Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Residents of Florida mobile home park forced to evacuate due to 80-foot wide sinkhole

sinkhole tarpon springs florida
A 80-foot wide sinkhole forced the evacuation Wednesday of several homes in a Tarpon Springs neighborhood.

Residents in the Tarpon Shores Mobile Home Park at 89 Rachel Drive are being told to seek shelter at a nearby community center, according to authorities. About seven homes have been evacuated.

Bizarro Earth

Strong El Nino influencing our weather is now rapidly weakening

El Nino 2016
© NASA Earth Observatory
The strong El Nino that has influenced our weather for much of the winter is now rapidly weakening. But there is considerable uncertainty what will happen next: will next year be a neutral (La Nada) or La Nina period?

Lets start by look at the sea surface temperature anomalies (differences from normal) for a few areas in the tropical Pacific. The Nino 3.4 area is often cited, and as you can see, this temperature anomaly has dropped from 3 to 1.5 C...a big drop. Even more dramatic is the decline in the temperature of the Nino 1+2 area near the coast.

Question

Dozens of dead birds found along I-5 in Redding, California

Dead starlings
Dead starlings
State officials are looking into why as many as 100 starlings were found dead along Interstate 5 north of Redding.

The birds were first spotted on Saturday along the northbound shoulder of I-5 just south of the Wonderland Boulevard exit.

Pete Figura, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said it was the first time he had personally heard about a bird die off, but had heard about it before elsewhere.

"And it is often hard to figure out what happened," Figura said.


Tornado2

Waterspout filmed in Grand Bahama

waterspout
The Department of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for Grand Bahama after lightning and waterspouts appeared in Freeport on Tuesday.

Forecaster Neil Armstrong advised people to remain indoors and stay away from windows. The department also advised people not to go into the water and harbour personnel should be particularly careful while at marinas protect to their vessels.

Strong lightning strikes were seen throughout the day. A cell phone video was sent to The Tribune, showing a waterspout that was spotted near a food store on Queen's Highway in Grand Bahama.

"There are some possible further waterspouts and some possible tornado warnings due to a frontal boundary pushing into northwest Bahamas," Mr Armstrong said.

The current weather warning was issued at 4.30pm and will last until 8pm on Tuesday, after which other updates may follow.


Tornado2

Waterspout filmed off Torrey Pines, California

A waterspout spotted off of Torrey Pines
© @pittsburghsteezA waterspout spotted off of Torrey Pines
A waterspout was seen by San Diegans over Torrey Pines Tuesday afternoon.

According to NOAA's National Weather Service, waterspouts fall into two categories: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts.

Typically, fair weather waterspouts dissipate rapidly when they make landfall, and rarely penetrate far inland.

Tornadic waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado, according to the NOAA's National Weather Service.


Snowflake

Snow falls in Damascus, Syria

Snow in Damascus, Syria
© النشرة الجوية في الساحل السوري برؤيةإحسان أمين via Facebook
28 Mar 2016 - Image taken in heights of Damascus area (Zabadani) 1150 meters.

Snow in Damascus, Syria
© النشرة الجوية في الساحل السوري برؤيةإحسان أمين via Facebook
See image of coastal area of the highlands (Cadmus) 1,100 meters.

Rainbow

Feather-like iridescent cloud appears in Warwick, Australia

Rainbow cirrus clouds
© Kerri Trusz
The rainbow cirrus cloud also known as "feather clouds" or "mares tails" really looks like a feather floating in the evening sky.

Cloud iridescence is the occurrence of colors in a cloud. It is a fairly uncommon phenomenon, most often observed in altocumulus, cirrocumulus, lenticular clouds and cirrus clouds.

Iridescence is generally produced near the sun. Iridescent clouds are a diffraction phenomenon caused by small water droplets or small ice crystals individually scattering light. Larger ice crystals produce halos.

If parts of clouds have small droplets or crystals of similar size, their cumulative effect is seen as colors. The cloud must be optically thin, so that most rays encounter only a single droplet. Iridescence is therefore mostly seen at cloud edges or in semi-transparent clouds, and newly forming clouds produce the brightest and most colorful iridescence.

Rainbow cirrus cloud
© Terry Trusz

Cow

Apocalypse cow: Does a two-headed calf born in Yorkshire, UK mean the end of the world?

Unlike other cases its heads were seperated at the neck
© NBpressUnlike other cases its heads were seperated at the neck
The world held its breath today amid Doomsday fears of an apocalypse - after a two-headed calf was born in Yorkshire.

The rare phenomenon of animals being with two heads is considered in many cultures to be a portent of disaster.

Dairy farmer Shaun Sowray, 55, told how the calf was delivered by Caesarean section on March 3 at his family farm in Harrogate, North Yorks.

Unlike other cases recorded, its heads were separated at the neck and it was born with four eyes, four ears, two mouths and four nostrils.

Experts say it is so rare that chances of it happening are one in 400 million - but warn of ancient mythology that claims the "monstrous" creature is an omen from God.

Snowflake Cold

Early April to bring blasts of arctic air and snow in midwestern, northeastern US

Cold air Map
A southward plunge of the polar vortex will direct a couple of blasts of arctic air and potential snow toward portions of the midwestern and northeastern United States during the first week of April.

The main thrusts of the cold air will aim at the Great Lakes, New England and the northern part of the mid-Atlantic at a time when many people are looking forward to increased outdoor spring activities.

Arctic air to deliver shocking cold, hard freezes to the Upper Midwest and Northeast

The first and most dramatic of the two blasts will roll southeastward from Canada this weekend.

The approach and passage of the leading edge of the cold air will be accompanied by gusty winds. Sunday could bring high winds to much of the Northeast, in addition to plunging temperatures.

Cold air Map

Attention

Kanlaon Volcano erupts in the Philippines, remains under alert level 1

Kanlaon Volcano erupts
Kanlaon Volcano erupts
The Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Oriental province erupted at 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday (March 29), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in an advisory.

The eruption that lasted for 12 minutes produced a volcanic plume 1500 meters above the crater and a "booming sound" was heard in some barangays near the volcano.

According to the same advisory posted on the agency's social media account, "traces of light ashfall were reported in Sitio Guintubdan, Brgy. Ara-al, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental."

According to Police Supt. Frankie Lugo, chief of the Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, several fire balls, which were coming from the crater of the volcano, started to flow following a booming sound.

A thick cloud also formed after the minor explosion but faded minutes later, Lugo said.