Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Unusual hailstorm blankets Saudi Arabian city

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The city of Buraidah in Saudi Arabia woke to an unusual spectacle on Thursday, as a wave of hail showers transformed the arid cityscape into a winter wonderland. A phenomenon seldom seen in this part of the world, the hailstorm left the city blanketed in white, turning streets, vehicles, and buildings into a surreal icy tableau.


Bizarro Earth

Catastrophic waves flood Calif. beach bringing flooding and rip currents

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© Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesMen watch from a balcony in Faria Beach as huge waves crash on the shore Thursday in Ventura County, California.
Offshore storms shoved waves toward communities along the California coast, bringing flooding and road closures, as well as fright to nearly 20 people who were briefly swept away along a Ventura beach on Thursday. Eight people were taken to the hospital, officials said.

The swells will not be a one-day thing: Some areas of the California coast will see towering waves - some up to 30 feet - through the weekend. The waves will usher high water and rip currents. Coastal flood alerts and high-surf alerts stretch from the US-Mexico border to north of the Bay Area.

Waves, coupled with high tides, sent torrents of seawater into Santa Cruz along the central coast.

Tornado2

Storm Gerrit tears '£3m' wind turbine as 85mph gales barreled down on Britain

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© X/Dedicated_beingDebris from the lone wind turbine was flung into the seemingly empty field surrounding it, December 28, 2023 in Ayrshire, England
There are many potential hazards of Net Zero but who'd have thought being decapitated might be one of them? According to the Mail it seems that Storm Gerritt had the same effect as trying to do a crash dive in a Tiger Moth:
Shocking footage showed the energy generator in Ayrshire, Scotland, wracking up speed before the blades suddenly come loose and are flung across a seemingly deserted field in opposite directions.

Loud crashes are heard as the debris lands on the ground, while bare trees surrounding the lone turbine are blown back and forth.

Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: Himalayas have been getting COLDER, Nature Geoscience journal reports

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© TwitterImage shows an ice-covered mountain of the Himalayan range
While this phenomenon may slow down the effects of global warming in some areas, its sustainability is not guaranteed over the coming decades.

A surprising phenomenon has emerged in the mighty Himalayas that might slow down the effects of the global climate crisis. Scientists have noted that when high temperatures hit high-altitude ice masses, 'katabatic' winds are triggered that blow cold air to lower-altitude areas.


Comment: That may be the case, although there's data showing that temperatures at higher altitudes in certain regions of the world have also been decreasing: Extremely rare 'rainbow clouds' light up Arctic skies for 3 days in a row


The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, was conducted using data from the Pyramid International Laboratory/Observatory climate station on Mount Everest, the world's tallest summit.

Comment: Their conclusion is that the cooling is local and that it's 'perhaps' not sufficient to counter 'global boiling', however data coming in from across the planet is showing that, overall, a period of significant cooling is upon us: Also check out SOTT radio's:


Boat

12 dead, 260,000 affected as severe flooding hits Thailand's south - worst in 5 decades (UPDATES)

Southern Thailand hit by severe floods, people take refuge on rooftops
Southern Thailand hit by severe floods, people take refuge on rooftops
Tens of thousands of people in southern Thailand have been affected by severe flooding that has submerged roads and railways, forced schools to close and left some residents trapped in their homes.

The province of Narathiwat in the country's far south near the border with Malaysia was most seriously affected, with some districts submerged for days, according to broadcaster Thai PBS.

It said that "scores of people" had requested assistance and some were sitting on the roofs of their flooded homes.

At least a dozen schools in the provinces of Narathiwat and neighbouring Yala have been forced to close, while footage from the region showed homes and shops inundated with water.


Comment: Update December 29

Thaipbsworld.com reports:
Seven people have drowned, one is still missing and more than 260,000 people are affected in the worst flooding in the southernmost province of Narathiwat in five decades, according to the Provincial Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office.

All 13 districts of the province have been hit by floods, although the water is receding as runoffs flow downstream towards neighbouring Yala and Pattani provinces, before reaching the sea.

In areas where flooding has receded, many people can be seen cleaning their houses of mud, which came with floodwaters. Others were seen examining damage caused to their property. Flooding is also easing in Yala province.

In neighbouring Pattani province, which is located downstream, the economic zone in the Mueang district was flooded yesterday, although the water is not yet very deep, ranging from 30cm to slightly over 50cm. Some roads have become impassable to small cars, as police put up signs to warn motorists. Draining water into the Pattani River is not possible because the river itself is swollen and has overflowed its banks.

In Pakaharang community, which is located by the Pattani River, more than 300 houses are inundated.

One climate expert pointed out that flood early warning systems are not efficient enough, as many people were had no advance notice of the flooding, leaving them unprepared and unable to move their valuables to higher ground in time.

Flooding in Pattani still remains serious, but the situation is expected to improve in the next few days, if there is no more heavy rain.
Update December 30

Bernama reports:
The devastating floods in southern Thailand have claimed at least 12 lives, with over 18,000 households in the Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala provinces still grappling with flooding.

The Public Health Ministry reported that eight people died in Narathiwat, three in Yala, and one in Pattani.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DDPM) director-general Chaiwat Junthirapong said 109,282 households in five provinces — Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla, and Satun — have been affected by the floods since December 22.



Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods hit East, Central Trinidad

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As heavy flash floods hit several parts of the country yesterday afternoon, firefighters were called to rescue people stranded in a car at Eleanor Street in Chaguanas.

Flooding was reported in East and Central Trinidad after rain descended around 2 p.m. for more than an hour, with lesser showers eventually creeping to other parts of the country.

Heavy street and some residential flooding was reported in Chaguanas and environs, and the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Tunapuna, including along the Priority Bus Route, Macoya and Maracas, St Joseph.

Around 3 p.m., the Fire Service was called out after a vehicle attempting to enter Eleanor Street from Chaguanas Main Road stalled in the flooded roadway.


Attention

Teenage boy killed in South Australia shark attack

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A teenage boy has been killed in a shark attack at a popular holiday and surfing spot in South Australia, police have said.

The body was recovered from the water after the attack, near Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park on the Yorke Peninsula, officers said.

A local resident told ABC News Thursday's attack was the first fatal one at the resort that he was aware of.

The attack is the latest of several in South Australian waters recently.

In a statement, South Australia Police said its officers were first alerted about the attack on Thursday at 13:30 local time (02:30 GMT).


Cloud Lightning

Saudi Arabia: Lightning strikes 4 dead at landmark mountain

Screenshots of corpses of the victims.
© X@EsmailBaherScreenshots of corpses of the victims.
The incident happened at Jabal Thawr near Mecca

Lightning struck an area famed for a mountain near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, killing four people, according to social media reports.

A fifth person was hurt by the lightning that struck the five while they were at the Jabal Thawr or Mount Thawr famous among Muslims for housing the Ghar or Cave of Thawr.

An online video showed the dead bodies of four people lying on the ground allegedly after their death due to the lightning.


Windsock

Massive California waves injure some onlookers and bring flooding, treacherous beach conditions up the West coast

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A powerful offshore storm is driving towering waves into the California coastline, triggering flooding and warnings of dangerous and damaging swells after several people were injured by a wave along Ventura beach on Thursday.

The wave crashed over a barrier along the southern California beach, tossing a wall of fast-moving water at a group of onlookers who rushed to escape the deluge, witness video shows. Seawater quickly knocked some people off their feet and pummeled cars as drivers tried to speed away.

Nearly 20 people were briefly swept away in the incident and eight people were taken to the hospital, Ventura officials said.


Attention

Pedestrian bridge vanishes in Argentina's flash flood fury

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Argentina is currently grappling with severe flooding, leading to the collapse of a bridge in Catamarca.

The video was captured in a widely circulated YouTube video.

The situation has been exacerbated by intense rainfall in recent days.