Britain is just a few showers away from recording a record wet summer, at the climax of the most remarkable period of broken weather records in the country’s history. All of the smashed records are to do with temperature and rainfall – the two aspects of the climate most likely to be intensified by the advent of global warming.

While no specific event can be ascribed directly to climate change, the sequence of events is strongly suggestive of a climate that is now unmistakably altering before our eyes.

Furthermore, the pattern of increasing heat and wet weather has been visible in the same period all around the globe, with temperature and rainfall records broken in many other countries, from Australia (record drought) and India (record monsoon rains) to Greece (record forest fires).

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Yet in the UK alone, in the past 14 months we have experienced the hottest July, the hottest April and the wettest June since records began. We have seen the hottest autumn and the hottest spring, and the second-hottest winter. We have also seen the hottest single month, and – by a considerable margin – the hottest single 12-month period.

Now we are on the brink of seeing the soggiest British summer as a whole – defined as June, July and August – since records were first kept for the United Kingdom in 1914. By Friday morning of last week, the average rainfall in Britain since the beginning of June was 356.6mm – just over 14 inches – and nudging up to the record of 358.4mm, set in 1956. It is increasingly likely a new record will be set if there is any significant rainfall between now and Saturday.

Even if there is none, summer 2007 has already passed the second-wettest summer mark (which previously was 1985, with a rainfall of 342.7mm). And the three months from May to July have easily broken the record for rainfall for that period.

The significance of these records is that they are actually occurring in the real world – rather than in the forecasts generated by computer mathematical models of the global climate.

That marks a major shift. For the initial decade of the climate change problem (from the first report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1990), the effects of global warming, such as extreme heatwaves and downpours, were seen as future events which the climate models predicted. They were thus much easier for sceptics to dismiss.

But, in recent years, extreme and record-breaking real events, entirely consistent with global warming predictions, have started to mount up – beginning with the remarkable heatwave of August 2003, which caused 35,000 excess deaths in France and northern central Europe.

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Mother Nature does some strange things.

From balls of lightning and fiery tornadoes to red rain and frogs falling from the sky, the weather has often left scientists scratching their heads. Check out some of the world’s weirdest weather and learn about the science behind these bizarre phenomena.

 

 

Fire whirls

A fire whirl, also known as a fire tornado or fire devil, is a rare phenomenon in which fire forms a tornado-like vortex of flames. Fire whirls can be formed in one of two ways: when a tornado spins too closely to a forest fire or when a heavy concentration of heat is generated in a small area. Typically, they’re spawned from wildfires. Like tornadoes, fire whirls vary in size and duration; however, they typically last no more than a few minutes.

 

Although it’s rare, this type of weather is extremely dangerous. In 1923, a fire whirl emerged during Japan’s Great Kanto Earthquake and killed 38,000 people

 

Giant hailstones

Exceptionally large hailstones, sometimes called ice bombs, typically fall from the sky during severe thunderstorms and shatter into smaller chunks when they hit the ground. Hail is usually smaller than a softball, but an ice bomb once weighed in at 80 pounds. In comparison, the largest hailstone to ever fall in the U.S. was found in Vivian, S.D., on July 23, 2010, and was 8 inches in diameter and weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces.

 

Ball lightning

Stories of ball lightning — balls of light that occasionally float through the air during thunderstorms — date back centuries. These glowing spheres range in size from golf balls to soccer balls and emit no heat and little sound.

 

Scientific data on ball lightning is scarce because of the phenomenon’s infrequency and unpredictability, but laboratory experiments have produced effects that are visually similar to the floating orbs of electricity sometimes seen in nature.

 

 

Raining animals

The sky may not rain cats and dogs, but it has been known to rain frogs, fish and other animals. This rare meteorological phenomenon has been reported in many countries throughout history with many occurring in recent years. Fish fell from the sky in Australia’s Northern Territory Feb. 25-26, frogs rained down on Hungary on June 18-20, and worms dropped on Jennings, La., on July 11, 2007.

 

The animals most likely to fall from the sky are fish, frogs and birds, but there have been reports of worms and spiders raining down as well. Some of these incidents occur after tornadoes or storms. Scientists have hypothesized that the creatures are picked up and carried for several miles. However, there have been some reports of animal rainfall occurring in good weather.

 

Red sprites

Pilots have reported seeing colored flashes of light shooting from the tops of storm clouds for years, but the existence of this strange lightning wasn’t confirmed until 1989. Red sprites are blasts of red light that can soar up to 60 miles from the top of a cloud during a thunderstorm. They usually correspond with positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning and last for only a few seconds. Blue jets are similar to red sprites, but they’re negatively charged and appear as cones of blue light that occur lower in the atmosphere.

 

 

Colored rain

Colored rain has been falling on the planet for centuries, and it can occur in a variety of hues — from reds and yellows to blacks and milky whites. In fact, in 2001, there were reports of scarlet, green, yellow, brown and black rains in southern India. While scientists determined that airborne spores from algae caused these rains, a variety of substances can create strange-colored rain.

 

In Europe, red rains are typically dyed by dust carried from Saharan sandstorms. Pollens can contribute to yellow rain, and dusts from coal mines have been known to cause black rain.

 

 

St. Elmo’s fire

St. Elmo’s fire is a static electric weather phenomenon that occurs during thunderstorms and streams up tall objects. The fire is named after St. Erasmus of Formiae, the patron saint of sailors, because it often occurs on ships — sailors have reported balls of fire dancing on ships and climbing their ships’ masts.

 

 

Waterspouts

Waterspouts, or water devils, are tornadoes over water that are usually formed by developing rain clouds. This phenomenon is common in tropical areas where thunderstorms occur frequently, such as around the Florida Keys. Although they happen over water, waterspouts don’t actually suck up water — droplets formed by condensation create the water seen in the funnel cloud.

 

These water tornadoes sometimes make hissing or bubbling noises, and that combined with their long, neck-like appearance might explain sightings of sea monsters like the Loch Ness monster.

 

What can we make of all this.

 

What’s happening in our solar system? Alarmists believe it’s dooms day. New age groups believe we are entering a new age of enlightenment. Christians believe it’s the return of Jesus Christ.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matt. 24)

So how should we prepare? Preparing for the body is wise, but preparing for the body before first preparing for the soul is foolish. Jesus is very displeased with the lukewarm church of this age. If you’re a Christian, are you lukewarm? He’s right there with you and wants you to remember your first love and come back to Him. If you’re not a Christian, Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Simply turn from sin, acknowledge Christ as Lord and ask him to be your savior. He will do the rest.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)

Recent changes in weather patterns may be nothing at all to be concerned about, but we shouldn’t bury our head in the sand. Jesus said to be vigilant and watch. We need to pay attention to what’s happening around us but more importantly, we need to know what to look for. It’s in the Bible. Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21