now, to europe. this bridge on the greek island of crete has survived a lot the latest headlines for you from of severe weather in its 111—year bbc news. in and his wife meg and history, but the force of this flood in february was just too much. the duchess of sussex are australia, in february, celebrating the birth of the first and it's supposed to rain in queensland during monsoon season, child, a baby boy —— maghan. prince but the rains here this year are exceptional. the city of townsville is hardest hit, with prolonged rainfall shattering records going back harry told the birth was an amazing to the 19th century. experience and they're still flooding hits iran, too. thinking about names. street protests in istanbul with the dozens of people are killed electoral commission has ordered a in storms that last rerun of the city's mayoral from march into april. election. the ak party leader, the record rainfall follows a prolonged drought, and the floods strike with astonishing force. president ergodan threatened to take the scale of flooding here is thought to have been made back of the people's victory. a worse by decades of deforestation. landmark un report is wanting that in the usa, tornado season gets humans are rapidly destroying the off to a deadly start. natural world. holding the process this is alabama, in march, will require a fundamental change in where the storms leave a path what we consume. this body — the of destruction half a mile wide and a mile long. most comments of the dates you just 23 people are killed here — that i most comments of the dates you just thati million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction. that's more than double the number of people killed in tornadoes in the usa in the whole of last year. in the uk, in march,

an amazing escape. it's about 2:30 am. there up—to—date one moment, you're strolling along the street, then this happens. on the headlines. it's up now for strong winds cause part of a building to collapse, the spring edition of weather weld. and one lucky pedestrian misses it by seconds. this time on weather weld, were and here's something looking at the impact our warming you don't see very often, a tornado hitting a busy airport. world is having on the environment around us. i'll be discovering the antalya airport challenges facing migrating birds as in turkey injanuary. some planes were damaged and some passengers injured the seasons follow increasingly as they waited to board. unfamiliar patterns. and i'm while sarah's away with the birds investigating how our changing at pulborough, i'm down the road climate is affecting plants and here at wakehurst and i'm looking trees. and, finding out why saving at how the changing seasons are affecting our plants and trees, seedsis trees. and, finding out why saving because there is a huge variety seeds is the insurance policy of them here across covering whatever direction our future climate takes. i think people this 500—acre site. are much more aware fiow future climate takes. i think people are much more aware now of the world this national trust land is managed around them and how things are by royal botanic gardens kew changing and the need for places and it's home to different habitats, allowing plants and tree species like this to actually keep these from around the world to thrive. things for the future. also one what you see today has come a long way since the devastation wrought by the great storm of 1987, weather world, the loudest weather which destroyed more

of the year. those who only narrowly than 20,000 trees here. i'm with ed ikin, head of landscapes and horticulture here at wakehurst, and, escaped. —— wildest. and how all of ed, this is an exciting time. spring growth at last. that only pales in comparison to one of the deadliest tropical cyclones africa has ever seen. this is weather world. there's a sense of energy across the landscape, you know? mild days, but more importantly, mild nights. everything is flowering in this incredible kind of concerted display at the moment. in your time here, do you recognise earlier growing seasons, things coming up earlier i've come to the rs pc‘s albury than they used to? yeah, the key thing really is, books nature reserve in west sussex. do you have a concerted winter, you know, extended periods of frost it's an exciting time of year. the that basically kind of sustains dormancy in plants? and if that check isn't there, spring migrating birds are starting to come back, but it's the timing of then spring can really start their arrival and the weather that at any point from mid—february onwards. i know you've got some examples they face that is really crucial to of that, maybe some winners and losers that we can take their prospects of success. this a look at. yeah, let's do that. 0k. ed, you've taken me deeper into the woods here to see vast reserve with a mixture of farm this beech tree which, and wetland covers more than 400 it's fair to say, has acres, it's home to native birds perhaps had happier times? yeah. that i hear all year round, but in so, you talked about winners and losers, wakehurst has spring, many more birds arrive here a framework of native trees — to breed, and it's those we are beech, oak, pine —

looking out for today. julian evans all of which are now under considerable stress. so, we talk about biotic and abiotic factors. is the senior site manager here. abiotic, effectively, a more stressful environment. in the case of a beech tree, julian, the nature reserve here is they don't like mild, very varied, so why is it such an very wet winters, very, important site for nature and very hot summers, you know? wildlife? wilbur brooks is an a lot of temperatures over 30 degrees. internationally important wetland it puts this tree under pressure. and has the highest legal protection you can get —— pullbrough brooks, and then the biotic factors — the tree diseases — have an upper hand and start to put a really intolerable strain upon this tree. it's a site of scientific interest. so, an example of something which is suffering, something in terms of the migrating birds which is arriving earlier starting to arrive at this time of than perhaps we'd normally expect? i know you've got an example of that, let's go and take a look at that. year, starting to arrive at this time of yea r, however starting to arrive at this time of year, however seen starting to arrive at this time of year, however seen things change 0k, great. ed, wakehurst is a place actually over recent years? other changes in patterns and the timing of famous for its bluebell displays. migration? their living most on day length from their wintering grounds it is. and arriving back to the uk where not necessarily as early as these have appeared. they're out about three the temperature has risen by about a weeks early and, again, a complete absence of frost quarter of a degree since 1960. what since january has meant they have that has done has been advanced all just grown and grown and grown and they're flowering now. so, yeah, they're really the vegetation growth in all the quite early this year. so, they're pretty to look at, insect abundance, so there arriving and that's a positive, at the same time but they've kind of but is there anything negative from their early appearance? missed the boat in terms of food yeah. so, in terms of sort

abundance. they all start nesting of an ecosystem, it's like, well, who can react quickly? and the pig and insect abundance so, the bluebells have responded will have changed and they won't be to an environmental sort of cue, if you like, but can able to feed their checks. looking everything else follow? ahead, what are the potential all of the pollinating implications in the future for bird insects that sort of depend population numbers for instance, on bluebells for their nectar, with climate change and habitat loss can they respond quickly? as well? birds that can't adapt, and then the birds that perhaps depend on the grubs of those they don't evolve to arrive on the insects, are they around hunting for those grubs at this time? earlier date —— for the birds, that if there's not a nice kind of regular dose of flower, pollen, insects, then things can get out could cause some significant declines in population. there is of kilter quite fast and you almost have kind of hungry gaps, some evidence to suggest that they where there is no flowers or food available. are revolving to arrive earlier, a very good example of something linking back to the birds we were hearing about earlier in the programme. it's been fascinating to talk to you. however, the not evolving fast thanks for showing us around wa kehurst. enough to keep up with the changes and we haven't finished here yet, affecting vegetation and insect we are back later on looking at a very special project to protect abundance. indian, what we might end up abundance. indian, what we might end up with his fewer specialists, fewer the future of plants and trees migrant birds, and more generalists. whatever the weather does. now, the earth's warming may be later in the programme will be back reaching new levels. at pullbrough brooks looking at some the uk met office says the world specific example is early arriving is in the middle of what's likely to be the warmest ten years birds this spring —— examples. since records began in 1850, as rebecca morelle reports.

first, we start our look at the a temperature rise of 1.5 celsius wildest weather in the year so far above preindustrial levels is set as a threshold by un scientists. in indonesia, injanuary. as this anything more could lead to dangerous global impacts. longhouse is swept away in flash have a look at this graph. floods on the island of sulawesi. the red area shows the predictions many people had to be rescued, but the met office has made over dozens many people had to be rescued, but d oze ns of many people had to be rescued, but dozens of people died here as the flooding continued into march. it's the years and the black lines show the actual temperatures in march that the world bears they recorded. witness to a weather disaster on a scale rarely seen. southern africa there is a close match. the last four years were the hottest on record. and flooding from cyclone idai and this blue area is their forecast for the next five years. it suggests the warming trend will continue, end dates mozambique and malawi. the with a small chance temperatures could temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees. united nations goals that one of the the main driver for all this worst weather disasters ever to hit is the greenhouse gas emissions we are producing. the southern hemisphere. in the immediate asked about, the rescue finds people stranded on rooftops we're still too reliant and clinging to trees —— aftermath. on fossil fuels like coal, and globally levels of carbon dioxide are at a record high. but the death toll rises rapidly, we've got to reduce our emissions reaching over 700 and still people of greenhouse gases. are dying as diseases such as we've got to reduce the concentrations because, cholera increase across the affected if we don't, we are looking area. the track of pullbrough brooks at really big changes

in the climate. we're going into territory that we have never been in before. we haven't experienced this, gives clues as to why the flooding so we don't know precisely was so gives clues as to why the flooding was so bad. it was a double head. what is going to happen. the scale of the devastation here now, some of your weather watcher led many to ask about the role of pictures showing the early blooming climate change. in fact, the flora and thriving fauna taken frequency of tropical cyclones has during the warmest winter decreased slightly in recent decades, the evidence shows that the uk has ever recorded. more of those that do follow 00:06:20,766 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 becoming stronger. in late february, temperatures shattered previous records by soaring above 20 celsius for the first time in winter, peaking at 21.2 degrees in london. show us the weather where you are by becoming a bbc weather watcher. sign up online at bbc. co. uk/weatherwatchers. still to come on weather world... carbon capture — how rising sea levels caused by climate change could bring us unexpected benefits. and i'll be deep inside the vaults of a bank. there is no money here, but what there is could prove priceless for the natural world. this time on weather world, we're looking at our changing climate and the impact of the environment around us.

i'm back at the pulborough brooks rspb nature reserve and i'm with julianne, the senior site manager here. now, julianne, you've taken me to a part of the reserve which is a perfect habitat for the chiffchaff. so, tell me about the chiffchaff. is that one of the earliest birds that arrive back here on our shores? yes, it is, alongside blackcaps, another early arrival. and what's been happening over the years, chiffchaff have been starting to spend the winter here, which is a new development, and we think is a result of climate change. i'm sure they face a lot of challenges with our unpredictable british weather. if we get a harsh winter, it is not great for their numbers. definitely not, that would cause a decline, and other species are very sensitive to harsh weather. in terms of some recent studies and our understanding of bird migration, how has technology changed ? the step change in technology has been amazing and caused a massive increase in knowledge of migration routes, factors affecting birds on migration.

it is possible to put geolocators on really quite small birds like nightingales and wood warblers. it is showing us that they are migrating through different routes, how long they spend at different stopover sites and where they spend the winter. it is notjust to do with changing weather and climate here, but along their routes and in their wintering grounds. yes, climate change is an international problem, if birds are starting off and reaching what was formerly a stopover site which has been impacted by climate change, they cannot refuel and move on, so it might impact not just when they arrive but in what condition they arrive and therefore their breeding success. thank you so much, julianne. just as wildlife has to cope with temperature extremes, so do humans, with varying degrees of success. in a moment, extreme heat.

but first, the bitterly, bitterly cold. january in the usa and the polar vortex is back. described as a once—in—a—generation blast of arctic air, temperatures across parts of the usa and canada fall to record lows and it feels even colder in the wind, with wind chills of —50 celsius. it does not get much worse than here in chicago, the windy city becoming the wind—chill city. you can see frost on your eyelashes. what does it feel like? it is a little cold, they have frozen closed a couple of times. anything and everything is done to keep things moving — ships break up the ice on the river and train tracks are set on fire, not as crazy as it sounds, it is a built—in system of gas heaters used in extreme conditions to prevent tracks and junctions from freezing.

is it going to come down here? yes. as winter turns into spring, the freeze—thaw pattern of the weather can lead to avalanches. colorado in march and one crashes down a major highway, filmed by a father and son on a ski trip. thankfully, nobody was reported hurt. the austrian alps in march. there is an avalanche engulfing a group of skiers. amazingly, nobody is injured, but some skiers had to be rescued. january was europe's coldest month, with widespread heavy snow. some parts of austria measured more snow than on records going back over 90 years, leaving ski resorts and alpine villages cut off. that does not stop everyone trying to make it through seemingly insurmountable snowdrifts. the uk winter had its moments, including a snowstorm in cornwall

at the end of january. a picturesque blanket of white, perhaps, but try telling that to the drivers of up to 100 vehicles stranded in freezing conditions. but at least this winter failed to deliver a repeat of the beast from the east which paralysed much of the uk one year earlier. but for some people, winter holds no fear. this is moldovan athlete dmitri voloshin running 50km for charity at the coldest place in the northern hemisphere — the so—called pole of cold in siberia. the thermometre shows a wind—chill of over —60 celsius. he finished in six hours, a new record at such low temperatures. and from one extreme to the other. the australian summer shatters temperature records. it is the hottest summer here, with peaks of near 50 celsius.

there are wildfires, too, including these which destroyed homes in victoria in march. the australian bureau of meteorology says the warming trend in the country is consistent with warming across the globe. this looks like a summer fire, but this is winter in the uk after the record february heat and a long dry spell. this fire broke out on moorland in yorkshire. warmer spells of weather happening earlier in the year are expected to make fires like this more common. i am still at wakehurst, but i have come inside to a very special place, the millennium seed bank. it is where they collect billions of seeds from varieties across the world. it is a huge project. janet terry is the seed collections manager. why collect so many seeds? we are the world's largest seed bank for wild species and it is our insurance policy against what is happening in the world around us.

what is happening? climate change, plants becoming extinct all the time, notjust from the natural climate, but the pressure from people, plants from places like islands which are very vulnerable to rising sea level, alpine species which are very vulnerable to climate change, they can't go any higher, there's nowhere to go. and when the seeds arrive, it starts here? yes, this crate has come from namibia, one of our partners in africa. these bags contain samples of wild species they have sent to us for safekeeping. this room is at very low humidity. the seeds will dry slowly, so it does not damage them, and we can put them into our —20 cold store where they live for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. let's look at that final storage place. let's visit the world's biggest biodiversity hotspot. who could refuse an offer like that! we have come to the storage area

and there is a reason why we have this look going on — the temperature is —20 celsius, why? it is the internationally recognised standard for long—term storage of seed collections. you can hear the freezers really going at it. when you come in, you just think, "wow, there are so many seeds in so manyjars." you have been here long enough to know what some of them are. for security reasons, they are only labelled with computer reference numbers and the location within the room, but i can see that is an ash collection. ash is threatened in the uk with ash dieback, a really good reason. this is a species of acacia, probably from africa, extremely useful for livestock fodder, shade, timber, everything you can think of, some medicines.

since the project began, have some of the reasons for it become even more prominent? definitely, i think people are more aware of the world around them and how things are changing and the need for places like this to keep these things for the future. it has been an honour to see inside. thank you for showing us around, janet. it is a pleasure to show you. of course, to really know how our climate is changing, you have to measure it, which is what billy barr has been doing for nearly 50 winters, deep in the rocky mountains in colorado. every year, he measures the snow and has seen dramatic changes in the climate surrounding him. february used to be a very winter cold month and it's almost become mild. long—term, what i have learned, just simplified a bit, there is an obvious

change in temperature. he knows this because for nearly half a century, he has kept a weather diary and it is a rich source of climate cataloguing for scientists. but could one result of climate change mitigate some of its effects? rising sea levels are forecast to flood more land near our coasts, but wetlands suck in and store the atmospheric carbon that is warming the planet, as victoria gill reports. you can see plants starting to come back into the restored salt marsh, but when they die, rather than lying and decomposing, these layers of sediment essentially lock that material away in the mud, so the carbon in the plant material is stored in the layers of mud in this marsh. by drilling into the mud, these us scientists are taking part in a global effort to gather evidence of how much carbon—rich plant matter is locked into the layers. by comparing different wetlands around the world, they found that as sea levels rise

and wash in more sediment on the tides, even more carbon is buried. they say future sea—level rise could cause marshes on the coast of australia, china and south america to lock away an additional 5 million tonnes of carbon every year, equivalent to taking 1 million cars off the roads. the whole cycle of plant growth and carbon burial depends on the tides. solid sea walls and flood defences cut wetlands off and shut the system down, so conservationists are calling for the protection and regeneration of wetlands around the world to help fight climate change by ensuring that more carbon remains stuck in the mud. and finally, back to the usa winter and a wildlife rescue with a difference. in michigan, this bald eagle was weighed down by a block of ice which formed on its tail. it is captured, the ice is slowly melted and,

after a spell of rehabilitation, a large crowd gathers to watch its happy release back into the wild. and that's it for this time on weather world. so, it's goodbye from me and the birds at pulborough. and from me at wakehurst, home of the millennium seed bank. for highlights of our previous programmes, go to bbc.co.uk/weatherworld, and watch out for more weather world later in the year. and, for now, keep checking the forecast.

hello, good morning. early bank holiday monday last year, the temperature was a record 29 degrees. this time round, 14 celsius at best. and that was in the south—west of england, where we did see some sunshine. and whilst we'll see temperatures recovering a little bit across more southern parts of the uk, it is going to be staying on the chilly side. and there's some more rain to come, as well, and most of it will be coming from this area of cloud that will bring some wetter, windier weather overnight into wednesday. we've got a lot of cloud on the scene for many places at the moment, still some bursts of rain here and there. skies are a little bit clearer in scotland and here we have colder air, so there may well be a touch of frost. further south, we may see some showers developing through the midlands

and east anglia, too. for scotland, it really is a case of sunshine and showers. we'll find those showers a bit wintry over the tops of the mountains. the air is going to be cold enough for temperatures no better than single figures in most places. wetter weather for southernmost parts of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, and those showers also affecting north wales into the midlands and east anglia. dry for most of the day down the south and some sunshine may lift the temperatures to 15, maybe 16 degrees. this is where the low pressure and all that cloud is overnight and into wednesday. these weatherfronts pushing rain northwards and eastwards across the uk, so for many places, it's a bit of a wet start, i suspect. this rain will pivot and push its way slowly northwards, getting stuck across central, southern scotland, northern ireland and northern england. after the rain, a clearance to sunshine, but some heavy, thundery showers. easterly winds for eastern scotland and north—east england. together with the rain

will make it feel quite cold. temperatures 6—8 degrees at best. further south, some warmth in the sunshine, but those showers are going to be heavy, accompanied by some gusty winds too. almost more of the same as we move from wednesday into thursday. low pressure just drifting slowly across the uk, and those weather fronts stuck across the northern areas. patchy, lighter rain at this stage. further south, some sunshine. again, some heavy and thundery showers. this time they're more likely to be across east anglia and the south—east of england. temperatures on thursday much like those on wednesday, again below average for this time of year. goodbye.

very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the world. my name is mike embley. 0ur america and around the world. my name is mike embley. our top stories. a baby boy for meghan and harry. it's been the most amazing experience i can ever possibly imagine how any woman does what they do is beyond me. but, we both absolutely thrilled. landmarks turn blue to celebrate the royal birth. now attention turns to his name in the first photo. street protests in

istanbul is the electoral commission orders a rerun of the city's mayoral election. a landmark