The Weather Year Review

series looking back at 2013. It has been a year of weather extremes,

from snow to cyclones, devastating wildfires and floods.

I am Nick Miller and this is the BBC's weather review of the year.

These swirling, vicious winds. 20,000 people are without power.

In the UK it was the year that threatened never to warm up. Then it

delivered a heatwave will stop in its closing months, deadly storms

come with effects not seen for decades. -- deadly storms, with

effects. Around the world we saw fire, flood, and the most deadly

cyclone ever to hit land. At the BBC weather Centre we broadcast

thousands of bulletins around the world. Whether touches all of our

lives and in recent years we have seen some extreme and dramatic

weather. 2013 has been no difference. We will be going month

by month and showing how extreme weather still destroys lives. It is

even possible for a weatherman to get caught in a storm. Yes, that was

me. As the year began the forecast here was about something we fully

don't understand, sudden stratospheric warming. A temperature

change high in the atmosphere can produce something like this. This

shows the extent of UK snow cover in January, the most widespread and

prolonged since 2010. It has been talked about for days

and this morning the snow arrived. The first heavy falls were over the

hills of the North. On the border between Cumbria and County Durham

the main job is to keep this busy road open, linking East and West.

The return of severe winter weather and temperatures as low as -14

degrees produced travel chaos. More of the country became smothered in

white, enough to almost bury this pub on the North York Moors. You can

still see quite a lot of snow. How long were you cut off for? Two full

days, which is unusual for our pub! As the snow spread across the rest

of the UK, few areas were left untouched. With the snow comes the

desire to conquer the elements but at going co-tragedy struck. -- Glen

Coe. Four climbers were killed in an avalanche. In the rest of the UK the

weather remained cold and was set to stay that way for several months. As

we froze, in Australia were coming to the end of a summer like no

other. They called it the angry summer.

Bush fires spread across south-east Australia, the result of the hottest

summer on record and the driest in a quarter of a century. Close to the

fire front you get a sense of the conditions the firefighters are

dealing with, these swirling, vicious winds, soaring temperatures,

45 degrees, and at the moment there has been a sudden change in the

wind, making this fire very unpredictable. The fires were at

their worst in Tasmania. This town took a direct hit, with more than 60

properties destroyed, including the school. The fires finally subsided

by the end of the month but in Queens land they went from one

extreme to the other. Heat gave way to floods. The waters reached

Brisbane, with many low-lying streets underwater. In the seaside

town of Alexander headlined, winds turned the surf into foam. It looked

more like the aftermath of a snowstorm. Over in the USA this was

the real thing, a massive lizard hitting the eastern seaboard in

February. -- lizard. Snow for -- snow piled up and millions were

warned to stay indoors. Once the storm passed, those who ventured

into Central Park in New York found a winter wonderland and there was

only one thing to do. Although March wrought the arrival of spring, in

the UK spring weather was nowhere to be seen. -- brought the arrival.

Everybody here has one simple question, why is it so cold in the

week before Easter? Easterly wind are dragging cold air to the UK from

northern Europe and Russia but many think the weather is becoming more

unpredictable. The Channel Islands were hit by heavy snow, the worst in

March since the 1960s. As the months went on the snow spread north and

west, smothering the Isle of Man, the worst in half a century, and

there were frantic attempts to save livestock. Over role in the UK it is

thought the snow killed more than 20,000 sheep and cattle. --

overruled. A lucky few were rescued. This is our livelihood, we have

nothing else. Once the sheep are gone and that is it. In Northern

Ireland more than 100,000 people were left without power, some for

several days, as snow and ice brought their own power lines. --

brought down. On the Isle of Arran the community were cut off and

feeling the cold. The snow reached 30 to 40 centimetres on high ground

and was to last for several days before a thaw set in. It was the

coldest March since 1962, the coldest Easter day on record, and

anybody hoping the forecast would soon take on a more springlike tone

would he made to wait, and wait. April was another colder than normal

month but it was not just the UK suffering. This was Spain in late

April. With snow and heavy rain producing weather warnings across 18

provinces. It is not just the rain in Spain that falls mainly on the

plane. If you are venturing out across the southern half of the UK,

good luck. Anybody hoping for brighter sky in May was still

sheltering under umbrellas and there was even more snow, this in

Shropshire, to do -- two weeks after Mayday. It had been the coldest

spring more than 50 years. Normally much wilder weather comes in from

the Atlantic. -- milder. We have seen persistent colder weather

coming in from the continent. In April in London we had a daytime

temperature of two degrees, which we normally don't often get in bleak

midwinter. In May we had snow across parts, which shows how cold this

spring has been. While our headlines were covering big UK cold, across

the Atlantic 's bring was delivering weather which could destroy

everything in a few minutes in utter -- of utter hell.

Good evening, our main story is the aftermath of the tornado in

Oklahoma. Rescue teams are using bulldozers and sledgehammers to try

to reach survivors as President Obama is -- describes it as one of

the most destructive storms in the nation's history.

This is the moment the tornado struck, a terrifying force of

nature. It touched town just south of Oklahoma City and began its 14

minute path of destruction. That is a big, big tornado. It levelled a

neighbourhood, with 200 mph winds. This is warzone terrible. This town

in Oklahoma was in the bull's-eye of one of the most terrible storms

nature can produce. The tornado levelled nearly everything in its

path, killed 23 and injured hundreds. At its peak, wind speeds

were estimated to reach over 200 mph. It is difficult to whether wind

so severe and a local primary school felt its full force. The warning had

not come quickly enough to get everybody out safely before the

storm hit. You are watching the BBC's review of

the year. Presenters like me stand here day after day bringing news

good and bad. We are about to forecast something for the UK we had

no longer dared to dream of, proper summer weather.

No, not this hot. The UK still had to make it through a cool June. This

was death Valley California, which not stop the highest June

temperature ever recorded, a searing 54 Celsius. In the Canadian province

of Alberta, summer began with rain, incessant rain. Swollen rivers

flowing down from the Rocky Mountains engulfed the city of

Calgary, leading to one of the costliest natural disasters in

Canadian history. In India, in summer they expect rain, monsoon

rain, but this year it was the heaviest in 80 years and started

early in the north of the country with devastating consequences.

Entire communities were washed away in raging floodwaters, with the

number of those missing presumed dead in one state alone rising into

the thousands. In the UK, still no sign of summer, and experts came

together at the Met Office to try to shed light on why the UK had enjoyed

a run of X -- weather extremes, drought, summer floods and a cold

spring. They looked at many theories as to why the jet stream that Spears

weather systems across the UK has been displaced but answers are hard

to find. At the moment we really can't say. It is disappointing for

you and for scientists to have this uncertainty but I want to emphasise

that in order to address that question we need to know what is

loading the dice for the position of the jet stream, then we can begin to

investigate how that loading of the dice might change under a changing

climate. When we thought all hope was lost, in July there was the

return of a long lost friend. I cannot remember the last time we

had a summer like this. Being able to sit up doors. It was our longest

heat wave in seven years. But prolonged hot weather is dangerous.

But many people just celebrated the return of summer. We have had eight

months of awful winter and six years of bad summers. Enjoy. As we

revelled in the heat, in the USA others paid the ultimate price for

fighting the worst effects of heat -- fire. What we do know is that 19

firefighters were killed in probably the worst disaster that has taken

place here in the state of Arizona. And a public tic seen. --

apocalyptic scene. The firefighters were caught by a sudden change of

wind, with devastating consequences. They were part of what is called the

Granite Mountain Hotshot team. The average age of those killed was 22.

As autumn began, weather lost extremes of summer. It was quite a

typical September in the UK. But meteorologists still needed to busy

their minds with something and this question got us talking. How can

heavy snow caused a volcano to abrupt? High in the Peruvian Andes a

group of research scientists had to run for cover as the volcano burst

into life. Peter Gibbs reported that it was down to unusually heavy

snowfall. Snow has been piling up, seven inches deep across the top of

the volcano. We have some pretty hot rock in there so that snow melted

and seeped down fisheries in the rock. When it hit that heat, the

centre of the volcano, it is like when you pour water on to the hot

coals in the sauna. That pressure produces then an explosion, and

corruption. -- and eruption. Also in September are changing climate was

the focus of a major report from the United Nations climate panel. Its

language was unequivocal. Today's conclusions were dramatic. The

language was clear. The atmosphere and oceans have warned. Snow and ice

have diminished. Sea level has risen. It is 95% certain that humans

are the dominant cause, the scientists say. The findings were

presented today after thousands of scientific reports were studied,

presented with a warning. Climate change is the greatest challenge of

our time. The panel estimates that the climate will warm but least two

Celsius by the end of this century. But there are sceptics will remain

doubtful that these computer predictions are correct.

The 2013 Atlanta hurricane season defied all forecasts. It was the

first in almost 20 years without a major hurricane. But spin the globe

and other parts of the world were not so lucky. In October a cyclone

was bearing down on India. A powerful storm, matched by the power

of preparation. Evacuations began early and although the volcano

equalled powerful cyclones that had brought destruction before, many

people were taken out of harm's way. Lives had been saved but the

destruction was widespread. The devastation continued for mile after

mile. We drove out to coastal villages where the cyclone first hit

land. Many of the tens of thousands evacuated before the storm had begun

returning home. For some it has been a grim homecoming. This woman

survived the last cyclone but now her tiny home is in ruins. Last time

there was not much damage. Now my home is broken and everything is

gone. I have got nothing to eat. Meanwhile in Australia, fires were

raging again. This time in the Blue Mountains. The product of the

hottest September on record. Sydney was also affect that with this eerie

sight of the skyline darkened by plumes of smoke. Locals said these

were the worst fires here since the 1960s. At the end of October,

attention turned back to the UK and the storm that would evoke memories

of 1987. Earlier on a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a

hurricane on the way. If you're watching, do not worry, there is

not. Scientific advances meant that this storm was tracked days in

advance. No one could have escaped the Met Office warnings that this

storm was coming. There is a big storm heading our way, set to arrive

on Sunday night. It will last until Monday morning. Warnings have been

issued especially because of the strength of the wind.

It was at this station early in the morning that I felt the full force

of the storm. I was trying to get home after a night shift. I tried to

out run the storm but instead was caught in the middle of it. I had to

shelter underneath this railway bridge, humbled by the power of

nature. As predicted, the channel facing seaside towns and cities were

the first to face the wind as it held in from the West.

In this case the calm waters of Brighton Marina encircled by the

white horses of a treacherous tide. Recorded wind speeds steadily

increased. 70, 90 miles an hour. The the storm took at least 17 miles and

cut a swathe across northern Europe. Without the early forecast it could

have been much worse. The storm, done with the UK, moved on to ravage

Western Europe. Powering into the Danish coast, closing the road

linked to Sweden. The wind here were up to 120 miles an hour. They ripped

apart the metal scaffolding on this building in Copenhagen.

The winds sliced through Brussels. And Amsterdam, where along the

canals it was the trees being uprooted by wind is not felt in over

20 years. But it was not long before another storm made the headlines.

This was also well forecast but was so powerful and destructive that

everyone's West fears came true. -- worst fears. One of the most

powerful storms ever recorded hits the Philippines. This was Typhoon

Haiyan, with wins at almost 200 miles an hour. And storm surge that

swept floods inland. This typhoon was the deadliest in the history of

the Philippines, killing nearly 6000 people.

Like all tropical storms began with a loose cluster of thunderclouds.

Nothing unusual. But these quickly merged together to form a single

weather system which started rotating, pulling air up into its

centre. The storm stretched over 300 miles. By now it was the typhoon.

And heat rising from the warm ocean kept adding to its strength. Higher

temperatures mean more energy. This meant that in the eye of the storm

and around it the wind kept accelerating, intense low-pressure

also lifted the sea surface to create as dawn surge, another source

of danger. For anyone in its path only the strongest shelter would

help them survive. Maybe 80, 90% of the buildings along

the coast here have lost their roofs. So even if buildings have

survived people are effectively living in the open. And the other

big thing is food. This line stretches for hundreds of metres in

both directions. The big issue now is that people have lost all of

their food. Their rice was damaged in the storm. It is now day five,

supplies are running out. There is still a sense that aid is not

getting through. At the airport planes are coming in but we do not

see any of it here. Aid efforts continue in the Philippines with

many thousands still homeless. Up in the north-west Highlands we

have around 20,000 people without power. A lot of fallen trees have

fallen on power lines causing difficulties for engineers. Things

are going to be back up and running but conditions are difficult.

Instead of snow, the first month of winter brought storm after storm as

the year came to an end. The first, early in the month,

battered Scotland and the north of England with wind up to 100 miles an

hour, killing two people and then producing something on a scale

unseen since 1953. The sea whipped up by storm forced wind combined

with high tides first studied parts of the North were dashed the North

Wales coast. Many people had to leave their homes. Next it was the

North Sea coast of England. Thousands were evacuated from their

homes. In Norfolk, for good reason as three clifftop homes were swept

away. We could actually see the kitchen fold. The floorboards folded

up. The surge had been a major test of flood defences. Many built since

the tragedy of the 1953 surge which killed more than 300 in the UK. Some

failed but most did not ensuring the safety of the people and property

they protect. But one of the most memorable images

came not from land or sea but from the air. Not many of us would swap

faces with the passengers on this plane, trying to land at Birmingham

at the height of the storm. That is what I call a bumpy ride.

And that was a year of weather. Wondering what is coming up next

year with Mike keep watching the forecast. -- coming up next year?

We should get a breather from the bad weather over the next couple of

days but we have to be on guard for the rest of the week as more stormy

weather is looming. Tonight there are signs that the storm is easing.