Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Mysterious giant sinkhole swallows at least 15 vehicles in Mississippi


RT
Sun, 08 Nov 2015 07:51 UTC
Sinkhole in Mississippi
© noblejonesontv / Instagram
A 15-meter-wide sinkhole has recently opened up in a city in Mississippi and swallowed at least 15 vehicles, police said, adding that what caused the sinkhole is still unknown and is being investigated.

The sinkhole appeared in the parking lot of the new IHOP restaurant on Frontage Road in the city of Meridian. The customers at the restaurant told local WTOK-TV that they heard several booms that were quickly followed by the electricity loss.


Comment: See sinkholes for more events of this nature.

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Cloud Lightning

Man killed by lightning strike at Normanton in Queensland, Australia

Chris Honnery
The Courier-Mail
Fri, 06 Nov 2015 17:28 UTC
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The first thunderstorm to hit Normanton, in Far North Queensland, for this wet season has claimed the life of a 48-year-old man.

He was believed to be working on a tractor at the rural property of Magowra, 20km west of Normanton, when a thunderstorm erupted overhead.

At about 3.10pm yesterday afternoon, a lightning bolt struck the man, killing him instantly.

Paramedics performed CPR when they arrived on scene but were unable to revive the man.

The small town of Normanton was shocked to have heard the news of the tragedy.

"It's a real shame," a local said.
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Snowflake

Early snow blankets northern regions of China


news.asiaone.com
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 16:03 UTC
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© China Daily/ANNLocal residents go out in the snow in Beijing’s Xicheng district on Friday. Snow fell unexpectedly early in Beijing and other cities in northern China on Friday, causing traffic problems for millions of people and prompting the capital to provide heating for residential complexes ahead of schedule.
An unexpectedly early snow fell on Beijing and other cities in North China on Friday, causing traffic dilemmas for millions of people, and prompting the capital to start providing heating for residential complexes ahead of schedule.

According to the National Meteorological Center, the snowfall hit areas in Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong provinces, and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The snow will continue until Sunday in most of the region.

The snowfall is the earliest in Beijing since a blizzard hit the capital on Nov 2, 2009. Meteorological experts said the snow will be helpful for growing wheat in North China and warned that residents should be careful to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning as the heating starts to work.

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Cloud Precipitation

LA officials prepare for 'Godzilla' El Nino


RT
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 14:21 UTC
Los Angeles
© Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Citizens of Los Angeles are being told to prepare for an El Nino of 'Godzilla' proportions. The weather pattern is expected to bring harsh storms to an area that has been decimated by drought for the last few years.

Given the arid weather that has affected southern California an increase in rainfall would have to be logically welcomed. However, meteorologists say the consequences of El Nino won't lead to a few extra showers, but rather brutal storms.

Given that the ground is bone dry following four years of drought, it will be difficult for the water to precipitate into the ground, leading to floods and mudslides.
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Attention

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake strikes Davao City, Philippines


Sun Star
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 14:11 UTC
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A magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit Davao City and its environs early Saturday with the intensity felt as far as Gen. Santos and Cotabato City, the state volcanology office on Saturday said.

The tremor which was tectonic in origin occurred at 1:33 a.m. and was traced 16 kilometers north of Davao City.

It has a depth of 14 kilometers, according to a news bulletin by Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Nobody was hurt and no reported damages.

Phivolcs said Intensity 4 was felt in Davao City; Kidapawan City, Intensity 3 in Makilala, North Cotabato, Intensity 2 in Kabacan and Arakan, both in North Cotabato and Cotabato City and Intensity 1 in Gen. Santos City.

No aftershock is expected, Phivolcs said.

Source: Philippines News Agency
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Attention

Earthquake shakes northeast Lebanon


emirates247.com
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 14:07 UTC
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Residents of the Bekaa Valley in northeast Lebanon have said that they felt a small earthquake late Friday evening, according to reports from the region.

The earthquake, measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale, hit the northern parts of the Lebanese city of Baalbek in northern Lebanon.

In a statement, the Lebanese Centre for Geophysics said that the quake hit an area to the north of Baalbek, between the city of Baalbek and Al-Fakehah city, but there have not been any reports on possible damage or losses.
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Ice Cube

Global Cooling: Decade long ice age forecast as sun 'hibernates'

Jon Austin
Daily Express, UK
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 13:48 UTC
Image
© Getty
Scientists claim we are in for a decade-long freeze as the sun slows down solar activity by up to 60 per cent.

A team of European researchers have unveiled a scientific model showing that the Earth is likely to experience a "mini ice age" from 2030 to 2040 as a result of decreased solar activity.

Their findings will infuriate environmental campaigners who argue by 2030 we could be facing increased sea levels and flooding due to glacial melt at the poles.

However, at the National Astronomy Meeting in Wales, Northumbria University professor Valentina Zharkova said fluctuations an 11-year cycle of solar activity the sun goes through would be responsible for a freeze, the like of which has not been experienced since the 1600s.

From 1645 to 1715 global temperatures dropped due to low solar activity so much that the planet experienced a 70-year ice age known as Maunder Minimum which saw the River Thames in London completely frozen.
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Alarm Clock

Powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Chilean coast


RT
Sat, 07 Nov 2015 07:53 UTC
6.8 Chile earthquake
© earthquake.usgs.gov
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has struck 100 kilometers (62 miles) south-southwest of Coquimbo, Chile, the US Geological Survey is reporting.

The quake woke residents in the Chilean capital, Santiago, 300 kilometers away, Reuters reported.

There had at first been a warning of a small tsunami issued by Chile's navy, but it was quickly withdrawn.

Power outages have been reported on social media.

Comment: Other earthquakes to hit Chile in the past few months include:

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Cloud Grey

Dam in Brazil bursts possibly killing 15 or more in its wake


NY Times
Fri, 06 Nov 2015 04:27 UTC
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© Getty ImagesFlooding from a burst dam in Mariana, Brazil
A dam from an open-pit mining complex burst on Thursday in southeastern Brazil flooding a nearby community and enveloping homes and cars in sludge. Rescue teams descending from helicopters scoured the site for survivors.

The authorities said Thursday night that they were trying to determine the number of casualties, with Brazilian news organizations reporting that at least one person had died. Union officials representing workers at the mine said they feared that as many as 15 people might have died after the dam burst.
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Snowflake

Record-setting snow falls in Flagstaff, Arizona

Jennifer Thomas
KPHO
Thu, 05 Nov 2015 17:10 UTC
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© KPHO
Record-setting snow in the high country on Wednesday has made the roads slick, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

ADOT is warning drivers to watch for icy roads in northern Arizona. There have been a few reports of vehicles going off the sides of roads.

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 in Williams were closed for a short time Thursday morning to remove ice from a bridge at milepost 162. ADOT officials said Interstate 17 just south of Flagstaff is clear of snow, but drivers should expect a slick road surface. Temperatures in Flagstaff were in the 20s Thursday morning and it's expected to be in the teens Friday morning.

An overnight freeze warning is in effect for elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. Schools in the Flagstaff Unified School District were on a two-hour delay Thursday. Flagstaff received nearly 9 inches of snow on Wednesday and more than 2 feet of snow fell at Arizona Snowbowl. Another round of snow could come next week. Snowbowl hopes to open Nov. 20.

Motorists heading up to the area should be sure to have blankets, warm clothes and a full tank of gas.
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