Earth ChangesS


Star

Heat wave in Europe breaks 100-year record

A severe nine-day heat wave in Europe has broken 100-year temperature records. Throughout southern Europe and the Balkans, unusually high temperatures caused many deaths, including 29 in Romania where temperatures reached 113 degrees in Bucharest, the highest in 90 years.

Star

Canada: Blistering heat sets records across B.C.

VANCOUVER - Soaring mercury levels broke at least six records across the Lower Mainland this week, but the heat should ease off a bit this weekend for sweltering Vancouverites, according to Environment Canada.

"Wednesday was an historic day as far as temperatures go around here because we set at least six all-time record high temperatures," David Jones, Warning Preparedness meteorologist, said Thursday.

Cloud Lightning

South Asia Devastated by Worst Rainstorms, Floods in Years

Pakistani and international aid workers just today reached some of the remote villages of Sindh and Balochistan provinces flooded by a series of major storms in late June. The deadly floods came at the beginning of South Asia's monsoon season.

An estimated 2.5 million people have been affected by flooding following four days of heavy rains in the wake of cyclone Yemyin on June 23, which killed some 300 people. Earlier in June, Cyclone Gonu also damaged the region and claimed the lives of hundreds more.

Cloud Lightning

UK Hail Storm: Snowman time - in July!

We know the weather's been weird this summer but this week winter looked like it had actually arrived in Old Basing.

The season took its strangest turn yet locally on Monday when residents looked out of their windows to see a hail storm - and the ground was coated in icy hailstones.

©Tony Tuck

Cloud Lightning

At least 26 killed in Nepal landslides

At least 26 people have been killed in landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains in western Nepal, officials said on Friday.

Cloud Lightning

Powerful typhoon strikes Japan

A powerful typhoon hit the southern Japanese island of Okinawa today, pounding them with torrential rains and high winds, and was later expected to head north towards the nation's main islands.

©thewest.com.au
A satellite image shows Typhoon Man-yi off the east coast of Taiwan.

Up to 500mm of rain was expected to fall on some parts of Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu by tomorrow morning, further battering areas already hit by heavy rains and flooding earlier this week.


Better Earth

Butterfly shows evolution at work

Scientists say they have seen one of the fastest evolutionary changes ever observed in a species of butterfly.

The tropical Blue Moon butterfly has developed a way of fighting back against parasitic bacteria.

©BBC
The bacteria selectively kills male Blue Moons before they can hatch

Bizarro Earth

New Mexico Ranchers Fight Caterpillar Invasion

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - It has all the makings of a potential rangeland disaster: thousands of acres of grass and the herds of cattle, antelope and other animals that need to eat it versus an emerging army of spiky caterpillars with voracious appetites. But ranchers hope quick action will take care of the caterpillars _ also known as range worms _ before they can destroy pastures in northeastern New Mexico.

Cloud Lightning

1 dead as heavy rain continues in western Japan

A man died Wednesday in Kumamoto Prefecture after falling into a swollen river as heavy rain continued in western Japan.

Star

Sleepless and Sizzling in Seattle




They are suffering in Seattle, and throughout western Washington, with record heat. A heatwave of historic proportions peaked today. The high in Seattle: 98 degrees. That broke the old record of 95, set back in 1951, but fell short of the all-time Seattle record of 100 degrees.