January has been an unusually violent month for tornadoes in the USA: 70 twisters have been reported. And more could be on the way. Read more.

For more than a century, through a dozen dry spells when lakes disappeared and the land died, thousands of cows from the Swenson Land & Cattle Co have roamed the fields of Texas. Yet the drought currently ravaging the southern Plains has done what the Dust Bowl could not: chased them off this land and driven them more than 600 miles north to Nebraska. Read more.

A federal “plant hardiness” map used by millions of gardeners was updated Wednesday for the first time in two decades, revealing many areas where the coldest day of the year isn’t as cold anymore. Read more.

The worst winter anyone can remember in Alaska has piled snow so high people can’t see out the windows, kept a tanker in ice-choked waters from delivering fuel on time and turned snow-packed roofs into sled runs. Read more.

Thousands of Continental passengers have taken unexpected detours the last two months when their non-stop flights from Europe had to stop for fuel because of fierce headwinds over the Atlantic. Read more.

Snow was expected to continue through Friday, with accumulations reaching 6 to 12 inches in parts of Maine, according to Accuweather.com. The snow was set to push farther north, spreading across the rest of Maine later on Thursday. In the Midwest, snowfall totals climbed up to half a foot across areas of Wisconsin and Michigan by mid-afternoon with snow coming down in parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana as well. Read more.

The USA had company as it suffered through devastating weather and climate disasters in 2011. The entire world endured its costliest year ever for losses from natural disasters at more than a third of a trillion dollars in damage, according to a report released Wednesday by global reinsurance firm Munich Re. Read more.

Record high January temperatures may be nice for the average resident of the Dakotas, but they’re worrying for farmers and firefighters alike. Temperatures in the mid-50s were recorded across North and South Dakota. The record high of 55 Wednesday in Bismarck, N.D., was 32 degrees above normal. In fact, in some parts of the Dakotas, it’s warmer this January than it is in many parts of Florida. Read more.

After record temperatures during Christmas, Florida has turned remarkably cool for the time of year. Read more.

Last week Serbia has seen temperatures go from usual for the season to higher than average. The warmest days were Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures spiking up to 7 °C (45 °F) – several degrees more than usual. This was welcomed by many people who have decided to spend the New Year’s Eve outdoors. Average temperature for the week was 0 °C (32 °F).

Weather was generally dry with traces of rain and some snow only in higher areas of the country. The lack of precipitation, as we have reported previously, poses a serious threat to the country’s industry.  Low water levels on the Danube, Sava, and Tisa make transportation of goods difficult or impossible, and they have been excessively low.  Levels returned to normal late in December.