A prolonged dry spell has led to hosepipe bans in southern UK, with England and Wales experiencing minimal rain since mid-June. Northern Ireland and western Scotland were wetter in June but drier in July. A rare westward-moving high-pressure system is set to bring welcome rain across the UK this weekend, though some areas may receive less.
Ancient rock art in Egypt's Dakhla Oasis, dating back 7,000 years, is deteriorating due to natural erosion, shifting weather patterns, and modern graffiti. Archaeologists are racing to document these fragile petroglyphs before they are lost forever, facing challenges like security clearance delays.
Amazon forest fires in Brazil hit a record low in 2025 (3.1M hectares), a sharp reversal from 2024's peak. This was due to shifting weather, lower deforestation, and community action. A potential "super El Niño" threatens future progress.
Benjamin Horton, recipient of the Axford Medal, warns that Earth's climate volatility makes historical weather patterns unreliable for future risk assessment. He notes the planet is at a boundary, prone to unpredictable extremes, citing typhoons like Bavi that rapidly intensify due to warm oceans.
Ocean surface temperatures outside polar regions reached a new record high on June 21, surpassing 2023 and 2024 levels, according to Copernicus. This coincides with a forecast strong El Niño, raising concerns for extreme global heat, weather patterns, and marine ecosystems.
Analysts warn that agricultural companies, facing 20-30% higher production costs due to energy disruption and weather conditions like El Nino, may cut corners on sustainable land-clearing by using fire instead of machinery, potentially worsening the haze problem.
A potentially strong El Nino is developing in the Pacific, with the WMO expecting conditions to emerge soon and continue into winter. This phenomenon could trigger drought, flooding, heat waves, and disrupt food/water supplies globally, with some forecasters calling it the strongest in 140 years.
El Nino has set in, according to the European weather agency, with Pacific Ocean temperatures crossing the 0.5°C threshold, likely to impact global weather and the Indian monsoon.
The Ocean Observatories Initiative, a $386 million network of ocean sensors, is being decommissioned due to budget cuts, affecting research on ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, and climate change.
Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to study WASP-94A b, a tidally locked gas giant. They discovered morning skies are cloudy while evening skies are clear, challenging previous assumptions about exoplanet atmospheric composition.
South Asia faces a looming water crisis due to expected below-average monsoon rainfall and extreme heat, exacerbated by poor internal water governance and strained transboundary cooperation.
