Earth ChangesS


Fire

Natural gas explosion creates massive fireball in Pennsylvania

Salem gas explosion
© Instagram/@tonilconradTonilconrad posted video to Instagram on April 29, 2016 of a gas explosion in Pennsylvania.
A natural gas explosion erupted into a massive ball of fire near Salem Township, Pennsylvania, this morning. One person was injured.

Forbes Road Fire Department Chief Bob Rosatti said in a press conference it was the "biggest ball of fire I've ever seen." As firetrucks "were coming around the bend, it looked like you were looking down in hell," he added.

The Forbes Road Fire Department was dispatched at 8:17 a.m. after multiple calls of a huge fire. Spectra Energy reported the incident, which involved the Texas Eastern pipeline owned by the company.

"Our first concern is for the safety of the community, our employees and any others who may be affected. We have activated our emergency response plan," Creighton Welch, manager of external communications for Spectra Energy, said in a statement.


Attention

Arctic narwhal strands on Belgium shore for the first time ever

For the first time in recorded history, the
© Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor NatuurwetenschappenFor the first time in recorded history, the "unicorn of the sea" has washed up dead in Belgium.
The last time one of these near-mythical beasts was spotted in western Europe was in 1949 (the same year the Polaroid camera first came to market). The animal's skeleton will be moved to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, where it will join the collections as an important natural history specimen.

"This sighting is particularly significant as in the past 14 months we've had other Arctic cetaceans visit our waters," explains Dr Peter Evans, founder of the Sea Watch Foundation, an organisation that works to monitor whales, dolphins and porpoises in the area. "Sea temperatures were unusually low last spring, and [there's] a possibility that the fragmentation of floating ice may have resulted in whales typically associated with pack ice straying much further south." One such animal was a beluga whale, the only other species in the family Monodontidae, to which narwhals also belong.

Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are known to travel in groups of 15 to 20 individuals, so there is some concern among scientists that this carcass won't be the only one to surface. However, the topology of the North Sea has been known to function as a "whale trap" under certain conditions, and it's entirely possible that this animal was separated from its pod.

Attention

Increased seismic activity reported at Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia

Nevado del Ruiz volcano
© El Nuevo DiaNevado del Ruiz volcano
The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Manizales reported two moderate earthquakes after a swarm of minor quakes in the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.

The quakes are related to rock fracturing and demonstrate a significant increase in the volcanic activity of the volcano.

The earthquake swarm started at around 5pm on April 29, 2016, before two moderate tremors (both M3.4 on Richter's scale) occurred at the 8:26 and 8:46 pm on April 29, 2016.

The two stronger quakes were located in the northeastern sector of the volcanic structure at a depth of 3.78 kilometers.

Ash falls has also been reported in Murillo, a small city near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, which shows increased seismic activity.

Officials say, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano is emitting ash since already 17 months, but due to the particular weather conditions it has started falling around.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills worker at construction site in Slidell, Louisiana

Lightning
A Louisiana coroner says a man working on a Slidell-area construction site died after being struck by lightning.

St. Tammany Parish coroner Dr. Charles Preston said in a news release that Elvin Arturo Castro-Santiago, 36, was working Wednesday when he was struck.

Preston says Castro-Santiago was taken to Ochsner Northshore where he later died.

Preston says the tragedy underscores the deadly force of nature.

Source: AP

Sun

Extreme heat wave kills 300 across South Asia, hottest month still ahead

India heatwave
© Adnan Abidi / ReutersA boy cools himself off as he sits under a fountain on a hot summer day in New Delhi.
South Asia has been setting temperature records: A roasting heat wave has been ripping through much of the region since early April. Hundreds of people suffered severe heat strokes in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, while the death toll in India exceeded 300.

Scorching temperatures have allowed at least three countries to set new all-time national heat records with Thailand, which has kept records since 1950, leading the way.

After Sukhothai, Thailand set the first record of 111.7 degrees Fahrenheit (44.3 degrees Celsius), on April 12, on Friday a remote, mountainous province in northern Thailand, Mae Hong Son banked in a record in with 112.3 degrees Fahrenheit (44.6 degrees Celcius), according to Christopher Burt, a weather historian with wunderground.com. He added that since April 19, more than 50 urban areas have recorded heat records.

"As of now we can say we've broken the record for the highest temperatures over the longest duration in 65 years - and the season isn't over yet," said Surapong Sarapa, head of the Thai Meteorological Department's weather forecast division.

Starting from March, the extreme heat has claimed the lives of as many as 21 people, Thai Department of Communicable Disease Control said Thursday. Thirteen of the victims succumbed to heat outside their homes, two in vehicles, one in a temple, and five in houses. Authorities called for the population to stay indoors and drink lots of water to avoid heatstroke.

Bizarro Earth

Abandoned coal mine may lie beneath sinkhole that just opened up in Sheffield, UK

sheffield uk sinkhole
Residents believe the sinkhole could have been caused by an underground coal mine
Locals believe that there's a reason behind the sudden appearance of the huge gaping chasm on the way into the city centre

Workers were left stunned after they discovered what was lurking at the bottom of a 20ft-deep sinkhole which opened up in Sheffield this morning.

Contractors were called in to fill the gaping chasm with concrete, but discovered that an old coal mine could actually lie underneath the unstable ground.

The sinkhole has meant the road has been shut all day, causing havoc for commuters attempting to drive into the city centre.

Cloud Precipitation

South Mississippi hit by flash floods following 10 inches of rain in just a few hours; Gulfport declares emergency

Flood rescue in Gulfport. Mississippi, 28 April 2016.
© Gulfport Police DepartmentFlood rescue in Gulfport. Mississippi, 28 April 2016.
Parts of South Mississippi experienced flash flooding yesterday after a storm system struck in the early hours of Thursday, 28 April, 2016, dumping as much as 10 inches (254mm) of rain in just a few hours.

Gulfport, Biloxi and D'Iberville have been hardest hit. Around 20 homes and businesses have been flooded in Gulfport, where emergency crews carried out over 70 flood rescues. The Red Cross has set up shelters for those evacuated.

Gulfport's mayor, Billy Hewes, has declared a State of Emergency for the city. In a statement of 28 April, he said:
"With today's unprecedented weather event, dropping over 10 inches of rain this morning with continued accumulation anticipated over the course of the day, resulting in widespread flooding throughout the City of Gulfport, I am hereby declaring a State of Emergency. Monitoring the storm since early this morning, our crews are at work responding to storm drain blockages, water rescues, road closures, and emergency calls. If you are experiencing or are aware of situations needing critical attention, please call 311 for non-emergencies, and 911 for emergencies. We urge citizens to continue to use extreme caution, and not venture out unless necessary."


Areas along Dedeaux Road in Gulfport flood Thursday morning after heavy downpours.
© Damon McDanielAreas along Dedeaux Road in Gulfport flood Thursday morning after heavy downpours.

Attention

Dead Minke whale found on shore at Creevy, Ireland

 Róisin Gallagher, a daughter of Donegal Democrat staff photographer Thomas Gallagher standing beside the whale to give a sense of size and scale.
© Thomas Gallagher Róisin Gallagher, a daughter of Donegal Democrat staff photographer Thomas Gallagher standing beside the whale to give a sense of size and scale.
A dead minke whale washed up on rocks at Creevy Pier between Ballyshannon and Rossnowlagh on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning is attracting interest with increasing numbers of curious visitors arriving on Thursday evening to view the whale.

At approximately 25 to 28 feet in length, it is typical in size for a mature specimen. In general at physical maturity, males and females in the North Atlantic average between 7.9 - 8.17 m (25.9 - 26.8 ft) and 8.42 - 8.5 m (27.6 - 27.9 ft).

It's reported that there was "a steady stream of people" coming to view the dead whale.

The dead whale was lodged on rocks approximately 50 metres 'behind' the pier on the Kildoney side.

At high tide it may well be taken out to sea by the tide but for the moment it has been in the same spot for the best part of a day at high and low tide.

Snowflake

Cold Spring weather cancels official opening of snowed on Snowdon mountain in Wales

Snowdon
© Hefin OwenSnowdon
The railway track is covered in snow and sections of paths are very slippery

Tourists and locals who had been waiting for the opening of Snowdon's summit this weekend will have to wait another week due to more heavy snow.

Despite workers' efforts to clear the railway track in time for the opening, the amount of snow which has fallen over the past days means the track, which goes from Llanberis to the summit, is covered in snow.

No facilities will open this weekend and they are hoping people will be able to access the peak of Snowdon from next Friday, May 6.

A spokesperson said on the Facebook group: "Due to the snow on the mountain, we have reluctantly had to cancel opening this weekend.

The Snowdon railway can't open because of snow
© Hefin OwenThe Snowdon railway can't open because of snow
"The railway have been working tirelessly to keep the track clear.

Question

Outgassing? Poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas repeatedly found during air testing in Hayden Island, Oregon

Hayden Island, Oregon
© Oregonian/StaffHayden Island.
Federal air monitoring repeatedly detected a poisonous gas on Hayden Island, where residents have complained for months about air pollution so thick they could taste it.

Yet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wouldn't answer The Oregonian/OregonLive's request for basic details about the discovery of hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs. Nor has the agency informed residents about what it's found.

Judy Smith, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, would only say the dangerous gas was found at levels high enough to cause reversible short-term health effects like headaches and shortness of breath.

"These are consistent with the complaints from local residents," she said in a written statement.

Smith wouldn't say what concentration of hydrogen sulfide was detected, how frequently it appeared, or where the air monitors were set up during testing conducted from November until January. She said testing results are expected to be released at a May 9 community meeting.

The federal agency's refusal to divulge basic information about its findings continues a series of slow disclosures about Portland's toxic air that have left thousands worried about whether they're breathing clean air.

Comment: As well as hydrogen sulfide being released in the oil and gas drilling process, natural outgassing of toxic gases can also occur.

Other possible cases of outgassing around the United States in recent times include: