2015 “will be warmest on record” says Met Office December 17, 2014 The year ahead looks likely to be the warmest on record – with data going back to the Victorian era – according to the Met Office. Worldwide, the mean temperature for 2015 should land between 14.52 °C and 14.76 °C, with a central estimate coming in at 14.64 °C. The range is plus or [...]
Are the Somerset floods a sign of problems to come? Winter storms raise warnings and put homes at risk across Britain November 14, 2014 Eleven months ago, Britain experienced its wettest winter in 250 years. Somerset was hit so hard, thousands of people were forced to leave their homes, and the government has only just finished dredging two of the main rivers in the area. As part of a £5.8m attempt to prevent heavy rain from causing [...]
Halloween heatwave gives retailers a scary outlook November 10, 2014 Retailers suffered another month of lacklustre sales in October as the mild weather and supermarket price wars continued to weigh on the sector, despite a slight bounce back on the previous month. Like-for-like retail sales were flat in October, an improvement on the 2.1 per cent reported in September but a slowdown on the same [...]
Blood moon 2014: Pictures of the October lunar eclipse as UK misses out on sky spectacle October 9, 2014 A lunar eclipse wowed skywatchers yesterday as it turned the moon dramatic shades of red and orange. The so-called “blood moon” appeared in the skies across North America, western parts of South America, Australia, and parts of South East Asia, The spectacular event was the second lunar eclipse of the year, but the UK missed [...]
Blood moon eclipse 2014: What is a blood moon? Last night’s total eclipse was part of a lunar tetrad October 9, 2014 Yesterday, the moon turned a reddish-orange colour as the Earth passed in front of it and blocked rays of sunlight from giving it its usual silver glow. While this “blood moon” phenomenon was not visible from the UK or anywhere else in Europe, it brightened up American, Asian and Australian skies for a few hours. [...]
From floods and snowstorms to balmy December days: Why UK winter weather is about to get even more extreme September 10, 2014 If you thought British winters were bad, get ready for even more unpredictable weather. Conditions will swing from very mild and wet to extremely cold and snowy in the decades to come, according to a new report. By looking at the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a seasonal measurement of barometric pressure variations over the [...]
Return of the ash cloud? The Icelandic met office has outlined three scenarios for the Bárðarbunga volcano August 28, 2014 Grumbling Icelandic volcano Bárðarbunga has had the airline industry on tenterhooks since mid-August as it continues to hint at a possible eruption. Now it looks like it might be getting ready to blow, after "cauldrons" of water began to appear on the ice sheet above it. The volcano, pronounced "Bowr-tha-boon-ga", is below the 500m-thick Vatnajökull [...]
Aviation alerts hit red as Iceland met office says eruption cannot be excluded August 24, 2014 Aviation alerts have been set to red in Iceland as rumblings beneath a glacier betray the some geological malcontent. Although some sources are reporting that eruptions are ongoing, that is not what was on the Icelandic met office's website at pixel time: Presently there are no signs of ongoing volcanic activity. The aviation color code [...]
North Pole winter floods into summer for this City veteran August 8, 2014 It’s silly season in the City as its workers jet off to hotter climes – Ibiza, Tuscany and the South of France are destinations The Capitalist has heard time and time again. But Winterflood Securities’ founder Brian Winterflood had different ideas this summer. He’s just back from the North Pole. “It was on my bucket [...]
Heatwave hits London: Here’s how the City’s soaking up the sun July 18, 2014 London is set for a scorcher today with temperatures expected to hit a sweltering 30C so grab a pair of sunnies and head outside if you can handle the heat. City workers look like they're mainly cooling down with a classic Mr Whippy topped with a 99 flake from a well placed ice cream van (cheaper [...]