Whilst the Atlantic hurricane season is nearing its end the Arabian Sea is in peak season for storms. There is a tropical cyclone here at present heading for the northeastern tip of Somalia for Tuesday.
Although not a strong storm this will bring rain to the Bari region of the country, which is unusual. Fortunately this cyclone is not forecast to have an impact further south as the Jowhar district in Middle Shebeelle region is already experiencing unusual flooding and several villages are under water.
In Australia it's the late arrival of the seasonal rains that's causing concern. In the last couple of days steady rain has fallen in the NW of Australia, in places a couple of inches has fallen, but it's too late for the grain farmers in Victoria. Already the early harvested barley is showing quality problems because of the winter drought.
Elsewhere the settled fine weather for China is causing pollution levels in the city to increase. At the beginning of October the city's skies were smothered by smog so thick it forced the rescheduling of two shows by a French aerobatics team.
Beijing's air deteriorates each year when thousands of coal burning heating plants and thousands of smaller domestic coal stoves are lit in winter. One of the main polluters, the steel making Shougang Group, has said it will cut production to curb pollution and even move out of the city altogether in 2012 to help clean up the capital's air.
Pollution worldwide is high on the agenda with many major international newspapers reporting on the increasing prominence of global warming and climate change. In part, the increased prominence has been helped by the Queen's opening of a major international conference on climate change in Germany which will make recommendations to international politicians.
