Home/Posts Tagged ‘weather’
Posts Tagged ‘weather’
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Weird Stuff, Jun 29th, 2012,
The city of Newcastle in the UK is being hit by ‘biblical’ weather. Hail storms, flooding, lightning… it’s enough to make residents engage in that well-loved English national pastime: complaining about the weather. The freakish weather in the region has resulted in the closings of schools, roads, shops, transport stations and more. A supercell or rotating thunderstorm hovered above Newcastle, turning roads into rivers and sending a spectacular bolt of lightening straight into the Tyne River Bridge. I hope it wasn’t the US military testing their new laser-guided lighting weapon. Meanwhile in Leicestershire golf ball sized hail stones damaged…
Tags: hail, newcastle, weather
Nature, Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 29th, 2010,
Fall is here, which means the leaves are starting to change color. This is the last season of color we get before the world turns to a drab white, brown, black and grey. It’s also one of the most spectacular times of the year to go for a hike. Whether you live near the Swiss Alps or the Rocky Mountains, sometimes nothing is more amazing than walking amongst the trees as their leaves turn to pumpkin orange, golden yellow, or scarlet red. It also makes for great photo opportunities! Given all that information, have you ever wondered why the leaves…
Tags: autumn colors, climate, fall foliage, leaf colors, orange, red, survival, trees, weather, why do leaves change color, Yellow
Climate Change, Science & Technology, Sep 6th, 2010,
This week leading climate scientists will meet in the UK to make plans for a project with the aim of creating an international weather databank and revolutionizing the way meteorological disasters are predicted. The project will entail the creation of a global network of weather stations that give daily readings, digitizing old sea logs, gathering weather information from all countries of the world, as well as forging co-operational relationships with web companies such as Google and Galaxy Zoo. We need to answer key questions such as whether the onset of the monsoon in India will be delayed, how the frequency…
Tags: climate, extreme, project, scientists, UK, weather
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 21st, 2010,
Here are two video reports on the dramatic effects of recent extreme weather events in China and Pakistan. From ITN News: ‘Train ripped apart on collapsed bridge in china’ Jaw dropping footage from when a passenger train split in half on a bridge which collapsed in the China floods. From Al Jazeera English: ‘Fortitude amid Pakistan disaster’ The floods that have ravaged Pakistan have forced millions of people to flee their homes and villages, but a small number stubbornly refused to leave their homes despite the risk posed by rising flood waters.
Tags: China, dramatic, extreme, floods, Pakistan, video, weather
Climate Change, Health, Nature, Aug 17th, 2010,
About three weeks ago, Pakistan was hit by a natural catastrophe whose magnitude dwarfs the devastating 2005 earthquake in the country’s northern areas. In fact the number of people affected by these floods is estimated to be more than the number of people impacted by both the tsunami and the Haiti earthquake. Floods are a part of the history of India and Pakistan, and the Monsoon season in this region has always been heavy and unpredictable. However, most years, the clouds that rise from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal do follow somewhat of a pattern. The latter,…
Tags: Climate change, flooding, floods, help pakistan, natural disaster, Pakistan, rain showers, weather
Climate Change, Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 14th, 2010,
From Australia to China to Pakistan to Russia and central Europe, this summer has so far been characterized by extreme weather events such as torrential rains, flooding, drought and wildfires. In the following video report by ITN News, climate scientist Thomas R. Karl explains how the current extreme weather events across the globe are linked and most likely connected to human activity. Karl is the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Services office in Washington DC. From an article by the Associated Press: Russia and central Asia this year happen to be the epicentres of very…
Tags: australia, China, climate, events, extreme, flood, flooding, Karl, Pakistan, Russia, scientist, summer, Thomas, weather, wildfires
Climate Change, Nature, Aug 13th, 2010,
While individual events like heat waves, cold snaps, floods and droughts cannot be attributed to man made climate change on an individual basis, scientists at the World Meteorological Association (WMO) say global warming exacerbates the intensity of recent extreme weather. The floods in China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the heat wave and resultant wild fires in Russia and the intense rain in central Europe all point to the fact that extreme weather events have tripled since 1980. From an article by Reuters: Recent extremes include mudslides in China and heat records from Finland to Kuwait — adding to evidence of a changing…
Tags: change, China, climate, events, extreme, fires, flooding, floods, global, heat, Pakistan, Russia, scientists, warming, wave, weather
Climate Change, Nature, Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Aug 1st, 2010,
Russia’s forests are facing threats from both development and Mother Nature. Forest fires are currently blazing in locations across the country, with the Moscow region being particularly hard-hit. An official state of emergency has been declared in 27 out of 83 of Russia’s regions and 10,000 firefighters have been deployed to fight the blazes. Unusually hot and dry weather has greatly exacerbated conditions for fires. Over 25 people have been killed because of the fires, over 1,000 homes have been destroyed and thousands of people displaced. Russia has also lost 9.6 million hectares (24 million acres) of grain crops due…
Tags: activists, developers, fire, firefighters, forest, heat, highway, Khimki, Russia, Russian, weather
Climate Change, Wildlife & Flora, Jul 31st, 2010,
Bites caused by Blanford flies – a regional species of black fly in the UK – are on the rise this summer, with human activity and hot weather taking the blame. One factor contributing to the rise in black fly bites in the Norwich area of England include the large amount of water features being built in British gardens, which facilitate the flies’ reproduction in suburban areas. From a report in the Telegraph: Experts blamed the recent warm and humid [weather] which has made insects, including horseflies, mosquitoes and midges, more active, particularly in the evening. People are also spending…
Tags: bites, black, Blanford, England, flies, fly, garden, temperatures, UK, warm, weather
Climate Change, Nature, Jul 16th, 2010,
In a piece of news that may sound bizarre to some, record-breaking temperatures in Russia are causing a rash of deaths by drowning. Over 1,200 have drowned recently, sometimes combining swimming with alcohol to seek relief from temperatures approaching 40C (104F). An official from Russia’s Emergencies Ministry attributed most of the drowning deaths to this dangerous mix. From a CNN report: Officials have urged citizens to take a siesta in the afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day. Cases of heat stroke and sunburn have increased in children, and adults with heart problems and diabetes are suffering complications….
Tags: deaths, drowning, Europe, heat, heat wave, record, Russia, Russian, temperatures, vodka, weather
Nature, Jul 15th, 2010,
According to China’s Civil Affairs Ministry, rainstorms and floods have left at least 118 people dead and a further 47 missing in southern China this month. Damage from the flooding includes the destruction of some 101,000 houses, the relocation of 1.1 million people and an estimated financial toll of around $3.3bn (€2.6bn). From a xinhuanet.com report: By 4 p.m. Wednesday, more than 32.3 million people in 10 southern provinces and Chongqing Municipality had been affected by continuous rainstorms and floods, the ministry said. Euronews reports that Japan’s northern Kyushu and Chugoku regions have experienced severe flooding, resulting 85,000 evacuation orders….
Tags: Asia, China, dead, extreme, flooding, floods, japan, Philippines, rainstorms, storm, typhoon, weather
Climate Change, Nature, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 3rd, 2010,
It would seem some of our worst Gulf Coast Oil Spill fears may come true this year. Colorado State University forecasters are predicting 18 hurricanes or tropical storms for the Atlantic basin this year, between June 1st and November 30th; five of the hurricanes are expected to be major—with wind speeds of 111 mph or greater—and may diminish cleanup efforts along the Gulf Coast. The forecasters say the increased forecast is due to warmer than usual tropical sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and cooling conditions in the Pacific. The university’s lead forecaster, Phil Klotzbach, warned of a 76% chance…
Tags: Colorado State University, forecast, Gulf Coast, hurricane, tropical storms, US, warning, weather
Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, Apr 30th, 2010,
It seems Chicken Little may have been right, after all. Last week, I was watching a show on the Discovery Channel. It basically talked of a number of strange phenomena or news accounts and one segment in particular caught my attention. That particular segment was about megacryometeors. Megacryometeors are large chunks of ice that randomly fall out of the sky. It is not known where they come from (for certain) or why they fall at random. What is known is that they can fall anywhere at any time and cause a considerable amount of damage. Even more strange is the…
Tags: falling chunks of ice, ice, megacryometeor, phenomenon, random, sky, strange, study, unknown, weather, weird
Weird Stuff, Mar 16th, 2010,
Weather is all around us. It’s constantly happening and constantly changing. We experience it as soon as we step outside and we follow the forecasts—sometimes almost obsessively. What would you do if you could actually wear the weather? Seems like a crazy concept, right? Well, Canadian designer Valerie Lamontagne has turned that very crazy idea into a reality. This innovative designer has created a line of weather fashion, called Peau d’Âne—based on the Charles Perrault fairytale. If you’re unfamiliar with the fairytale: A young princess basically wishes to avoid marrying her stepfather, so she orders him to have 3 dresses…
Tags: design, fashion, Moon Dress, Peau d’Ane, Sky Dress, Sun Dress, Valerie Lamontagne, weather
Climate Change, Feb 28th, 2010,
In less than 24 hours, a good portion of the globe has been hit with a number of natural disasters. Unfortunately for them, the worst of it hasn’t even happened yet. Yesterday, Chile was hit by an 8.8 earthquake—one of the worst ever recorded. Homes, highways and bridges were torn apart and at least 214 people have been found dead so far. To make matters worse, that isn’t even the full extent of the damage and the death toll will most likely rise. A 15-story building in Concepcion (Chile’s second largest city) collapsed. The nation’s capital, Santiago, saw damage to…
Tags: Asia, Chile, Climate change, crazy weather, earthquake, flooding, global warming, Haiti, Hawaii, natural disasters, New Zealand, tsunami, weather
Climate Change, Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, Feb 23rd, 2010,
I am absolutely sick of winter. This season is perhaps the most dreary and dismal of them all. Sure, some areas have spectacular views with their glaciers, icebergs, or quaint snow-covered cottages by a lake; but most of us aren’t so fortunate. Most of us have to deal with icy roads, shoveling sidewalks, or trudging through plowed slush. Melting snow leads to muddy yards and all that white landscape against grey skies really loses its appeal after a while. Personally, I can’t wait for spring to get here. I love the life and colors that come with it. Believe it…
Tags: Kids, learning, science experiments, things to do when bored, weather, winter
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 17th, 2010,
Unseasonably cold weather in Florida this winter has had deadly consequences for the American state’s wildlife. Chilled iguanas are plummeting from their perches onto the freezing ground. Non-native tropical fish – both wild and kept in outdoor tanks at fish farms – are freezing to death. Burmese and African rock pythons have also been dying off – not an altogether unwelcome side effect of the cold weather for some. An article in the Guardian explains: Most of these invasive species – including pythons, iguanas, Nile monitor lizards and tropical fish – are either house pets or descended from house pets,…
Tags: cold, fish, Florida, iguana, invasive, native, python, sea turtles, snap, species, tropical, weather
Climate Change, Nature, Feb 11th, 2010,
A series of rainstorms in Southern California have resulted in debris-lined beaches strewn with ‘mangled shopping carts, bicycle tires, tennis shoes and thousands of plastic cups and bottles’, the Los Angeles Times reports. Beaches in LA and Orange County were particularly hard hit, especially those located near river mouths. Stormy weather can cause refuse to gather in waterways such as the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers, which is then deposited on beaches. Since this is a common and regular occurrence in Southern California, many residents are practical and take the trash in stride. Surfers still surf and typically eco-minded…
Tags: Associated Press, beach, California, Los Angeles, ocean, plastic, river, SoCal, Southern, storm, trash, weather
Climate Change, Uncategorized, Jan 11th, 2010,
The unseasonably cold weather that has been plaguing parts of North America, Asia and Europe has no relationship to climate change and can be explained by Arctic oscillation, according to New York Times science reporter Kenneth Chang. Well that clears that up nicely, doesn’t it? No? Well, in an article from January 9th Chang explains the phenomenon of Arctic oscillation: ‘Opposing atmospheric pressure patterns at the top of the planet occasionally shift back and forth, affecting weather across much of the Northern Hemisphere.’ –New York Times The unusually cold temperatures being experienced by parts of the world in recent weeks…
Tags: cold, cold snap, New York Times, Northern Canada, pressure, temperatures, UK, weather
Climate Change, Jan 5th, 2010,
It is perhaps not an earth-shatteringly surprising thing to say that poor and indigenous communities suffer the most from environmental problems. The world’s poor tend to suffer more from economic crises, war, disease, and just about everything else when compared to those of better means. After all, if wealth doesn’t shield you from these things, there isn’t much point in having it, is there? Recent reports exemplify how communities of poor and indigenous people in very different parts of the world are coping with harsh conditions caused or exacerbated by climate change. One instance is the plight of the inhabitants…
Tags: alpaca, Andes, Climate change, colder, Guardian, indigenous, mountains, Peru, poor, weather, winter
