I've just stumbled across an exciting new (to me at least) section of the NASA web site. It's called Worldview, and it does what it says on the tin. It's part of NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS for short), and it gives you a satellite's view of planet Earth a bit like Google Earth, except that it's updated on a daily basis! To give you some idea of the power of Worldview, and also an insight into why I was wandering the virtual corridors of NASA late last night, here's a "close up" image of Cape Morris Jesup, the most northerly point in Greenland, taken on March 18th 2013:

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The minutes of the meeting of the Teignbridge District Council planning committee held on November 26th have now been published. For some strange reason their coverage of my own contribution to those events is rather brief. It reads as follows:

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Currently there are still two "Danger of Death" severe flood warnings in force for South West England. Still the one at Helston, plus another at Lostwithiel. In addition there are 74 red flood warnings, and 61 amber alerts.

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After a brief respite overnight the heavens have opened once again here in the Haldon Hills. According to the econnexus weather widget the number of red flood warnings here in South West England has jumped to 45, up from 11 earlier today. The amber flood alerts have increased from 50 to 57.  Unfortunately for the first time during this extended period of heavy rainfall it seems things are even worse for people living near the south coast of Cornwall. According to the Environment Agency there are now two severe flood warnings in force:

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Cornish charity Shelterbox have been providing their distinctive green, tent filled boxes to the people of Haiti off and on for years now, as well as many other places around the planet.  In their latest report from the Caribbean island nation following the passage of Hurricane Sandy last month, they say that:

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In their last public advisory bulletin concerning "Super Storm" Sandy the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center said yesterday that:

WINDS, ACCUMULATING SNOWS AND RAIN FROM THE REMNANTS OF SANDY CONTINUE TO DIMINISH. MULTIPLE CENTERS OF CIRCULATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE REMNANTS OF SANDY CAN BE FOUND ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES.

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South Hams District Council have approved plans for what the Design and Access Statement refers to as

A 5 megawatt solar PV farm on 13.24 hectares of grade 3 agricultural land

at Hatchlands Farm between Harberton and South Brent. This site is literally just down the road from the 8 MW solar PV park at Marley Thatch Farm that was approved by South Hams earlier this year.  Here's what the area between South Brent and Totnes currently looks like on our interactive map and list of large scale solar PV projects in South West England:

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It's been raining hard all day here in the Haldon Hills. If you're wondering why that's happening yet again please peruse my recent articles on how climate change causes Arctic sea-ice to disappear, which causes frequent floods here in South West England,  which causes unpleasant bugs to go swimming around our beaches. Putting all that together at the present moment, here's how the information available online looks as we speak.

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In the good old days I used to pore over atmospheric pressure charts kindly provided online by the likes of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF for short) before making a decision on exactly where and when to go surfing.  Here's what they are revealing to me today:

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The United States' National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC for short) has just issued a press release about the amount of ice in the Arctic at the moment. You may be wondering why on Earth that is relevant to you, but please bear with me as I endeavour to explain, with the help of a few videos. Here's the first one which shows summer 2012 in Sidmouth, a seaside town down here on the not so sunny south coast of Devon:

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