Earth ChangesS


Windsock

Hurricane Erick weakens after hitting Mexico's coast as Category 3 storm

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Hurricane Erick weakened after slamming into Mexico's southern Pacific coast as a Category 3 storm, leaving a trail of damaged businesses, wrecked boats and flooded streets in the state of Oaxaca as authorities warned of risks from heavy rain.

The hurricane struck near the beach town of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state early on Thursday morning, bringing powerful winds and rain. The storm was downgraded to Category 1 after landfall, with sustained winds dropping to 137 kilometres per hour (85 miles per hour).

In Puerto Escondido, emergency workers and residents moved quickly to restore access by removing fallen trees, downed signs and sand-covered boats. Streets were flooded, and large parts of the town lost power and mobile coverage.

Despite the destruction, officials reported no deaths or injuries in the storm's wake.

The government deployed hundreds of troops and electricity workers for the cleanup operation, the AFP news agency reported.

Luis Alberto Gil, a 44-year-old local shopkeeper, told AFP the floodwaters had reached levels unseen in recent memory. "The water had never hit with this magnitude," he said, standing outside his damaged business.


Tornado1

Tornadoes hit Saskatchewan as severe storms pelt Prairies

Tornado hits Saskatchewan as severe storms pelt Prairies
Tornado hits Saskatchewan as severe storms pelt Prairies
Storm spotters witnessed at least one tornado in southern Saskatchewan on Thursday as severe thunderstorms hit the region.

A dynamic setup across the south-central Prairies allowed isolated thunderstorms to develop on Thursday. The bulk of the active weather unfolded across Saskatchewan.

At least three rotating thunderstorms prompted tornado warnings from communities near Saskatoon to rural areas near Estevan.

The storm in southeastern Saskatchewan near Estevan produced at least one spotter-confirmed tornado. Multiple chasers in the region caught photos of the twister as it swept through fields, hurling debris through the air along its track.

Large hail, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall also accompanied the severe thunderstorms.

Experts will likely survey the damage in the days ahead to confirm the number of tornadoes that touched down Thursday and assign damage ratings on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

See visuals of Thursday's severe weather across the region, below.


Tornado1

Tornado damage seen in Ohio Valley as derecho knocks out power to nearly half a million

This photo shows a likely waterspout
© @subzerodjtype/X / FOX WeatherThis photo shows a likely waterspout spinning across the Mississippi River in Clarksville, Missouri, on June 18, 2025.
A serial derecho ripped across the Ohio Valley on Wednesday and produced damaging wind gusts across hundreds of communities, causing nearly 500,000 power outages at the height of the storm.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the derecho - a cluster of thunderstorms that produces multiple wind gusts of at least 75 mph - swept across a 580-mile stretch from Illinois to western Pennsylvania.

The states of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio appeared to be the hardest hit, with even a few tornadoes spotted during the late-morning and early afternoon.

Damage consistent with an EF-1 tornado was reported in Pike County, Missouri, according to the National Weather Service. A survey of the damage is ongoing.


Volcano

Italy: Mount Etna erupts again with ash cloud up to 6,000 meters high

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Mount Etna has erupted again on the Mediterranean island of Sicily. According to the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), lava flows and an ash cloud up to 6,000 meters high were observed on Europe's largest active volcano.

Etna, which is around 3,350 meters high, erupts regularly and is constantly monitored. These so-called strombolian eruptions - explosive eruptions with lava and ash - often provide spectacular images and attract numerous spectators.

Highest warning level for air traffic - civil defense warns

According to the INGV, the ash cloud is mainly spread to the north. The lava escaping from the south-east crater flows into a small lava flow in the remote Valle del Leone ("Lion Valley"). Visibility of the activity is limited due to dense clouds.


Fish

Whale mortality rises in San Francisco Bay with 22 confirmed carcasses in 2025

Gray whale deaths in San Francisco Bay reached 22 as of mid-June 2025, with data showing continued population decline and signs of ecosystem stress and malnutrition.

San Francisco Bay
© Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, EO Broweser, The Watchers. Acquired on June 12, 2025
At least 22 whale carcasses have been confirmed in the San Francisco Bay Area so far in 2025, including 19 gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), two unidentified baleen whales, and one minke whale. This is the highest number reported in the region since 2021, when an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) affected gray whales along the Eastern North Pacific.

Data collected by local observers and the Marine Mammal Center indicate that more than 30 gray whales have been seen alive in San Francisco Bay over the same period. This represents an increase from just 6 whales observed by May 2024.

Approximately one-third of those whales remained in the bay for more than 20 days, with visible signs of varied health that ranged from normal to emaciated condition.


Tsunami

Heavy rains flood cities in southern China - 22.5 inches of rain in 24 hours (incl. 5.5 inches in 2)

Heavy rains flood cities in southern China
Heavy rains flood cities in southern China
Torrential rains continued to batter southern China on Tuesday, causing severe flooding and prompting mass evacuations in parts of Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Huaiji County in Guangdong's Zhaoqing City was particularly hard hit, with urban streets submerged in flood water and tens of thousands evacuated.

The Sui River at the county's hydrological station reached a peak of 55.22 meters at 7:05 Wednesday local time, exceeding the warning level by 5.22 meters and marking the highest flood level since records began.

Authorities in Huaiji acted swiftly, initiating a top-level flood control emergency response on Tuesday evening. Schools, businesses, and transportation services were suspended, and all emergency shelters were opened.

Across the county, 19 towns have been affected, impacting over 78,000 people, with more than 29,000 evacuated. No casualties have been reported so far.


Comment: ChinaNews.com.cn reports:
[...]

According to meteorological and hydrological monitoring, from 8:00 on the 17th to 8:00 on the 18th, the average rainfall in the province was 39.8 mm. The number of towns and streets with rainfall exceeding 25 mm accounted for 54.1% of the total number of towns and streets in the province. 31 towns and streets recorded extremely heavy rains of more than 250 mm, 174 towns and streets recorded torrential rains of 100 to 250 mm, 307 towns and streets recorded heavy rains of 50 to 100 mm, and 382 towns and streets recorded heavy rains of 25 to 50 mm. The towns and streets with the largest rainfall in each city include: Tanshui Town, Yangchun City, Yangjiang City, 572.5 mm, Nahuo Town, Dianbai District, Maoming City, 427 mm, Xiaosanjiang Town, Lianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County, Qingyuan City, 326.1 mm, and Xiashuai Zhuang and Yao Township, Huaiji County, Zhaoqing City, 315.5 mm.

[...]



Tornado2

14 reported tornadoes spotted across the state of Minnesota

Sheila Brauer, a resident of Little Marion Lake, estimated the picture she took of the waterspout was about a quarter mile from her cabin.
© Sheila BrauerSheila Brauer, a resident of Little Marion Lake, estimated the picture she took of the waterspout was about a quarter mile from her cabin.
Fourteen tornadoes were reported across Minnesota Monday evening as severe storms impacted the majority of the state.


Lightning

25 killed in lightning strikes in under 24 hours across Uttar Pradesh, India

Officials inspect the scene where a hut was reduced to ashes in a lightning strike, killing four members of a family, in Prayagraj.
© Hindustan TimesOfficials inspect the scene where a hut was reduced to ashes in a lightning strike, killing four members of a family, in Prayagraj.
At least 25 people were killed in lightning strikes in 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh from Saturday night to Sunday morning, officials said.

As per data released by the relief commissioner's office, five deaths were reported in Prayagraj district, four in Jaunpur, two each in Lalitpur, Gorakhpur, Bareilly and Bijnor, and each in Lucknow, Kanpur Dehat, Kushinagar, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Sambhal, Jhansi and Jalaun districts.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officers concerned to promptly launch relief work in the districts hit by storm, rain and hailstorm.

The chief minister directed the district administration officers to visit the affected areas. He also directed them to provide financial assistance to the family members of the deceased and others who suffered losses. The injured should be given proper treatment, he added.

Yogi said officers should conduct a survey to assess crop loss and send a report to the government so that further action can be taken.

Lightning

Residents see dead pelicans fall out of the sky during a thunderstorm in Mobile, Alabama on June 14

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© Mason Terrill / News 5 Photographer
Mobile, Alabama, police recently responded to reports of pelican corpses falling from the sky in one neighborhood, which sat there for days, according to NewsNation affiliate WKRG.

WKRG spoke with residents, who believe that a lightning strike might've caused the pelicans to fall from the sky.

One woman said she heard two loud booms during a thunderstorm and saw birds on the ground after it passed.

"Ain't no way, we looked outside, 16 birds just in our yard," resident Destany Williams said. "Nowhere else, just in the yard. This ain't no coincidence... This is the end of the world for real."


Lightning

Lightning kills 14 in Bihar, India in 24 hours, a day ahead of monsoon entry

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Tragedy struck Bihar on Monday as sudden lightning storms claimed 14 lives and left 11 others injured across four districts. The victims, many of them farmers, children, and daily wage workers, were caught off guard by the deadly weather while going about their routine.

A Sudden Storm, A Trail of Grief

Heavy rains accompanied by lightning swept through Buxar, West Champaran, Katihar, and other districts, turning a routine monsoon day into one of devastation. Among the deceased were four residents from Buxar, three each from West Champaran and Katihar, and one person each from Lakhisarai, Kaimur, Sitamarhi, and Bhagalpur.

In West Champaran, three lives were lost in separate incidents in the Ramnagar and Lauriya areas. A woman was among the deceased. Seven others, including four women, were injured in these lightning strikes. Among them, a child's condition is said to be critical.