Scientists in the UK are surprised that so many flowers are in bloom (开花期) this winter. They said that in usual years, between 20 and 30 kinds of flowers and plants are open. However, on New Year’s Day, scientists found 368 different kinds in bloom.

Scientists believe so many flowers are in bloom because of climate change (气候变化). Last year was the warmest year Britain has ever had. Dr. Tim Rich told the BBC about his surprising at the number of flowers he saw at the start of this year. He said, “Fifty years ago, it was difficult to find plants in winter. But it seems everything’s becoming different.” He said some flowers were in bloom five months earlier.

Scientist Rich explained how the weather affects flowers. The flowers are usually killed by the cold in December. He said, “We are now in our fourth warm winter. Usually flowers go away by Christmas but this year it hasn’t happened.” He added, “But many flowers are still in bloom now, after New Year’s Day.”

Britain’s weather report talked about the climate for last year. It said, “All months except August were warmer than usual years, and this was the warmest year on record for the UK. It was also wetter than usual years for many areas.”

Big snowstorms and cold air swept across the north of China in the first week of November. Many people were shaking in the heavy snow. They wonder, “If the Earth is getting warmer, how can winter still be so cold?” The answer lies in the difference between local weather and climate（气候）.

Climate is how the atmosphere（大气层）acts over a long period of time while weather describes what’s happening in a much shorter time. Even on a day when it is colder than average（平均）in a place, parts of the United States were 1 to 9 degrees colder than average, but the world as a whole was about 0.9 degree warmer than the 1979-2000 average.

While climate scientists expect that the world could be 1-2 degrees warmer by the end of the century, they don’t think it means the end of winter. Record（创记录的）low temperatures will still happen rarer over time. One 2009 study found that the United States saw as many record highs as record lows in the 1950s, but by the 2000s there were twice as many record highs as record lows.

Another reason for the cold weather is the warming Arctic（北极）, according to BBC. It is warming almost three times as fast as any other place on Earth. As the temperature increases, lots of cold Arctic air goes to the south.

So, will this winter be much colder? A report says it is highly possible. North China may see more snow than average while South China may get less rain than average.

Most of us know about fires, earthquakes, droughts and floods. But from time to time, Mother Nature surprises us, and brings a terrible weather event （事件）.Here are some examples of unusual weather.

Strange rain: One day in 2005, people in a small town in Serbia looked out their windows and saw an unusual sight. It was raining frogs! Without any warning （提醒）, they found the streets full of small animals jumping about. “There were thousands of them,” someone said. “I thought maybe a plane carrying frogs exploded （爆炸）,” said another. Scientists believe the tornado passed over the lake, lifted the frogs into the air, and then dropped them in a remote Serbian town.

Tornadoes （strong windstorms moving in a circle） of Fire: Tornadoes don’t seem to be dangerous enough, but some of them can be made of fire. When a wildfire reaches very high temperatures, it causes the air to become hot and to rise. Cooler air rushes in to replace （替代） hot air. This causes strong winds. These winds suck away （吸走） burning plants and even the fire itself. When this happens, just as it did in Denver on March 14, 2014, a tornado of fire was produced. This tornado can be up to 15 meters wide and up to 40 stories high.

Great Balls of Ice: In 1942, hundreds of thousands of years   skeletons （骨骼） were found under the ice of Lake Roopkund in the Himalayas. Many had holes in their skulls （头盖骨）. But they weren’t hurt in any other way. Scientists thought the people must have been hit from above. But for years, they haven’t found out the cause of their deaths.

Today, scientists think these people were killed by giant hailstones—balls of ice. The blocks of ice grew bigger and bigger and turned into hail, until（直到） the wind couldn’t lift them and the hail fell to the ground, often at a speed （速度） of over 160 kilometres an hour. Unlucky people at Lake Roopkund had nowhere to run away, so they were all killed by the hailstones.