Earth ChangesS


Attention

Teen hospitalised after shark attack at Cape St Francis, South Africa

Christina Pitt
News24
Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:46 UTC
shark
A 19-year-old was attacked by a shark while surfing at Cape St Francis, near Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.

The teenager was helped out of the water by fellow surfers and friends and was treated for shock and lacerations to his left knee by National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) medics.

"The species of the shark remains unknown and initial observations suggest that the injuries may have been caused by a relatively small shark, but this cannot be confirmed at this stage," said NSRI St Francis Bay deputy station commander Stuart Obray.

The surfer was transported to the hospital and is in a stable condition.
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Cloud Precipitation

Much of US will see below normal temps this weekend, similarities to storm of 1982 - cold expected throughout April

Paul Dorian
Vencore Weather
Thu, 05 Apr 2018 10:29 UTC
US north east April 5th 2018 storm
Much of the eastern two-thirds of the nation will feature well below-normal temperatures on Saturday afternoon as depicted by the 06Z GEFS 2-m temperature anomalies; courtesy NOAA, tropicaltidbits.com
Overview

A very active weather pattern is bringing the I-95 corridor intense winds today associated with a strong cold frontal system and there may be another round of springtime accumulating snow this Saturday for much of the region. Winds could gust past 50 mph this afternoon and early evening following the passage of a strong cold front as a fresh cold air mass rushes into the region. On Thursday, it'll be dry and quite cold for this time of year and the winds will start off the day quite strong though they will likely diminish during the mid and late afternoon hours. A "clipper-type" low pressure system will then bring rain showers to the I-95 corridor on Friday and push a cold front through the region. This front will usher in very cold air for this time of year by early Saturday and low pressure will form along the stalling frontal boundary zone and likely generate accumulating snow in the DC-to-Philly-to-NYC corridor.

Comment: Winter in the US has been brutal, but it's reflective of a much wider trend:

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Ice Cube

Record breaking April cold set to hit north eastern U.S. this weekend - snow from Washington to Boston

Chris Sommerfeldt
NY Daily News
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 16:59 UTC
Stone Street in downtown Manhattan on March 22.
© Michael Dabin/New York Daily NewsA worker removes snow from the stairwell by Stone Street in downtown Manhattan on March 22.
An unusually cold winter storm is bound for New York City - again.

Dreams of clear skies and mild weather will have to wait, as forecasters predicted Wednesday that a record-breaking Arctic blast is headed for the East Coast this weekend.

"Ridiculous late season arctic outbreak Fri/Sat," Weather Company meteorologist Michael Palmer tweeted.

Temperatures in the city are expected to drop as much as 20 degrees below the normal and a slushy snow-rain mix will likely start falling on Friday and continue well into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Comment: Arctic blasts, splitting jet streams, polar vortex's - how many new terms have to be invented before forecasters realise that our weather is dramatically changing, it's becoming increasingly colder, the seasons are much more volatile and erratic, and the phenomenon is worldwide, and which is evidence of the fact that we're entering an ice age:

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Attention

Mass stranding of 38 pilot whales at Haast, New Zealand


New Zealand Herald
Thu, 05 Apr 2018 08:46 UTC
Rescuing the whales stranded on the sandbar in rough conditions would put both people and the animals at risk.
© Kerry EggelingRescuing the whales stranded on the sandbar in rough conditions would put both people and the animals at risk.
The dozen pilot whales that were still alive out of the 38 stranded will be euthanised after any attempt at rescue was branded impossible.

The pilot whales stranded at the mouth of the Okuru River, south of Haast yesterday afternoon.

A Department of Conservation spokesman Wayne Costello said the 12 whales that were still alive would be humanely euthanised. The dangerous sea and lagoon conditions meant an attempt to refloat the whales could not be made safely.

"Unfortunately the sea on the West Coast is typically rough and the strong tidal currents in the adjoining lagoon made it impossible for rescuers to safely attempt to refloat the whales, allow them to regroup and to try to get them back to the open sea," Costello said.

Comment: Also, within the last 2 weeks: Horrifying footage as mass stranding of over 150 pilot whales hits Hamelin Bay, Western Australia

Mass stranding of 61 dolphins in Argentina, 49 die

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Tornado2

Tornado filmed touching down in Blackpool, England

Michael Holmes
Blackpool Gazette
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 15:39 UTC
Tornado blackpool April 1st 2018
The strange cloud formation was seen around the area of Whitegate Drive earlier this afternoon, with a picture and video being sent to The Gazette by readers.

This picture, taken by Steph Bosson close to Oxford Square, shows the cloud

In the footage, sent in by Ian Punchard, a man can be heard saying: "What is it?"

Another says it's a tornado, before the voice adds: "That cloud there just started funneling. It's coming down and down and down, I'm telling you. You can see the cloud spinning as well."

Comment: The accepted difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado is that a tornado actually makes contact with the ground, and in this video, regardless of the strength of the wind speeds, it appears to touchdown, therefore it would likely be classified as a tornado.

Tornadoes, snownadoes, firenadoes, and other wind vortices, appear to be on the increase and in conditions that do not correlate with the accepted view of how they form, see: Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?

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Tornado2

Tornadoes and deadly storms strike in South, Midwest US


The Weather Channel
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 14:30 UTC
Alabama storm damage
© Crystal Vander Weit/The Decatur Daily via APA fallen tree rests on the damaged home of Maggie Jordan, Wednesday, April 4, 2018, in Decatur, Ala. Jordan lost three large trees, three cars were damaged as well as structural damage to her roof after strong thunderstorms moved through the area the night before.
Severe storms battered the South on Tuesday and Wednesday, uprooting trees, damaging homes and buildings and killing one. Several tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS) throughout the Midwest and South. Jamie Guin, an electric company employee, died in Prentiss County, Mississippi, when he touched a live wire during storm repairs.

Strong winds from a wet microburst collapsed a hangar at Houston's Hobby Airport on Wednesday morning, damaging eight planes, according to KTRK-TV. No one was injured in the collapse, but public information officer Bill Begley told the AP that repairs due to the storm will likely cost millions of dollars.

An EF1 tornado brought winds up to 110 mph to Grove City, Ohio, damaging roofs and scattering debris southwest of Columbus, Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch reported that seven people were trapped in vehicles as the storm knocked down powerlines on Grove City's Hoover Road. Some were trapped for more than five hours. Another possible tornado was reported in Clark County, Ohio, and a confirmed tornado touched down in Xenia, Ohio, flattening buildings.

Homes and buildings sustained damage near Galatia, Illinois, on Tuesday, while a separate storm struck Effingham, Illinois, causing damage to several buildings as well. The NWS also confirmed an EF2 tornado in Vandalia, Illinois.

Torrential rains brought flooding to central Ohio as well as parts of Illinois and Indiana, shutting down roadways. At least a dozen people were evacuated by boat from Mattoon, Illinois, Journal Gazette and Times-Courier reported.

Storms in Decatur, Alabama, injured one person, and damage was reported about 60 miles away in Jasper as well.
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Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole covering two-lane highway opens in Pretoria, South Africa

Christina Pitt
news24
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 21:34 UTC
Laudium, Pretoria, SA sinkhole
© eNCA/Silindelo MasikaneThe sinkhole in Laudium.
The cause of the large sinkhole covering both lanes of the R55 in Laudium, Pretoria is yet to be identified by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.

The sinkhole was identified by department officials, who identified cracks in the road, during a routine maintenance check two weeks ago, said provincial spokesperson Melitah Madiba.

"We sent out a statement two weeks ago informing drivers about the sinkhole," she said.

"Our technical team is still running tests to determine the cause of the sinkhole. We should have the report sometime next week."

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Snowflake

"Where is spring?" Record snowfall across the Upper Midwest


Weather Nation
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 20:11 UTC
chart
The Upper Midwest is no stranger to snow. Another winter storm moved through the area on Tuesday and dumped more powder across the region.

Snow bands set up and dropped several inches of snow. A few cities even set daily snowfall records Tuesday too. Many of the new records shattered the previous ones. Wausau, WI set a new record that was almost 4″ greater than the previous record from 1923.
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Snowflake

Multiple cities in Wisconsin set snowfall records in spring storm

Karen Madden and Chris Mueller
Wausau Daily Herald
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 19:51 UTC
snow
A spring snowstorm set daily snowfall records in Appleton, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Wausau and several other Wisconsin cities on Tuesday.

The storm dumped 6.4 inches of snow in Appleton, 8.1 inches in Green Bay, 4.4 inches in Oshkosh and 9.3 inches in Wausau — all daily records in those cities, according to the National Weather Service in Green Bay.

Other cities set records too: Antigo at 7.5 inches, Marshfield at 7.2 inches, Merrill at 7.3 inches, Stevens Point at 8.2 inches, Sturgeon Bay at 11 inches and Wisconsin Rapids at 7.9 inches.

A few parts of Waupaca and Oconto counties got nearly a foot of snow during the two-day snowstorm, but most of the region got between 6 and 8 inches.

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Snowflake

Heavy spring snowfall hits Michigan with up to 14 inches


US News
Wed, 04 Apr 2018 19:36 UTC
A loader moves sand from a parking lot back to Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon, Mich.
© Muskegon ChronicleA loader moves sand from a parking lot back to Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon, Mich.
A spring storm dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula and is blamed for creating hazardous road conditions seen as a factor in three traffic deaths.

A spring storm dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula, creating hazardous road conditions and blamed in at least three traffic deaths.

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