Tornadoes destroy homes in Tennessee, Kentucky as wild storms hit central US

At least five people have been killed as severe thunderstorms swept through the central US, spawning tornadoes that flattened homes, gale force winds and widespread flooding.

Gio Rodriguez, 8, sits outside his Tennessee home after a
 storm which caused chaos across much of the central United States.

The system, stretching from Texas to the Canadian Maritime provinces, had prompted several emergency declarations even before the dangerous storms arrived.

Storm crews confirmed two tornadoes touched down in middle Tennessee and Kentucky, with maximum-sustained winds of 193 kilometres per hour.

One of the tornados struck in south-central Kentucky, causing homes to collapse and cars to flip over, and a 79-year-old woman died after her Adairville home was destroyed, the Logan County Sheriff's Office said.

Read the ABC News story - “Tornadoes destroy homes in Tennessee, Kentucky as wild storms hit central US.”

Queensland weather: Heavy rain eases across south-east, disaster package announced

After more than 24 hours of heavy rain across south-east Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has cancelled all severe weather warnings for the region, indicating the worst is over for the time being.

A 4WD crosses the flooded Clagiraba Creek
causeway west of Nerang on Saturday.

But the BOM has warned the situation is being closely monitored and that further severe weather warnings would be issued if necessary.

Some drenched Brisbane suburbs exceeded the average monthly rainfall for February in just 24 hours, BOM forecaster David Crock said.

Read the ABC News story - “Queensland weather: Heavy rain eases across south-east, disaster package announced.”

‘Rather startling': Study finds rapid increase in frequency of coral bleaching

The frequency of severe coral bleaching events has increased fivefold in four decades because of climate change, a pace already exceeding the time needed for some species to recover, a new global study has found.

Coral reefs are bleaching at shorter intervals around the world. 

Of 100 reefs examined worldwide, just six have escaped severe bleaching since 1980.

Read the story by Peter Hannam on today’s Melbourne Age - “‘Rather startling': Study finds rapid increase in frequency of coral bleaching.”

Wild storm wreaks havoc on NSW north coast, with more storms forecast

Severe thunderstorms have caused widespread damage on the New South Wales north coast this afternoon.

The storm ripped roofs off a number of buildings
 in Maclean, including the Clarence Hotel.

The State Emergency Service has reported receiving around 60 calls for help.

SES spokesperson, Jenny North, said most of the damage was in and around the town of Maclean, where severe winds ripped roofs off a number of buildings and brought down powerlines.

A school in Maclean also received some damage, and there were also people camping at the showground, which suffered damage.

"We have had reports of damage to the showground roof, various council buildings and even the Maclean SES has had some damage," Ms North said.

Read the ABC News story by Emma Siossian - “Wild storm wreaks havoc on NSW north coast, with more storms forecast.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson says it might be 'too late' to recover from climate change.

Scientist and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said Sunday that, in the wake of devastating floods and damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, climate change had become so severe that the country "might not be able to recover.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson.

In an interview on CNN's "GPS," Tyson got emotional when Fareed Zakaria asked what he made of Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert's refusal to say whether climate change had been a factor in Hurricanes Harvey or Irma's strength -- despite scientific evidence pointing to the fact that it had made the storms more destructive.

"Fifty inches of rain in Houston!" Tyson exclaimed, adding, "This is a shot across our bow, a hurricane the width of Florida going up the center of Florida!"

Read the CNN story - “Neil deGrasse Tyson says it might be 'too late' to recover from climate change."

North Koreans undernourished, in worst drought in 16 years

London: North Korea is facing severe food shortages due to the worst drought since 2001, with food imports needed to ensure children and the elderly do not go hungry, the United Nations' food agency says.

People walk and cycle past a factory dome with
writing which reads "First priority: self-development"
in Hamhung, North Korea, on Thursday. 

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said rainfall in key producing areas fell well below the long-term average between April and June and badly affected staple crops including rice, maize, potatoes and soybean.

This disrupted planting activities and damaged the 2017 main season crops, requiring

 increased food imports, commercial or food aid  over the next three months to ensure adequate food supplies for the most vulnerable, including children and the elderly.

Read Ben Seabrook’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “North Koreans undernourished, in worst drought in 16 years.”

Enter halophytes - using saltwater in agriculture

Ever since ancient times, the sowing of salt has been synonymous with severe and deadly retribution. The Roman general Scipio Africanus the Younger was said to have ended the Third Punic War in 146BC by razing Carthage, enslaving its population and spreading salt on its fields. In the biblical book of Judges (9:45), the brutal and unprincipled King Abimelech laid siege to the Canaanite city of Shechem. ‘He took the city,’ the biblical story says, ‘and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.’

Salt kills most plants. In fact, it attacks them in much the same way that carbon monoxide kills humans. In cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, CO molecules exhaust the carrying capacity of your red blood cells, depriving your body of the oxygen it needs. Likewise, most terrestrial plants soak up the sodium ions and sodium chloride from salt much faster than they can absorb essential nutrients such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. Without those nutrients, they perish. Spread salt on the fields of your enemies and their crops will fail.

Read the Aeon story by Mark Anderson - “Enter halophytes”

Victoria's Christmas heatwave in the severe category

Neelima Coahan - Christmas
heatwave in Victoria.

Victoria's first summer heatwave will be severe, the weather bureau warns, with a cool change not expected until three days after Christmas.

The weather bureau released new maps on Wednesday showing the predicted Christmas heatwave is in the severe category for much of Victoria.

The mercury is set to soar on Friday, with Mildura set for a top of 38 degrees, Swan Hill 37, Echuca 36 and Bendigo 33.

The scorcher will continue on Christmas Day, with Melbourne set for a top of 35 degrees, Mildura and Swan Hill 41 degrees and Echuca 39 degrees.

In Bendigo, the peak will come on Tuesday with a maximum of 39 degrees.

"On Christmas Eve, the temperature is going to be low-30s," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Tony Bannister said.

"But Christmas Day itself is going to see a further increase, so it's going to be pretty hot for your Christmas lunch It's probably a better idea to have it inside than outside."

On Boxing Day, the mercury is set to top 31 degrees in Melbourne.

Read Neelima Coahan’s story in the Melbourne Age - “Victoria's Christmas heatwave in the severe category.”

Adelaide pelted with huge hailstones as severe storm follows 31C heat

The Bureau of Meteorology says large hail
fell through the north-eastern areas
of the Adelaide metropolitan area.

Sudden and severe thunderstorms swept across Adelaide on Friday afternoon, with huge hailstones hitting streets across the city centre.

The system swept south-east on a day when there was only a 40% chance of rain predicted. Adelaide experienced 31C heat before the storm broke, bringing wind gusts of more than 90km/h.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned wind gusts of more than 125 km/h were possible in the North East Pastoral, Mid North and Riverland areas.

Localised flash flooding was reported as some areas received up to 10mm of rain in as many minutes. The bureau said areas that may be particularly affected include Adelaide, Whyalla, Renmark, Mount Gambier, Leigh Creek and Moomba.

Read The Guardian story - “Adelaide pelted with huge hailstones as severe storm follows 31C heat.”

Labor leader calls for serious response to climate change

Labor Party leader, Bill Shorten, spoke in the Australian Parliament on the need for real action on climate change.

Labor's Bill Shorten - he has called for a
meaningful response to climate change.

In a release about the speech he said: “There is no doubt that our earth is warming and our seas rising – or that humankind is the cause.

“And if we do not act, the consequences will be severe.

“Governments of the world, both progressive and conservative, are making their choice clear.

“Today, 39 national and 23 sub-national jurisdictions have implemented or are on track to implement carbon pricing instruments, including emissions trading schemes.

“But” Mr Shorten said, “The Abbott Government’s staggering display of blustering arrogance and craven incompetence in the Senate has made one thing abundantly clear”.

He said the Australian Labor Party Only was the one political party in Australia with a serious, substantial and credible climate change policy.

Mr Shorten said Labor believed the science and would continue to fight for real action on climate change – for an emissions trading scheme.

“It is the policy we took to the last election, and it is what our amendments moved again in the Parliament today will deliver”.

He said inaction would be a disaster for the Australian economy and our environment, bringing on a disaster that guarantees Tony Abbott will be remembered forever for his environmental vandalism.

Listen to and watch Mr Shorten’s speech.

Declaring a drought started demands intelligence and prescience

It takes an intelligent and an almost prescient person to be able to declare when a drought started.

However, right now Australia is remarkably dry and with most of the country enduring what many have described as a “severe” lack of rain, others are suggesting that a new drought is threatening.

The idea that drought is advancing is explained in an ABC story: “Drought tightens its grip across Australia”.

So are we in a drought? It appears so and that combined with other complications such as the world’s chaotic economy, we should be readying our communities for rather trying times ahead.