Late Snow Holds From Scotland To Sicily; Crop Loss Concerns Across Eastern Europe; Cold Pattern Locks In Across U.S. As May Begins; + El Niño Is Not A Climate Emergency
The ocean tends to bury and bank heat during La Niña, then brings much of it back to the surface and releases it during El Niño. Calling that release “a fingerprint of cLiMaTe ChAnGe” is not science.
Snow Holds From Scotland To Sicily
Late April, and winter is still clinging on.
In Scotland, Cairngorm Mountain is still offering lift-served skiing in the Ptarmigan Bowl, with the upper mountain holding enough snow for late-season turns.
Glencoe has moved past normal piste skiing, but its access chair remains open for tourers still finding usable snow higher up.
Skiing at the end of April remains notable, especially after years of claims that Scottish snow is finished.
Farther south, the contrast is sharper.
On Mount Etna, heavy snowfall during the first months of 2026 has left towering accumulations near the summit. Operators have cut access routes through pack so vehicles can reach higher elevations.
Etna is high enough for lingering spring snow, rising above 3,300 m (10,800 ft). But this year’s cover is far more substantial than a few patchy remnants on high: even near 2,000 m (6,560 ft) on Etna South, cleared access routes are flanked by snow walls up to 6 m (19.7 ft) high.
From Scotland to Sicily, meaningful late-season snow is being carried into May.
Crop Loss Concerns Across Eastern Europe
A late-April cold outbreak is spreading across eastern Europe, bringing night frosts, mountain snow, and crop-loss fears at the worst possible time.
Ukraine has already taken a big hit.
