Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Communities on high flood alert along River Shannon, Ireland


newstalk.com
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:17 UTC
Floods Ireland
© RollingNews.ieSwans glide by a sandbag barrier on The Strand in Athlone Town, in the ongoing battle against the rising waters of the Shannon River.
The ESB will not increase the amount of water flowing through the Parteen Weir today.

It says the level of water in Lough Derg increased marginally in the past 24 hours and is warning that flooding is likely in communities along the River Shannon.

Residents in parts of Athlone say Christmas is on hold as they try to keep rising waters from flooding their homes.

It is raining heavily in the town this morning, and it is thought 100 houses are at risk.

Keith Walsh is one of a dedicated team of volunteers manning pumps around the clock.

He says houses in The Park area would be flooded were it not for a team effort.


Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Looming threat of volcano disasters in Auckland


Victoria University of Wellington
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 22:46 UTC
Auckland Volcanoes
© Victoria University of WellingtonJenni Hopkins with a map showing Auckland's volcanic field.
Rangitoto, Mt Albert, Lake Pupuke, Orakei Basin, Mt Eden and One Tree Hill are some of Auckland's most familiar landmarks. But they are also reminders of the city's fiery history and the looming threat of future disasters.

A clearer understanding of the risk posed by a new volcanic eruption in Auckland has emerged from doctoral research undertaken by a student at Victoria University of Wellington.

Jenni Hopkins, in collaboration with GNS Science and the University of Auckland, has reconstructed the eruptive history of Auckland's volcanic field, which comprises more than 50 craters dating back around 200,000 years. While currently dormant, the field is expected to erupt again from a new site within potentially as little as a few hundred years.

"The 53 volcanoes in Auckland are almost entirely monogenetic, which means they generally only erupt once," says Jenni. "But what was previously unknown was the order in which they erupted—I wanted to find that out so that we could establish the characteristics of the field and get an idea of what a future eruption might be like."
Read More...
Windsock

Strong winds blow train off tracks in Texas

Dee Duren
News on 6
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 14:34 UTC
Wind blows train off tracks
© Lufkin Police Dept
The Lufkin, Texas Police Department shared a photo on its Facebook page Sunday morning after winds blew a train off the tracks as it crossed a highway. An update says it will take at least 48 hours to upright the 64 rail cars.

Police advised drivers to avoid Loop 287 near 103 West and 69 North "as straight-line winds blew a train off the tracks."

The highway is shut down. The cars were believed to be empty when a gust of wind took them off the tracks around 7 a.m.
Wind blows train
© Lufkin Police Dept
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Large upper atomspheric lightning caught on camera in Darwin, Australia

Frankie Lucena
spaceweather.com
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 18:42 UTC
Blue Jet (Transient Luminous Event)
© William Nguyen Phuoc Blue Jet (Transient Luminous Event)
Details:

This photo was taken by William Nguyen Phuoc in Darwin, Australia on Dec. 8 2015. This looks more like a Gigantic Jet than a Blue Jet but either way it is an amazing event.

A timelapse video of this event shows all the lightning activity before and after the event. You can view it here:

Read More...
Sun

Two suns photographed in Zimbabwe during sunset


Strange Sounds
Sat, 12 Dec 2015 17:51 UTC
Two suns
© Peter LowensteinPeople living in Mutare, Zimbabwe experienced a double sunset on December 11 2015.
These two suns appeared in the clear sunset sky of Mutare, Zimbabwe on December 11, 2015.

Yes these lucky guys had a double sunset last Thursday...

This strange and baffling Two suns phenomenon is not only happening in Indonesia.

On December 11, 2015, Peter Lowenstein witnessed another double sunset event in drought-sicken Zimbabwe.

The second sun formed as our star was setting behind a cumulus cloud in an almost clear and dry sky.

The diffuse duplicate appeared above the cumulus in a thin veil of more distant high cloud.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 6 and injures another 6 in Eastern Cape, South Africa


sabc.co.za
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:35 UTC
lightning
Six people have been killed and six others were injured after they were struck by lightning at Nkanya village in Elliotdale outside Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.

This happened during a severe hail storm that hit the area late on Saturday.

Provincial Health Spokesperson, Siyanda Manana, says the deceased had just returned from the cemetery after a funeral service when the incident happened.

"People who had attended a funeral were struck by lightning. Two died on arrival at hospital. Four died at the casualty and then six were admitted in hospital. They are in a stable condition at the moment at Madwaleni hospital."
Read More...
Fire

Explosion destroys building facade in Belgium - cause unclear


RT
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 17:02 UTC
Verviers, Belgium
© Googlemaps
A powerful explosion has rocked a building in the Belgian town of Verviers, almost completely destroying its facade, local media report. It is not yet clear what caused the blast and if there have been any casualties.

Witnesses have posted numerous photos on Twitter, which showed three floors of the building had been damaged. Some users suggested there might have been a gas explosion.


Comment: There seem to have been a number of bizarre explosions around the world lately. Frequently blamed on gas or electrical transformers malfunctioning, could they be related to other bizarre electrical and seismic phenomena we've been experiencing around the world? Check out SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs for more bizarre phenomena.

Read More...
Attention

Fisherman attacked by shark in the Bahamas

Scott Sutton
wptv.com
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 16:29 UTC
Shark attacks
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a report Friday that a fisherman was bitten by a shark in the Bahamas.

The Coast Guard sent a helicopter crew 67 nautical miles southwest of Andros Island.

The 26-year-old man was reportedly fishing aboard a 76-foot trawling boat when the incident occurred.

The Coast Guard center in Miami was notified through a satellite phone call made by another man aboard the vessel.

The victim was taken to Nassau for treatment.
Read More...
Fish

Widespread fish kill reported in Mobile Bay, Alabama

Ben Raines
al.com
Fri, 11 Dec 2015 15:53 UTC
Fish kill
Fish kill Mobile Bay
A widespread fish kill is underway across Mobile Bay. It appears to be affecting primarily filter-feeding fish such as menhaden, sardines, alewives and shad.

Dead fish are present in the shallows and on beaches on both sides of the bay, from Point Clear to Daphne on the eastern shore and from Arlington Point south to Fowl River on the western shore. Dead and dying fish also dot the surface of the bay, from one side to the other.

The kill does not appear to be related to a red tide bloom occurring in the Gulf of Mexico and around Dauphin Island. Instead, the bloom in the upper bay appears to be another species of algae with a similar neurotoxic effect on fish.

Fish affected by the algae swim in a markedly erratic fashion, zipping straight ahead for a time, then falling into lazy circles, often swimming on their side or even upside down.

Read More...
Windsock

Intense Alaska storm ties strongest on record

Renee Duff
Accuweather
Sun, 13 Dec 2015 09:10 UTC
A potent storm approaching western Alaska this weekend has tied the strongest recorded storm to impact the region.
Alaska forecast
This storm comes a little over a year after ex-Super Typhoon Nuri became the most powerful system on record to cross Dutch Harbor, Alaska, which is located in the Aleutian Islands, with a central low pressure of 924 millibars (27.29 inches of Hg).

The intensity of a storm is measured by the central pressure, with lower pressure equating to a stronger system.

Previous to Nuri, the old record stood at 925 millibars (27.32 inches of Hg) at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, from a strong storm that hit on Oct. 25, 1977.

To put this in perspective, Hurricane Katrina made landfall at 920 millibars (27.17 inches of Hg).

This storm raced to the northeast and pounded the western Aleutian Islands with hurricane-force winds on Saturday evening, rapidly intensifying in the process.

Winds have gusted to 122 mph (196 km/h) at Adak Island, Alaska, on Saturday night.

Further strengthening is forecast to occur once the storm enters the Bering Sea, potentially breaking the intensity reached by ex-Super Typhoon Nuri in November of 2014.


Comment: See our latest Earth Changes Summary for more extreme weather events across the globe:

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - November 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

Read More...