler October

After 16 straight months with above-average temperatures, October temperatures in the lower 48 states averaged slightly below average, according to data released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Even with a cooler October, 2012 is still on track to be the warmest year on record in the U.S., propelled by a widespread March heat wave, the warmest spring on record, and the third-hottest summer on record. The month of July, for example, set the record for the hottest month of any month since weather records began in 1895.

During October, 19 states between the Canadian border south to the Gulf of Mexico had monthly temperatures below their 20th century averages, with just the Southwest and Northeast coming in warmer than average.

Caption: Year-to-date temperature departures from average. Credit: NOAA/NCDC.

October 2012 temperature departures from average. Credit: NOAA/NCDC.

According to NOAA, for 2012 not to be record-setting warm would require November and December to be much cooler than average. Those two months would have to have an average temperature among the coldest on record for that period in order to avoid at least tying the annual record.

The record warmth this year is consistent with both the influence of manmade global warming — particularly the prevalence of record warm nighttime temperatures — and natural climate variability, which has also favored warmer-than-average conditions in the U.S. this year.

In addition to the national record, numerous cities also remain on track to set a record for the hottest year. The average temperature during the January-to-October period in Grand Island, Neb., which has experienced some of the most intense drought conditions and had a sizzling summer, has been running 4.5°F above average, which is the warmest stretch of weather on record for that location.

Green Bay, Wis., is also on course to establish a new benchmark for the warmest year, having exceeded its January-through-October average by 5.3°F. The NOAA report contains a list of cities with significant year-to-date temperature anomalies.

Despite the landfall of Hurricane Sandy, October failed to bring widespread, significant drought relief to much of the country. Nearly 60 percent of the contiguous U.S. remained mired in drought conditions through last month, and the nationally averaged precipitation total was slightly above the long-term average, with below-average precipitation occurring in the Southern Rockies and Central and Southern Plains.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/hottest-year-on-record-us-...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2231342/Tourists-Venice-swa...

(Nov. 11)

The Floating City: Heavy rains flood Venice and reach the sixth highest tide level in 150 years 

• 70 per cent of central Venice underwater today reaching 59 inches
• Tourists waded through waters in wellington boots and donned swimwear
• Iconic St Mark's Square flooded leaving normally bustling square deserted
  

By Larisa Brown

It may be known as the Floating City of love.

But romance was cast aside today as gondolas were swapped for wellington boots and swimwear.

High tides and heavy rain flooded Venice's dry streets, leaving tourist hotspots virtually deserted.

Tourists chose to wade through the waters in boots, with one group donning swimwear to sit at a table in the iconic submerged St Mark's Square.

Scroll down for video

People sit at the table of a bar in a flooded St. Mark's Square today after high tides have flooded the romantic city in Italy

A young man and a woman enjoy swimming in a deserted square that is usually dry and inundated with tourists

People take a coffee break in a flooded shop as rainfall reached 59inches in Venice

One hardy couple even decided to go for a quick swim.

Others had less enjoyable tasks, with some visitors being forced to wade through nearly waist-high waters carrying suitcases on their shoulders.

Heavy rains and seas whipped up by strong winds brought the lagoon city's high tide mark to its sixth-highest level since records began being kept 150 years ago in 1872.

The water levels rose to critical levels overnight.

It was reported that 70per cent of central Venice was under water today as the high tide mark reached 59.06inches.

Water, water everywhere: The usually crowded Saint Mark's Square was deserted as flood waters rose making it impossible to visit

Washed out: The view towards St Mark's Basin looks a little different from normal. More than 70 per cent of Venice has been left flooded after the city was hit by a high tide

A tourist crosses flooded the iconic square carrying a suitcase on her shoulder while wading through the waters

Wearing plastic bags to cover his legs, a tourist carries two suitcases in flooded waters

70per cent of central Venice was underwater today

A shop assistant controls the tide that threatens to inundate his shop in the romantic city

Those who decided to take a break from the flooded streets were captured in wellington boots standing in water in coffee shops.

Makeshift wooden walkways had to be used to cross areas of St Mark's square, with transportation proving difficult for residents.

Italian news reports said the same weather system causing chaos in Venice was wreaking havoc elsewhere in north and central Italy, with some 200 people evacuated from their homes in hard-hit Tuscany.

Flooding is common in the city at this time of year. Moveable barriers that would rise from the sea bed to protect Venice from high tides have been in the works for years but will not be operational before 2014.

Parents carry their children and possessions wrapped in carrier bags in a small street today

Tourists walk on footbridges near the Rialto bridge as heavy rain puts a dampener on their tour of the city

One tourist takes off their boots to walk on a makeshift footbridge in the rain

Brutus drops record snow on Helena

Helena crushed a snowfall record Thursday, and was on the way to doing the same Friday as winter storm Brutus brutalized the town.

Helena saw 8.8 inches of snow Thursday. The previous snowfall record for Nov. 8 was 2.3 inches, set in 1903.

Source

COLDEST WINTER IN 100 YEARS ON WAY

BRITAIN will grind to a halt within weeks as the most savage freeze for a century begins.

Temperatures will fall as low as minus 20C in rural areas, forecasters warned last night, while heavy snow and “potentially dangerous” blizzards will close roads and cripple rail networks.

James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said: “We are looking at some of the coldest and snowiest conditions in at least 100 years. This is most likely to occur in the December to January period with the potential for widespread major snowfall across the country.

Britain’s “roller coaster” November has so far seen freezing temperatures followed by almost spring-like conditions. Temperatures rose by 22C in just 24 hours as milder weather triggered heavy rain in Scotland and the North.

Source

Back-to-Back Super Storms Pummel SE Australia, Weather Bureau Under Fire (Nov 17) -

Queensland was hit by two severe thunderstorms yesterday. One tore through the streets, the other ignited the sky with 22,000 lightning strikes and left nearly 30,000 homes without power.

As the clean up continues from storms that ripped through Brisbane, the weather bureau has warned resident to brace for more wild weather.

The strongest storm developed in the eastern Darling Downs region, near Pitsworth, where hail of up to 10cm in size pummelled the land.

The Lockyer Valley received the highest rainfall with 114mm dumped yesterday.

Meanwhile, in Brisbane, Alderley recorded 90mm, and Toowong had 88mm.

Lightening strikes have sparked between 10 and 15 grass fires southwest of Brisbane.

A Queensland Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said the fires were burning in several locations including Ravensbourne.

“They are going pretty much everywhere but it doesn’t say how big they are,” the spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, the weather bureau has come under fire for failing to issue a specific warning about yesterday's freak Brisbane storm until after the damage had been done.

The bureau had warned that storms were likely to hit during the day, and at 8.20am a forecaster told couriermail.com.au they were expecting "the main round of thunderstorms will develop from about the middle part of the day".

But as the freak storm began to form minutes later, the bureau fell silent.

From 8am, amateur weather watchers were warning on web-based forums about the intense cell systems that were forming at Inglewood and moving towards the coast.

By 10am it was clear to anybody watching the weather radar on the bureau's own website that a big storm was headed towards the city - and Energex's lightning tracker recorded more than 1000 strikes during the next 30 minutes.

People started leaving comments on the bureau's Facebook page to ask for a storm update. But still the bureau remained silent.

The front of the storm smashed into the suburbs about 10.30am, with its massive winds described by those in its path as a freak storm much stronger than the usual summer blows.

Another 2000 lightning strikes later, the bureau issued its first specific warning about the storm.

By then the front of the storm had passed over the inner-western suburbs and the central business district and was almost at the coast.

Massive snow tornado seen for the first time in the republic of Buryatia, East of Russia

As reported by TV company "Arig Us" from Republic of Buryatia, Russia- in the cold Republic of Buryatia, which is located in the east of Russia, for first time observed the snow tornado- huge tornado, which suddenly appeared out of the snow on the uninhabited forests of Buryatia.

Source

Video of monster waterspout on Batemans Bay in NSW Australia (Nov 18) -

Worst Drought Remains in Great Plains States

The U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday, based on data recorded through Tuesday, showed drought or abnormally dry conditions covering 73.77 percent of the 48 contiguous states, compared to 72.45 percent a week ago. The worst drought remains in the Great Plains states, stretching from the southern half of South Dakota to Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, with large areas of exceptional drought still in play. The worst drought in the Midwest continues to be in the extreme drought stage in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota, while Ohio and Indiana were almost out of drought and large areas of Michigan and Kentucky were also out of the drought stages.

http://www.ubalert.com/kJ3

(Nov. 23)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/23/fort-lauderdale-a1a-washin...

A1A Washing Away Near Fort Lauderdale's Sunrise Boulevard

Sandy has come back to haunt Fort Lauderdale Beach.

A section of A1A north of Sunrise Boulevard is in danger of washing out to sea less than a month after many South Florida beaches were ravaged by high tides and pounding waves due to Hurricane Sandy's northward path.

Fort Lauderdale officials closed northbound A1A at around 4 p.m. on Thursday after pounding surf took out palm trees, the seawall and the sidewalk on a section of road north of Northeast 16th Court, just north of Sunrise Boulevard.

"Our concern is the traffic signal," said Fort Lauderdale spokesman Matt Little. "The piling is exposed. I don't know how deep it goes, but we've already lost palm trees, the seawall and the sidewalk."

Little said that if the signal fell, motorists and pedestrians could be in danger.

At 3:34 p.m. when the high tide rolled in, waves were crashing onto the road and one northbound lane had already been closed on the block north of Northeast 16th Court.

"It happened so fast," said Carolina Ibarrez. "We've been here for half an hour and we've seen several palm trees just fall into the ocean."

At 7:41 p.m., the city announced by email that the two northbound lanes of A1A at Northeast 16th Court remained closed, and that the southbound lanes were being used to accommodate both north and southbound traffic

Motorists were warned to expect delays, to use caution when traveling in the area, and to seek alternate routes when possible.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238931/UK-floods-500-famil...

Underwater city: Scenes of devastation in North Wales as emergency services evacuate hundreds from flood-hit homes after river burst its banks

• Police have been knocking on families' doors to tell them to leave their houses
• Many are sheltering at the leisure centre after the lower half of the city was lashed with rain
  
• Days of rain have turned roads into rivers, flooded more than 900 homes and left at least four people dead
• One in five trains were hit by delays yesterday with transport network in chaos
  
• Owners of 4x4s ignored closures and danger warnings in arrogant belief their vehicles could cope with deep water
• Rescuers said vital manpower wasted plucking drivers from stranded cars instead of coping with other emergencies
• Environment Agency have issued 204 flood warnings and 277 flood alerts for England and Wales
  

By Vanessa Allen and Emma Reynolds

PUBLISHED: 23:11 GMT, 26 November 2012 | UPDATED: 13:07 GMT, 27 November 2012

Hundreds of families have been told to evacuate their homes in a north Wales city after a river burst its banks overnight, swamping them with up to 5ft of floodwater.

Terrified homeowners in the lower part of St Asaph in Denbighshire were woken by police and firefighters knocking on their doors at 4.30am.

Some jumped in cars to speed through the rising water to the homes of friends or family, while 200 gathered at a Red Cross shelter at the local leisure centre - one of three opened overnight in the area.

Parents grabbed children, still in their night clothes, as they fled through the streets.

The River Elwy reached a record 4.35 metres in St Asaph and is rising steadily, swirling into houses, old people’s bungalows, and businesses - washing away furniture, food and prized possessions.

with the torrential rain set to persist for at least eight hours more.

The Environment Agency warned that 'conditions are expected to deteriorate' following 24 hours of non-stop rain.

Scroll down for video

Waist-deep: Emergency services wade through flooded streets to help families escape from their homes after the River Elwy rose to record levels and submerged the city

Big deal: The council advised residents to go to stay with friends or family early this morning, with the city in chaos. Pictured, loaves of bread and teabags are awash in a flooded grocery store

First the Mississippi River, now the Great Lakes:

Water Levels in Great Lakes Approaching Record Lows (Nov 27) -

http://news.yahoo.com/great-lakes-plummet-towns-try-save-harbors-19...

For more than a century, easy access to Lake Michigan has made Onekama a popular place for summer visitors and a refuge for boaters fleeing dangerous storms. Now the community itself needs a rescue, from slumping lake levels that threaten its precious link to open water.

The Great Lakes, the world's biggest freshwater system, are shrinking because of drought and rising temperatures, a trend that accelerated with this year's almost snowless winter and scorching summer. Water levels have fallen to near-record lows on Lakes Michigan and Huron, while Erie, Ontario and Superior are below their historical averages. The decline is causing heavy economic losses, with cargo freighters forced to lighten their loads, marinas too shallow for pleasure boats and weeds sprouting on exposed bottomlands, chasing away swimmers and sunbathers.

Some of the greatest suffering is in small tourist towns that lack the economic diversity of bigger port cities. Yet they are last in line for federal money to deepen channels and repair infrastructure to support the boating traffic that keeps them afloat.

"How do you like our mud bog?" Township Supervisor Dave Meister asked on a recent afternoon, gesturing toward the shoreline of Portage Lake, part of a 2,500-acre inland waterway that connects Onekama to Lake Michigan. A wide expanse that normally would be submerged is now an ugly patchwork of puddles, muck and thick stands of head-high cattails. A grounded pontoon boat rested forlornly alongside a deserted dock.

The Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that about 30 small Great Lakes harbors will need attention in the next couple of years.

In bygone days, friendly members of Congress would slip money into the federal budget to dredge a harbor. But so-called earmarks have fallen out of favor, leaving business and civic leaders wondering where to turn. A desperate few are raising money locally for dredging but insist they can't afford it on a regular basis.

Tourism has sustained Onekama since the early 1900s, when northwestern Michigan coastal towns became popular with wealthy visitors from Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit. On a typical summer day, the community's marinas are crowded with yachts, speedboats and fishing charters.

But the falling water levels are taking a toll, illustrating how extensively the health of the Great Lakes affects the economy of a region that is home to more than 30 million people extending from Minnesota to New York.

Lake Michigan's level at the end of October was more than 2 feet below its long-term average. The Corps of Engineers says without heavy snowfall this winter, the lake may decline to its lowest point since record-keeping began in 1918.

The channel that connects Portage Lake and Lake Michigan is now about 7 feet deep at best. When the water is choppy, some vessels can hit bottom. If things get much worse, Onekama may be effectively cut off from the big lake.

"Businesses would close. People would be laid off. It would be devastating," said Jim Mrozinski, owner of Onekama Marine Inc., which services and stores pleasure craft and draws customers from across the Upper Midwest. He owns three marinas, one now unusable because of shallow water. If he's lucky, the others will have enough depth to rent perhaps 10 of the 55 slips next spring.

Onekama's year-round population is less than 2,000. Much of its tax base comes from expensive waterfront homes owned by summer residents who come for the boating and fishing. Without the link to Lake Michigan, property values would plummet, hammering local government budgets, Meister said.

"You're talking about schools, 911 emergency, library, fire protection — everything," he said.

Many places around the Great Lakes are having similar problems. At least a dozen boats have run aground this year in Lake Ontario around the harbor in Orleans County, N.Y. The state of Wisconsin warned boaters to watch for stumps, boulders and other hazards lurking just beneath the water. Boat-towing services have done brisk business rescuing stranded craft in newly shallow stretches of Lake Erie.

What makes the situation particularly frustrating for small Great Lakes communities is that a fund for dredging and other harbor maintenance already exists. It's generated by a tax on freight shipped at U.S. ports and raises about $1.5 billion a year. But about half of the money is diverted to the treasury for other uses. Members of Congress from coastal states are pushing to change that policy.

Even if the effort succeeds, there's no guarantee that communities like Onekama will get a share of the cash. The Corps of Engineers gives top priority to large ports such as Duluth, Minn., Detroit and Cleveland. Whatever is left goes to medium-sized harbors that also accommodate cargo ships. The region's 112 small harbors, including 71 with only recreational traffic, have relied on budget earmarks since the 1990s.

"Many of these towns wouldn't exist if it wasn't for their ports," said Mike O'Bryan, chief of engineering and technical services for the Detroit district office.

The Great Lakes Small Harbors Coalition, led by Onekama retiree Chuck May, says $20 million a year would cover all those areas' dredging and maintenance costs, and rescue tourist communities that pump billions into the economy.

Farther up the coast near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the village of Leland scraped together more than $100,000 from a local Indian tribe, businesses and government agencies this year to dredge a 13-foot-deep channel enabling charter fishing boats and pleasure craft to reach Lake Michigan. Harbormaster Russell Dzuba is already fundraising to dredge in 2013 but says that's no long-term solution.

"We have a moral obligation to keep this place open," he said. "We're the only safe harbor for a 75-mile stretch and Lake Michigan is a tempestuous beast. But the feds have cut us adrift."

I am truly not sure where to place this story so if moderators could assist it would be much appreciated.  This is tied into the flooding in England as well as general prep for what is to come to that island.  Many references to the flooding problems much of Europe faces.

Moderator's Comment: I think you've found the perfect place for this idea, as the wobble creates so much flooding. What a top notch idea!

Are floating homes a solution to UK floods?

By Katia MoskvitchTechnology reporter, BBC News

The recent flooding across the UK has seen hundreds of householders desperately trying to prevent water from entering their houses.

Most use the centuries-old approach of piling heavy sandbags at their doors and windows.

But what if your house was buoyant - rising at the same level as the surrounding water?

Earlier this year, Baca Architects was granted permission to build Britain's first amphibious house by the banks of the River Thames in Buckinghamshire - one that rests on land, but in the event of a flood rises with the water.

The Environment Agency is interested in the idea of such floating homes, says the agency's flood risk engineer Tony Andryszewski who often works at a flood test centre, set up to investigate new technologies for flood prevention and control.

The agency is keen on seeing how other countries approach the problem, he says, especially in the Netherlands.

The Dutch are widely acknowledged as having the best flood management technologies in the world.

Even the flood forecasting software used by the Environment Agency, Delft-FEWS, has been developed by the Dutch.

Flood-proofing

Such know-how is not surprising - much of the Netherlands' land mass is below sea level, and even the country's name reflects its low-lying topography,

Since the 12th Century people have been draining delta swamps and creating artificial dry land - polders - at first using pumps powered by windmills.

Currently, there are about 3,500 low-lying polders enclosed by dykes in the Netherlands. They easily collect water from rain, rivers and the sea, and are constantly being pumped to keep nearby communities dry.

"The Dutch have built dykes for over 1,000 years," says Jos Maccabiani from Flood Control 2015, a Dutch government programme charged with developing better information systems for managing floods.

"Since the last major flood in 1953, in which more than 1,800 people died, this system has been upgraded to very high standards."

According to computer simulations, today's defences in the Netherlands are supposed to withstand the kind of flood so severe that it would occur only once in 10,000 years, he explains.

There are dams all around the country, guarding all main river estuaries and sea inlets.

"Nevertheless, with the ever-increasing urbanisation of our polders and flood plains, spatial planning is increasingly combined with flood resilience," adds Mr Maccabiani.

"There are projects under way where urban revitalisation of a city is combined with the widening of the river bed, lowering the peak water levels, and others that look into flood-proofing the country's highway infrastructure."

Ready to float?

One Dutch technology that the UK is observing keenly is the "smart levee", designed in the Netherlands as part of an EU research project, UrbanFlood.

Sensors are put inside flood embankments, as an early online warning system and for real-time emergency management. The technology constantly monitors the condition of the levee, and sends a warning when it is weakening.

Another innovation that Britain has already started to adopt is movable river barriers - installed in the ground, they rise with the water.

Dutch floating houses are also on the Environment Agency's radar, says Mr Andryszewski.

Homes on stilts are common in flood-prone countries such as Thailand, Burma and India. Floating houses of different designs exist in a few places too, namely in Germany, Canada, the US, and even on Taggs Island in the UK, where some 60 homes are attached to piles driven into the riverbed of the Thames.

But creating an amphibious home - placing a house on a platform that makes the house float in case of a flood - has only recently been looked at in the Netherlands.

In 2005, Dutch firm Dura Vermeer built several buoyant houses in the village of Maasbommel, along the Maas River, about 60 miles (100km) from Amsterdam.

They rise as the water rises, keeping occupants and their possessions dry. When the floods subside, the houses sink to their original position.

The houses float on hollow pontoons made of concrete and timber. All pipes and ducts for water, gas, electricity, and sewage disposal are flexible and keep functioning even when a house rises several metres.

Unlike boats, the houses can't drift away, as they are kept in place by sturdy posts set deep into the ground.

Currently, Dutch architectural company Waterstudio is planning to build an entire apartment complex on water, which it says could accommodate hundreds of people.

'Sandless' sandbags

Even if the UK doesn't build floating houses any time soon, there are some innovations that could at least replace the heavy sandbags.

UK entrepreneur Richard Bailey designed lightweight bags that expand on contact with water - and also absorb it.

"It was first designed for the Ministry of Defence," says Mr Bailey, explaining that his company FloodSax was asked to create an easily portable alternative to sandbags for the army's bomb disposal unit.

"We put the bag into a barrage unit, the water comes in, gets soaked into the bag, the bag expands, blocking the water at the door.

"Or unfortunately when someone has been flooded, you can put it down in the house, soak up the water and the mud as well, so that you can get back into your house a little quicker."

There are other firms offering similar technology, such as Thailand-based Nanotec or another UK company, HydroSack, and FloodSax's bags are now being used in many countries across the world.

"Unfortunately though, they are still not as popular as the traditional sandbags, because not everyone is aware of the innovation," says Mr Bailey.

But Mr Andryszewski is confident that the UK will continue to use more and more innovative technology - there are already numerous places that use watertight submarine-type doors, he says, and the flood test centre is busy experimenting with other original approaches to keep the land - and homes - as dry as possible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20502736

Tornado in Taranto, Italy.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t3#/video/bestoftv/2012/11/28/ital...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9710284/Larg...

Sidmouth, east Devon, South West Britain.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242020/Frame-frame-The-dra...

Pictured: Dramatic moment huge chunk of Jurassic coastline crashes 100ft on to beach after heavy rainfall 

• Red sandstone cliff in Sidmouth is part of the Dorset and East Devon world heritage site
• Residents claim it is the fifth collapse along the 95 mile stretch of historic coastline in a week
• Experts claim cracks in the rock-face are being caused by too much rain
  

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 23:27 GMT, 2 December 2012 | UPDATED: 00:49 GMT, 3 December 2012

This is the dramatic moment when a whole chunk of Jurassic coastline came crashing down on to a beach.

The rain soaked clifftop plunged 100 feet to the pebbled beach below at Sidmouth, east Devon.

The moment was captured by John Austin, 70, who spotted a crack in the red sandstone cliffs while out for a walk last week.

A crack on the surface: A large crack is visible along a red sandstone cliff in Sidmouth, east Devon

Going, going... The cliff situated in the Dorset and East Devon world heritage site begins to break away

EDIS Number:    TC-20121203-37381-PHL
Event type:    Tropical Storm
Date/Time:    Monday, 03 December, 2012 at 17:17 (05:17 PM) UTC
Continent:    Pacific Ocean - West
Country:    Philippines
Area:    Mindanao Regions
Coordinate:    N 11° 57.201, E 123° 8.086

An impending major catastrophe is likely to occur in the southern Philippines from super typhoon Bopha during the next 12-24 hours. Bopha is set to deliver wind gusts of 160-180mph (260-290 kmph) in a swathe across northern central Mindanao. A major disaster is now almost certain for this region. Bopha's projected landfall is close to that of tropical storm Washi a year ago. Washi killed over 1200 people. However, Bopha's landfall wind intensity will be considerably higher than that of Washi and the disaster potentially greater (although rainfall will be less).

Typhoon Bopha bears down on Philippines

Infrared satellite image of super typhoon Bopha early Monday-hat tip: Stu Ostro

Via NASA: “One of the Expedition 34 crew members aboard the International Space Station captured this still image of Super Typhoon Bopha on Dec. 2, 2012.”

Forecast track for super typhoon Bopha (Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Source

Source

Bopha: the 2nd most southerly typhoon on record

Bopha is likely to hit at Category 4 or 5 strength, making it the strongest typhoon ever recorded in Mindanao.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=...

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/07/world/world-affiliates-severe-weather...

Severe weather leaves trail of destruction

Weather extremes across the world

(CNN) -- This past week saw severe weather in many parts of the world that took dozens of lives and left behind serious damage.

Here's a look at some of the extreme weather stories covered by CNN's global affiliates, including a typhoon in the Philippines and a tornado in New Zealand.

Unlikely typhoon in the Philippines

Typhoon Bopha devastated the Compostela Valley region in the southern Philippines early this week. At least 148 people have died and thousands of homes have been destroyed, according to TV5. Typhoons are uncommon in the Bopha region. Watch the video above to see how the storm knocked down power lines.

Tornado strikes near Auckland

A tornado ripped through the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, killing three people and leaving more than 200 people injured, according to TVNZ. About 150 homes were left without power.

Flooding in Argentina's capital

Heavy rains in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires left two people dead, forced evacuations and flooded nearly 9 million acres of farmland, Canal 9 said. See some of the most serious flooding in the video above.

Hard to see in Chinese province

Dense fog in the province of Sichuan caused heavy traffic and temporary highway closures in southwestern China. In some areas, visibility was reduced to less than 200 meters. Check out the fog in the video above from CCTV.

Poland's winter wonderland

Seven centimeters of snow fell in the city of Lublin on Monday. The snow brought with it temperatures of minus 1 degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit). In the nearby town of Bialystok, nine cars collided, causing one injury. See the snow in the video above, courtesy of TVN.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244458/Arctic-Britain-Sibe...

Freezing Britain: Siberian front brings ice, snow and -16C temperatures (but at least these skiers are enjoying themselves)

• Temperatures expected to dip from Sunday with frozen conditions bringing chaos to the roads later in the week
  
• Commuters pictured battling through heavy snow in Leeds, Newcastle and Lincolnshire
• AA warn drivers to be prepared for treacherous conditions and advise grit is ineffective below -9C
• Icy gusts from the east will bring a wind chill factor of -16C next week, according to Met Office forecasters
  
• Follows a week of transport chaos with airports closing and dramatic car crashes putting police officers and a boy of 11 into hospital
  

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 09:40 GMT, 7 December 2012 | UPDATED: 17:07 GMT, 8 December 2012

With icy blasts sweeping in from Siberia expected to send the mercury plummeting from as early as tomorrow afternoon, skiers made a rare UK appearance this morning enjoying an unexpected spot of glorious sunshine.

The intrepid winter sportsmen took to the gentle slopes of the South Tyne Valley, near Alston, in Cumbria, and if forecasters are correct there will be plenty more of the white stuff to come.

After today's brief respite, many parts of Britain face their first significant snow of the winter, with freezing winds, treacherous ice and sub-zero temperatures forecast for much of  next week.

The Met Office has warned that snow will ‘march relentlessly’ down the East coast and by mid-week temperatures there will struggle to rise above freezing – day or night. In some parts of the country, the mercury could plunge as low as -16C (3F).

Forecasters said bitter easterly winds – dubbed ‘the Beast from the East’ – will arrive after a mild weekend in which temperatures could rise to 9C (16F) in the South.

Scroll down for video

A skier enjoys the morning weather in South Tyne Valley, near Alston, Cumbria. Forecasters warn icy Siberian blasts will bring further bad weather from tomorrow afternoon

Making the most of it: Skier Nigel Rowell enjoys perfect conditions for a spot of cross country skiing in the South Tyne Valley, near Alston, in Cumbria

Record snowfall seen in Missoula

MISSOULA - Missoula residents sure are seeing white...lots of white.

The National Weather Service reports that Friday's snowfall set a record for the day.

NWS says 7.7 inches was recorded at Missoula International Airport, shattering the old record of 3.5 inches set in 1971.

Heavy snow fell all across Western Montana, including in Flathead County.

The National Weather Service reports nearly two feet of snow has fallen in the last 24 hours near Essex. That has U.S. Highway 2 down to one lane one mile north of Essex.

Around 10 inches of snow was reported near Libby, about eight inches of snow was reported near Creston and five inches was recorded near Condon and Heron.

'Fist-Sized' Hail Damages Hundred of Homes Near Johannesburg South Africa (Dec 9) -
More than 500 houses have been damaged in Ladysmith by "fist-sized" hail stones.  The storm hit the Akasia area of Ladysmith on Sunday evening.

No deaths or injuries had been reported, although an unknown number of families had been forced to take shelter in a local school hall.

Mabaso warned that the province should continue to brace itself for inclement weather.

"We have no prediction of any area, but there is a constant change in weather conditions and we will constantly advise people as it changes."

The public had to make sure their homes were safe and find out whether they lived on a flood plain.

"You must be able to know who to contact in a case of emergency. When it rains, don't just sit and pretend it's normal," he said.

Source

Rare December Tornadoes Slam Southern States (Dec 10) -

At least nine tornadoes ripped through four southern states Monday evening, blowing over gas pumps and destroying homes on Monday.

The hardest hit areas by the unusual December tornadoes were in Florida and Alabama.

In Edgewater, Fla., 40 homes were damaged and 12 completely destroyed. There were two people with minor injuries but no deaths, the Edgewater Fire Department reported. Most of the damage was inside Terra Mar Village, a mobile home community.

The city firehouse in Gonzales, La., was badly damaged by one of the tornadoes. The fire crew, which was out at the time, was forced to return to the building, The Weather Channel reported.

Wind from the tornado blew through the firehouse’s back doors and blew out the front of the building. Inmates were sent out by the sheriff's office to help clean up the wreckage.

In Alabama, there were no reported injuries or deaths, the Birmingham Fire Department reported, but a gas station off I-165 had its pumps blown over.

The Weather Channel reported widespread tree damage and structural damages to buildings in other areas of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.  

The forecast for Tuesday calls for a slight risk of tornadoes in areas stretching from Daytona Beach to Fort Meyers, Fla. Damaging winds, spotty hail and three to four inches of rainfall are expected.

There was a total of nine tornado reports in the U.S. on Monday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

National Weather Service survey crews confirmed several tornadoes.
Alabama
A EF-1 tornado touched down just northwest of downtown Birmingham, Ala., shortly before 5 a.m. CST on Monday. The twister damaged a metal roof of a building and caused the overhead doors to collapse. The tornado then moved on to damage 29 homes, two of which sustained severe damage. The tornado path was 1.05 miles long and 250 yards wide. Wind speeds have been estimated at 90 mph.

Mississippi
An EF-1 tornado with peak winds up to 100 mph touched down in Walthall County, Miss., before 8 a.m. CST Monday. The tornado destroyed a metal building and threw debris 200-300 yards away. Two homes were damaged and a barn was destroyed. Several trees were severely damaged, while hay bales were thrown 75-100 feet. The twister was on the ground for 17 miles. The tornado was up to 100 yards wide.

An EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 100 mph hit Marion County, Miss., shortly after 8:15 a.m. CST Monday. Numerous trees were damaged and uprooted along the tornado's path. A few sheds and gazebos were destroyed, while a metal carport was thrown onto a home. Shingle damage occurred to other homes. The twister was on the ground for 3 miles.

Louisiana
An EF-1 tornado with winds estimated at 105 mph struck eastern Baton Rouge Parish, La., before 7 a.m. CST Monday. The twister damaged a home and a convenience store. Numerous trees were damaged by the tornado. The worst damage was caused in the Lincoln Heights Subdivision, where trees were snapped and homes suffered moderate to major roof damage. The tornado was on the ground for 5.4 miles.

An EF-1 tornado with 90-mph winds hit Ascension Parish, La., shortly before 9:00 a.m. CST Monday. It tore a metal roof off a boat dealership and smashed the windshields of 10 cars at a car dealership. A pickup truck was lofted about 20 feet into the air before being thrown back onto its wheels. Numerous trees were damaged, while minor damage was inflicted to a few homes. The twister blew out five large overhead doors of a fire station. A metal frame building had extensive damage. The tornado's path length was 1.33 miles with a maximum width of 25 yards.

Florida
Public reports and pictures confirmed a waterspout over Lake Apoka in Orange County, Fla., at 4:30 p.m. EST on Monday.

NWS Survey crews will be in Volusia County, Fla., today examining damage from a possible tornado before 5:30 p.m. EST Monday. Twelve mobile homes were damaged and rooftops were ripped off homes. Power lines were also downed.

Tornado in Ocoee / Apopka Florida

Sources

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/11/15840317-rare-december-t...

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/see-one-of-mondays-torna...

Kiev Hit by Heaviest Snowfalls on Record (Dec 13) -

Ukrainian capital Kiev was experiencing its snowiest period since meteorological records began in 1881, the Ukrainian Hydro Meteorological Center said Thursday.

The amount of snow that Ukraine's Kiev has seen during the recent couple of days corresponds to what the city normally sees during two winter months.

The city is literally paralyzed. There are meter-high snowdrifts in the streets, trees break under the weight of snow. Seventeen trees have broken in the city as a result of heavy snowfalls.

Heavy snowfall and strong wind blocked roads across northern Ukraine and left hundreds of villages without electricity, authorities said Tuesday.

The Emergencies Ministry said sleet, snow and powerful wind brought down power lines in some 200 villages in northern Ukraine.

With snow as thick as 50 cm in some areas, hundreds of cars were blocked on the snow-covered highways in the northern Kiev and Chernigov regions.

The snowy weather has caused traffic chaos in the capital, where some 10,000 of cars have been stranded on major transport interchanges and bridges.

"Kiev faces severe weather conditions. The amount of snow and sleet exceeded previously recorded values for the entire period of meteorological observations since 1881," the weather bureau said in a statement.

The snowfall has lasted for more than two days in the Ukrainian capital and brought total precipitation to 103 millimeters.

Kiev State Administration declared a state of emergency as heavy snow paralyzed the city's roads. More than 360 snowplows are struggling to clear the capital.

The head of the Kiev City State Administration Alexander Popov urged all residents to come out into the streets to remove the snow. Drivers are recommended not to use their cars.

The head of the city administration addressed the citizens and guests of the Ukrainian capital. The document published on the website of the Kiev administration says that heavy snowfalls have triggered a state of emergency in the city, MediaPort reports. This will give an opportunity to have public utilities, departments of EMERCOM and the Ministry of Defense, as well as builders and employees of various companies involved in the work to remove snow from the streets.

The damage from the prolonged snowfall in Kiev is estimated at some 125,000 U.S. dollars per day, according to authorities.

Sources

http://english.pravda.ru/news/hotspots/12-12-2012/123140-ukraine_ki...

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2012/12/13/2561s738285.htm

100 Year Storm Causes Widespread Damage Across Eastern Scotland (Dec 15) -

Gale-force winds and unusually high tides have caused damage across areas of eastern and northern Scotland.

Huge waves caused up to £500,000 damage to North Berwick harbour in East Lothian, as sea defences were swept away.
A 15m section of the harbour wall collapsed in Lossiemouth in Moray.

And residents of a sheltered housing complex were evacuated after coastal flooding hit parts of Aberdeenshire.

Gerry Hughes, chairman of the North Berwick Harbour Trust Association, said he believed the storm that hit the town overnight between Friday and Saturday was the worst in more than 100 years.
Rest centre

He added: "This was a massive storm causing damage to sea walls that have stood for 150-odd years.

"The wind strength wasn't all that high, but the sea was absolutely beyond understanding. In the harbour you have a 40ft sea container that was washed approximately 200m, took away some fencing, and went straight into the harbour.

"There were also sea defence boulders weighing up to 200 kilos washed 150m along the esplanade, so that gives you the size and some sort of scale of the energy of the whole thing."

High tides and severe weather led to 25 people being taken from sheltered complexes at Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire.

They were taken to St Bridget's Hall in the town, where a rest centre was set up.

Further north at Peterhead, about 30 people were evacuated from properties in the Roanheads area.

The town's RNLI lifeboat launched in what were described as "horrendous" conditions at 02:30 to rescue three people marooned on the east side of Peterhead harbour.

A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said the high tide again reached Stonehaven at about 14:30 on Saturday, causing further coastal flooding.

People evacuated from affected properties earlier in the day remained out of their homes, with most having been collected by friends or family and alternative accommodation has been found for others, including at the new Edenholme care village in Stonehaven.

A flooding advice centre will be set up at Aberdeenshire Council's housing office on Allardice Street in Stonehaven on Monday from 11:00 until 16:30.

Elsewhere, a 15m section of the harbour wall collapsed in Lossiemouth. Police and council staff were at the scene and warned some flooding was possible at high tide. They also urged people to stay away from the area until it was made safe.

The village of Kingston in Moray was said to have been completely cut off after its sea defences were breached.

In Wick, on the far north coast, roads were closed and fishing boats were damaged in high winds.

About 12 cars were moved from a car park when a strong surge breached a river bank, police said, and several roads were closed by debris thrown up by the waves.

The town The Shore, Harbour Quay and South Quay were closed.

Huge waves caused part of the harbour wall at Balintore, near Tain in Ross-shire, to collapse, with two boys aged 12 and 14 suffering minor cuts after being thrown to the ground by the force of the water.

Resident George Wood, 52, said: "I've lived in Balintore all my life and I've never seen it this bad before. It's devastation. The wall should have been repaired long ago."

And storm force winds continued to batter Shetland throughout Saturday, with the road through Sandsayre in Sandwick flooded.

The force of the waves combined with the high tide ripped up part of the beach and lifted some of the boats onto the road, and the nearby boat museum was flooded.

The Scottish government has convened its Resilience Room in response to the storms.

Source

Samoa Flooding Worst in Memory (Dec 17)

The Samoa capital, Apia, has been hit by the worst flooding residents can remember in the wake of tropical cyclone Evan.

The Disaster Management Office said in a statement: "Power is off for the whole country . . . Tanugamanono power plant is completely destroyed and we might not have power for at least two weeks,"

Winds of up to 200 kilometres an hour hit the region early on Monday. Hundreds of people were evacuated as high winds damaged homes and Apia's Vaisigano River broke its banks.

"Most of the mountains have been stripped bare of leafs and trees and so all the plantations have been affected," she told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific.

"You've got taro, grapefruit and banana all affected. Once we get over this, the cyclone itself, we're going to have major food issues afterwards."

The National Emergency Operations Centre says the damaging impact of the storm is as severe as the tsunami that devastated the country in 2009.

Pictures of damage have also emerged from the small Pacific territory of Wallis and Futuna, where the eye of cyclone Evan reportedly passed within 50 kilometres.

In Samoa the death toll stands officially at four but eight fishermen are still missing at sea.

Authorities say 4,500 people are in emergency evacuation centres after their homes were flooded or destroyed.

Seti Afoa said cyclone Evan "hit Apia directly" after travelling "as slow as a car" over part of the island.

"The cyclone brought with it a huge amount of water, dumped it on the hills". The significant rainfall was ironic as the country had previously been praying for rain, with shortages looming.

The Vaisigano River filled and swept down to the coast, coinciding with "the biggest tide of the year", Seti Afoa said.

The combination meant of flooded river and high tide "this is the worst flooding Apia has faced. People have lost everything - homes, shops, cars."

The flooding was "appalling".

"We should have electricity for the whole country some time next week," she said.

"Right now electricity is prioritised for hospitals and the central business district, some other parts of the country and the airport.

"Most likely it will take about a week, the whole of this week to finish off the clean-up.

Disaster assessment teams are now moving out across the island of Upolu, which has bore the brunt of Cyclone Evan.

Ms Nelson says a picture is emerging of widespread and severe damage.

Food staples such as bananas and breadfruit have been particularly badly hit.

Broken trees and battered plantations stretch for kilometres in the south-west of the island.

A state of emergency has been declared after the cyclone struck the South Pacific nation last Thursday.

Mr Grimsich told Pacific Beat the damage caused by Cyclone Evan is much worse than initially expected.

"There's a number of power lines down, roads damaged, we're having a lot of difficulty communicating by mobile phones because the lines are actually quite jammed at the moment," he said.

"We had a large number of people displaced from their homes near the coast and near the river."

Many places in Samoa have only just rebuilt after being devastated by a tsunami in 2009.

It said hospitals and other essential services were using standby generators, with water supplies also out and most roads cut off by fallen trees and power poles.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said the cyclone had caused "damage to local services and infrastructure, including communications and electricity services and Faleolo International Airport".

"The Australian High Commission in Apia has closed until further notice due to storm damage," DFAT said.

It advises travelers to exercise normal safety precautions in Samoa.

In Wallis and Futuna, communication to the region is difficult and images show battered homes and uprooted trees on the island of Wallis.

Source

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2012-12-17/samoa-flo...

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Metro+Vancouver+storm+surge+...

Metro Vancouver storm surge a climate-change preview, expert says.

http://rt.com/news/russia-freeze-cold-temperature-379/

Down to -50C: Russians freeze to death as strongest-in-decades winter hits (PHOTOS)

RIA Novosti / Yakov Andreev

Russia is enduring its harshest winter in over 70 years, with temperatures plunging as low as -50 degrees Celsius. Dozens of people have already died, and almost 150 have been hospitalized.

­The country has not witnessed such a long cold spell since 1938, meteorologists said, with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees lower than the seasonal norm all over Russia.

Across the country, 45 people have died due to the cold, and 266 have been taken to hospitals. In total, 542 people were injured due to the freezing temperatures, RIA Novosti reported.

The Moscow region saw temperatures of -17 to -18 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and the record cold temperatures are expected to linger for at least three more days. Thermometers in Siberia touched -50 degrees Celsius, which is also abnormal for December.

RIA Novosti / Aleksey Malgavko

­The Emergency Ministry has issued warnings in 15 regions, which have been put on high alert over possible disruptions of communication and power.

Across the country, heat pipelines have broken down due to the cold. In southeastern Russia’s Samara, the cold has broken down many heat pipelines, leaving hundreds of homes without heating, including an orphanage and a rest house. Many schools and kindergartens have been closed for almost a week. 

The cold spell, along with snowfalls, has disrupted flights all over the country, and led to huge traffic jams. In the southern city of Rostov-on-Don some highways were closed due to snowfalls over the past two days, triggering a traffic collapse.

Russia: record lows; Germany: record highs

Berlin, Moscow - Russia this year's December cover extremely low temperatures in Siberia have fallen by up to 57 degrees Celsius below zero. The worst cold in the last 50 years, some parts of Russia completely paralyzed. Meanwhile, the Germans are much more strongly, since the south of the country is projected to nearly judging expect spring temperatures up to 20 degrees Celsius.

Russia

According to official figures, this year's cold claimed more than 56 victims, hundreds of people in the hospital due to frostbite. In addition, every day dozens of people die due to carbon monoxide poisoning or explosions of gas, as they try to warm up on the old stove or an open fire and there is no follow safety regulations.

Meanwhile in southern Germany instead of white Christmas this year apparently lived to see green. In some parts of Germany on Christmas Eve will be a record warm. In Bavaria, where they are taking this time still snow, this Christmas may be the warmest in history, reported dpa.

In Munich for Monday, the day before Christmas, the predicted temperatures up to 20 degrees above zero. 24th warmest december so far they have with 14 degrees in Munich had in 1977.

bit.ly/WzG4Rw

Nearly 200 killed in cold snap across Russia, eastern Europe

A vicious cold snap across Russia and eastern Europe has claimed nearly 200 lives, officials figures showed Friday, as forecasters warned it would last until Christmas Eve.

In Russia, the cold has killed two people in the past 24 hours, the Ria-Novosti agency reported, citing medical sources, bringing the total number of deaths over the past week to 56.

The freeze had also left 371 people in hospital.

Thermometers have been stuck below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) in Moscow -- and below minus 50 degrees (minus 58 F) in some parts of Siberia -- for a week.

Russian weather forecasters said temperature in the Khabarovsk region in eastern Russia had dropped to minus 43 Celsius, while Krasnoyarsk in Siberia reported minus 47.

This "abnormal" frost would last till Monday because of a persistent anticyclone, they added.

In Russia's European region, meanwhile, the mercury is expected to fall to minus 31 degrees Celsius on Christmas Eve before rising rapidly afterwards.

Other European countries hit hard by the extreme temperatures were counting the toll as temperatures gradually started to return to normal.

Authorities in Ukraine, which has been battling heavy snowfall for weeks, said 83 people had died of cold, with 57 of the victims found on the street.

The homeless are traditionally the hardest-hit by the region's bitter winters.

Another 526 cold victims were reportedly receiving hospital treatment in Ukraine.

Overnight temperatures in Ukraine reached an average minus 15 degrees Celsius, which is common at this time of year.

Ukrainian authorities said 93 villages -- mainly on the Crimean peninsula in the south of the country -- were still hit by a power outage.

In eastern Europe, police in Poland said Friday that 49 people had died of exposure this month, with most of the victims homeless, as temperatures plunged to minus 10 degrees Celsius.

At least six people have died of exposure in Lithuania in the past weeks, police and emergency services said there.

In Latvia, temperatures reached minus 14 Celsius on Friday morning. In the capital Riga, authorities decided to drop public transport fares to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home and prevent crashes and jams.

On Christmas Eve temperatures in Latvia are expected to drop to minus 28 Celsius, a record low.

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, temperatures hovered around zero on Friday.

Czech police said several people had died of exposure in recent weeks, but no overall statistics were available for the country.

Source

Mississippi river faces shipping freeze as water levels drop

Link to this video

Navigation has become treacherous as the worst US drought in half a century brings water levels close to record lows

The Mississippi as seen from Ed Drager's tug boat is a river in retreat: a giant beached barge is stranded where the water dropped, with sand bars springing into view. The floating barge office where the tugboat captain reports for duty is tilted like a funhouse. One side now rests on the exposed shore. "I've never seen the river this low," Drager said. "It's weird."

The worst drought in half a century has brought water levels in the Mississippi close to historic lows and could shut down all shipping in a matter of weeks – unless Barack Obama takes extraordinary measures.

It's the second extreme event on the river in 18 months, after flooding in the spring of 2011 forced thousands to flee their homes. Without rain, water levels on the Mississippi are projected to reach historic lows this month, the national weather service said in its latest four-week forecast.

"All the ingredients for us getting to an all-time record low are certainly in place," said Mark Fuchs, a hydrologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) in St Louis. "I would be very surprised if we didn't set a record this winter."

The drought has created a low-water choke point south of St Louis, near the town of Thebes, where pinnacles of rock extend upwards from the river bottom making passage treacherous.

Shipping companies are hauling 15 barges at a time instead of a typical string of 25, because the bigger runs are too big for the operating conditions.

Barges are carrying lighter loads, making for more traffic, with more delays and back-ups. Stretches of the river are now reduced to one-way traffic. A long cold spell could make navigation even trickier: shallow, slow-moving water is more likely to get clogged up with ice.

Current projections suggest water levels could drop too low to send barges through Thebes before the new year – unless there is heavy rainfall.

Local television in St Louis is dispensing doom-laden warnings about rusting metal and hazardous materials exposed by the receding waters.

Shipping companies say the economic consequences of a shutdown on the Mississippi would be devastating. About $7bn (£4.3bn) in vital commodities – typically grain, coal, heating oil, and cement – moves on the river at this time of year. Cutting off the transport route would have an impact across the mid-west and beyond.

The potential closure of the Mississippi river due to low water levels has raised concern for barge companies and others who use the river for shipping. Photograph: James West/Climate Desk

"There are so many issues at stake here," said George Foster, owner of JB Marine Services. "There is so much that moves on the river, not just coal and grain products, but you've got cement, steel for construction, chemicals for manufacturing plants, petroleum plants, heating oil. All those things move on the waterways, so if it shuts down you've got a huge stop of commerce."

Companies which ship their goods on the river are talking about lay-offs, if the Mississippi closes to navigation. Those would be just the first casualties, Foster said. "It is going to affect the people at the grocery store, at the gas pump, with home construction and so forth."

And it's going to fall especially hard on farmers, who took a heavy hit from the drought and who rely on the Mississippi to ship their grain to export markets. Farmers in the area lost up to three-quarters of their corn and soya bean crops to this year's drought. Old-timers say it was the worst year they can remember.

"We have been through some dry times. In 1954 when my dad and grandfather farmed here they pretty much had nothing because it was so dry," said Paul McCormick who farms with his son, Jack, in Ellis Grove, Illinois, south of St Louis. "But I think this was a topper for me this year."

Now, however, farmers are facing the prospect of not being able to sell their grain at all because they can't get it to market. The farmers may also struggle to find other bulk items, such as fertiliser, that are typically shipped by barge.

"Most of the grain produced on our farm ends up bound for export," said Jack McCormick, who raises beef cattle and grain with his father. "It ends up going down the river. That is a very good market for us, and if you can't move it that means a lower price, or you have to figure out a different way to move it. It all ends up as a lower price for the farmers."

The shipping industry in St Louis wants the White House to order the release of more water from the Missouri river, which flows into the Mississippi, to keep waters high enough for the long barges to float down the river to New Orleans.

Foster said the extra water would be for 60 days or so – time for the US army corps of engineers to blast and clear the series of rock pinnacles down river, near the town of Thebes, that threaten barges during this time of low water.

Sending out more water from the Missouri would doom states upstream, such as Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota, which depend on water from the Missouri and are also caught in the drought.

"There are farmers and ranchers up there with livestock that don't have water to stay alive. They don't have enough fodder. They don't have enough irrigation water," said Robert Criss, a hydrologist at Washington University in St Louis, who has spent his career studying the Mississippi. "What a dumb way to use water during a drought."

Elected officials from South Dakota and elsewhere have pushed back strenuously at the idea of sending their water downstream. Foster reckons there is at best a 50-50 chance Obama will agree to open the gates. But such short-term measures ignore an even bigger problem. Scientists believe the Mississippi and other rivers are headed for an era of extremes, because of climate change.

This time last year, the Mississippi around St Louis was 20ft deeper because of heavy rain. In the spring of 2011, the army engineers blew up two miles of levees to save the town of Cairo, Illinois and Missouri farmland, and deliberately flood parts of rural Louisiana to ensure Baton Rouge and New Orleans stayed dry.

"It has kind of switched on us, and it switched pretty quick," said the coastguard chief Ryan Christiansen. "It wasn't that long ago that you had pretty high flooding, and now we are heading towards record lows."

Source

ANTARCTICA: RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 9 YEARS, SYOWA STATION (DEC 23)

Rainfall was observed at Syowa station, Antarctica ） （ Japan time yesterday afternoon-23, dawn, 22. Japan Meteorological Agency recorded at Syowa station said rain is 1/1/2004 about nine years.

9:30 It began to sleet and rain too much said 11: 22, Syowa station and intermittently continued to fall until the night. 4.6 Degrees maximum temperature, minimum temperature 0.9 degrees and became a rare day not less than 0 degrees.

round up of the year's crazy weather in the UK:

A heatwave in March, a twister in Bicester and the wettest summer on record: Britain’s topsy turvy weather which kept Britain talking

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252965/A-heatwave-March-tw...

WEATHER GOES INSANE OVER EUROPE:  White Christmas for Moscow while south Europe sweats

From deadly cold in Russia, floods in Britain and balmy conditions that have residents in southwest France rummaging for their bathing suits, the weather has gone haywire across Europe in the days leading up to Christmas.

The mercury in Moscow has fallen to minus 25 degrees Celsius (minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit) -- unseasonably cold in a country where such chills don't normally arrive until January or February.

The cold has claimed 90 lives in Russia since mid-December and 83 in Ukraine, with eastern Eurasia in the grips of an unusually icy month that has seen temperatures drop to as low as minus 50 degrees C in eastern Siberia.

Another 57 people have died from the cold in Poland this month, and officials say the icy front is probably "the most severe of the last 70 years," according to Regis Crepet, a forecaster with Meteo-Consult.

While the former Eastern bloc shivers and Britain fights severe flooding after heavy rains, holiday-makers and residents in the south of France and in Italy have dug out their shorts and swimwear to welcome an unexpected blast of beach weather.

Temperatures on Sunday climbed to 24.3 degrees C in Biarritz on the Atlantic coast, nearly 12 degrees hotter than the seasonal average, and nudging the 1983 record of 24.4 degrees C.

"These are remarkable temperatures that we do not see every year," French weather forecaster Patrick Galois said.

In Catania on Italy's Sicily coast, beach temperatures on Christmas day are forecast to climb as high as 22 degrees C in some places, while in Austria, the small village of Brand at an altitude of more than 1,000 metres (3,200 feet), noted a December 24 record of 17.7 degrees C.

Source

Record Number of Christmas Tornadoes, Blizzards Tear Through U.S. (Dec 25)
The National Weather Service said there were a record 34 tornadoes reported in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday.

A state of emergency was declared in Mississippi, where homes, roads and businesses were damaged in at least nine counties. Eight people were injured but expected to survive, officials said.

A tornado watch was issued Wednesday for the eastern Carolinas until 5:00 p.m. ET.

At one point late Tuesday, holiday celebrations went dark for at least 150,000 customers in Alabama; electricity had been restored to all but 8,500 by the next morning, according to Alabama Power.

The worst of the tornadoes hit Tuesday afternoon in Mobile, Ala.  Along with brutal, straight-line winds, the storms knocked down countless trees, blew the roofs off homes and left many Christmas celebrations in the dark. Torrential rains drenched the region and several places saw flash flooding.

Rick Cauley, who was hosting relatives for Christmas, got everyone in the house to a shelter at the high school down the block.

"As luck would have it, that's where the tornado hit," Cauley told The Associated Press. "The pressure dropped and the ears started popping and it got crazy for a second."

Mobile Press-Register reporter John Sharp wrote that he hunkered down in his bathtub in the fetal position while the power flickered off and the twister roared around his building.

When he walked outside, he was stunned. The roof of a small shopping center had caved in, and several cars in a restaurant parking lot were destroyed.

“Visibly, it was like a bomb has gone off at The Loop,” he wrote. “A one-way street sign was literally sawed into half. The Dauphin Island Parkway/Airport Boulevard sign was flattened. Power lines were lying on the ground.

Mobile’s Trinity Episcopal Church lost a large section of its roof and a wall, but officials were looking on the bright side. Hours before the tornado touched down, there were 500 people in the church for Christmas Eve services.

Blizzard Conditions Across 8 States

At least eight states were issued blizzard warnings, as the storms made highways dangerously slick heading into one of the busiest travel days of the year.  The death toll rose to six with car accidents on snow and sleet-slickened highways in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Indianapolis had 7 inches on the ground by 10 a.m. after receiving as much as 3 inches of snow in a single hour making it one of the strongest snowstorms in years to strike central and southern Indiana.

Ice accumulation in Arkansas bent trees and power lines, leaving at least 50,000 customers across the state without power. About 10 inches of snow fell on Fayetteville, Ark.

Fifty-two Indiana counties have travel restrictions in place during the blizzard.

Motorists were stranded Wednesday morning on State Road 37 southbound at the Monroe-Morgan county line.

Indiana State police say slick, snow-covered road conditions on an incline in the area stalled 40 to 50 cars.  An Indiana Department of Transportation truck tried to clear the area, but ended up in a ditch.

All roads, including SR37, SR46 and SR45 in the Bloomington District remain snow covered, slick and extremely hazzardous. Some areas are down to one lane and some remain impassable.   

More than 100 Indiana National Guard soldiers and airmen have been activated Wednesday to assist the citizens and communities of Indiana, Indiana State Police troopers and local authorities throughout the state under the direction of Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

National Guard personnel will deploy 10 Highway Assistance Teams, consisting of a total of 40 personnel, that will augment emergency personnel with the evacuation of stranded motorists and shut-ins.

Additionally, six Armory Support Packages, consisting of a total of 24 personnel, have been initiated to provide life support and vehicle staging operations to emergency personnel during IDHS operations.

More than 900 flights around the U.S. were canceled as of Wednesday midday, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. The cancelations were mostly spread around airports that had been or soon would be in the path of the storm.

Sources

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/26/16166853-power-crews-scr...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/nasty-winter-storms-spawn-tornadoes-blizza...

http://tribstar.com/latest/x1303500919/Indiana-National-Guard-respo...

Usually a harbinger of Spring, daffodils are blooming 2 months early in the U.K. (Dec 25)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253108/The-Christmas-daffo...

The Christmas Daffodil?

Keen gardener said that the flowers are his earliest blooms yet.

While most of the UK continues to be deluged by rain - the early signs of spring have already made an appearance in one Devon town.

Keen gardener Brian Rickard saw the first daffodils in his Plymouth, Devon, flowerbeds bloom in time for Christmas.

The bright yellow flower made an appearance despite the town enduring 128.8mm of rain already in December - surpassing its monthly average for this time of year of 118.8mm.

In bloom: Keen gardener Brian Rickard is pictured outside his Plymouth, Devon, home with his daffodils which have flowered in time for Christmas

Spring on its way: Brian Rickard, right, says neither he, nor his wife Mary, knew what variety the bulbs were

Looking good: Although Mr Rickard usually sees his daffodils flower in December, he says that this is the earliest they have ever made an appearance

Although Mr Rickard usually sees his daffodils flower in December, he says that this is the earliest they have ever made an appearance.

Mr Rickard said: 'They have been out since December 15. Everybody who goes past is amazed.

'We always seem to have the first out. People are always saying "how on earth do you do it?".

'We don’t do anything at all. We just planted them and left them. I think it is because we are in a sheltered valley.

He added: 'These are in the front garden, which is south facing so it’s a bit warmer.'

Three girls spot early daffodils as they walk to the pub for Christmas lunch in Westward Ho!, North Devon

Brian, 73, a retired university technician, said neither he, nor his wife Mary, knew what variety the bulbs were.

'I haven’t a clue,' he said.

'It’s team work. Mary does the weeding and I do the planting and digging.

'It does cheer you up, seeing daffodils at Christmas.'

Although normally planted in Autumn, daffodils develop their roots over several months before flowering in the spring.

Mr Rickard's daffodils were not the only ones to flower two months early.

More daffodils were spotted in Westward Ho!, Devon.

East coast, and Southern Australia Brace for Heat waves (Jan 1)

Severe Fire Dangers are forecast for most of South Africa, just a day after a bush fire started in the Clare valley. Authorities have warned today that any blaze that is sparked today is likely to be fast moving and uncontrollable. Some parts of Queensland are also facing dangerous fire conditions with Northwest Queensland expected to have temperature of 43 degrees. The state of Victoria is also preparing for a record breaking heat wave.

Source

Unseasonable snow falls in South Island (Jan 3)

A sodden South Island will have the chance to dry off over the next few days, after a front which brought gales, torrential rain, thunderstorms and unseasonal snow to the south moves off the country.

Source