Earth ChangesS


Wolf

Baby killed and child seriously injured by dog in Colchester, UK; second such incident for the area in 2 months


BBC
Fri, 14 Oct 2016 08:38 UTC
Dog attack
A baby boy has died and another child is seriously injured after a dog attack in Colchester, Essex.

The dog attacked three people including the two young boys. The surviving child was left with "life-changing injuries", Essex Police said.

Officers were called to the junction of Tara Close and Harwich Road at 15:10 BST on Thursday following reports someone had been bitten by a dog.

Police said the animal involved had been "recovered".

A woman was also taken to hospital with minor injuries after being bitten.

Comment: See also this report of a similar incident in the same county just 2 months ago: Boy aged 3 dies following dog attack in Essex, UK

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Arrow Up

Spanish hotel swamped by 60 foot geyser as water mains suddenly burst

Ted Thornhill
Daily Mail (UK)
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 14:23 UTC
Spain hotel geyser
© CENAstonished hotel guests in southern Spain woke to find a 60-foot geyser spouting up beside their sixth storey bedrooms
Astonished hotel guests in southern Spain woke to find a 60-foot geyser spouting up beside their sixth storey bedrooms.

Rescue workers in Benalmadena, near the Spanish province of Malaga, say a giant water mains burst sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of water into the air.

The blast of the fracture was so strong, reports local media, that shock waves could be seen off the coast in the sea.

Guests described a 'mini tsunami' sweeping through the Los Patos Park hotel's restaurant during breakfast.

The hotel's reception and gardens were also flooded.

Ironically, the hotel's four water park pools were also damaged as the flood waters swamped them.


Comment: As water mains burst, gas lines explode and fuel pipes leak could a contributory factor to this fracturing of underground infrastructure be the slowdown in Earth's rotation?

Other indications of the planet slowing down (or having already significantly slowed down) are the gaping sinkholes opening up, the increased volcanic activity - above and below water - and the 'strange sky sounds'.

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Windsock

Hurricane Nicole wreaks havoc on Bermuda


The Telegraph (UK)
Fri, 14 Oct 2016 02:20 UTC
Hurricane Nicole
© The Weather ChannelCurrent Storm Information
Hurricane Nicole plowed directly into Bermuda on Thursday before churning into the open sea and weakening, the US National Hurricane Centre said, as local media reported significant damage to the tiny Atlantic island chain.

The Royal Gazette newspaper said the storm, rated as a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, sheared rooftops from buildings, uprooted trees, flooded homes and downed power lines as it hit Bermuda with sustained winds of up to 120 miles per hour (195 kph).

But there were no immediate reports of any casualties from Bermuda, a low-lying archipelago occupying just 21 square miles (54 sq km) and home to more than 65,000 people.

After passing over Bermuda, the storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 kph), was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, still capable of causing extensive damage.


Comment: Hurricane Nicole was the strongest hurricane to affect the Atlantic archipelago in 13 years. According to the Weather Channel the hurricane is now weakening in the Central Atlantic but dangerous swells are possible along U.S. East Coast.

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Attention

Signs and Portents: Two-headed piglet born in Vietnam

Duc Hung
VN Express International
Sun, 09 Oct 2016 18:54 UTC
The two-headed piglet.
© Nghe AnThe two-headed piglet.
Many have flocked to see the pig with two heads, four eyes and four legs.

Nguyen Ba Hien, 56, a farmer in Nghe An Province, reported that one of his sows had given birth to a piglet with two heads, four eyes and four legs.

Weighing in at healthy half a kilo, Hien says the piglet came into the world in a litter of 10 on October 5.

The animal had a hard time deciding which head to suckle with, Hien said.
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Cloud Lightning

Rare, medium or well done? Lightning bolt kills 21 cows in Nigeria

Yinka Agunbiade
Information Nigeria
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:50 UTC
lightning
Not less than twenty-one cows have been killed by lightning in Nasarawa state.

According to Jaafaru Usman, Zonal Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Nasarawa South, the 21 cows had been killed by lightning at Ashige in Lafia East Development Area of the state.

The lightning was reported to have struck during a downpour on Tuesday morning all the 21 cows.

Usman told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the cows belonged to a herdsman, Malam Bature Lere.

He appealed for assistance from the state Government, authorities of the Lafia East Development Area and the public on behalf of Lere.

Usman said, "I am appealing to Gov. Umaru Al-Makura to assist this man who lost all his cows to the disaster".
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Attention

Rare deep-water blue shark found on a beach in Tentsmuir, Scotland

Nik O'Flynn
The Sun (UK)
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:54 UTC
A dog investigates the body of the rare shark which washed up on a Scottish beach
© Cascade News A dog investigates the body of the rare shark which washed up on a Scottish beach
The body of a rare blue shark has been found washed up on a Scottish beach.

Scientists were shocked after the 5ft carcass was discovered by a dogwalker on Tentsmuir Beach, Fife.
Scottish Blue sharks normally inhabit very deep waters in seas across the world from South America to Norway but are very rarely found near shorelines.

Dr Andrew Brownlow, from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, said scientists would be trying to recover the shark's body which was found on Monday to find out more.

"It it is a deep water species which only occasionally comes close to shore," he explained.

"We are going to see if we can get this recovered to see if we can learn a little more about what happened.

"It is possible the animal swam onto the beach alive and died, or it could be ill."
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Attention

Powerful storms set to batter northwestern US

Alex Sosnowski
AccuWeather.com
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 01:03 UTC
Northwest US storm forecast
© AccuWeather
At least three potent storms will blast the northwestern United States from the latter part of this week to the early part of next week.

The storms could be an early sign of a La Niña-like pattern for the winter ahead. La Niña is a pattern noted by a zone of cooler-than-average water temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Depending on the strength and extent of this cool puddle, weather patterns across much of the globe can be affected.

"The series of storms will bring heavy rain, high country snow and high winds to portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, northern California and western Montana, as well as neighboring British Columbia into next week," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

The storms will bring winds strong enough to down trees, trigger power outages and perhaps cause minor property damage.

The first storm on Thursday into Friday will bring gusts between 40 and 80 mph on the coasts from northernmost California to Oregon and Washington on Thursday.

Stronger storms with the potential for more powerful winds will follow into next week.

From Saturday to Sunday, the second storm may contain moisture and some of the remnant circulation from Typhoon Songda, currently in the western Pacific.

While the system this weekend may be non-tropical in nature by the time it reaches the Northwest, it could hit with the force and some impact of a hurricane. Gusts in some coastal areas of Oregon and Washington could range between 75 and 100 mph.
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Windsock

'Extremely dangerous' Category 4 Hurricane Nicole to pummel Bermuda


Daily Mail (UK)
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 04:03 UTC
Hurricane Nicole
© NOAA/Handout via REUTERSHurricane Nicole is seen in the Atlantic Ocean in an image from NOAA's GOES-East satellite taken at 1:15pm ET (17:45 GMT) October 11, 2016.
The British territory of Bermuda hunkered down overnight as Hurricane Nicole rapidly strengthened into a major Category 4 storm and took aim at the tiny island in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami called Nicole an "extremely dangerous" storm and urged islanders to rush preparations for its powerful rain and winds. It said Nicole should pass near or over Bermuda on Thursday. The storm was located about 180 miles (290 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda late Wednesday night. It had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 102 mph (19 kph).

Rains were already hitting Bermuda and authorities on Wednesday ordered schools and government offices closed, and asked people to remain indoors.

"I believe we are generally ready for it," Premier Michael Dunkley said. "Now we just have to hope and pray for the best."

Hundreds of people had rushed to shops and gas stations for last-minute preparations as rain and wind began to batter Bermuda, which has sturdy infrastructure and is accustomed to storms.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning has killed 100 in Cambodia in 2016 so far; nearly 100 cattle deaths in addition

Mom Kunthear
Khmer Times
Wed, 12 Oct 2016 20:35 UTC
lightning
One hundred people were killed and 101 were injured by lightning from January through the first week in October, according to a report by the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).

The report said lightning killed 100 people, including 20 women, and injured 101 during the more than nine-month period.

It added that most lightning cases happened in Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Chhnang, Siem Reap and Kratie provinces. In addition to the human casualties, lighting killed nearly 100 head of cattle.

NCDM spokesman Keo Vy told Khmer Times late last month that lighting cases had increased over the same period last year when more than 60 were killed and 58 were injured.
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Attention

Kilauea Volcano's lava lake rises 54 feet to near crater rim in Hawaii

Jeff Hansel
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Wed, 12 Oct 2016 20:18 UTC
An image from the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater on Tuesday.
© USGS Hawaiian Volcano ObservatoryAn image from the rim of Halema‘uma‘u Crater on Tuesday.
Kilauea Volcano's summit lava lake rose to within 54 feet of the crater rim Tuesday under the watchful eyes of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The lake level is reminiscent of spring 2015, when the lake eventually overflowed onto the floor of Halema'uma'u Crater, covering 28 acres in fresh lava.

"We haven't had an overflow since then," said HVO Scientist in Charge Tina Neal.

If there's a big rockfall from the side of the crater into the lake, and if winds happen to be coming from the south at that time, some ash could fall on visitors. But that shouldn't be terribly troubling, except to those with significant pre-existing respiratory problems, Neal said.

Why is this happening?

It's unclear why the lake is rising so much, Neal said.

"Over the long-term history of the lake, it's unusual — the only other time it got this high, it overflowed," she said.

What will happen at Pu'u 'O'o?

"If the lake is high, typically we've seen a variety of behaviors down at Pu'u 'O'o," Neal said.

This photo captured from the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at the end of April 2015 shows the lava lake in the completely filled Overlook crater atop Kilauea Volcano. The lava lake is rising again.
© USGS Hawaiian Volcano ObservatoryThis photo captured from the rim of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at the end of April 2015 shows the lava lake in the completely filled Overlook crater atop Kilauea Volcano. The lava lake is rising again.
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