Why a severe North Sea storm could spell disaster for the fens

Man has interfered so much with the landscape in the English countryside that it is hard to comprehend and measure how natural changes to climate and sea levels have altered the geography. However, recent aerial photographs of the Wash and areas of low lying land in Norfolk and Lincolnshire show an enormous network of criss-crossing natural drainage systems.

The explanation for these is the alternate rise and fall of sea levels during Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. Each time the sea rose and dropped again, a new set of channels to drain the marshes evolved and then silted up. These were invisible below the surface level under several metres of peat, but modern farming methods and fen drainage have caused the land to shrink so much that what were once the beds of ancient rivers now stick up above the surrounding land.

Some ridges are half a mile wide and 2 metres higher than the surrounding peat, making it possible to record and map them. The shrunken peat beds are now on average 2 metres below sea level, while the former riverbeds are 0.3 metres above; so in a flood, they would form a refuge.

The geologists' maps of this area, now potentially at risk from a catastrophic North Sea storm, are scary. They would be classed as alarmist if published in a tabloid paper. King's Lynn, Boston and Wisbech would be under the sea and Peterborough, Lincoln and Cambridge would be coastal towns.

Torrential rains leave 25 dead in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan authorities say flooding and landslides unleashed by torrential rains have killed 25 people and forced thousands from their homes.

The death toll rose Tuesday as authorities reported 12 additional deaths in Caracas and nearby states. Officials say more than 5,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

Gov. Henrique Capriles decreed a "state of alarm" in Miranda state, which includes parts of the capital.

President Hugo Chavez on Monday also declared an emergency in the western state of Falcon, which has been particularly hard-hit. Officials said the storms caused a power outage that idled an oil refinery in Falcon, and similar problems shut down some units at another refinery.

Heavy snowfall closes roads in Spain, Portugal

MADRID – Heavy snow has hit northern Spain and Portugal while rains and winds have battered normally sunny resort areas.

Spain's meteorological agency said 35 of Spain's 51 provinces were on snow alert Tuesday. Badly hit was the northwestern region of Galicia, where several roads were cut off and schools forced to cancel classes.

Heavy snow also fell in neighboring regions of northeastern Portugal, closing roads and schools.

Torrential rains and gales have lashed much of Spain over the past two days, affecting normally sunny tourist destinations such as Tenerife in the Canary Islands and Malaga in southern Spain.

Spanish airport authority AENA said poor weather in northern Europe led to flight delays to and from Madrid.

In Scotland, snow and accumulating ice forced Edinburgh Airport to close briefly Monday night. Delays and closings also were reported at Luton Airport, north of London, and London City Airport in east London.

Driving was equally treacherous: heavy snow in North Yorkshire, North England, has resulted in at least one highway death.

Schools Tuesday morning were struggling to reopen after hundreds of campuses in North England and Scotland closed Monday morning.