Earth & Space Weather

Pronounced climate extremes continue across hemispheres: Tasmania has hottest day on record

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Source: The Extinction Protocol - 1/05/13

Heat wave

A wool shed goes up in flames near the Carlton River in Tasmania, where up to 80 buildings were destroyed. Picture: Richard Jupe Source: The Australian

January 5, 2013 – AUSTRALIA - Australia’s southern island of Tasmania has experienced its hottest day since records began, with the capital Hobart sweltering at 41.8 Celsius (107.2 Fahrenheit) on Friday. The Bureau of Meteorology said the temperature in Tasmania, where records have been kept since the early 1880s, beat the previous high of 40.8 Celsius set in January 1976. “There are only three or four (days) on record over 40 degrees so it’s quite rare,” said Melbourne-based Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Murray Keable.

 

Floods hit Southeast Niger

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

iol news - 1/03/13, SAPA

iol news pic Niger River ferry

A riverboat ferrying passengers crosses the Niger river in Mopti in Mali. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis).

Niamey - Flooding in southeast Niger, the landlocked West African country known for periodic drought, has affected more than 8 000 people and cost millions in lost agricultural output, the UN said Thursday.

Rising waters on the Yobe River caused damage to crops “worth about 10 billion CFA Francs,” or 15 million euros, the UN's local humanitarian affairs bureau said.

To read the rest of this story, visit iol news.

Unseasonable snow falls in South Island

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

The New Zealand Herald - 1/03/13, Rebecca Quilliam

Thirsty Creek near Inchbonnie. Photo / Kasey Miles

Thirsty Creek near Inchbonnie. Photo / Kasey Miles
 

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.

MetService this afternoon said weather conditions had now settled and the storm had abated.

To read the rest of this story, visit The New Zealand Herald.

Wildfires in Australia heatwave

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

ITV.com - 1/03/12
Wildfires rip through Australia amid scorching temperatures

A fire blazes in Finniss, south Australia. Credit: APTN

Australian officials are battling a series of wildfires amid scorching temperatures across the country, with one blaze suspected of damaging or destroying dozens of buildings in Tasmania.

The temperature in Hobart, Tasmania reached a record high of nearly 42 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit).

To watch the video and read the rest of this story, visit ITV.com.

2012: A Quiet Tornado Year

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - 1/03/13, Becky Kellogg

iWitness weather user: Sawyer James Perry

2012 was a year of weather extremes: the warmest year on record, a devastating late-season hurricane, and a drought that is still growing well into winter. However, there was one area in which the U.S. actually received a bit of a break: tornadoes.

"At this point (Dec. 26), the U.S. as a whole is on pace to have the quietest tornado year since at least 2002 and possibly 1989," says Tornado Expert Dr. Greg Forbes.

To read the rest of this story, visit Weather.com.

Miss. River Nears Historic Lows, Shipping at Risk

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

Weather.com - Karl Plume, 1/03/13

AP Photo/Belleville News-Democrat, Derik Holtmann

The towboat Wendy Ann moves past several empty barges anchored on the East St. Louis riverfront in St. Louis, Thursday afternoon, Dec. 27, 2012.

The drought-drained Mississippi River will rise slightly later this week between St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois, but later continue its decline toward historic lows, according to a National Weather Service forecast.

Low water, due to the worst U.S. drought since 1956, has already impeded the flow of billions of dollars worth of grain, coal, fertilizer and other commodities between the central United States and shipping terminals at the Gulf of Mexico.

To read the rest of this story, visit Weather.com.

Auring makes landfall over south Palawan, may exit PAR in 12 hours

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

GMA Network - 1/04/13

Tropical Storm Auring (Sonamu) made landfall over the southern tip of Palawan early Friday, and may exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) as early as Friday noon, state weather forecasters said.
 
PAGASA forecaster Buddy Javier said Auring maintained its strength as it made landfall, and may bring heavy to intense rain.
 

To read the rest of this story, visit GMA Network.

Holiday storms have limited impact on US drought

Rain's picture

Submitted by Rain on

KTAR.com - 1/03/13, Source: United States News

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Holiday storms that pounded much of the nation with snow and rain did little to ease the overall grip of the worst U.S. drought in decades.

The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday shows that about 61 percent of the continental U.S. remained in some form of drought as of Tuesday, down less than a percentage point from the previous week. That number has been above 60 percent largely since July.

To read the rest of this story, visit KTAR.com.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Earth & Space Weather