Category Archives: Meteorology

‘It bust loose and went to Europe’: Florida buoy washes up in Scotland

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Navigation buoy sails 4,000 miles across Atlantic, joining storied history of wrecks upon shores of tiny Scottish island of Eriskay

From Bonnie Prince Charlie’s ill-fated 1745 landing, to the shipwreck of a whisky-laden cargo freighter two centuries later that inspired a bestselling novel and blockbuster movie, the tiny Scottish island of Eriskay has a rich and outsized history of notable maritime events.

Now, the arrival of a visitor from Florida following a 4,000-mile solo voyage across the Atlantic has added another curious chapter. It is a navigation buoy that slipped its mooring in the Florida Keys and rode the Gulf Stream to the British Isles, coming ashore in Eriskay and discovered by one of its 143 residents.

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Hurricanes becoming so strong that new category needed, study says

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Scientists propose new category 6 rating to classify ‘mega-hurricanes’, becoming more likely due to climate crisis

Hurricanes are becoming so strong due to the climate crisis that the classification of them should be expanded to include a “category 6” storm, furthering the scale from the standard 1 to 5, according to a new study.

Over the past decade, five storms would have been classed at this new category 6 strength, researchers said, which would include all hurricanes with sustained winds of 192mph or more. Such mega-hurricanes are becoming more likely due to global heating, studies have found, due to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere.

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Semeru volcano: 2,000 evacuated as Indonesia issues highest warning

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Eruption causes roads to close after volcanic ash rains down on Java island

A volcano has erupted in Indonesia, spewing a cloud of ash 15km into the sky and forcing the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people, authorities have said, as they issued their highest warning for the area in the east of Java island.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties from the eruption of the Semeru volcano and Indonesia’s transport ministry said air travel was not affected but notices had been sent to two regional airports for them to be vigilant.

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Origin site of oldest Martian meteorite ‘Black Beauty’ named after WA mining town

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Researchers used AI to pinpoint the meteorite’s crater on Mars’ southern hemisphere, naming it Karratha, a city close to the Pilbara region

Artificial intelligence has helped pinpoint the exact origin site of the oldest Martian meteorite, in a discovery researchers say provides clues about the planet’s early history.

The meteorite, commonly known as “Black Beauty” and officially called Northwest Africa 7034, contains the oldest known Martian igneous material, which is approximately 4.5bn years old. It was found in the Sahara Desert in 2011.

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Severe weather warning for UK as Storm Barra set to arrive on Tuesday

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Met Office issues wind warnings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and snow warnings in Scotland

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for most of the UK ahead of the arrival of Storm Barra on Tuesday, as thousands of homes remain without power more than a week after Storm Arwen.

Yellow wind weather warnings are in place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for Tuesday, with yellow snow warnings in place in southern and western Scotland.

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World weatherwatch: Peru’s saint of storms brings salvation to cities and ski slopes

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Seasonal storms that blow up on the Peruvian coast at this time of year are named after St Rosa

In August 1615, a Dutch pirate fleet under Joris Van Spilbergen threatened the city of Lima. According to legend, a nun called Sister Rosa, whose original name was Isabel Flores de Oliva, prayed for deliverance. A tremendous storm blew up just as the pirates were sailing in to sack the city and scattered their fleet.

The storm was hailed as a miracle, and Sister Rosa became the first person born in the Americas to be canonised. She is patron saint of embroidery, gardening, the Americas, and the city of Lima. The seasonal storms that blow up on the Peruvian coast at this time of year are known as the Tormentas de Santa Rosa or Saint Rosa’s storms. These traditionally occur 15 days either side of the saint’s day on 30 August.

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Change in the weather: German storm names to be more diverse

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Symbolic #WeatherCorrection is part of campaign for inclusivity in society

Move over, Siegfried. Ahmet is on the way.

A journalists’ group has named a low pressure system bringing low temperatures, dark clouds and snow to Germany after the boy’s name of Turkish origin in an effort to increase the visibility of the country’s increasingly diverse population.

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‘Anyone else smell fish?’: residents across Sydney and coastal NSW report strong salty odour

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Bureau of meteorology says strong south-easterlies could be sending the smell of the sea across the suburbs

A salty smell has wafted over Sydney and coastal New South Wales, as residents who live kilometres from the coast reported a strong sea aroma on Friday morning.

On a drizzly morning ahead of forecast thunderstorms, residents from Sydney’s beaches to its inner suburbs and down to coastal towns like Thirroul have woken to the strong smell of petrichor – the smell of the soil or ground after rain – tinged with salt.

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Meteorologists say 2020 on course to be hottest year since records began

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Global lockdowns have lowered emissions but longer-term changes needed, say scientists

This year is on course to be the world’s hottest since measurements began, according to meteorologists, who estimate there is a 50% to 75% chance that 2020 will break the record set four years ago.

Although the coronavirus lockdown has temporarily cleared the skies, it has done nothing to cool the climate, which needs deeper, longer-term measures, the scientists say.

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Mystery sounds from storms could help predict tornadoes

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Scientists narrow down causes of low-frequency rumbles emitted before twisters form

Mysterious rumbles that herald tornadoes could one day be used to predict when and where they will strike, according to researchers.

Storms emit sounds before tornadoes form, but the signals at less than 20Hz are below the limit for human hearing. What causes these rumbles has also been a conundrum.

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‘Unprecedented’: more than 100 Arctic wildfires burn in worst ever season

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Huge blazes in Greenland, Siberia and Alaska are producing plumes of smoke that can be seen from space

The Arctic is suffering its worst wildfire season on record, with huge blazes in Greenland, Siberia and Alaska producing plumes of smoke that can be seen from space.

The Arctic region has recorded its hottest June ever. Since the start of that month, more than 100 wildfires have burned in the Arctic circle. In Russia, 11 of 49 regions are experiencing wildfires.

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5G signal could jam satellites that help with weather forecasting

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New mobile system to be launched this year ‘will put lives at risk’

The introduction of 5G mobile phone networks could seriously affect weather forecasters’ ability to predict major storms.

That is the stark warning of meteorologists around the world, who say the next-generation wireless system now being rolled out across the globe is likely to disrupt the delicate satellite instruments they use to monitor changes in the atmosphere.

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Don’t play games with it’: Hurricane Florence takes aim at Southeast

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People who thought they were safe from the onslaught of Hurricane Florence began boarding up and Georgia's governor declared a state of emergency Wednesday as uncertainty over the path of the monster storm spread worry along the Southeastern coast. Closing in with terrifying winds of 130 mph and potentially catastrophic rain and storm surge, Florence is expected to blow ashore Saturday morning along the North Carolina-South Carolina line, the National Hurricane Center said.

Battered areas see new hurricanes on horizon

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Regions still recovering from 2017's devastating hurricanes are scrambling to prepare for the new hurricane season, which is just two months away and expected to be busier than average. Houston has changed building regulations, Florida is seeking federal assistance and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said Puerto Rico needs an estimated $50 billion to rebuild its infrastructure and electrical grid after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

Navy Unmanned Certification Classes Begin at University of Southern Mississippi

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Fifteen students began classes earlier this week at The University of Southern Mississippi, where they are expected to be the first class in the nation to earn a certification in Unmanned Maritime Systems . "This program gives us a chance to continually and rapidly train and certify our personnel to be the best in the world even before the race begins," stated Command, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Deputy Commander and Technical Director Dr. Bill Burnett.