We started the week talking about the Philippines cleanup after ‘Super Typhoon’ Haiyan, which is clearly something which will dominate headlinesfor some time to come – given its significance and impact upon so many people there.
Nearly 2 weeks after the Typhoon, the statistics are starting to mount up – nearly two million people have been displaced from their homes, and the official death toll sits at just under four thousand.
nearly two thousand more are still missing, however, and 12,500 are receiving or waiting to receive treatment for injuries.
To get some kind of perspective on the scale of the disaster, check out this interactive panorama photo.
Weatherwatch will keep our readers up to date with the latest from the Philippines, and with more details as they come to hand on the situation there.

The big international story of the week, however, was from the USA – and specifically Illinois, where powerful twisters laid waste in parts of the Midwest – killing three people, and injuring dozens. The National Weather Service had confirmed nearly 50 tornadoes had been reported.
Check out this unbelievable raw footage captured by a Washington, Illinois family as a giant twister nears their home – truly scary stuff.

Barely a week goes by without some climate change debate or scandal, and this week was certainly no different – with the UN’s international climate talks in Warsaw put on hold, after several negotiators from developing nations walked out of the discussions, citing a “lack of commitment” from several larger countries.
Along a similar line, there was an interesting debate on US TV this week, as Philippe Cousteau, grandson of legendary explorer Jaques, and author Andrew Revkin spoke about the media’s lack of interest in covering climate change stories. It’s an extremely engaging discussion, if you’re interested in the debate surrounding the changing climate.

We rounded the week off with a new island forming in the Pacific ocean, after seismic activity south of Tokyo, Japan on Friday (NZT). It’s not every day you get to see a brand new addition to the world’s islands, so check it out here.

A little closer to home, and Philip Duncan wrote a very thought provoking opinion piece on enduring memories of large scale weather events – “when exactly was ‘the great storm’?!” And it was all kicked off by an episode of The Vicar of Dibley, so you know it’s gonna be good.

In Australia, Melbourne very nearly experienced four seasons in one day, with the mercury on Tuesday alternating between the sublime (32 degrees in the city at midday), to the ridiculous (cold southerlies dropping the temp down to just 13!).

A little closer to home, and you can check out Philip Duncan’s article on the start to Summer, here, or have a look at what farmers are saying up North, comparing this year to last.

Another huge week in weather, let us know what you thought of everything in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out our poll results, published at 2pm on Saturday!

– Picture: CNN

Drew Chappell for Weatherwatch.co.nz and CountryTV