Earth ChangesS


Snowflake Cold

One for the books: February weather set records throughout Montana

snow
February is the shortest month of the year, but it may have felt like the longest month because of record cold, snow, and wind.

The phrase "a real Montana winter" is used to describe how tough Montana winters were. Well, February 2018 is a time your children could one day be telling their grandchildren about "a real Montana winter."

It was the snowiest February on record for Chinook, Choteau, Cut Bank, East Glacier, Great Falls, and Havre. It was the snowiest month ever on record for reporting stations near Lewistown, Bynum, Valentine, and Galata.

Temperatures were brutally cold, the second coldest February on record for Lewistown, third coldest for Dillon, fourth coldest for Cut Bank, and fifth coldest February ever for Great Falls and Havre.



Fish

Earthquake-hit Papua New Guinea left with dead fish, eels and prawns in polluted rivers

dead fish
Contaminated drinking water and disrupted rivers are making the aftermath of several powerful earthquakes in Papua New Guinea even worse.

Dead fish, eels, prawns and other debris are clogging silt and mud-laden waterways, causing stench and unsafe water, while properties have also been damaged.

The situation is being described as "disastrous" by the Governor's Office in the badly-hit Gulf Province.

In a public notice, the office stated: "Given the magnitude of the earthquake and its resulting damage upstream in Southern Highlands and Hela Province, consequential effects and changes in the rivers systems downstream is disastrous ...

Snowflake

Erie, Pennsylvania now buried under 13 feet of snowfall - continues to break records

snow
© Jill McCormick
From the "Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past" by climate scientist Dr. David Viner department comes this news from NOAA/NWS:

With 156 inches between December 2017 and February 2018, Erie, Pennsylvania, set a new record for most winter snowfall:
Erie Winter snowfall

Via NOAA/NCEI on Twitter

Comment: See also:


Seismograph

Rare M5.6 earthquake strikes Mozambique-Malawi border, is followed by M5.2

Rare M5.6 earthquake hits Mozambique followed by M5.2
© Google/TW
The first, registered by the USGS as M5.6, hit at 08:49 UTC at a depth of 6.4 km (4 miles) and was followed by M5.2 at 09:52 UTC at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The M5.6 earthquake is expected to have a medium humanitarian impact based on the magnitude and the affected population and their vulnerability.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was located 25.9 km (16.1 miles) NE of Nsanje (population 21 774) and 80.4 km (49.9 miles) S of Mulanje (population 16 483), Malawi.

There are 3 000 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles) and 8 800 within 5 km (3.1 miles).

Some 22 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 63 000 strong, 195 000 moderate and 4 783 000 light.

Comment: Earthquakes, volcanoes, sinkholes, landslides and gaping fissures, they just keep coming with a greater frequency and seem to be becoming ever more massive:


Attention

Thousands of starfish wash up in Andalusia, Spain after 'Beast of the East'

Stills from video by Juana Salas
Thousands of starfish wash up in Andalusia, Spain after 'Beast of the East'
The storm that swept across Spain's southern tip last weekend not only caused damage to boats, cars and buildings along the coast but also brought devastation to the starfish population.

A carpet of the marine animals were washed up on Punta Umbria beach in Huelva on Monday in what conservationists believe was a direct result of Storm Emma.

A video uploaded by Juana Salas on Facebook showing the extent of the stranding has been viewed over half a million times:

Comment: A video of the tornado mentioned in the above text:




Cloud Precipitation

Storm hits Cadiz, Spain destroys cars, boats and buildings but reveals long lost Roman ruins

A piece of the revealed Roman aqueduct on Cadiz's Cortadura beach.
© ADIPA piece of the revealed Roman aqueduct on Cadiz's Cortadura beach.
Even the southwestern most tip of Spain was not immune to a battering as Storm Emma swept across Spain last week.

While much of the rest of the peninsula was covered in a blanket of snow last week, the province of Cadiz was buffeted by torrential rains, strong winds, high seas, and even a tornado.

Yachts in the marina at Puerto Sherry were upturned, cars washed away and beach restaurants ripped apart.

Snowflake

US east coast hit by 36 inches of snow and counting - 6 inches per hour in Vermont (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)

A resident digs out their car after a snowstorm dumped over a foot of snow
© Bob KarpA resident digs out their car after a snowstorm dumped over a foot of snow around the area Wednesday, March 7, 2018, in Morristown, N.J. The storm carrying wind, rain and heavy snow was expected to continue into Wednesday night.
For the second time in less than a week, a nor'easter is tearing up the East Coast. The last one blasted New England with gusts up to 97 mph and knocked out power to 2 million homes and businesses. This one will dump more than a foot of snow from Philadelphia to Boston.

By the time this storm is over late Thursday morning, New York City will be under 8 to 12 inches — but the heaviest snow will fall in New Jersey and parts of Upstate New York. As much as 24 inches is possible in those areas.

* Snowfall rates topped 2 inches per hour this afternoon in New Jersey

* Power outages are possible as branches break under the weight of the snow

* Combined wind and snow will lead to whiteout conditions at the height of the storm


Attention

Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica erupts with ash, gas and incandescent material

Image of the Turrialba Volcano
Image of the Turrialba Volcano
The Turrialba Volcano in Cartago, Costa Rica had for the past weeks presented a diminished seismic activity and also a decreased degassification; however, the volcano raised its voice again this March 7th when it entered an strombolian eruption phase (relatively mild blasts).

The phase which began at 00:00 hours included the emission of gases, ashes and incandescent fragments of fresh lava which lasted through the first hours of the morning of this Wednesday.

According to Dr. Mauricio Mora from the National Seismology Network, a volcanic tremor (signal generated by the flow of fluids, water, gas of magma through the interior conducts of the volcano) was registered along with the activity.


Bizarro Earth

Canadian moose moving from boreal forest to prairies

moose in calgary
© Lis RobertsonThese moose were seen wandering around the Strathcona Park and Aspen Woods neighbourhoods in southwest Calgary last month.
Better food sources and lack of predators mean moose are becoming more prominent in Alberta

More and more in recent years, moose have been making their way onto the prairies in what biologist and author Chris Fisher calls an "opportunistic adaptation."

Normally found in the boreal forest and Rocky Mountains - where they usually spent the winter months feeding on trees and bushes - moose have moved in recent years as they seek out new and easier to acquire food sources.

Cloud Precipitation

Evacuation, roads closed as flash floods hit Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

flood
Heavy rain has closed a number of roads around Hawke's Bay, including theNapier-Taupo road, as a severe weather hits the region.

The Eastern District Police this morning said State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupo would be closed for the foreseeable future due to surface flooding.

NZTA have announced Makahu Road is closed, and slips have closed Glengarry Road and Waipunga Road.

Motorists are advised to use alternative routes.