Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

First time snow falls at Hawai'i State Park


Big Island Now
Sun, 10 Feb 2019 10:19 UTC
Snow covered Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area on Maui over the weekend
© Evan MazingoSnow covered Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area on Maui over the weekend
The Hawai'i DLNR Division of State Parks reports that for perhaps the first time ever, snow has fallen in a Hawai'i State Park on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019.

Polipoli State Park on Maui is blanketed with snow. It could also be the lowest elevation snow ever recorded in the state.Polipoli is at 6200 feet elevation.

Personnel from numerous DLNR Divisions continue monitoring the impacts of the major winter storm bearing down on Hawai'i.

DLNR Chair Suzanne Case and Sam Lemmo administrator of the DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands spent the day on Oahu's north shore where there is particular concern about coastal erosion and wave inundation. They watched as the height of coastal waves steadily increased across the day. Case said, "The conditions are impressive but extremely dangerous. We don't know yet the extent of sand loss on north-facing beaches."

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Snowflake

Winterstorm dumps up to 42 inches of snow in 24 hours at Lake Tahoe ski resorts


Tahoe Daily Tribune
Sun, 10 Feb 2019 19:23 UTC
Tahoe
© John Andrechak
A winter storm dumped over 3 feet of snow at some Lake Tahoe ski resorts in 24 hours.

The impressive numbers follow a light dusting Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Here are some snow totals from ski resorts on Lake Tahoe's South Shore and the Incline Village area as of Sunday morning:

Kirkwood Mountain Resort reports 31 inches in 24 hours and a storm total of 35 inches.


Comment: This is the latest in a series of storms to hit the region and dump prodigious amounts of snow since the turn of the year. Here are some of the reports of these events starting with earliest first: Weekend storms deliver 3 feet of snow to Lake Tahoe ski resorts

Storm dumps up to 18 inches of snow in a day on Lake Tahoe resorts, blizzard warning issued for next 24 hours

Storms bring 4 feet of snow in 48 hours to Sierra Nevada resorts

Lake Tahoe ski resorts receive 1 ½ feet of snow in 24 hours - just days after storms dumped 4 feet in 48 hours

Lake Tahoe ski resorts report up to 34 inches of fresh snow - more in the forecast

Sierra blizzard drops so much snow that some ski resorts close - 9 feet at June Mountain, California

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Attention

Hyena mauls boy to death in Kenya, injures father

Steve Njuguna
Daily Nation (Kenya)
Mon, 04 Feb 2019 14:17 UTC
hyena
Hyena
A 12-year old boy was on Monday morning mauled to death by a hyena in Leleshwa village Ol Moran area, Laikipia County.

The animal ate the body, leaving only a skeleton during the 5am incident.

The boy's father, who suffered serious injuries while trying to fight off the animal to save their son, is admitted at the Nyahururu County Referral Hospital.

According to Ms Anne Wambui, the Class Two pupil at Mwireri Primary School was preparing for school when the animal attacked.

"The boy's mother was preparing breakfast in the kitchen as the victim and his brother dressed for school when the animal attacked," said Ms Wambui.

"On hearing the commotion, the boy's father rushed to rescue his family from the beast," said Ms Wambui, the boy's aunt.

Comment: Other reports from Africa over the last 5 years involving hyena attacks on humans: Baby girl mauled to death by hyena in Kenya

Boy saves older brother from attack by man-eating Hyena in Somaliland

Boy killed by lone hyena in Kenya; third attack in less than 3 weeks

Hyena kills four people in Tana River, Kenya

Hyena kills two children and injures five people in Kenya

Hyena kills two children in Tanzania

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Snowflake

Heavy snowfall in Galyat, Pakistan breaks 35-year record - over 12 feet in 20 days


Pakistan Today
Sat, 09 Feb 2019 13:32 UTC
Heavy snowfall in Galyat breaks 35 years old record
Heavy snowfall in Galyat breaks 35 years old record
Heavy snowfall on Saturday broke a 35-year record in Galyat as more than 12 feet snowfall was recorded during 20 days of the current winter season.

The heavy snowfall has not only limited tourist movements but also trapped hundreds of thousands of natives in their houses as main Murree road, Ayubia, Khanuspur, Nathiagali and dozens of other link roads are blocked by snow and landslides.

A severe shortage of food items, petrol, oil, firewood, medicines and other necessities of life and days long electricity breakdown pushed the people of Galyat into even deeper trouble where neither district government Abbottabad nor Galyat Development Authority (GDA) tried to lessen the miseries of the people.


Comment: See also: Pakistan receives record snowfall in winter - heaviest in 48 years

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Arrow Down

Landslide kills 3 people in Kenya

Simon Ndonga
capitalfm.co.ke
Sat, 09 Feb 2019 11:32 UTC
landslide
Three people died during a landslide that buried them while they were working at a construction site in Maili Mbili area in Kisii.

While confirming the incident, Kisii police commander Martin Kibet stated that "the three had been contracted to expand the water and sewerage systems from Kegati, Kisii, Nyamira to Suneka when the incident occurred at about 4.30 pm on Friday."

"At Maili Mbili area within Bobaracho ward, a landslide occurred and three Kisii male adults namely Stephen Omenya, Robin Ratemo and Joseph Mokaya were completely buried under the soil and died instantly while four others escaped unhurt."

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Snowflake

Amazing pictures show rare 'snow rollers' in British field

John Bett
The London Economic
Mon, 04 Feb 2019 09:45 UTC
Wiltshire snow roller
© Brian Bayliss/SWNSAlthough they look as though they are sculpted by hand, they are in fact the product of the right balance between sticky snow, strong winds and cold temperatures. These incredible pictures show rare 'snow rollers' that formed in a British field during the recent snow storm
These incredible pictures show rare 'snow rollers' that formed in a British field during the recent snow storm.

Brian Bayliss, 51, works as a forestry contractor and was driving past a field he owned when he saw the usual snow formations, about 2 - 3ft in diameter and 2ft wide.

He thought that children had been playing in his field in Marlborough, Wiltshire, so went to take a closer look but was amazed to discover there wasn't a single footprint.

Brian took some pictures and sent them to a BBC weather expert who told him they were an extremely rare meteorological condition - known as Snow Rollers.

They are a rare meteorological phenomenon in which large snowballs are formed naturally as chunks of snow are blown along the ground by the wind.

As they move they pick up snow on the way, in much the same way that the large snowballs used in snowmen are made.

Snow roller in Wiltshire
© Brian Bayliss/SWNSIn order for them to form, there must be a light dusting of snow on top of an icy layer on the ground, often on a hill with no protruding vegetation. The dusting needs to be just wet enough so that it can adhere to itself but not stick to the ground, according to the National Weather Service
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Snowflake

Seattle receives the most snow in 70 years


CBS News
Sun, 10 Feb 2019 03:53 UTC
Seattle snow storm
© David Ryder / Getty ImagesIn Seattle, officials urged people to stay off the roads as traffic slowed to a standstill in some places because of the snow.
Some areas around Seattle received more than 10 inches of snow Saturday, the most in 70 years, the National Weather Service said, and more is on the way two more storm systems close in on the area. The National Weather Service said the first storm system is expected to arrive in the area Sunday night with light accumulation, and the second system will push through Monday and continue into Tuesday.

Meanwhile, cold temperatures are expected in the region overnight Saturday, with temperatures dropping to 15-20 degrees and the wind chill in the single digits.

The National Weather Service said some areas received up to 10.6 inches of snow, already making it the snowiest February since 1949, and the second snowiest February on record.

Nearly 8 inches of snow fell at Seattle-Tacoma Airport, where hundreds of flights were cancelled, CBS News' Carter Evans reports. The storm obscured the famous Space Needle and left a blanket of snow over some very iconic locations, like Pike Place Market. Heavy snow did do some damage in Yosemite National Park, where they got up to two feet in some areas.

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Question

Russian Arctic town suffers polar bear invasion


RT
Sat, 09 Feb 2019 20:48 UTC
Polar bear
© Sputnik / Vera Kostamo
A state of emergency has been declared in the Russian Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, as locals face a massive "invasion" of polar bears, with over 50 predators seeking food and harassing residents in the urban landscape.

The move was announced Saturday after several weeks of close encounters between locals and the fearsome furry beasts.

"People are fearful, they are afraid to go outside, daily life is in turmoil, parents are wary of letting children to go to schools and kindergartens," deputy head of the local administration, Aleksandr Minayev, said in a statement.

The town of Belushya Guba seems to be the most affected by the polar bear problem, with at least 52 specimen roaming around the vicinity. A bunch of videos have emerged online showing the bears strolling down the snowy streets, digging through food waste - and even trying to invade homes.

Comment: And it's not just in Russia that this unusual behaviour of animals venturing into populated areas is occurring:

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Snowflake Cold

Blizzards in western China leave thousands of livestock dead and roads covered in deep snow


news.com.au
Sat, 09 Feb 2019 20:23 UTC
Yaks
Blizzards in Tibetan areas of western China have left thousands of head of livestock dead and roads covered in up to 45cm of snow.

Local authorities had sent veterinarians, medicine and animal feed to the hard-hit areas in Qinghai Province's Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Villages in the area are above 5,000 metres and workers are seeking to clear roads to ensure the delivery of supplies, a task made more difficult by high winds and drifting snow.

Mainly ethnic Tibetan villagers in the area depend heavily on livestock, mainly Yaks, goats and sheep, for their livelihoods and to feed their families.
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Snowflake

Heavy snowfall damages over 50 percent of fruit orchards in Bhadarwah, Jammu and Kashmir


Financial Express
Sat, 09 Feb 2019 20:01 UTC
File photo
File photo
About 50 per cent fruit orchards were damaged due to recent snowfall in this picturesque valley and adjoining areas in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior government official said on Saturday.

Bhadarwah, along with Kellar, Bhallesa, Dessa, Chatroo and Marmat, experienced heavy snowfall between Wednesday and Friday.

"Nearly 50 percent of the fruit trees have suffered irreparable losses in the latest snowfall," Bhadarwah horticulture development officer Rohan Kumar said, quoting preliminary information received from the field staff. Putting the loss suffered by the orchards in the snow-bound areas to about 100 crore, Kumar asked the farmers not to let snow accumulate on trees.

"We appeal to the farmers not to let snow accumulate on trees and remove it as early as possible," he said.

The meteorological department has predicted another spell of snowfall from February 12.

After Kashmir, Chenab valley comprising Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban is the leading fruit producer in the state with Bhadarwah contributing 65 per cent of the yield, including apple, pears, walnut and persimmon.


Comment: Related article: Heavy rains and hailstorms lead to massive crop damage in Punjab and Haryana, India

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