Earth ChangesS

Ice Cube

Enormous icebergs break off from Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland

Iceland iceberg
© Olen Adventures / YouTube
A video of enormous chunks of ancient ice covered in dark volcanic ash breaking off from a glacier, captured by a tourist in Iceland, has taken YouTube by storm.

Don Olen and his wife were on a trip to Svinafellsjokull Glacier when they shot the stunning clip. They were away from their group when they heard noises that sounded like an iceberg starting to break up.

Tornado1

Yemen sees unprecedented Cyclone double-whammy, 14 killed on Socotra island

damaged house after Cyclone Megh
© ReutersA damaged house is pictured in a village deserted after Cyclone Megh struck it on Yemen's Socotra island.

This is the second cyclone to hit the war-torn country in a week


Cyclone Megh has killed 14 people on war-ravaged Yemen's Socotra island, the second rare tropical storm to hit the Arabian Peninsula country in a week, officials said.

Two women and two children were among the 14 people who died on the island, around 350 km off Yemen's mainland. Dozens more were injured.

The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said Megh appeared to be getting weaker as it made landfall on Yemen's coast early onTuesday.

"A thousand houses collapsed and some 2,000 others were damaged" on Socotra, and hundreds of fishing boats were damaged and many livestock animals killed, officials said.

Heavy rain and strong winds also took Socotra's port out of service and caused extensive damage to the island's roads, 80 percent of which became impassable.

Comment: Less than a week ago Cyclone Chapala struck Yemen, the first ever cyclone (hurricane) to make landfall on the Arabian peninsula. We are observing increasingly chaotic and 'extraordinary' weather events all over the planet these days. See SOTT's Earth Changes video summary for September below.


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


Bizarro Earth

Strong earthquake recorded off La Serena in Northern Chile

Chile Earthquake
© USGS
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has struck off the coast of northern Chile, seismologists say.

The earthquake, which struck at 10:54 p.m. local time on Tuesday, was centered in the ocean about 94 kilometers (58 miles) west of La Higuera, or 101 kilometers (63 miles) northwest of Coquimbo, according to Chile's seismological service. It struck about 32 kilometer (19 miles) below the ocean floor, making it a shallow earthquake.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which also measured the earthquake at 6.9, said there was no threat of a Pacific-wide tsunami, and Chile's Hydrographical and Oceanographical Service of the Navy (SHOA) confirmed that no tsunami alerts had been issued.

Strong shaking was felt in coastal regions, witnesses said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, said Chile's National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI).

Other details were not immediately available.

X

Earthquake measuring 6.6 magnitude strikes off coast of Chile

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© USGS
A 6.6 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Chile, some 110 kilometers west of Coquimbo, according to USGS.

The epicenter of the quake was located at a depth of 38 kilometers (23.6 miles).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that based on all available data they have received; there is no threat of a tsunami striking Hawaii.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage having occurred to local buildings.

The quake affected the same region as the deadly 8.3-magnitude earthquake in September, which killed at least 15 and forced over one million people to evacuate their homes, triggering tsunami warnings in California and Hawaii.

Chile has a long history of major quakes, including the strongest recorded in recent history. At least 1,655 people were killed and 3,000 injured in the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960.

Comment: 6.3 Quake rocks northern Chile, causes panic among residents


Cloud Lightning

Biggest Super El Nino in 144 years to bring three months of storms to UK

High waves batter Aberystwyth, Wales
© AlamyHigh waves batter Aberystwyth, Wales
Britain can expect a winter to rival that of 2013 with the biggest 'Super El Nino' in 144 years expected to hit the UK.

Britain will be battered by three months of storms which could start within days when the biggest Super El Nino in 144 years hits the UK.

A Met Office forecast warns of potential flooding caused by more than one and a half foot of rain, with councils and emergency services told to be on standby for what will "more likely than not" become "the strongest ever" El Nino on record.

The forecast - which predicts gale-force winds and freezing -14C temperatures in early 2016 - serves as a grim reminder of the winter of 2013, which wreaked chaos across the UK and left 17 people dead.

Comment: With Storm Abby bursting on the scene with severe weather and possibly up to 80mph winds, this winter is looking like it's going to be one for the history books. People should take care in doing any sort of travel and be prepared in case supply lines get significantly disrupted.


Snowflake

Massive snowfall ranging 6-18 inches hits Reno, Nevada

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© Jason BeanFallen leaves are seen in Plumas Park after a storm blanketed the Reno area with snow on Nov. 10, 2015.
Here's what we know now:

* โ€‹Snowfall ranged from 6 to about 18 inches. The deepest Reno-area snow fell in Stead, Panther Valley and Cold Springs.

* 13 Washoe schools are closed, mostly due to heat and power outages. Other were delayed 2 hours.

* Truckee Meadow Community College was delayed till 10 a.m.

* There will be no delays at UNR.

* Many slide-offs were reported on area roads, and injury crashes were reported on eastbound Interstate 80 on Sparks Boulevard and on northbound Pyramid Highway. Another accident was reported on southbound Interstate 580 near South Virginia Street.

* More than 36,700 NV Energy customers were without power as of 9:30 a.m.

* The snow is forecast to clear the area by Tuesday afternoon.

* Temperatures are expected to dip down to the 20s or lower.

* Chains and snow tires are required on many Tahoe-area roads, most notably:

- North U.S. 395

Comment: According to U.S. climate data, average annual snowfall for Reno is 22 inches. The city has received 80% of its annual snow fall in in one storm.


Windsock

UK's first named storm 'Abigail' set to bring huge waves and 80mph winds across far north amid severe weather warning

Blackpool storm waves
© PAWaves crash against the sea walls in Blackpool, as high winds batter the north of the country.
Storm Abigail, the first storm to be officially named by the Met Office, is set to bring winds of up to 80mph to parts of Scotland later this week.

A yellow "be aware" warning has been issued for late Thursday into Friday for the Western and Northern Isles, Highlands and Argyll.

The warning also applies to parts of Moray and Aberdeenshire.

Earlier this year the Met Office asked the public for suggestions for names for storms.

Storm Abigail could bring gusts of 60 to 70mph, potentially rising to speeds of up to 80mph in exposed areas.

The warning is in place from 18:00 on Thursday until 14:00 on Friday.

Sun

Stunning three suns phenomenon appears at sunrise in northern Russia

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A triple sunrise has been spotted in northern Russia on November 6, 2015.

The three suns phenomenon - known as a 'sundog' or 'phantom sun' - is created by the presence of tiny ice crystals in the air. Magical.

Could you imagine that waking up in the morning to what appeared to be three separate suns on the horizon?

The ice crystals are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

However they refract the sunlight resulting in three brightly burning suns.

According to the video, this phenomenal optical illusion was captured on November 6, 2015.


Attention

Three injured in two bear attacks in Kaghan, Pakistan; over 5 recent incidents in 2 months

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More than five people wounded in similar attacks over past few months.
At least three people were injured after being attacked by bears in separate incidents in Kaghan Valley on Saturday.

A police official told The Express Tribune on Sunday, Sajid Mehmood, a resident of Shangriyan village and a student of class eight, was on his way home with his mother, Razia Bibi, when he was attacked by a wild bear in the neighbouring village.

"The mother and son were passing through a forest when the bear attacked the boy," the official said.

He added Razia Bibi tried to save her son by throwing stones at the bear. However, the animal attacked her as well.

Attention

Dead false killer whale washes ashore on Big Island, Hawaii

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© Ian Chun
Marine mammal experts are investigating the death of an endangered false killer whale found washed ashore Saturday on the Big Island.

The female became stranded in the South Point area.

Officials with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said this particular whale had been seen eight times between 2000 and 2014. It's rare for Hawaii's false killer whales to strand themselves, officials said, adding that it has happened three times in the last 17 years.

"If you consider that there are 200 individuals in the population and if you take away one female from a critically endangered population and she has the reproductive potential to produce many calves throughout her life and to remove her at a young age from the population, we're removing that contribution to the recovery of the species," said David Schofield, NOAA Marine Mammal Response manager.

The animal was brought to Oahu for a necropsy to determine the cause of death.