Joe Wertz

2 days ago | bloomberg.com | Hallie Gu |Mary Hui |Joe Wertz |Brian K. Sullivan

Drought warnings have been issued and some provinces including Guangxi even resorted to firing rockets at clouds to increase rainfall. This article is for subscribers only. Welcome to Weather Watch, our weekly newsletter on how the planet’s ever wilder weather patterns are impacting the global economy. Got feedback and forecasts? Write us at [email protected]. And sign up here if you’re not on the list already.

1 week ago | bloomberg.com | Joe Wertz

Water levels at Torside Reservoir in Derbyshire. England, on May 7. (Bloomberg) -- The UK is urging water companies to protect supplies as the driest start to spring in 69 years threatens reservoir levels and river flows. The environment regulator held a meeting of the National Drought Group on Wednesday saying that with reservoirs at 84% full, there is now a medium risk of summer shortages, according to a statement.

1 week ago | bloomberg.com | Joe Wertz |Mary Hui

As last week’s power blackout in Iberia shows, weather can attract disinformation as simplistic explanations and conspiracy theories are spread on social media. This article is for subscribers only. When a massive blackout plunged Iberia into darkness last week, one theory pinned it on a “rare atmospheric phenomenon,” fueled by extreme temperature variations in Spain that triggered oscillations in high-voltage transmission lines.

2 weeks ago | bloomberg.com | Eamon Farhat |Joe Wertz

Solar panels at solar park in Werneuchen, Germany. (Bloomberg) -- Green electricity will totally dominate Germany’s grid on Thursday, sending power prices below zero again in a reminder of how solar and wind is transforming Europe’s biggest market. A slump in demand due to a public holiday will coincide with a surge in solar generation and the region’s first mini-heat wave. Early afternoon tomorrow, as much as 99% of consumption could be met by green energy, according to Bloomberg Models.

3 weeks ago | bloomberg.com | Dylan Griffiths |Joe Wertz

Deserted ski slopes in Val-d'Isere, France. (Bloomberg) -- Some of Europe’s top ski resorts, including Zermatt in Switzerland and Val d’Isere in France, were forced to shut as heavy snow raised the avalanche risk across the western Alps. At Montana, a measuring site 1,423 meters (4,667 feet) high in the Swiss canton of Valais, 58 centimeters (23 inches) of snow fell on Wednesday. That’s the largest one-day April snowfall in records going back to 1930, according to Meteo Suisse.