Weather

Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to southern Europe, and rain and snow to western and central areasSouthern Europe has been under a variety of severe weather warnings this week owing to widely unsettled conditions driven by an area of low pressure in the region. This area of low pressure – previously a part of the system that brought colder conditions to swathes of the UK earlier this week – moved southwards across Europe through the middle of the week.In doing so, it brought a cold front across western and central parts of Europe, with spells of rain and hill snow across the Alps on Wednesday, followed by snow showers on a brisk north-westerly wind. By Friday morning, accumulations of 20-40cm were expected above 600 metres, and with 60-100cm above 1,000 metres in the Swiss Alps. Continue reading...

East coast slammed on Thursday night with wind and rain, with more warnings in place for FridayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThousands of Australians woke without power on Friday after a series of wild autumn storms soaked communities in multiple states – and the high country recorded its first big snowfall of 2026.While many storm watchers kept their eyes on the west and the path of Tropical Cyclone Narelle, Australia’s east coast was slammed on Thursday night, with more warnings in place for Friday. Continue reading...

There are flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama and a severe heatwave in the west coastSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US is experiencing a striking mix of weather extremes this March. Flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama, flip-flopping temperatures in the north-east and, perhaps most concerning, a severe heatwave affecting the west coast are raising questions about how strange these patterns really are, and what role the climate crisis is playing.Experts suggested that people around the US need to pay closer attention to the climatecrisis and do what they can to “minimize the impacts”. Continue reading...

Karachi particularly badly affected with 18 people killed, more than 50mm of rain and winds gusting up to 60mphUnseasonally wet weather struck southern Pakistan and north-west India on Wednesday, as heavy rain rolled in from the west, accompanied by thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds.Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, was particularly badly affected, locally recording more than 50mm of rain with winds gusting up to 60mph. Walls, buildings, and a pedestrian bridge collapsed, with flooding and power outages across the city. At least 18 people were killed and several more injured, many by structural collapses, with other deaths attributed to a fallen tree and a lightning strike. Continue reading...

Parts of US face another winter storm with severe conditions also pushing into Ontario, Quebec, and NewfoundlandNearly two months since a major storm brought widespread heavy snow and freezing rain to eastern parts of the US, a new winter storm is sweeping across north-eastern US states and south-eastern Canada.An area of low pressure, which first developed in north-western parts of the US late last week, intensified rapidly as it pushed north-east through central parts of the US. Continue reading...

SETI has spent decades listening for a sharp, well-defined radio signal that could indicate it was sent by distant intelligent life. Now researchers believe that space weather could distort and blur such signals – meaning SETI has been scanning for the wrong thing