Tropical Cyclone Bondo is expected to intensify over the next 48 hours, according to M?t?o-France forecasters in La R?union. Bondo is moving at speeds of around 162 km/h which are predicted to in crease to 198 km/h.

The island?s Regional Tropical Cyclone Centre says that Bondo will continue tracking westwards and is expected to pass the north tip of Madagascar on 22 December.

The global mean surface temperature in 2006 is currently estimated to be + 0.42?C above the 1961-1990 annual average (14?C), according to the records maintained by Members of WMO. The year 2006 is currently estimated to be the sixth warmest year on record.

Final figures will be released in March 2007.

Polar region research
(posted on 14 December)

The International Polar Year 2007-2008, which begins in March next year, is as an intensive burst of internationally coordinated, interdisciplinary, scientific research and observation in the Earth?s polar regions.

The first International Polar Year took place in 1882/1883 and the second in 1932/1933, all of which have had a major influence in improving our understanding of global processes in these important areas. The last major initiative was the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957/1958, in the pre-satellite era, which involved 80 000 scientists from 67 countries. It was during this period that many of the Antarctic research stations that exist today were established. The IGY also gave rise to the formulation of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 and its ratification in 1961.

Record-breaking temperatures are fuelling severe bush fires in south-eastern parts of Australia, destroying hundreds of thousands of hectares of alpine forest and farmland. Victoria and southern parts of New South Wales are the worst hit areas and authorities have warned that the fires will hit major settlements.

The fires, thought to have been sparked by lightening strikes, have been fanned by strong northerly winds bringing hot air from the desert. Serious drought has also contributed.

A consensus of 125 of the world?s leading tropical cyclone researchers and forecasters says that no firm link can yet be drawn between human-induced climate change and variations in the intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones. A statement issued at WMO?s 6th International Workshop on Tropical Cyclones (Costa Rica, 21-30 November 2006) also said: "No individual tropical cyclone can be directly attributed to climate change."

The recent increase in loss of life and damages from tropical cyclones has been caused largely by rising concentrations of population and infrastructure in coastal regions. Furthermore, although the accuracy of tropical cyclone monitoring has improved considerably over the last few decades, large regional variations exist in methods used to monitor tropical cyclones, and several regions have no measurements by specialized aircraft. These factors continue to make detection of trends difficult.

In 2008, WMO will launch the international THORPEX Pacific Asia Regional Campaign (TPARC) in cooperation with the tropical cyclone research and forecasting community. TPARC will aim to accelerate improvements in the accuracy of numerical weather prediction, probabilistic forecasting and the understanding of tropical cyclones.

Only about 30 per cent of the seasonal average of snow has fallen so far this winter in the Alps as the unusually warm temperatures continue.

MeteoSwiss say that readings in November and early December were some 10?C above the norm. Austria's Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics announced last week that Alpine temperatures were their highest in 1 300 years. Central England has recorded its warmest autumn on record and the Met Office, UK, has predicted higher-than-average temperatures for the rest of the winter.

Many ski resorts throughout Europe have postponed opening their slopes due to the lack of snow while an early blossoming of fruit tress in some regions has farmers worried that their potential produce will be affected by frost.

The International Workshop on Climate and Land Degradation, organized by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and WMO, opened today in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.

The Secretary-General of WMO, Mr Michel Jarraud, stressed the importance of climate assessment in the battle against land degradation:

"Under the scenario of climate change, droughts, flash floods, duststorms, famine, migratory movements, forest fires?all linked to desertification?are likely to increase, and so will their impact on global food security".

Land degradation affects an estimated 250 million people and threatens one billion in more than 100, mostly developing, countries.

Typhoon Utor left the Philippines and was heading towards the coast of southern China today. It is expected to reach Hainan Island by Friday.

At least four people died and 90 000 were displaced by the tropical cyclone which made landfall on Saturday in eastern Samar province, about 580 km south-east of Manila. Wind speeds of 126 km/h were measured today. Experts predict they will reach around 142 km/h over the next 24 hours.

Utor is the second major typhoon to have struck the Philippines in 10 days.

A tornado ripped through several streets in north-west London yesterday. Several people were injured and up to 150 houses and many cars damaged. The temporarily homeless were housed in a local hall overnight.

Meteorological conditions across the UK on Thursday saw widespread heavy thunderstorms with gusty winds The tornado was triggered when massive up- and downdraughts of air combined to form a spiral.

The last tornado to have caused major damage in London occurred in December 1954 ? six people were injured and the roof of Gunnersbury Underground station was torn off.

The 14th session of WMO?s Commission for Instrument and Methods of Observation opened yesterday at WMO Headquarters in Geneva.

The four winners received the award in Geneva on 6 December 2006 for their paper: "Dar-es-Salaam demonstration test of IMS 1600 integrated Upper-air System, Dar-es-Salaam, 18-30 October 2004".

The latest WMO El Ni?o/La Ni?a update, published today, says a "moderate" El Ni?o event is now established across the tropical Pacific basin and is expected to continue until at least the first quarter of 2007.

Sea-surface temperatures in the region were between 1? and 1.5?C warmer than usual for October, measurements typical of many El Ni?o events in the past. These conditions are expected to slightly intensify over the next three months, but experts agree that the event is unlikely to exceed the "moderate" category in this period.

Impacts have already been, and continue to be, severe in the western equatorial Pacific, the islands therein and surrounding continental regions, including Australia and Indonesia which are suffering severe drought conditions.