Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Man killed instantly after being struck by lightning at child's birthday party in Argentina

Victor Lescano died after he was struck by lightning at the party
Victor Lescano died after he was struck by lightning at the party
A man was killed instantly when a bolt of lightning struck an open air birthday party injuring three others.

Victor Lescano died after the thunderstorm hit the gathering in Puma Husai, Argentina, on Sunday. Guests were celebrating a 15-year-old's birthday at the time when storm clouds rolled in, sending everyone running for cover.

The 26-year-old was hit by a bolt of electricity in the storm, Argentinian media reports, alongside three other guests at the party. Mr Lescano was rushed to hospital but sadly declared dead upon arrival.

One other guest, Betiana Orona, 23, was treated in hospital but two others needed only first aid. Lescano's sister Yani Lescano posted a tribute to her brother, writing on Facebook: "Fly high, may the light that has no end shine on you.

"My tears are unstoppable. Give me the strength to continue. I'm going to miss you every day of my life." Police and prosecutor Lorena Belkis Alderete are investigating the death, according to local media.

Cloud Precipitation

Island of Minorca in Spain hit by surprise intense hailstorm

Municipal workers in Mahon clearing away the hail.
Municipal workers in Mahon clearing away the hail.
In Minorca on Tuesday morning, there was a surprise hailstorm of such intensity that drains in Mahon were temporarily blocked and traffic had to be diverted.

In Mahon, there was precipitation of 24 litres per square metre in 15 minutes. Elsewhere, there were 64 litres in an hour. Temperatures plummeted in places like Alaior to six degrees.

Radar images from the met agency Aemet showed a storm that passed straight through Minorca, missing Mallorca. There had been a forecast of possible rain, as there was for northern areas of Mallorca, but not a storm of the type that was experienced.

For Mallorca, weather stations are currently forecasting thunderstorms on Friday for the whole of the island. Friday, a holiday for the Immaculate Conception, is looking as if it will be very wet and windy.


Cloud Precipitation

Cyclone Michaung: Runway at Chennai Airport, India flooded as rain pounds city, cars washed away - death toll rises to 17 (UPDATE)

flooded Chennai airport
© Newsable Asianet NewsFlooded Chennai airport
Flight operations at Chennai airport has been affected due to the heavy rains as Cyclone Michaung is expected to cross the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu on Monday.

Several flights have been cancelled and some of them have been diverted. The entire runway and airplane parking zone of the Chennai airport are filled with water.

Heavy rain lashed Chennai through the night on Monday as Cyclone Michaung inching closer near the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coast.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the city and its neighbouring districts would experience extremely heavy rain in the next 24 hours.


Comment: Update December 6

The Indian Express reports:
The death toll from Chennai's widespread deluge, caused by Cyclone Michaung, has gone up to 17 on Tuesday, police said. While the hours-long heavy rain in the city stopped on Monday night, streets remained waterlogged.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, saw massive downpour on Tuesday, after Cyclone Michaung made landfall in the state, between Nellore and Kavali. Authorities in the state have moved around 9,500 people from vulnerable areas into 211 relief camps across affected districts. No casualties were reported in Andhra Pradesh.

The 17 deaths that took place in Chennai since Monday were mostly due to drowning, electrocution, collapsing walls and falling trees. Several others were injured.

Tamil Nadu authorities have moved 32,158 people to relief camps over two days.



Snowflake Cold

Irony: Europe in deep freeze as Kerry warns of rampant global warming

europe snow 2023 record
© Europa-Nevada/Associated PressSnow wreaks havoc in Austria December 2023
On the same day as Biden Administration 'climate czar' John Kerry warned of out of control global warming at the UN climate conference in Dubai, the entirety of Europe is experiencing an unprecedented deep freeze.

Kerry called on the world to "judge with our own eyes what science is telling us" and warned that the arctic, the Antarctic and the permafrost are in danger of melting.

Dunno John, it looks pretty f*cking cold everywhere:

Comment: The last tweet nearly got it. The jet stream is becoming chaotic which tends to allow Arctic air masses to flow much farther south than heretofore seen. Yet another inconvenient truth for the #GlobalBoilers


Snowflake

Utah ski resorts pummeled with feet of snow

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"30-49 inch storm totals in many spots in Utah."

Buried cars. Deep base layers, and snow piling up seemingly by the second. Utah is experiencing a major snow storm, leaving mountains covered and skiers stoked.

Powderchasers, a popular IG account dedicated to helping people source fresh pow, posted "30-49 inch storm totals in many spots in Utah (Beaver, Solitude, Snowbasin, Powder, Alta). Colorado totals are 15-30 inches."

Resorts across Utah are open, with a solid base and fresh snow to boot.

Snowbasin has a 45 inch base, with 31 new inches in the past 48 hours and 14 inches over the last 24.

Attention

Woman killed in shark attack while swimming with young daughter off Mexico's Pacific coast

Great white shark
A Mexican woman who was swimming with her young daughter died after she was severely bitten in the leg by a shark in the Pacific Ocean off the beach town of Melaque, authorities said Sunday.

Rafael Araiza, the head of the local civil defense office, said the attack occurred Saturday a short distance from the beach in Melaque, just west of the seaport of Manzanillo.

The town is in the western state of Jalisco, and is located next to the better-known beach town of Barra de Navidad.

Ariaza said the woman, 26, was swimming with her five-year-old daughter toward a floating play platform about 75 feet from the shore.

The victim was trying to boost her child aboard the floating platform when the shark bit her. The daughter was not harmed.

Attention

US tourist from Boston killed in shark attack in Bahamas, police say

Great white shark
A female tourist from Boston was killed Monday by a shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas, police told reporters.

The victim, who was not identified, was attacked less than a mile off the western end of New Providence island, where the capital, Nassau, is located. She was paddleboarding with a man who was not injured, according to Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences...for this most unfortunate situation," she said.

Police said a lifeguard rescued both people with a boat upon seeing what was happening, but the woman suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body and was declared dead at the scene despite CPR efforts.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills 6 people, injures 5 in Tanzania

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SIX people have died and five others injured by lightning in Maparagwe village, Chikukwa Ward in Masasi District, Mtwara Region.

Mtwara Regional Police Commander (RPC), Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Nicodemus Katembo announced on Monday here, saying that the incident occurred at around 18 hours on Sunday.

He named those who died as Patrick Maurus (42), Fatuma Rashid (40), Rosina Wales (46), Regina Vincent (55), Zainabu Abdulrahaman (62) and Zainabu Mussa (44).

Those injured are Amina Abdulrahaman (62), Halman Fadhili (04), John Nguli (39), Luiz William (36) and Mzamiru Said (02).

ACP Katembo said the lightning strikes occurred when the named people had gathered to celebrate their relative's graduation ceremony, after completing O-level education.

Cloud Precipitation

Tanzania Floods: Tragedy strikes Hanang District with at least 65 fatalities after heavy overnight rain (UPDATES)

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In the early hours of December 3, 2023, the tranquil life in Katesh and Gendabi areas within Hanang District, Manyara Region, Tanzania, was interrupted by severe flooding. The overnight rains triggered mudslides and instigated the partial collapse of Mount Hanang. The aftermath - a shocking tally of at least 20 fatalities and 70 injuries, with homes, shops, business areas, and the main bus station in Katesh lying in ruins.


Comment: Update December 4

Reuters reports:
The death toll from floods and landslides in northern Tanzania following torrential rains over the weekend has risen to more than 50, with 750 acres of farmland destroyed, the president's office said on Monday.

Zuhura Yunus, spokesperson for President Samia Suluhu Hassan's office said in a statement that the landslides and floods had affected 1,150 households, or 5,600 people.

Severe flooding caused by El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole weather phenomena has killed hundreds of people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes since seasonal rains began in October.

Update December 6

Al Jazeera reports:
At least 65 people have been killed in landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rainfall in northern Tanzania, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Tuesday, revising the death toll of 68 given by regional officials a day earlier.

Torrential downpours over the weekend washed away vehicles and brought down buildings in the hillside town of Katesh, 300km (185 miles) north of the capital, Dodoma.

"Two more bodies were found in the ongoing search and now the death toll has reached 65," Majaliwa said.

Images broadcast on television showed debris from houses, including furniture, strewn across streets, with key roads, power lines and communication networks disrupted.

"From around five in the morning [on Sunday], I heard loud bangs outside the house. When we tried to escape, it was too late because mud, trees, and stones were rolling from the mountain," said a man named James, who lost his wife and daughter in the disaster.

Some 5,600 people have been displaced by the landslides, said Mobhare Matinyi, a government spokesperson.

Rashid Ntandu, 24, lost his house in the disaster and found shelter in a school in Katesh which has been turned into a refuge centre.

"I believe there are more bodies covered by mud," he said.



Binoculars

Cattle tyrant bird native to South America turns up in Corpus Christi, Texas in November - never before seen in North America

The cattle tyrant is a flycatcher bird native to South America that has never been sighted north of Panama, until now.
© Raul Alonzo / Texas StandardThe cattle tyrant is a flycatcher bird native to South America that has never been sighted north of Panama, until now.
Over the years, there have been many efforts to revitalize downtown Corpus Christi as a means of drawing in tourists. And, driving down Schatzell Street one Saturday afternoon in November, you might think that's been a roaring success when you see a group of people walking around with cameras and binoculars.

But they're actually here to see another tourist to the area - one that's never before been seen in North America: the cattle tyrant, a flycatcher bird native to South America.

It's an unusual sight to be sure. The cattle tyrant had to have traveled nearly 3,000 miles and crossed several borders to make it to its current stake-out spot near a sushi restaurant and parking garage in downtown Corpus. And ever since it was identified, scores of birders from all over have made the trip to catch a glimpse of it.