Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Floods leave 6 dead in Cali, Colombia (VIDEO)

Floodwater
At least 6 people have died after floods in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca department in Colombia on Thursday, 01 December 2016.

National Unit for the Management of Disaster Risk (Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres - UNGRD) reported yesterday that the flooding occurred in the Siloé district of the city. Three people were injured and at least 2 houses destroyed and others damaged. There are fears that there may be more people trapped under collapsed houses. Local fire service teams are carrying out search and rescue operations.

The Cali River has broken its banks in several areas, according to local reports. Fallen trees and landslides have also been reported in several areas of the city, according to Rodrigo Zamorano Sanclemente, Secretary for Risk Management in Cali.

UNGRD says that the situation still developing and full damage assessments are still to be carried out.

Teams from the local civil defence authority, fire service and Red Cross are working in affected areas to help victims and their families.


Cloud Lightning

Six struck by lightning bolt, three die on the spot in Swaziland

lightning
Six people were struck by lightning on Wednesday and three of them died on the spot.

The people were struck by lightning at a bus stop waiting room in Mankayane during the fierce storm that swept through the area.

Acting Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the accident involved a girl aged 14 and two males aged 20 and 25 years old.

The others who survived were rushed to hospital.

Seismograph

6.3 magnitude earthquake hits Peru, damaging houses

A man mapping the intensity of earthquake
A man mapping the intensity of earthquake
An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude has hit southern Peru, the US Geological Survey reports. Several seismological reports have put the depth of the earthquake in the shallow range of 3-10 kilometers below the surface.

Germany's GEOFON program reported the depth of the quake to be 10 kilometers, while USGS has revised its initial data to 3.6 kilometers.


The earthquake was centered 79 kilometers west-northwest of the city of Juliaca (population 245,675) and 106 kilometers northwest of Puno (population 116,552).

Cloud Precipitation

Fierce storm leaves thousands without power in Brisbane, Australia

Thousands without power after southeast Queensland storm
Thousands without power after southeast Queensland storm
A fierce storm that swept through the Brisbane region has left two people injured and thousands without power.

A traffic controller was struck by lightning on the Gold Coast. She had no visible injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution.

A 13-year-old boy was taken to hospital with hip and leg injuries when a tree fell on him at Forest Lake, in Brisbane's southwest.

Electricity supplier Energex was working throughout the night to restore power to nearly 7000 customers.

There were more than 6000 lightning strikes during the Wednesday afternoon storm that also brought strong winds and hail to the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane.



Attention

'Thousands' of mysterious jelly-like creatures found at Huntington Beach, California

These
© Don CourseyThese "critters" appeared in the Huntington Beach area on Nov. 28, 2016. (Credit: Don Coursey)These "critters" appeared in the Huntington Beach area on Nov. 28, 2016.
A number of photos showing mysterious jelly-like creatures that recently washed up on the sand in Huntington Beach have prompted rampant speculation on social media.

One Facebook user, Ryan Rustan, wrote that he was walking on the shoreline Monday night when he felt "little water balloons popping under my feet, super squishy."

He said looked down and was unsure what exactly he had stepped on.

"Couldn't tell if they were jellyfish or eggs but there are thousands up and down the beach," Rustan wrote on Facebook, sharing the post to the Huntington Beach Community Forum group.

Rustan told KTLA he saw the creatures near 10th Street and Pacific Coast Highway, on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier, but said they were "all over" the beach.

Wolf

Four in hospital, including a child, after dog attack in Manchester, UK

The incident happened in Manchester involving what's thought to be an American Bulldog, like the one here (NOT the actual dog)
The incident happened in Manchester involving what's thought to be an American Bulldog, like the one here (NOT the actual dog)
Four people are in hospital after being attacked by a dog in north Manchester.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the American Bulldog is still trapped inside the house, and police are at the scene.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said officers were called to Bluestone Road in Moston just before 1pm to reports that a dog had attacked four people.

The victims' ages are unknown but it's believed at least one was a child.

Police have said that the dog is an 'American Bulldog-type' animal. The American Bulldog is not a banned breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act - and is not to be confused with the American Pit Bull Terrier, which IS banned.

Wolf

Woman in critical condition after pit bull attack in Rochester, New York

Dog attack
A woman is fighting for her life after police say she was mauled by a dog Wednesday morning.

Officers were called to Rockview Terrace just after 1 a.m. for the report of a pit bull attack. At the scene, police say they found 33-year-old Mariah Schaffer being attacked by the dog. Investigators tell News10NBC Schaffer was on the ground and unclothed.

Police were forced to fire on the dog to save the woman's life. Deputy Chief Scott Peters says the dog owner, Jamie Cruz, was trying to stop the attack with verbal commands, but the dog was "uncontrollable." The dog's owner told officers to shoot the pit bull

"The animal was actively attacking the female by biting and chewing various areas of her body," said Deputy Chief Peters.

Attention

Great white shark attacks surfer off Booti Booti, Australia

Shark attacks
A 65-year-old man who was bitten by a great white shark while he was surfing on New South Wales' Mid North Coast is "quite happy" and in stable condition.

A 65-year-old man who was bitten by a shark while he was surfing on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales is "quite happy" and in stable condition.

Police said the man was attacked just off Booti Booti after 9:00am, by a shark later confirmed to be a great white.

He managed to swim to shore and contacted emergency services.

He was treated for puncture wounds to his arm and leg and airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in stable condition.

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said its assessment confirmed a great white shark was responsible for the attack.

Graham Nickerson, from the Westpac Rescue Service, said the victim was in good spirits despite his ordeal.

The man was in good spirits as he was airlifted to hospital.
© ABCThe man was in good spirits as he was airlifted to hospital.

Snowflake Cold

Coldest November for the Netherlands since 1998

Frost
© Johan Neven / Wikimedia Commons
This month was the coldest November the Netherlands had since 1998. The average temperature for November, measured at De Bilt, came down to 5.5 degrees. On 12 days the minimum temperature dropped below zero, according to meteorological institute KNMI.

The hottest it was this month was in Westdorpe in Zeeland, where the maximum temperature was 15.2 degrees on November 1st. Despite the low temperatures, this November was quite sunny. There was about 85 hours of sunshine, compared to the November average of around 63 hours.

According to Weerplaza, this autumn is full of extremes. Temperatures in the Netherlands went from 33 degrees to -7 degrees in three months.

Snowflake Cold

Frigid air mass building in Alaska, poised to descend into lower 48 next week

Alaska temperature Nov. 29, 2016
Alaska is witnessing its coldest air in almost two years, and some of the biting chill is forecast to plunge into the western United States in about a week's time.

In Fairbanks on Tuesday morning, the temperature tanked to minus-31 degrees, ending a 624-day stretch in which it was warmer than that — the second longest on record. Tuesday afternoon, the mercury only recovered to minus-21, ending a record-long 658-day stretch with highs above minus-10.

It was even colder in Bettles, Alaska, on Tuesday, where the temperature dropped to minus-41 with a bone-chilling wind chill of minus-53.

Statewide, it was the first time Alaska's daily temperature index was significantly below normal in almost a year.

Comment: From Paul Dorian at Vencore Weather: