Earth ChangesS


Tornado2

Rare winter tornado batters homes in Battle Ground, Washington, US

Ed Adamczyk
UPI.com
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 11:24 UTC
Battle Ground tornado path
© National Weather ServiceBattle Ground tornado path
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado with maximum sustained winds of 104 mph damaged dozens of buildings in Battle Ground, Wash.

The EF-1 tornado touched down late Thursday morning. Downed trees, broken fences and damage to at least 36 homes were reported, though there were no injuries.

The town of about 18,000 people is located 160 miles south of Seattle in southwestern Washington. Stores and businesses were evacuated, and students were ordered to shelter in place in schools.

The Weather Service warned of a significant weather event affecting Clark County, Wash., that morning, with isolated thunderstorms expected. The area had already been affected by heavy rains since last week, and Wednesday Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in the state.

More rain was expected, as were wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

During the cleanup after the tornado in Battle Ground, utility crews responded to reports on a possible gas leak in the Tukes Mountain area. Power was shut off in the area.

Comment: As well as this rare tornado, recently the Pacific Northwest region has also been pummeled by deadly storms, experienced more than 50 small earthquakes within a week and an exploding meteor lit up the night skies.

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Alarm Clock

Another earthquake swarm shakes Idaho, US

Keith Ridler
KTVB
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 13:27 UTC
earthquake swarm
© WFAA
More than 40 small earthquakes have been recorded in east-central Idaho this week in what experts say is another earthquake swarm in the region.

Officials in the Challis area on Friday reported no damage from the micro-quakes that started Tuesday and have mostly gone unnoticed or unreported in an area experienced with more vigorous shaking.

But the temblors ranging up to 2.9 magnitude have perked up scientists trying to understand the fault system in the area where a 5.0 magnitude quake struck in January.

Idaho's largest recorded earthquake rocked the same area in 1983 when a 6.9-magnitude quake occurred near 12,667-foot Borah Peak, Idaho's tallest peak.

University of Idaho research geologist William Phillips says scientists aren't sure if the current earthquake swarm could lead to something bigger.

Source: Associated Press

Comment: Elsewhere in the US recently, more than 50 small earthquakes shook the Pacific northwest within a week, whilst over 600 earthquakes rattled San Ramon, California in the space of a month - setting a new record.

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Fireball 5

SOTT Focus: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

Sott Editors
Sott.net
Sat, 12 Dec 2015 20:15 UTC
fireball bangkok
© Sott.netEnormous meteor fireball over Bangkok, Thailand, November 2nd, 2015
November 2015 was another month of extreme weather events, with several major tornado outbreaks in the US causing widespread damage from Iowa to Texas. These devastating storm systems brought record early (and record amounts of) snow to many places, with Chicago experiencing its snowiest November in "more than 100 years." Further south, Oklahoma went from experiencing - in the space of two weeks - raging wildfires to ice-storms. Elsewhere, northern China saw record cold temperatures and Japan saw its heaviest November snowfalls in over 60 years.

In the southern hemisphere, 'summer' storms dropped giant hailstones that turned streets in northern Argentina into rivers of ice, while an enormous multi-vortex tornado destroyed over a thousand homes in Brazil. The October deluges that washed away cars and homes across the Middle East continued throughout November, with Qatar receiving more than its entire annual rainfall average in just one day. Parts of Israel, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen were also inundated with unprecedented rainfall. For the second month running, intense hailstorms led to ice flowing through the Arabian Desert.

The spate of meteor fireballs seen around the world in late October continued into November, with a spectacular sighting in Bangkok, Thailand - the city's second such event in two months. In this month's SOTT Summary video, we also have footage of meteor fireballs visiting Ireland and South Africa twice; another one that rattled windows after it exploded above Saskatchewan, Canada; and don't miss the one that literally screamed over New Mexico...

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Horse

Lightning bolt kills three horses in Warwick, Australia

Sophie Lester
Warwick Daily News
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 16:44 UTC
Lightning
UPDATE 4.45PM: A lightning strike has killed three horses this afternoon as a thunderstorm ripped through Warwick.

Owner Terryanne Kalms is mourning the loss of the horses that were struck while grazing in their paddock near the Victoria St Bridge.

"There were people driving past who knew who owned them," Ms Kalms said.

"They called us saying 'these guys have been hit, they're not moving and the others are afraid of them'.

"It's definitely a shock - they're like family."
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Attention

Series of earthquakes hit in some parts of Mindanao, Philippines

Mike Chrismundo
Manila Bulletin
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 14:38 UTC
Earthquake map
© PhivolcsEpicenter map of 4.6 earthquake courtesy of Phivolcs
A series of earthquakes struck in some parts of Mindanao yesterday, December 10, 2015.

However, the various provincial disaster risk reduction and management councils in said areas reported no damage or casualty in yesterday's tremor.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the initial earthquake with 3.2 magnitude was registered at 11:45 a.m. on December 10. Its epicenter was plotted at 147 kilometers (km) northeast of Lingig town, Surigao del Sur, with a depth of 29 km.

A magnitude 3.5 tremor followed at 3:36 p.m. of the same day, with epicenter traced at 12 km southwest of Governor Generoso town, Davao Oriental, with a depth of 28 km.
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Attention

5.3 magnitude earthquake jolts Bengkulu, Indonesia


Antara News
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 14:23 UTC
Earthquake Indonesia
Earthquake Indonesia
An earthquake measuring 5.32 on the Richter scale jolted Kaur District, Bengkulu Province, on Friday at 10:20 a.m. local time.

"The earthquake occurred due to a collision between the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates," Litman, the head of the Kepahiang meteorology, climatology and geophysics office, stated here on Friday.

The quakes epicenter was located at 5.03 degrees southern latitude and 102.94 degrees eastern longitude, some 71 kilometers (km) southwest of Kaur District at a depth of around 10 km, he revealed.

The tremors of the earthquake could be felt in six districts and cities in Bengkulu, or up to hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter.

The earthquake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami.
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Attention

Dead dwarf sperm whale found on Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida


First Coast News
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 14:10 UTC
dead darf whale
© SJCSOThe whale was found in the sand about a mile south of the Jacksonville Beach-St. Johns County line at some point Wednesday, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
A dead dwarf sperm whale washed ashore on Ponte Vedra Beach Wednesday, authorities said.

The whale was found in the sand about a mile south of the Jacksonville Beach-St. Johns County line at some point Wednesday, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.

The whale, which measured about 6.5 feet long and 800 pounds, had been dead awhile before it was found, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Nadia Gordon told First Coast News.

A field necropsy was completed, Gordon said.
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Black Cat

Two cheetahs stationed on South African air base attack officer

Lynsey Chutel
The Sacramento Bee
Thu, 10 Dec 2015 13:45 UTC
A cheetah
© Wikimedia Commons/Mukul2uA cheetah
Two cheetahs used for animal control on a South African air base attacked an air force officer, slightly injuring her.

The cheetahs, reared by humans and housed on the base to keep other animals off the runway, are part of a natural security program. Exploring their new environment, the two males on Tuesday entered a hangar on the Makhado Air Force Base, where a few officers were gathered.

The animals were shooed away, but as they stalked off, a warrant officer tried to take their picture. They began to growl. As the warrant officer turned to flee, they pounced. The woman was treated for minor injuries on her shoulders and the back of her head.

The cheetahs, who were deployed two weeks ago, will keep their home on the base, and the air force will do more to educate the officers who share the base with the world's fastest land animals, spokeswoman Brig. Gen. Marthie Visser said on Thursday.
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Cloud Lightning

South Australia hit by 140,000 lightning strikes


Herald Sun
Tue, 08 Dec 2015 04:04 UTC
Southern Australia lightning storm
Reader Jess Nies captured this picture of lightning illuminating the night sky at Darlington.
Trees came crashing down and some homes leaked as a thunderstorm and 140,000 lightning strikes lashed the state last night.

The State Emergency Service responded to 45 calls overnight, about a dozen of which were around the Gawler region north of Adelaide, where 14.2mm of rain was recorded.

State duty officer Sara Pulford said there had been no major damage reported overnight, but more people were likely to call the service as they noticed damage this morning.

"We had calls right across the state; obviously the storm pretty much pushed right across the state.

"Mostly trees were impacted, but obviously the thunderstorm in places caused some leaking."

Comment: Elsewhere in Australia, Sydney experienced one of the most active lightning storms in a decade, whilst dramatic storms lashed Victoria bringing heavy rain and massive hailstones.

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Attention

Kanlaon Volcano spews ash cloud in the Philippines


ABS CBN News
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 04:49 UTC
Kanlaon volcano
© Jash PacanaKanlaon volcano (file photo)
An ash eruption occurred at Kanlaon Volcano early morning on Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

In a bulletin posted 8 a.m., Phivolcs said in the past 24 hours, four volcanic earthquakes were recorded, two of which were accompanied by a low-energy ash eruption.

The ash eruption occurred at 5:13 a.m. and lasted for a minute based on visual observation.

"This produced a grayish to dirty-white cloud of ash reaching a height of 600 [meters] which then drifted southwest," Phivolcs said.

Traces of ash were observed on the southwest slope of the volcano along San Jose, La Castellana, it added.

Alert Level 1 is still hoisted over Kanlaon Volcano, as it remains in an abnormal condition and is in a period of current unrest.

The Phivolcs reminded local government units (LGUs) and the public that entry into the 4-kilometer radius Permanent Danger Zone is strictly prohibited "due to the further possibilities of sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions."

It said civil aviation authorities should also advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano's summit, warning that airborne ash from a sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.

Comment: The rate of volcanic activity continues to increase, as the number of volcanoes erupting right now is greater than the 20th century's YEARLY average.

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