Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

Rare, extreme snowfall hits Shandong cities in east China

Li Hongyang
China Daily
Sat, 23 Dec 2023 15:01 UTC
The snow-capped seaside in Rongcheng, a county-level city of Weihai, Shandong province.
© Li XinjunThe snow-capped seaside in Rongcheng, a county-level city of Weihai, Shandong province.
In a rare and extreme weather event, Yantai and Weihai cities in East China's Shandong province experienced a severe cold wave accompanied by heavy snowfall this week.

The snowfall created a unique and picturesque landscape, with netizens likening it to an Arctic expedition.

From Tuesday to Thursday, Yantai weather station received a snowfall of 28.6 millimeters, with a snow depth of 52 centimeters, breaking historical records since meteorological documentation began in 1951.

As of Friday, Wendeng district in Weihai reported a snow depth of 74 centimeters, setting a record for the deepest snow accumulation in Shandong province.


Comment: Related: Rare snowfall in southern China as deep freeze grips the north

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Cloud Precipitation

Hamburg, Germany hit by heavy floods in north Europe storm


Guardian
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 14:43 UTC
A powerful storm swept across northern Europe, bringing down trees and prompting warnings of flooding.
A powerful storm swept across northern Europe, bringing down trees and prompting warnings of flooding.
Parts of Hamburg were totally submerged on Friday after the Elbe river overflowed causing flooding in nearby streets.

The severe weather was triggered by a storm in northern Europe that brought heavy rains and strong winds.

Germany's railway authority reported travel disruption along certain routes out of Hamburg.

Source: AP


Comment: Related: High tides and storm Pia bring flooding to Dutch coastal towns

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Fish

Hundreds of venomous deep sea creatures mysteriously wash up on beaches in Tamil Nadu, India

Sarah Hooper and Tom Sanders
Metro (UK)
Thu, 21 Dec 2023 13:15 UTC
Blue Sea Dragons are rarely spotted on beaches
© Srivatsan Ramkumar/Environmentalist Foundation of IndiaBlue Sea Dragons are rarely spotted on beaches
Hundreds of deadly and rare deep sea creatures have washed up on a beach in the Indian city of Chennai.

A recent industrial oil spill and nearby flooding are thought to have brought the bizarre Blue Sea Dragons and Blue Buttons to the surface.

The creatures usually live in deep oceanic waters, but cyclone Michaung's heavy rains and flooding may have contributed to them surfacing.

Residents nearby have been warned not to touch the venomous animals, which are similar to jellyfish.


Comment: Note: Video below was taken further south near the town of Karaikal at a different beach.


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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 5 farm workers in Indonesia


BBN
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:26 UTC
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Tragedy struck the rural community of Jorong Bungo Pinang, Nagari Muaro Bodi, in the Sijunjung district of West Sumatra, Indonesia, on Thursday, 21 December 2023. Five farm workers were killed when they were struck by lightning. The deceased have been identified as Bruri (44), Ade Kurniawan (35), Ilham Mardatila (20), Hariyanto (37), and Hendra Putra (40), all of whom were residents of Jorong Koto Tuo, Nagari Muaro Bodi.

Caught in the Storm

The group of seven had been returning from their fields when they sought shelter from a heavy downpour in a hut. In the dimly lit structure, one of them turned on a mobile phone flashlight, moments before the deadly lightning strike. Two of the group, Farel and Arbi, survived the incident and rushed to get help.

Comment: On the same day 2 teenagers were hit and killed by a strike in Zambia.

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Seismograph

Shallow 6.1 magnitude earthquake off South Africa


breakingthenews.net
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:18 UTC
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A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook the waters off southern South Africa, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported Thursday.

The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, with an epicenter recorded at 2,155 km SE of Cape Town.

No tsunamis have been reported so far.
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Wolf

Boy bitten by dingo in 3rd attack in just 2 weeks on Fraser Island, Australia

Keira Jenkins
Daily Mail
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 19:02 UTC
The child was knee-boarding in waters off Fraser Island on Monday, which has the Indigenous name K'gar, when the dog began to circle him (stock image)
The child was knee-boarding in waters off Fraser Island on Monday, which has the Indigenous name K'gar, when the dog began to circle him (stock image)
A 12-year-old boy has been bitten by a dingo in the third incident on a popular holiday island in just two weeks.

The child was knee-boarding in waters off Fraser Island on Monday, which has the Indigenous name K'gari, when the dog began to circle him.

'The boy tried to move the dingo on by yelling and moving his arms but as he stepped back the dingo lunged and bit him on the left knee,' a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) statement said.

The boy's parents were about 10m away from him at the time, QPWS said.

Rangers are investigating and attempting to identify the dingo.
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Fire

Reykjanes Volcano Update: Magma pooling again at depth, overflight of the eruption's aftermath

GeologyHub
YouTube
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 18:38 UTC
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The 49 hour eruption of Iceland's Reykjanes volcano has come to an end. However, magma is once again pooling at depth, and could be setting the stage for another magmatic intrusion 1 to 2 months from now. This video will show what the lava field from Iceland's newest eruption looks like, via an overflight from a remotely operated drone.

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Doberman

Disabled man killed by 2 pit bull terriers in Thailand


BNN
Thu, 21 Dec 2023 18:29 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
In a chilling episode in Ban Pa Mueat, Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, a 64-year-old disabled man fell victim to a fatal dog attack. The man, known locally as Mr. Thong, was tragically mauled by two Pitbull dogs that had escaped from their home. Mr. Thong, who was reliant on two canes due to a disability in his right leg, was bitten on the neck by the dogs during his pass-by near their residence.

Witness Recounts the Horrifying Incident

A 73-year-old witness, Mrs. Kham Mulkaew, who resides adjacent to the dog owner's house, was the unfortunate spectator of this horrific incident. She raised an alarm, calling out to the dog owner for assistance. It took an agonizing three minutes to secure the dogs back into their cage. By then, the damage was irreparable. Mr. Thong had sustained severe neck injuries and was rushed to Mae Sai Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
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Cloud Precipitation

High tides and storm Pia bring flooding to Dutch coastal towns


DutchNews
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 18:21 UTC
Flooding in Den Oever.
© ANP / Hollandse HoogteFlooding in Den Oever.
The combination of high tides and strong winds brought by storm Pia led to overnight flooding in several parts of the Netherlands on Thursday night, and storm surge barriers all along the coast were closed.

The Maeslantkering, the 420 metre flood defence barrier at Hoek van Holland closed automatically for the first time because of the high water but opened again in the early hours of the morning.

In Oudeschild, on the Wadden island of Texel, the water level reached 2.7 metres above NAP, or Normaal Amsterdams Peil. NAP is equivalent to the average level of the North Sea and is the standard for measuring water levels in rivers and canals in the Netherlands.

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Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rainfall floods streets, causes mudslides across Southern California


KTLA 5
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 15:31 UTC
City workers close a road after a creek overflows during heavy rains in Zuma Beach on December 21, 2023 in Malibu, California.
© Apu Gomes/Getty ImagesCity workers close a road after a creek overflows during heavy rains in Zuma Beach on December 21, 2023 in Malibu, California.
Heavy rainfall on Thursday left Southern California residents dealing with hazardous road conditions due to floods, debris and mudslides.

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