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New volcanic eruptions at Turrialba (Costa Rica) and Sakurajima (Japan) on May 12, 2016


Strange Sounds
Fri, 13 May 2016 06:05 UTC
Turrialba volcano eruption
© New China TV/YouTube
Just to let you know that the Turrialba and the Sakurajima volcanoes erupted again on May 12, 2016. And the pictures and video below show you how explosive it was. Large blast at Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica.

A large blast was reported at Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica on May 12, 2016 at 07:19am (UTC) sending a column of gas and ash 3 kilometers over the top of the summit.

The eruption lasted between 8 and 11 minutes and ash fall was recorded across the Central Valley, closing the airport tobias bolaños, West of San Jose.

Roads and access to the volcano have been closed and evacuation has been started for villages in a radius of 1,6 km (1 mile) around the volcano.

This single blast was very strong meaning that there was a high pressure in the interior of the volcano. Some more to come?

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Attention

Backcountry shelter closed following black bear attack in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee


local8now.com
Thu, 12 May 2016 20:06 UTC
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are investigating a hiker's report that he was bitten by a black bear while he slept along the Appalachian Trail.
Rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are investigating a hiker's report that he was bitten by a black bear while he slept along the Appalachian Trail.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials closed the Spence Field Backcountry Shelter after an Appalachian thru-hiker was bitten by a bear. Park officials are stationed onsite to monitor for bear activity.

Bradley Veeder, 49, Las Vegas, was asleep in a tent when he says a bear bit through the tent and into his lower leg. This happened on Tuesday, May 10 at 11:16 a.m.

The bear was scared away before Veeder or other backpackers got a chance to see it.

After the attack, Veeder and the other hikers gathered at a shelter for the rest of the night. During that time, the bear came back and tore through Veeder's tent and another empty tent.

Veeder was taken out of the backcountry by horseback and then went to Blount Memorial Hospital by ambulance at 3:45 p.m. the next day.

Park officials urge everyone to exercise caution while hiking, camping, and picnicking to ensure their personal safety and to protect bears. Black bears in the park are wild and unpredictable. Though rare, attacks on humans do occur, causing injuries or death.
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Cloud Lightning

Update: Lightning strikes kill 42 across Bangladesh in 24 hours


The Hindu
Fri, 13 May 2016 19:16 UTC
In Dhaka, sudden thunderbolts killed two engineering students when they were playing football in the rain. File photo for representation purpose only.
© S. James In Dhaka, sudden thunderbolts killed two engineering students when they were playing football in the rain. File photo for representation purpose only.
At least 42 people, including women and children, were killed in Bangladesh within the last 24 hours after being struck by lightning during thundershowers, officials said on Friday.

The Meteorological office said the downpour brought with it thundershowers in 14 districts including Dhaka.

Nine people were killed in five districts on Friday as rain has been lashing several parts of the country after a spell of heat waves. Thirty-three people, including children and women, were killed on Thursday in 12 different districts.

The lightning that accompanied the seasonal nor'wester storms claimed the highest eight lives in northwestern Pabna, five each in neighbouring Sirajganj and Rajshahi districts.

Police said Dhaka, Chittagong, Joypurhat and Naogaon saw two deaths each while one person died after being struck by bolt in Sunamganj on Friday.

In Dhaka, sudden thunderbolts killed two engineering students when they were playing football in the rain.

Comment: See also: Sott Exclusive: Shocking weather! Lightning fatalities across the planet on the increase

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill five in West Bengal, India


dnaindia.com
Fri, 13 May 2016 17:18 UTC
Eight persons suffered burn injuries due to lightning strikes (File Photo)

Eight persons suffered burn injuries due to lightning strikes (File Photo)
At least five people were killed and eight injured across Malda district after being struck by lightning during thundershowers, officials said on Friday.

Two persons were killed in Harischandrapur area of the district when lightning struck them, a district police official said. In Chanchol, one person was killed after being struck by a bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm. Elsewhere in the district, two more deaths were reported due to the lightning, the official said.

Eight persons suffered burn injuries due to lightning strikes in different parts of the district and are being treated at Malda Hospital. Two persons were killed in lightning in North Dinajpur district, a district official said. While the squall brought the mercury down in North Bengal, South Bengal continued to sizzle under sweltering heat with no northwester for the past several days.

Source: PTI
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Bizarro Earth

Strong eruption of Turrialba Volcano affects Costa Rican capitol

Prensa Latina
The Extinction Protocol
Fri, 13 May 2016 14:58 UTC
Turrialba Volcano
The strong eruption by volcano Turrialba at the 01:19 local time affected a great part of the Costa Rican capital, which got up Thursday covered by a thin layer of ashes. Television stations transmitted images of the exact moment of the explosion, with a column of smoke and ashes, gases and other materials.

The Turrialba is 3,340 meters high, the 2nd highest in Costa Rica after the Irazu volcano, with 3,432 meters, and the experts stated that after this eruption, which lasted 11 minutes, the volcano went back to its passive state.

Most of the affectations were located in the Central Valley, particularly San Jose, the capital, and the smell at sulfur was still present, just as ashes in the air. Though the majority said that till now they have not presented any difficulty for this exhalation of the colossus, specialists recommend the asthmatic people and persons who suffer lung diseases to avoid to inhale the air impregnated with these gases. Specialists of the Volcano and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica talk about the perception of tremors of low intensity in the entrails of the Turrialba, that on Thursday, April 28th increased its eruptive activity.

Comment: More on this active volcano:

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Black Cat 2

Welcome back: First wolverine to be seen in North Dakota in nearly 150 years is shot for "tormenting the cows"


Outdoorhub
Thu, 12 May 2016 13:46 UTC
Dead wolverine
The first wolverine to be spotted in North Dakota in nearly 150 years came to an unceremonious end last month after it was shot and killed while harassing livestock. The 30-pound male wolverine was shot by a ranch hand near Alexander after it was spotted in a calving pasture on April 24. The ranch hand, Jared Hatter, said the critter was "tormenting the cows" when he found it. It is unknown whether Hatter had identified the creature as a wolverine before he shot it, or thought it was some other predatory animal.

In either case, officials say that Hatter appeared to have done nothing wrong. Although North Dakota may not have had a visit from a wolverine in well over a century, the state surprisingly still has a closed hunting season for the animal. More to the point, the state also allows ranchers to kill predators that attack or harass livestock. In this case, it just happened to be an animal that covered a lot of territory.
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Cloud Precipitation

Rock-hard hailstones the size of tennis balls pound fishermen in China

Andrew McDonald
Daily Star (UK)
Thu, 12 May 2016 20:29 UTC
PELTED: The fishermen hope to avoid a beating from the hail stones
PELTED: The fishermen hope to avoid a beating from the hail stones
Tennis ball-sized hailstones showered down on a group of screaming men on a fishing trip.

Huge rocks of hail cascaded from the heavens, crashing into the ground and water around the yelling men in Baise, China.

Luckily the fishermen came prepared - it being monsoon season - sporting big umbrellas to guard them from the missiles.

Although it's uncertain whether they would be able to withstand too much pelting with hail of that force.

At that size and speed, the hailstones could easily cause serious injury.


Fishermen get hit by ridiculously large hailstones by Newsflare
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Arrow Down

Giant Earth cracks and holes swallow 150 hectares of land in San Isidro, Ecuador


Strange Sounds
Wed, 11 May 2016 05:45 UTC
San Isidro earth crack
© Manavisión, Imagen de Manabí/YouTube
They call it now the San Isidro fault and it has started opening up suddenly after the M7.8 earthquake that hit Ecuador on April 16, 2016. This giant Earth crack has already swallowed up about 116 hectares of land, destroyed a farm and is threatening farmers. Officials are preoccupied!

The strong 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Ecuador on April 16, 2016 had another powerful consequence in San Isidro.

Large cracks and holes have already swallowed more than 150 hectares of fields and destroyed an entire farm with about 70 heads of cattle, and chickens and some houses threatening farmers' lifes.

The main event occurred suddenly in a loud boom.

Farmer Gonzalo was at home with his wife his daughter, 5 years, and his nephew when the the house started falling apart.

Then, outside, they were surrounded by holes and cracks.

They were able to save about 20 calves and cows from the armageddon.


Comment: Some other signs of earth 'opening up' in recent times include:

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Megaphone

Loud boom, shaking buildings prompt calls to sheriff in Sullivan County, Tennessee

Daniel Coates
WCYB
Tue, 10 May 2016 11:52 UTC
Blountville, TN
© WCYB
Several people have called emergency dispatchers about a loud boom and buildings shaking Tuesday morning near Blountville.

News 5 WCYB checked with the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, and they told us they also received several calls.

Most of the callers were along Highway 126 between Blountville and Bristol.

Officers and firefighters have been checking the area, but so far they have not determined what caused it.
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Rainbow

Circumhorizontal arc creates colorful clouds around Massachusetts

A. J. Burnett
WCVB 5
Tue, 10 May 2016 18:40 UTC
Colorful clouds!
© Brian Gird
The colorful clouds are part of something called a "circumhorizontal arc," and we are getting into the time of year when we can see these at our latitude.

The colors are caused by sunlight passing through ice crystals that look like a hexagonal plate. The crystal refracts the sunlight, like a prism, and separates the light into colors that we can see (ROYGBIV). The ice crystals need to be horizontally oriented to allow the sunlight to enter the side of the crystal, get refracted inside the plate, then exit the bottom of the crystal.
Colorful clouds in MA
© WCVB 5
The reason we can now see these circumhorizontal arcs is because the sun has to be higher than 58 degrees above the horizon. You may find such arcs usually during the midday hours.

The halo actually extends 360 degrees around the sky, however, it is only visible when the refracted light is reflected off of clouds.
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