Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Flooding displaces 1,000 as 3 die in Turkana County, Kenya

floods Kenya
© Jambo Turkana
Several parts of Turkana County in north west Kenya saw intense rainfall during the afternoon of 10 March, 2016 which led to overflowing of the Turkwel and Kawalase Rivers.

At least three people died in the floods and more than 1,000 others are said to have been displaced from their homes, according to local media. Large numbers of livestock were also reported to have been swept away in the flood waters.

Lodwar town, which sits between the two rivers, was one of the worst affected areas. The villages of Napetet, Soweto, Kalifonia and Nakerekei were also badly hit. Many roads connecting these villages to the rest of the county were flooded making them impassable. Market places, schools and other social amenities were disrupted and rendered inaccessible.

The Director of IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre had earlier warned that some places within the region would continue receiving intense rainfall even as the impacts of El Niño subsided.


floods Kenya
© Jambo Turkana

Attention

Dead humpback whale washes up on Block Island, Rhode Island

Young humpback whale washes up dead on Block Island
© Michael ChapmanYoung humpback whale washes up dead on Block Island
A young humpback was found washed up dead on a Block Island beach Wednesday. It is believed the animal died while still at sea.

The whale was found belly-up on Crescent Beach by a resident.

Executive Director of Block Island Conservancy Michael Chapman documented the whale on Facebook. Chapman tells NBC 10 News the age of whale has yet to be determined, but it is quite young.

"[A] new born calf is about 20ft. This Humpback looks to be about 25ft. It may have lost its mother as they migrated North this time of year," he said.

Mystic Aquarium has already been contacted to document the incident.

Chapman said it is not uncommon for deceased whales to wash up on Block Island.

In the past, a deceased whale was exploded with dynamite on Crescent Beach to remove it from the area.

Attention

Killer whale strands and drowns leaving calf as an orphan in New Zealand

Dr Visser examines the dead orca that washed up on Mangawhai Beach.
© ORCA RESEARCH TRUSTDr Visser examines the dead orca that washed up on Mangawhai Beach.
An orca that died on Mangawhai Beach may have drowned and Northland orca expert Ingrid Visser is concerned for the lactating whale's orphaned calf.

Dr Visser is hoping results of a necropsy will determine exactly how the orca died, but, with no obvious signs of damage to the whale, which was in "pristine condition", she believes it may have drowned.

An orca can drown if its blowhole is covered and she said, as orca don't have much flexibility in their neck, she would not have been able to lift the blowhole out of the water, as she was found on her side.

"It's a real tragedy when any orca dies like this, but she was lactating - we could see the milk coming out while she was lying there and it was really sad - and she has a wee baby out there somewhere," Dr Visser said.

Attention

Rorqual whale found dead on Mexico beach

Image
Marine experts are dwarfed by the whale
A specimen of the tropical rorqual whale (Balaenoptera edeni) was found dead on Puertecito Beach in the municipality of Maria Colotepec, in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, the Profepa environmental protection agency said.

Profepa said in a bulletin that it has taken over the case and has applied the measures laid down in the protocol for dealing with stranded marine mammals.

The large whale, measuring 10.8 meters (35 feet) long and weighing approximately 8 tons, was observed by personnel of the federal delegation of Profepa in the agency, in coordination with the University of the Sea, or UMAR.

Attention

Thousands of dead seabirds turn up on Alaskan freshwater lake

Dead common murres
© Mark ThiessenDead common murres
Lake Iliamna in Alaska is North America's eighth-largest lake, but nobody would mistake it for the Pacific Ocean. Not even a seabird.

So when thousands of common murres were found dead at the southwest Alaska lake, as part of a massive die-off of a species whose preferred winter habitat is at sea,” seabird experts were puzzled.

"We've talked about unprecedented things about this die off. That's another one," said John Piatt, research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Murres occasionally land in fresh water, Piatt said.

"You figure it's a misguided individual. To have 6,000, 8,000 birds in the lake is pretty mind-blowing, really," he said. "I've never heard of any such a thing anywhere in the world."

Hourglass

Risk of massive landslide forces evacuations near Wenatchee, Washington state

Wentachee earth crack
© Kiro7
The Chelan County Sheriff's Office is warning residents in the Wenatchee Heights area about the risk of a massive landslide.

Huge cracks are developing in the ground in a neighborhood near the Mission Ridge Ski Area. Water and power have been shut off to the Whispering Ridge Neighborhood.

The Chelan County Public Utility District notified the county after a geotechnical firm they hired raised concern that the soil is unstable, and a landslide can occur without warning.

The county went door to door to warn residents. The residents most at risk live on Whispering Ridge Road and Squilchuck Road, according to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office.

Two houses have been red-tagged, deemed unsafe to live in. The ground has shifted enough to cause structural damage. Other residents on Whispering Ridge have been advised to evacuateas well as residents insix houses in an area below the potential slide area.

The county says the recent storms and snow melt caused by rising temperatures are adding to the risk; The record rainfall has the ground more saturated than it has been in decades, according to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office.


Comment: Three killed by massive landslide in Oso, Washington state


Ice Cube

Blizzard to swing through central U.S. for the first week of Spring

Snowfall central US
© AccuWeather
A dramatic swing in temperatures will bring both a taste of late spring and then a blizzard to the central United States for the first week of spring.

The upswing in temperatures will cause record highs to be challenged during the first half of the new week, while the return of colder air will set the stage for snow and blizzard conditions to sweep from the northern Rockies to the Upper Midwest at midweek.

"As is expected in the spring, a volatile pattern is shaping up through the new week across the central U.S.," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ed Vallee said.

"After some chillier air this weekend, a dome of high pressure will control the weather through midweek. This will usher in much warmer air with some places experiencing high temperatures nearly 30-40 degrees higher than this weekend."

Highs across most of the north-central states will trend from the 30s and 40s on Saturday to the 60s and 70s early in the new week.
Weather changes
© AccuWeather
In the southern Plains, temperatures will swing from the 50s and lower 60s this weekend to the 70s and 80s. Some communities in the southern High Plains will even flirt with or crack the 90-degree mark.

The warmth will erase the snow that recently whitened Denver and will challenge record highs in Pueblo, Colorado; Dodge City, Kansas; Oklahoma City; and Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas.

As quickly as the warmth makes a comeback, colder air will be advancing southward.

Calculator

Magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes southeast of Ust'-Kamchatsk, Russia

Location

Kamchatka earthquake
© USGS54.333 °N 162.799 °E depth=31.3 km (19.5 mi)
Time
  1. 2016-03-20 22:50:20 (UTC)
  2. 2016-03-20 18:50:20 (UTC-04:00) in your timezone
  3. Times in other timezones
Nearby Cities
  1. 211km (131mi) S of Ust'-Kamchatsk Staryy, Russia
  2. 309km (192mi) ENE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
  3. 317km (197mi) ENE of Yelizovo, Russia
  4. 329km (204mi) ENE of Vilyuchinsk, Russia
  5. 2733km (1698mi) NNE of Tokyo, Japan

Attention

Another earthquake hits near Atka Island, Alaska; magnitude 6.0

Location
Atka, Alaska earthquake
© USGS51.513 °N 174.234 °W depth=17.0 km (10.6 mi)

Comment: Another earthquake struck 51 miles (82 km) south of Atka on March 12:

Strong tremor strikes off Atka Island, southwest Alaska



Time
  1. 2016-03-19 01:35:12 (UTC)
  2. 2016-03-18 21:35:12 (UTC-04:00) in your timezone
  3. Times in other timezones
Nearby Cities
  1. 76km (47mi) S of Atka, Alaska
  2. 1549km (963mi) SSE of Anadyr', Russia
  3. 1834km (1140mi) WSW of Anchorage, Alaska
  4. 1847km (1148mi) E of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia
  5. 2595km (1612mi) W of Whitehorse, Canada

Hardhat

30-foot wide sinkhole appears overnight in Lanarkshire, UK

Lanarkshire sinkhole
© Presstream ScotlandThe enormous sinkhole suddenly developed just yards from the front doors of three detached properties.
The enormous hole suddenly developed just yards from the front doors of three detached properties in Plains, Lanarkshire

Homes have been evacuated after a massive sinkhole appeared in their street overnight. The enormous hole suddenly developed just yards from the front doors of three detached properties in Plains, Lanarkshire. The crater covers a large section of road in Moffat View in the village and is estimated to be 30ft wide and 10ft deep.

Residents have been told to stay away from their £130,000 properties until work is carried out to assess and fix the damage. Locals have speculated a former mineshaft had collapsed following heavy rains. The cul-de-sac had been closed off since Wednesday morning and was being inspected by workers today. However homeowners have blasted North Lanarkshire Council and claimed they had highlighted concerns over the area last month.

John Riley, 61, said he was now living in a hotel as work was carried out. He took to Facebook to complain, adding: "All three residents evacuated at short notice by Fire Service. "Emergency team told us we usually get the evacuees into the local school for a few hours and give them telephone and Internet access, refreshments and any other support until they can be safely rehoused or make other arrangements."

"My insurance has put us up in Premier inn for two weeks," John continued. "I refused the 4th floor flat in Holehills whose condition was "unknown". "After seven weeks of pleading with North Lanarkshire Council, including the offer of sharing the geo-tech info I had obtained and was refused.