As they are at home. We know that the climate is changing and we can in Part Judge that Climate Change by the quality of the observations that are being used to assess it. Welcome to Weather World. First a question what do mexico, finland, hungary, estonia, oman, Republic Of Congo have in common . They are all countries that have set new Temperature Records since we were last on air in april. But it is what happened in canada in a week of extreme heat then fire that took the eyes of the world to a small village in british columbia. The whole village is going. This is lytton, filmed by residents fleeing as it burns almost to extinction. For three straight days injune this Place Recorded Canadas highest temperature on record, reaching 49. 6 celsius, just before fire swept through it, burning nearly everything. It was an historic heatwave across Western Canada and the North West Usa as a so called high Pressure Heat Dome grew over the Area Both Trapping and building the Heat Day on day. It is thought the extreme heat was a contributing factor in hundreds of deaths. In the usa, california is suffering another disastrous Fire Season with the states second largest fire on record almost completely destroying the town of greenville In August. Searing heat in europe too and on the italian Island Of Sicily In August, a reading of 48. 8 celsius. If verified, it is europes highest temperature on record during a heatwave felt throughout the mediterranean. For nine straight days thousands of greek firefighters have struggled to contain the raging flames that have destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of land. On the island of evia in August Ferries carried hundreds of people to safety after they fled to the beaches. Fires burned around the greek capital, athens, which injuly became the first European City to appoint a heat officer. I asked her what it had been like there. Its been devastating to a large extent because it feels like its a premonition for the future. Its the beginning of a future that can be very catastrophic and very, very hard for us to survive in around the mediterranean. And the problem is that the more the forests burn, the higher the temperature is and the less the humidity so its a vicious circle. Its what they have been telling us for years now, all the scientists talking about Climate Change. That this could start getting out of control. I mean, the devastation is also the fact that we havent been prepared, right . If we were better prepared, we wouldnt have this amount of destruction and this amount of ravaging of our ecosystems and of the peoples livelihoods of the areas that were burnt. Extreme rainfall has dominated the headlines too. London injuly and Flash Flooding after a Months Worth of rain fell in just a few hours. As the same Weather Systems swept east across europe it strengthened, turning disruption into disaster. In germany, floods wiped out entire villages. Here, the ground just fell away under the weight of water in the night. Over 100 people died in these floods in germany alone. Awful scenes from China Injuly with Flooding Trapping people in an underground metro system, where a Years Worth of rain fell in just three days. In the usa, Death And Destruction in tennessee In August as over 400 millimetres of Rain Falls Injust21i hours. A new state record. And vehicles are tossed around in a torrent in turkey In August as flooding causes chaos in northern parts of the country. Scientists say we are unprepared for Extreme Rainfall. Too often action comes after rather than before a flood. Where im standing now is a reservoir in berkshire. It is supposed to be empty but it is one of a number that have been developed here and are designed to fill up with Flood Water to prevent it rushing unchecked towards the town of thatcham over there. Thats what happened back in 2007 when over 1000 homes were flooded here as nearly 100 millimetres of rain fell injust21i hours. The flood prompted this scheme to build these reservoirs with this one alone capable of holding 25,000 Cubic Metres of water. Scientists say a warmer world means more frequent, intense rainfall. And july was the worlds hottest month in records going back 142 years. A United Nations report In August said without immediate deep cuts to emissions, limiting global Temperature Rise to 1. 5 or even 2 degrees will be beyond reach. Well, to help put into Context Everything that we have seen happening over the past few months im joined here at the reservoir in thatcham by professor hannah cloke, a climate Scientist And Hydrologist at the University Of Reading here in the uk. Hannah, we of course are shocked by what has happened but there is an element from Climate Scientists of we told you so. So can we both be shocked but also not surprised at these events . If you see the scale of the recent flooding and the recent heat that we have seen and the fires, i mean, it is impossible not to be shocked by this kind of thing. But you know we do know that these types of rainfall and these types of Heat Events and fires are possible. We have seen some of this in the historical record as well. But when we look towards the future of climate we know that these things are going to happen more often and we need to be more prepared. Of course, the rainfall has been extreme but are we prepared enough for these events . For example, in the little things like this reservoir it is significant in stopping a town getting floods. So are we prepared enough for these Extreme Rainfall events . It is really frustrating actually as a climate scientist, as a hydrologist, to see people not prepared for these really bad floods that we have seen. I know that we need to have these places, just like this reservoir, to store the water, to stop it rushing down to peoples houses and to the streets. But we just havent done anything about it. We make such small steps and we know that the future is going to get worse so we need more of this preparation. Could these disasters actually focus the mind, become a Turning Point in how the world faces up to Climate Change . I really hope that we do take note of these events and we dont wait for terrible events to happen like here in thatcham. We actually do something now to prepare ourselves for the worst. Hannah, for now, thank you, but we will talk again later in the programme as we look ahead to that major crucial Climate Conference of World Leaders coming up in november. Right now though it is time to find out what sarah is up to and she is on a farm in kent. We are all being affected in some way by Climate Change. But if you are as connected to the natural world as a farm like this and it is your livelihood, well, the stakes are high. And in an industry that has always involved a degree of risk, things arent getting any easier. The farm i have come to see was established over 70 years ago and is huge, covering more than 900 hectares. It is an arable farm and the main crops are wheat, Oilseed Rape and potatoes. Alan Clifton Holt is the Farm Director here. Alan, yourfamily has been farming here for generations in kent. So what have you noticed in terms of changes to the weather and climate here in recent decades . The weather has really blocked up into different segments. You only look at this year, april we had one of the driest april is ever, may we have one of the wettest and june was one of the wettest. The Sunlight Levels that we rely on to grow our crops has really been reduced and that affects our yield. So it has really changed in just this year, let alone the last 20 years. So what have you had to do differently to adapt to these changing Weather Conditions that you are seeing . So this combine is 30 bigger than what we have had in the past. It has got a new very fancy header on, which is on rubber belts, which gather in the crop and bring that in in slightly wetter conditions and so it allows us to do a bit more each day. We are here at one of your wheat fields, about A0 Acres of wheat here. And what do you do differently now in terms of when you plant this crop compared to what you would have done traditionally . So traditionally this would have been a plough based system. We would have cloud it and then drilled in the Autumn Or Winter wheat or we would have ploughed it here ready for the Spring Cropping and left it as a plough over the winter. Very much that releases an awful lot of carbon and it creates an awful lot of energy. So to reduce that we are now doing direct Drilling And Drilling in the autumn, direct drilling the Crop Seed into it without that plough movement, so we are reducing carbon that way. And once all these crops have been harvested and you have got bare soil, what do you do to protect that soil from say increasing Extreme Rainfall events . So in the autumn we would direct drill a Cover Crop into there and use it as almost as a false crop during that Winter Period and then come the spring time we would kill off that crop and then plant a new crop in there that will be our Cash Crop for spring. We have had some really heavy storms that have washed away the soil and we are trying to protect that and trying to protect our precious soil that we need to farm. Thanks so much, alan. More from The Farm later in the programme when ill be looking at why solar panels are becoming just as common as sheep in some fields. Now, more World Weather and to india where this Years Monsoon may have been late to arrive but when it did record breaking Rainfall Led to severe flooding, including here in maharashtra injuly. And intense rain is said to be a factor in landslides in himachal pradesh. This one injuly sending huge boulders towards and then destroying a bridge. Tropical Storm Henri strikes new York City In August, as lightning hits the one World Trade Center and Central Park receives its highest one Hour Rain Total on record. Tornadoes now and terrifying scenes you might think from the usa but this is the czech Republic Injune as a storm with winds up to 200 miles an hour ripped through this area. The damage it caused is on a scale so unusual for a tornado in europe. Thankfully, this tornado in Canada Injune is only reported to have caused minimal Crop Damage but was certainly an incredible sight from a distance. And lets not forget the southern hemisphere winter. A rare widespread snowfall brought the crowds out in southern brazil injuly, many of them seeing snow for the first time. Now to some of your Weather Watcher pictures from Northern Irelands hottest day on record. When the temperature reached 31. 3 Celsius Onjuly 21. This heatwave saw Northern Ireland and parts of wales and england covered by a new Met Office extreme heat warning, designed to highlight the danger prolonged heat can have on peoples health. Still to come on Weather World. No time for delay and no room for excuses, the urgent warning ahead of a Key Climate Summit later this year. There is no denial any more that we are beginning to see these impacts and theyre devastating for us as a country, as an economy. Most of us check the Weather Forecast every day, perhaps to know what to wear or, for us, what the weather is going to be like when we are filming Weather World. Not many of us check the forecast to prevent our chances of catching a deadly disease. But that is the aim of a ground breaking project now under way in africa. Meningitis is an infection of the brain and spinal column and this part of africa, the so called meningitis belt, sees thousands of cases every year. With one in ten infections leading to death. A link between weather and the spread of the disease has led to a new early warning system, led in africa by this doctor. We know from past studies that there is a link between climate and Meningitis Outbreak in the african meningitis belt. And from this knowledge we are looking at the temperature, humidity, wind and dust. We are making a map for areas the Meningitis Outbreak is expected during the dry season. Giving an early warning for meningitis can give preparation to make a decision for vaccination and for Alerting Districts to be ready. It can help to stop the outbreak. This joint project between african and british scientists will play a part in the goal to eradicate meningitis in africa by 2030. This time on Weather World im looking at how this large farm in kent is adapting to Climate Change. A major step in reducing harmful Carbon Emissions is by generating power from renewable sources. And that is why when you travel around the countryside you have probably noticed more of these. In the uk, the national Farmers Union says about 70 of the countrys solar capacity is owned or hosted by agriculture. But whilst making a significant contribution towards the goal of net zero Carbon Emissions, they take up land that could be used for growing crops and many people say they detract from the natural look of the countryside. So, toby, you are Commercials Director and we have come down to a different part of The Farm now. So talk me through what we can see here. So were down on the marsh now. Just behind us here we have got the Wind Farm, there are 26 turbines behind us there. And in front of us here we have got the solar park. Over 120 acres, its 20 Mw Capacity and produces enough electricity for about 20,000 homes. Earlier on i was talking to your brother, alan, about ways that you are adapting to Climate Change in terms of your traditional agricultural practices but what drove your decision to move into renewables, including your solar farm and also the Wind Farm . Well, we basically try to make a decision based around the different climate impacts that can happen to The Farm in the way of the extreme weather we experience now. And to do that, look at Revenue Streams that can help plateau out the lows when you have a bad year, as we experienced in previous years. How difficult was the decision to move into the renewables here, and how did it go down with the local community . Does it split opinion . Yes, it certainly does. It was very difficult for us. You know, theres a number of things for us to consider. There is the environmental side for us to consider. There was the emotional side, as well as also the Business Side and obviously the Revenue Stream that comes with it. But i think people with their mindsets towards Climate Change, have probably come to accept that renewable energy is actually warranted and needed. So, as farmers, you are obviously keeping a hawk� s eye on the Weather Forecast here locally and in the uk. But people might be surprised to hear that you are also really interested in the weather right around the world. So how do big Weather Events affect you, such as the North American heatwave that weve seen this year . Yeah, they can have a massive impact on The Farm. So if there is an extreme Weather Situation across the world that can have a serious impact to the commodity price. Earlier this year, there was nearly a 50 increase in Price Due to severe weather in other parts of the world. So alan has to look at different peaks and troughs in the World Price which will affect his price when hes trying to trade. Thank you so much for showing us around. No worries, thank you. Death valley in the usa. Unarguably one of the hottest places on earth. Butjust how hot is being argued within the meteorological world. It currently holds the record for the highest temperature on earth, 56. 7 celsius, 134 fahrenheit, back in 1913. But that reading, taken at this weather station, just doesnt add up, according to Weather Historian Christopher burt. Observations got to be a little kind of screwy in May Of 1913 when it kind of looked like maybe he was just filling in the spaces for the temperature, because they were kind of all the same day after day even though temperature was varying wildly from day to day at all the other surrounding sites. So that was kind of a Little Red Flag at the beginning there. The World Meteorological Organisation verifies Temperature Records, and Randy Cerveny who signs off their investigations says he hasnt seen enough evidence to discount the 1913 reading. Obviously we dont have as good of quality of data going back to that time as we do with Modern Records today. We can take the record and actually have the sensor that recorded it tested independently in a lab and make sure that it was working. We dont have that luxury back with observations that go back to the 1900s. But we do the best that we can and in the case of the Death Valley in 1913 record, the evidence just hasnt been presented yet that it was a faulty observation. Wmo Temperature Verification takes time. Injuly this year it officially recognised a new high temperature from antarctica, over a year after it was recorded in early 2020. Christopher burt says time is not on the side of the 1913 Death Valley record. The fact is, if there was an investigation and it takes two or three years, 134 is probably going to happen somewhere on earth in the next three years anyhow, so it is kind of a moot point anyway, i think, going forward. The wmo is also looking into the new Europe High Temperature from italy In August. Randy cerveny says its important to get their investigations into extremes right. We need to know extremes so we can build a better world. We know that the climate is changing and we can in Part Judge that Climate Change by the quality of the observations that are being used to assess it. In a few months from now, a summit of World Leaders to be held here in the uk will be hugely important in formulating a global response to Climate Change with the United Nations saying that only a combined international effort can avert a climate catastrophe. The conference, called cop26, will be held in glasgow, a city which saw Flash Flooding after thunderstorms In August. Weve asked some of the delegates from around the world to give us their thoughts on what they want it to achieve. This conference is quite important, that all the countries agree to a legally binding agreement to mitigate against Climate Change. The face of Climate Change cannot be those high ranking politicians. It would be great that the people who are feeling the burden should be the ones. And what that means for them. And i think that is what needs to be taken into consideration so that we can accelerate and have faster action than what has been happening. In india, the monsoon is really the true finance ministerof india. And the monsoon is what millions in this country survive on. With Climate Change, what we are seeing now is huge changes in the monsoon pattern. It rains for only 100 hours in a year on an average, and now we are going to get more rain in lesser number of hours. Which means that we are getting extreme Rain Events leading to floods and then prolonged droughts. So i think we need to go to glasgow knowing that the world is at risk and that we as a country can and will do more. Well, now to talk more about that crucial summit on the way, im joined again by professor hannah cloke, a climate scientist at the University Of Reading. These disasters weve seen this year, as horrible as they are, could they though add a sense of urgency to proceedings in glasgow in november . Its very frustrating as a climate scientist to know that we are in grand danger and the world is burning, really, and nobodys doing anything about it. And then it happens again and we say the same thing, and then there is another conference and we are still saying the same thing and nobodys listening. Please let us take some firm action this time, and i think we can avert the worst of the disaster. We are coming up to the time when it might be too late. Because were told that if Action Isnt fast then we are facing catastrophe. We must act fast. We must do something now. People must listen to this. As Climate Scientists, we have been clamouring about this for so long and its come to the stage where we Cant Shout any louder. We just need everybody to listen. And then we really do have a chance at avoiding the worst of the disaster. Well, we will follow of course what happens in glasgow very closely. Hannah, thank you for talking to us on this edition of Weather World. And finally, a rather unusual Pitch Invasion at a Football Match in bolivia. A Whirlwind Or Dust devil sweeps through the players, delaying the start of the game. Its doubtful the match itself was as dramatic as this. And thats it for Weather World. We will be back later in the year with a full round up of this years weather. And before then, do look out for the bbc� s coverage of that crucial Climate Conference in november. But for now, its goodbye. Goodbye. Hello there. Were finally going to see some changes to the weather this week and into next week things look quite different. But in the short term we are ending the week on a similar note with this area of High Pressure continuing to bring in a lot of cloud. On a similar note with this area of High Pressure will continue to bring in a lot of cloud across the uk with limited clear spells. There will be a few glimmers of brightness around, particularly Western Scotland in the morning but generally a cloudy start. In to the afternoon favoured spots to see some sunshine developing more Widley Wil again be across scotland, Northern England and parts of Northern Ireland and also Southern England towards south wales and this is where we will see the highest temperatures in the low 20s. Otherwise where we hold onto The Cloud, it will be around the mid to high teens for most. As we head through Friday Night it looks like its going to be another cloudy one. Across central and northern areas with clear spells across the south. But temperature wise, no more than ten to 14 celsius. We are starting to importing our winds from a more Southeasterly Direction to start the weekend as our area of High Pressure finally begins to retreat eastwards. It looks like it will bring some slightly drier air in from the near continent. We should see will see some holes in The Cloud from The Word go across central and southern areas. Some sunny spells here with further north varying amounts of cloud and a little bit of sunshine but generally a lot of cloud. Could see a few showers across southern and western areas into the afternoon but many places will be dry. Temperatures around 21 or 22 for the high around the high teens though further North And East with The Cloud. For sunday we see this feature runs to the northwest of the country. Thats going to bring thicker cloud, more of a breeze, out breaks of rain, northen irleand, northwest England And Northwest wales later in the day. Some of this ring could be quite heavy. Further south, it is a drier picture for sunday afternoon, lighter winds coming in from france. And we should see increasing amounts of sunshine into the afternoon. Temperatures responding to 24 degrees in the south. Obviously because of more cloud the wind and the rain in the north and not quite as warm. And next week, well will start to import some warmer air the continent and some southern areas across the south on monday and tuesday, given some sunshine we could see those temperatures creeping around the Mid 20 Celsius and a little bit warmer and further north too. A very warm welcome to bbc news, im mark lobel. Our top stories at least 45 people are dead, after Record Rainfall causes Flash Flooding across the North East of america. A british born member of the islamic State Group pleads guilty to charges of conspiring to murder american hostages in syria. In afghanistan, a new normal, with the taliban setting up a government, as those who still want to get out await their future. And, thank you for more music its abbas first album of new material for 40 years, backed up by a series of virtual concerts