Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

High avalanche danger follows huge snowfalls in the Alps and Pyrenees - over 5 feet of snow in 3 days


snow-forecast.com
Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:42 UTC
Switzerland's Glacier 3000 was already posting the world's deepest snow at 3.8m (13 feet) before the storm.
Switzerland's Glacier 3000 was already posting the world's deepest snow at 3.8m (13 feet) before the storm.
After three days of snowfall in the Alps and Pyrenees (with rain, sleet and gales in the mix for many areas), several resorts are claiming totals of more than 1.5 metres (five feet), and many 50-100cm (20-40"). For quite a few areas it was the first significant snowfall since late November or early December last year.

Saint Sorlin d'Arves is the French Alps is posting the most over 72 hours, with 165cm (5.5 feet). Switzerland's Saas-Fee say they've had 1.4m (just under five feet) and a number of resorts including Chamonix, Les 2 Alpes, St Gervais Les Arcs and La Thuile in Italy say they've had 1m or more. Ski areas in the Pyrenees have also reported up to 90cm (3 feet) of snowfall.

As a result of the combination of snow and weather factors the avalanche danger is now very high in many areas of France and Western Italy and Switzerland, among others. An off-piste ski touring avalanche fatality was reported in the Aosta Valley on Saturday.

In Switzerland the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), issued the "high" danger level (level 4 out of 5) saying the highest danger is in Valais, southwestern Switzerland, and in the eastern part of the northern slopes of the Swiss Alps. Skiers are advised to avoid skiing off-piste in these areas.

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Arrow Down

Couple get hire car stuck in sinkhole on way to airport in Adelaide, Australia

Sarah Swain
9news.com.au
Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:23 UTC
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© Hire car stuck in sinkhole on way to Adelaide airport
A couple's drive to the airport has taken a shocking turn after their hire car fell into a large sinkhole in Adelaide.

The crater at Hyde Park, caused by a burst water main, swallowed the front wheels of the Kia van, which then became stuck for two hours.

A burst main also caused an early-morning deluge on Park Street.

"We're just standing here watching the car sink and there was no one here, like I was directing traffic initially," witness Sanja Nikolic said.

The water threatened homes and flowed into a cellar below a young family's home as other residents watched it move dangerously close.

The visitors caught on their way to the airport were from the Northern Territory and making their way to return the rental car before a flight home.

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Attention

Mass stranding of 55 pilot whales on remote New Zealand beach, 8 die (UPDATE)

Kelly Ng
BBC
Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:46 UTC
Six pilot whales have died after a mass stranding on a remote New Zealand beach
Six pilot whales have died after a mass stranding on a remote New Zealand beach
Six whales have died on a remote beach in New Zealand's South Island following a mass stranding and volunteers are racing against time to get 15 others that are still alive back to the sea.

Some 55 pilot whales washed up on Farewell Spit on Thursday. While most managed to make their way back out to sea, 15 have restranded and are now spread along about 1km (0.6mi) of the beach.

A video from Project Jonah, a non-profit working with marine mammals, showed volunteers pouring buckets of water on the whales to keep them cool.

"When the tide comes in, we're going to have to move really quickly to bring these whales together, then move them out to deeper waters," said Louisa Hawkes from Project Jonah.


Comment: Update January 10

Stuff reports:
Fifteen pilot whales who were released into deep water after becoming stranded on Farewell Spit in Golden Bay have restranded with two of them dying overnight.

Project Jonah posted on their Facebook page the whales had restranded at two sites - Pūponga and Farewell Spit.

"This is the fourth day these whales have been stranded and welfare assessments are being carried out by Department of Conservation staff, Cetacean Ecology Research Group - CERG and Project Jonah.


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Doberman

Record dog attack & pit bull attack death count in 2025 for 4th year in a row


Animals24-7.org
Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:15 UTC
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All 84 dog attack fatalities, U.S. & Canada, 2025

2025 was the 43rd consecutive year in which ANIMALS 24-7 logged fatal and disfiguring dog attacks by breed or breed type, beginning in 1982.

All of the fatal dog attacks in the U.S. and Canada during 2025 and known to ANIMALS 24-7 are enumerated below by breed or breed type. There are 87 total enumerations because some fatal dog attacks involving multiple dogs are enumerated under each dog type involved.

Details & differences

The U.S. and Canadian totals are logged together because the U.S. and Canada form an ecological and cultural continuum, but ANIMALS 24-7 also keeps a separate log of Canadian cases, accessible here: Fatal & disfiguring dog attacks in Canada, 2004-present.

The final 2025 total of 84 known fatalities includes two in Canada.
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Fire

Fires rage across Western Cape, South Africa as Pearly Beach residents urged to evacuate

Jana Boshoff
Citizen.co.za
Sat, 10 Jan 2026 19:02 UTC
Multiple fires are raging in the Cape
© Overstrand MunicipalityMultiple fires are raging in the Cape with Overstrand municipality ordering evacuations in several aeras.
As emergency crews battle blazes across the Cape, residents in Pearly Beach flee their homes. With over 100,000 hectares burnt, the priority remains saving lives.

Several fires are raging across the Western and Eastern Cape provinces, with the Western Cape Premier stating they have 'deployed more helicopters than ever', including a military helicopter sent to assist. However, resources remain stretched, and difficult decisions are being made regarding where to focus much needed aerial efforts to prevent the loss of life at the potential cost of losing infrastructure.

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Seismograph

6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia, no tsunami warning issued

Islamuddin Sajid
Anadolu Agency
Sat, 10 Jan 2026 18:41 UTC
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A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Indonesia late Saturday, but with no casualties reported as yet or a tsunami warning issued, according to the US Geological Survey.

The earthquake struck 244 kilometers (151.6 miles) north-northwest of the country's Tobelo area at 1458GMT, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake was initially measured at magnitude 6.7 before being revised down to 6.5, and then to 6.4 with a depth of 52 km (32.3 mi).

Tobelo is located in the North Maluku province of eastern Indonesia, near the northern tip of Halmahera Island.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said the quake posed no tsunami threat but warned residents to stay alert for possible aftershocks, according to state-run news agency Antara.
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Tsunami

Flash flooding in Ladysmith and Bergville, South Africa

Rod Skinner
Citizen.co.za
Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:30 UTC
Flash flooding in Ladysmith.
Flash flooding in Ladysmith.
Heavy rains hit most of Northern KZN on Friday evening (January 10), causing flash flooding in Bergville and Ladysmith.

Bergville flooding

According to Okhahlamba Chief Fire Officer Fred Halgreen, no fatalities were reported, with flooding lasting about an hour and a half. The flash flood, caused by storm-water, poured down the main street and flooded several shops.

Halgreen confirmed that a damage assessment is being conducted today (January 11).

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Cloud Precipitation

Record-breaking rainfall leaves hundreds of streets and basements flooded in the Chicago area

Mohammad Samra and Alden Loury
Chicago Sun-Times
Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:17 UTC
A car passes through a flooded viaduct Thursday night on Western Avenue under the Metra tracks just south of Grand Avenue.
© Rob Wildeboer/For the Sun-TimesA car passes through a flooded viaduct Thursday night on Western Avenue under the Metra tracks just south of Grand Avenue.
Record-breaking rainfall left hundreds of streets and basements flooded in the Chicago area by Friday morning.

O'Hare Airport, the official climate site of Chicago, recorded 1.92 inches of rain — shattering the daily record of 1.18 inches for Jan. 8 set in 1935, according to the National Weather service.

Further south, Midway Airport recorded 2.06 inches and southwest suburban Bridgeview and Homer Glen recorded 2.58 inches and 2.77 inches of rain, respectively, the weather service said. Winds reached 30 to 40 miles per hour with gusts reaching as high as 50 mph.

Most of the rain fell in a roughly four-hour window, between 6 and 10 p.m., and caused widespread flooding in streets and basements throughout the metro area.

"Climatologically, this is quite an anomaly," Todd Kluber, a meteorologist with the weather service, said of the heavy rainfall rates. "Also, the ground is already saturated, so we're not necessarily able to absorb some of that precipitation because of the snow that we've had recently."

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Arrow Down

Huge new sinkhole appears in the Konya Plain, Türkiye


en.Haberler.com
Sat, 10 Jan 2026 13:17 UTC
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A new sinkhole has been added to the 700 sinkholes observed in the Karapınar region, particularly in the Konya Plain. The sinkhole, which formed approximately 30 kilometers from the city center, has a diameter of 30 meters and a depth of 15 meters.

In previous years, sinkholes that formed only in the Karapınar district have also appeared in recent years in the districts of Ereğli, Halkapınar, Emirgazi, Çumra, Cihanbeyli, Kulu, Yunak, Çeltik, and Altınekin in the same region, and their number has reached 700 day by day. Most recently, a sinkhole formed in the Çaltı neighborhood, located 30 kilometers from the city center of Konya. The diameter of the sinkhole was determined to be 30 meters, and its depth was 15 meters. Municipal officials placed warning signs around the sinkhole and surrounded it with a wire fence.

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Doberman

60-yr-old killed after stray dogs attack him in Delhi, India


Millennium Post
Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:31 UTC
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An elderly man was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Delhi's Dwarka Sector 19, after he was chased and attacked near a park, police said on Friday.

The man, identified as Raju, aged around 60 years, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries during treatment, they said.

The incident occurred when a group of stray dogs attacked Raju on a road in the area late Tuesday night. In an attempt to save himself, he jumped into a nearby park, but the dogs surrounded him, pulled him to the ground and mauled him, tearing his clothes and inflicting severe injuries, police said.

On receiving information from passersby, police reached the spot and shifted him to a hospital, where he died during treatment. As he was not carrying any identity documents, his identity could not be established initially.
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