Earth ChangesS


Volcano

Sakurajima volcano eruption sends 11,500ft ash plume into the sky in Japan on May 8


MSN
Sat, 09 May 2026 14:05 UTC
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This is the dramatic moment the Sakurajima volcano erupted in Japan today, sending an 11,500ft ash plume into the sky. Footage shows the volcano releasing a towering ash column over Kagoshima Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu on May 8.

Authorities confirmed the blast occurred at 4:15 pm local time from the summit crater of Minamidake. The eruption triggered a volcanic ash advisory issued by the Tokyo Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), with ash drifting towards the southeast.

Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes, with a history of frequent eruptions. Originally an island, it became a peninsula after a significant eruption in 1914. Japan lies inside the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' where the majority of Earth's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes happen.

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Doberman

Five-month-old baby dies after stray dog attack in Karnataka, India


The Hindu
Sat, 09 May 2026 13:49 UTC
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A five-month-old baby died at the Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences (BRIMS) on Saturday (May 9) after suffering severe injuries in a stray dog attack at Dubalgundi village in Humnabad taluk of Bidar district.

The deceased infant was the daughter of Siddappa and Sudha, residents of the same village.

According to family members, the incident occurred in the early hours of May 9 when the baby was sleeping in the verandah of the house while the mother was engaged in household chores. A stray dog reportedly entered the house premises and attacked the infant.

Speaking to reporters, the mother said she rushed to the spot after hearing the baby cry loudly and found the dog biting the child repeatedly. "By the time I drove the dog away, the baby had sustained severe injuries on the head, face and other parts of the body," she said.

The infant was immediately shifted to BRIMS for treatment, but succumbed to the injuries later in the day.

Senior paediatrician Shanthala Koujalgi confirmed the death.
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Bizarro Earth

US-Indian space mission records extreme subsidence in Mexico City

Sally Younger
NASA
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:38 UTC
subsidence mexico city water table dropping
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/David BekaertNew data from NISAR shows where Mexico City and its environs subsided by up to a few centimeters per month (shown in blue) between Oct. 25, 2025, and Jan. 17, 2026. Uneven and seemingly small elevation changes have added up over the decades, fracturing roads, buildings, and water lines.
One of the most powerful radar systems ever launched into space has mapped the ground moving beneath one of fastest subsiding capitals in the world: Mexico City. The findings show how quickly and reliably the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite can track real-time changes across Earth's surface from orbit, unhindered by clouds or vegetation that impede optical sensors and higher-frequency radars.

Home to some 20 million people, the Mexico City area is built atop an aquifer. Extensive groundwater pumping, combined with the weight of urban development, has resulted in the compaction of the ancient lakebed beneath the city for more than a century. An engineer first documented the issue in 1925, and by the 1990s and 2000s, parts of the metropolitan area were sinking by around 14 inches (35 centimeters) per year, damaging infrastructure including the Metro, one of the largest rapid transit systems in the Americas.
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Drought

The US just experienced the driest first three months of a year in its history

Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse Blog
Wed, 06 May 2026 21:03 UTC
drought farm field crop dead
© Shutterstock
January, February and March were insanely dry. In fact, in all of U.S. history conditions have never been so dry during the first three months of the year. Just think about that for a moment. Not even during the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s were conditions this dry. Many were hoping that 2026 would be the year when our multi-year drought would finally break. Needless to say, that hasn't happened. Scientists are telling us that the southwestern U.S. is in the midst of the worst multi-year drought in at least 1,200 years. We really are experiencing a "megadrought", and this is something that experts such as Steve Quayle and Dane Wigington have been talking about for a long time. Unfortunately, it appears that our seemingly endless "megadrought" has gone to an entirely new level in 2026.

If it simply doesn't rain, there is not much that farmers and ranchers can do.

Right now approximately 63 percent of the continental United States is experiencing at least some level of drought, and the first quarter of this year was one for the record books...
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Tsunami

Two residents died due to flooding in Bone, Indonesia


voi.id/en
Fri, 08 May 2026 19:29 UTC
The joint SAR team evacuated victims affected by the flood with a rubber boat at the flood point, in Bone Regency, South Sulawesi, Friday (8/5/2026)
© ANTARA/HO-Documentation Basarnas Makassar.The joint SAR team evacuated victims affected by the flood with a rubber boat at the flood point, in Bone Regency, South Sulawesi, Friday (8/5/2026)
Two people were declared dead due to a flood disaster caused by heavy rainfall since Thursday night (7/5) at several points in Bone Regency, South Sulawesi.

"It's true, two people were reported dead, an elderly woman named Naima after 80 years and a boy named Muhammad Arsyah aged 5 years," said the Head of the Makassar Class A Basarnas Section and Operations, Andi Sultan, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, May 8.

After receiving information about the flood disaster at 05.40 WITA from the local community, the rescue team was immediately deployed to the affected location.

"After receiving the report, the Bone SAR Post Rescue Team immediately departed for the location of the incident by bringing evacuation equipment. The Joint SAR Team immediately carried out the process of rescuing and evacuating residents affected by flooding in several points," he said.

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Snowflake

Unprecedented snow hits Northern Cape, South Africa

Nau Weather News
YouTube
Thu, 07 May 2026 19:20 UTC
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Residents in South Africa's Northern Cape province woke up on Thursday, May 7, 2026, to rare snowfall after a strong cold front passed through the region. Cities like Richmond, Noupoort, and Colesberg recorded the heaviest snowfall, with roads and open spaces covered in white snow.

Further snowfall is possible from Saturday night into Monday in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, and Lesotho, with snow at low elevations currently indicated in some areas. Snowfall of more than 20 cm is also indicated at higher elevations in some areas marked in purple on the map, including the Hex River mountains between Ceres and De Doorns.


Comment: Related: Thousands displaced as Eastern Cape floods worsen as rain continues in South Africa

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Arrow Down

Landslide in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province kills at least 4 children


Kabulnow.com
Fri, 08 May 2026 18:15 UTC
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© Pexels
At least four children were killed when a landslide struck Afghanistan's Badakhshan province on Friday, local sources and Taliban authorities said, as the country grapples with a series of deadly weather-related incidents.

The incident occurred around noon in Yamgan District, where the children, aged between 10 and 15, were collecting mud for a traditional clay oven. A section of earth suddenly collapsed, burying them under debris, according to the sources.

Two of the victims were 13 years old, while the others were aged 10 and 15. All four died at the scene. The children were relatives but not members of the same immediate family, sources added.

Local Taliban authorities confirmed the deaths but provided no additional details.
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Volcano

3 dead after Mount Dukono volcano erupts on Indonesian island - ash column 6 miles high


BBC
Fri, 08 May 2026 17:43 UTC
People watch as smoke rises after the eruption of Mount Dukono in North Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, Indonesia, on May 8, 2026 [
© Jhon Frengki ManipaPeople watch as smoke rises after the eruption of Mount Dukono in North Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, Indonesia, on May 8, 2026 [
Three people hiking on Indonesia's Mount Dukono have died after the volcano erupted on Friday morning.

Videos and pictures of the eruption show the volcano, located on North Maluku island, spewing a column of ash stretching 10km (six miles) into the sky.

The three victims were part of a group of 20 Singaporeans and Indonesians hiking on the mountain despite restrictions. The rest of the group was eventually located by rescuers and evacuated from the mountain.

The volcano has erupted more than 200 times since last March. Officials had previously issued warnings against climbing the mountain due to safety concerns.

The latest eruption took place at 07:41 local time (22:41 GMT Thursday), when there were several people on the mountain on early morning hikes.

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Lightning

Lightning kills 33 sheep and goats in Tamil Nadu, India


The Hindu
Fri, 08 May 2026 17:32 UTC
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As many as 33 sheep and goats were killed in a lightning strike at Kumarapalayam near Vellianai on Friday.

The livestock belonged to Krishnasamy.

The sheep and goats were sheltered in a shed when lightning struck.

The dead livestock is valued at around ₹4 lakh.

On information, the veterinarians of the Department of Animal Husbandry rushed to the spot and conducted enquiries.
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Snowflake Cold

Bitterly cold airmass brings early snow, freezing temperatures to southeast Australia

Anthony Sharwood
weatherzone.com.au
Thu, 07 May 2026 18:17 UTC
Frigid temperatures have set in across southeastern Australia, with showers, small hail, snowfalls and icy winds all part of the mix on what promises to be the coldest day of 2026 to date in many locations.

After a cold front ushered in a polar airmass overnight, this was the scene in the village square at Victoria's Mt Buller ski resort, about three hours northeast of Melbourne, just after 9am.

Around 5cm of snow on the ground at Mt Buller on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
© ski.com.au.Around 5cm of snow on the ground at Mt Buller on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

How cold is it this Thursday morning?

At 9am this Thursday, May 7, many temperature readings in Tasmania and the southeastern mainland were similar to what you'd expect on the coldest days of winter. For example:
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