Earth ChangesS

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills man in Manistee County, Michigan; total lightning fatalities for U.S. in 2016 now 34

lIGHTNING
A man from Texas is dead after being struck by lightning in Manistee County.

It happened Tuesday around 4:30 p.m. on the North Country Trail in Dickson Township.

That's about 20 miles northeast of the city of Manistee.

This is according to the National Weather Service.

We'll continue to update this developing story as we get more information.

Windsock

Hurricane Newton wreaks havoc in northwestern Mexico, kills at least 2

Hurricane Newton hits Mexico
© Ricardo Valenzuela / AFP Two men ride bikes along the seaside Boulevard of Los Cabos during the passage of Hurricane Newton, in Baja California Sur state, Mexico, on September 6, 2016.
At least two people have been killed and three are missing since Hurricane Newton struck northwestern Mexico, bringing heavy torrential rains, breaking windows, downing trees, and leaving households without power.

Category 1 Hurricane Newton hit the resort city of Cabo San Lucas on Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Tuesday morning, before heading out into the Gulf of California.

Jose Luis Rios, the captain of La Paz city, told reporters that at least two people have died in the storm. The bodies of two people believed to be crew members of a fishing boat were found on a beach, while three others still remain missing.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, Newton's wind speeds reached 120 kilometers per hour. "Heavy rain could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides, especially in mountainous terrain," the center said.

"The storm has already unleashed widespread 75-150 mm of rainfall along Mexico's western coastline with local amounts approaching 300 mm resulting in flooding and mudslides," Accuweather website reported.


Fire

Wildfires rage on Spain's Costa Blanca; 1,400 evacuated

Costa Blanca wildfires
© AFP/Getty ImagesEmergency crews ordered a mass evacuation after a wildfire fuelled by intense heat roared through brush surrounding Javea, a popular tourist resort on Spain's Costa Blanca
Some 1,400 people were evacuated after a wildfire fuelled by intense heat roared through brush surrounding a popular tourist resort on Spain's Costa Blanca, officials said Monday.

The blaze which broke out on Sunday near the Mediterranean resort of Javea, up the coast from the popular holiday spot of Benidorm, destroyed 320 hectares (790 acres) of land and several buildings, local emergency services said.

Authorities said they believe the fire was started deliberately since it appeared to have broken out in several places at once.

"This is environmental terrorism, it goes beyond putting at risk our natural heritage, it directly attacks people," the head of the regional government of Valencia, Ximo Puig, told reporters.


Comment: Not necessarily. Fires can erupt simultaneously and non-locally.


"1,400 evacuated," tweeted Juan Carlos Moragues, who represents the Spanish government in the eastern region of Valencia.


Tornado2

Waterspout caught on camera near Horn Island, Mississippi

waterspout near Horn Island
© YouTube/16 WAPT News Jackson (screen capture)
A waterspout forms near Horn Island over the Labor Day holiday weekend.


Attention

Shallow 4.0 magnitude earthquake underneath summit of Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii

Map Mauna Loa
© Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recorded a magnitude-4.0 earthquake beneath Hawaii Island at 4:25 a.m. Tuesday.

The earthquake occurred underneath Moku'aweoweo, Mauna Loa's summit caldera, at a depth of 1.2 km (0.74 mi).

The USGS "Did you feel it?" website received only one felt report within an hour of the earthquake. This report described light shaking (Intensity III). The lack of felt reports is consistent with the remote location and shallow depth of the earthquake.

The earthquake appears to be isolated. As of 6:30 a.m., no aftershocks have been observed.

Magnitude-4 or greater earthquakes occurred in the summit of Mauna Loa six to seven months prior to the volcano's two most recent eruptions in 1975 and 1984. Tuesday's isolated earthquake, however, does not represent a significant departure from the seismic activity rate for the past year, so the Volcano Alert Level for Mauna Loa will remain at Advisory.

According to HVO's Scientist-in-Charge, Christina Neal, the earthquake had no apparent effect on Kilauea Volcano's ongoing eruptions.

Attention

3 more dolphins strand in Florida

Staff of the Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder team bring one of three stranded spinner dolphins to a rescue boat
Staff of the Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder team bring one of three stranded spinner dolphins to a rescue boat
Three more spinner dolphins were found stranded in the shallow waters of Florida Bay in the Everglades National Park Monday.

Veterinarians concluded that the mammals were too sunburned and dehydrated and euthanized them to avoid additional suffering. This was the second spinner group in two days found stranded in the bay.

Saturday, marine mammal rescuers with Key Largo's Dolphins Plus responded to four stranded spinners near Rabbit Key and another off Lower Matecumbe Key.

They too were extremely dehydrated, said Art Cooper of Dolphins Plus, and veterinarians euthanize three of them. The other two were taken to Sea World in Orlando. One died there Sunday and as of Monday, the remaining spinner is in critical condition.

Comment: See also: 5 dolphins discovered stranded off Islamorada in Florida Keys; 3 euthanized


Attention

Signs and portents: Mutant pig found in China with human face and 'penis' on forehead

deformed pig
The pig was born with 'penis' on its forehead

It is unclear where the video originated from but it has been widely shared on Chinese social media

Disturbing footage has emerged online showing a 'mutant' pig born in China.

The creature appears to have a human face and a 'PENIS' on its forehead.

The piglet is seen yawning or gasping for breath as it is held up to the camera.

It is unclear where the video originated from but it has been widely shared on Chinese social media.

Many viewers are now speculating about the reason behind the animal's deformity - with some blaming environmental pollution.

Black Cat

Man-eating leopard kills for a second time within 2 weeks in Nepal; 24 such attacks in past 4 years

Leopard
Leopard
Authorities in Nepal have launched a hunt for a wild leopard after it killed two girls in two weeks in the country's remote western region, local officials said on Tuesday.

The animal pounced on a group of four children playing in the courtyard of their home and dragged away a four-year-old girl, said Kishor Kumar Chaudhary, chief administrative officer of the Baitadi district, an area 600km west of Kathmandu.

The girl's body - with an arm missing and head separated - was found on Sunday about 800m away from the house, said Chaudhary.

"She was the second victim in two weeks. A seven-year-old girl was also killed in the same region. The animal attacked her and snatched her away from her house," he said adding that the number of victims has reached two dozen in the past four years.

Fish

Thousands of dead fish wash up on beach in Cyprus

Dead fish
© CNA
Thousands of fish, particularly mullet, are washing up on a beach near occupied Vokolidha in the north, and more found floating at the edges of a small lake near Galateia in the same area, according to reports in the Turkish Cypriot press on Monday.

Reports said the lake water had turned reddish and suggested it was because it was polluted but 'local authorities' denied this though conceding that tests had not been done on it yet. They said it was possibly due to reduction of oxygenation in the lake water. Kibris said that residents in the area of the lake near to the beach were concerned.

When it came to the fish on the beach, the local 'mayor' said the water there had been tested and it was not the reason the fish had died, he said. He criticised the media for suggesting the seawater was polluted when it was not true, according to Afrika.

Attention

Dead humpback whale washes up at Grassy Head, Australia

The 14-metre humpback whale washed up on Grassy Head beach died of unknown causes and was buried in the dunes behind the beach.
The 14-metre humpback whale washed up on Grassy Head beach died of unknown causes and was buried in the dunes behind the beach.
Manager of Grassy Head Holiday Park Margaret Burton didn't believe reports of a huge whale on the beach because she thought people were joking.

The 14-metre humpback washed up dead on Grassy Head beach on Thursday and was examined by National Parks and Wildlife staff before being removed from the beach on the weekend.

Mrs Burton said she had several people inform her that there was a whale on the tidal mark and it was decomposing.

"I didn't believe them because people are always pulling my leg around here!" she told the Argus.

National Parks area manager Russell Madeley said there were no obvious signs of injury to the whale and the cause of death 'could not be determined'.