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Roger Francis McGill, 61, of Kaukapakapa, was riding with the Northland Hunt on a farm near Dargaville when struck by a bolt of lightning during a violent electrical storm. He died instantly.
Myth: If it isn't raining, there is no danger from lightning.
Fact: Lightning often strikes away from heavy rainfall. It may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall.
Fact: Lightning often strikes away from heavy rainfall. It may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall.
The Earth's jet streams, the high-altitude bands of fast winds that strongly influence the paths of storms and other weather systems, are shifting--possibly in response to global warming. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution determined that over a 23-year span from 1979 to 2001 the jet streams in both hemispheres have risen in altitude and shifted toward the poles. The jet stream in the northern hemisphere has also weakened. These changes fit the predictions of global warming models and have implications for the frequency and intensity of future storms, including hurricanes.
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| ©NOAA |
| Hurricane Andrew. Storm paths in North America are likely to shift northward as a result of the jet stream changes. Hurricanes, whose development tends to be inhibited by jet streams, may become more powerful and more frequent as the jet streams move away from the sub-tropical zones where hurricanes are born. |
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 rocked the northwest coast of the Japanese island of Honshu today, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake, recorded at 4:19 a.m. local time, was 147 kilometers (91 miles) deep, the agency said. Its epicenter was 372 kilometers north of Tokyo, and about 81 kilometers south of Akita.
The quake, recorded at 4:19 a.m. local time, was 147 kilometers (91 miles) deep, the agency said. Its epicenter was 372 kilometers north of Tokyo, and about 81 kilometers south of Akita.
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| ©AP Photo/Pueblo Chieftain, Chris McLean |
| Farm structures, fence, trees and brush go up in flames on rural property near Ordway, Colo., on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. What started as a grass fire southeast of the small town in southeastern Colorado quickly grew into a massive blaze as high winds fueled flames and destroyed houses and agricultural ground. |
Firefighters were hoping rain and snow Wednesday would help them quell blazes that scorched thousands of acres, forced hundreds of residents to evacuate and left three people dead.
Six teenagers and a teacher have been killed in a flash flood on a river in New Zealand. The river level had risen sharply in half an hour, sweeping some of them downstream through a gorge.
A group of 12 students and teachers were on an outdoor leadership course when they were hit by floodwaters late yesterday in the Mangetepopo Gorge, in an isolated area near the centre of New Zealand's North Island.
A group of 12 students and teachers were on an outdoor leadership course when they were hit by floodwaters late yesterday in the Mangetepopo Gorge, in an isolated area near the centre of New Zealand's North Island.
Vienna -- Scientists are developing a tsunami warning system for the Mediterranean region which they said on Wednesday should be ready in 2011 and could save thousands of lives.
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Thursday but there was no tsunami threat and no immediate reports of damage, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.
Cleveland, Ohio - Researchers from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo have discovered a rare giant turtle in northern Vietnam - a find that carries great scientific and cultural significance. Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle was previously thought to be extinct in the wild. Three other turtles of the species are in captivity, said experts from the Zoo's Asian turtle program.
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| ©AP Photo/Cleveland Metroparks Zoo |
| This undated photo provided by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo shows a captive Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle from Thanh Hoa province in Vietnam. Zoo researchers recently discovered one of the rare giant turtles in the wild in northern Vietnam. |
Killer bees in Kingsville apparently living up to their name. The Africanized insects swarmed a neighborhood leaving one man seriously injured and killing at least five dogs.
As Jesse Rios was recounting his harrowing brush with the killer bees Monday afternoon, we came under attack.
As Jesse Rios was recounting his harrowing brush with the killer bees Monday afternoon, we came under attack.
