Earth ChangesS

Snowflake

Storm Bert snow storm causes UK travel chaos as roads closed and trains cancelled

snow
Storm Bert is battering the country with strong winds, heavy rain and snow and ice with amber warnings coming into force bringing a "potential risk to life and property".

Travel is widely disrupted with roads closed and some train routes cancelled throughout Saturday with rail companies urging passengers to avoid travelling to certain areas.

Winds of up to 68mph have been recorded and 13cm of snow has fallen in some parts of the country on Saturday morning, a Met Office spokesperson said, while 38 flood alerts are in place across the UK.


Snowflake

Storm Caetano causes disruption in France, most of which is under snow, ice and wind alerts

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Some 200,000 homes remain without power in France, and many roads are severely disrupted due to poor traffic conditions caused by storm Caetano. Details by Elitsa Gadeva.


Doberman

Ontario woman mauled to death by 3 dogs in attack inside home: police

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An 81-year-old woman is dead after being attacked by three dogs inside her Northern Ontario home, police say.

At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, Ontario Provincial Police received a call about a reported fatal dog attack at a building in Bonfield, near North Bay.

Const. Kyler Brouwer said three dogs were involved in the attack, which took place inside the victim's residence. The woman who was attacked suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Brouwer said the dogs were still at the scene when they arrived. The animals have been taken to a local Animal Welfare agency where they will be in quarantine for 10 days.

Police say the woman was alone at the time of the attack, and next of kin has been notified.

There is an ongoing investigation being led by the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario in collaboration with the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.

At this time, no foul play is suspected, and no criminal charges have been laid, according to police.

Tsunami

Second recent deluge triggers flash floods amid record rain in Singapore - 5 inches in 2 and a half hours - 51% of November rainfall

PUB said there was a flash flood in Wan Tho Avenue in Potong Pasir
© Lianhe ZaobaoPUB said there was a flash flood in Wan Tho Avenue in Potong Pasir
A massive afternoon deluge on Nov 22 triggered two flash floods and numerous flood risk warnings across the island in one of Singapore's heaviest downpours in 40 years.

Record rainfall fell in the northern part of Singapore, with two flash floods in Yishun and Potong Pasir that eased within 10 minutes, said national water agency PUB.

In a Facebook post, PUB said 127.7mm of rain was recorded between 2.15pm and 4.50pm in northern Singapore, which is more than half the average monthly rainfall in November.

PUB said: "This amount corresponds to 51 per cent of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in November, and lies within the top 1 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records since 1978."


Comment: Just 6 days prior: 43% of Singapore's average November rainfall fell in under 2 hours (4.2 inches)


Tsunami

Flash flooding after sudden deluge hits a region of Queensland, Australia - nearly 4 INCHES of rain in just an HOUR

Heavy rain in Charleville has caused some flooding but the worst of the weather seems over.
© Murweh Shire CouncilHeavy rain in Charleville has caused some flooding
A regional Queensland town has been hit by flooding from severe thunderstorms with the state bracing for more wet weather.

The storms struck on Wednesday night with some areas reporting rainfall totals of close to 100mm in just an hour.

Lesdale, 700km west of Brisbane, had 92mm while nearby Charleville was soaked by 68mm.

A minor flood warning was issued for the Warrego River at Charleville after the sudden downpour.

Murweh Shire Mayor Shaun Radnedge said despite the heavy rain the levy bank and gully diversion were moving water to where it was supposed to be.

"The structure is keeping the town safe," he told AAP.


Binoculars

Rare snowy owl migrates south to Inner Mongolia for winter in China

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The snowy owl in Mongolia
Rare "white owl" snowy owl migrates south to Inner Mongolia for winter

A rare "white owl" recently appeared in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

This larger owl, whose scientific name is Snowy Owl, recently moved south to spend the winter in the southwest of Hulunbuir City. Although it looks a little cute, it is a ferocious hunter in the Arctic. They will settle in Europe, North America, northern Asia and other regions in winter, divide and defend their territories to the death, and migrate north in spring.

The snowy owl is a national second-level protected wild animal and is listed as a vulnerable species in the "International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species".

(Translated by Google)


Comment: Other unusual bird migrations to this part of the world recently:


Arrow Down

Landslide amid heavy rain in Indonesia's central Java claims lives of 4 family members

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In Indonesia, four members of a family were killed after landslide hit their house in the province of Central Java. According to a preliminary report, the disaster took place in Bruno village in Purworejo regency on Tuesday afternoon amid heavy rain.

Muhammad Abdullah, mission coordinator for the region's search and rescue agency, told local media yesterday that rescue teams recovered three victims on Tuesday evening and the fourth yesterday morning. The victims have been taken to nearby hospitals for identification. He added that the region was lashed by heavy rain on Tuesday, triggering the landslide.

Indonesia frequently experiences hydrometeorological disasters during the rainy season. The country's National Disaster Management Agency data showed that as of November, the country has recorded more than 1,700 disaster events this year, over 1,000 of which were hydrometeorological disasters, including floods, landslides, and extreme weather.


Volcano

Volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupts for 7th time in a year

The eruption started on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
© Civil Protection in IcelandThe eruption started on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland has erupted for the seventh time since December, prompting evacuation orders.

Orange lava gushed from a fissure almost two miles long after the eruption started with little warning just after 11pm on Wednesday.

People living in about 50 houses nearby were told to leave, along with guests at the popular Blue Lagoon spa resort southwest of Reykjavik, national TV station RUV said.

While the eruption does not pose a threat to air travel, the authorities warned of gas emissions across parts of the peninsula, including the nearby town of Grindavik.

Repeated volcanic eruptions close to the town, which has a population of 3,800, have damaged infrastructure and property and forced many residents to leave for their own safety.


Cloud Lightning

'Bomb Cyclone' blasts Pacific northwest, cutting power to over 600,000 in Washington

bomb cyclone
A massive bomb cyclone slammed into the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday night, unleashing torrential rains and tropical storm-like wind gusts up to 77 mph for certain areas. More than 600,000 customers across western Washington state are without power on Wednesday morning.

FOX Forecast Center said the powerful atmospheric river, coupled with a bomb cyclone, will unleash heavy rains and high winds across the area through Saturday.

"The two storms are powering the event, the first of which is a powerful bomb cyclone. The strength of the low has kicked up strong winds up and down the coast, which have caused power outages and some damage," Fox Forecast Center explained.

Tsunami

Record-breaking rains swamp northern coast of Israel - 7.7 inches of rain in just 4 HOURS - 60% of yearly total

Floodwaters seen in Zichron Yaakov on November 19, 2024.
Floodwaters seen in Zichron Yaakov on November 19, 2024.
Record rains lashed northern Israel and the Haifa region Tuesday, inundating roads and prompting flash flood warnings for the Judean Desert and Dead Sea areas as the weather system moves south overnight.

In Ma'agan Michael, pouring rains swamped drainage channels, leading to flooding in parts of the coastal kibbutz. The Hof HaCarmel High School, located in the community, sent students home early due to the flooding.

Video footage posted online showed students wading through knee-high water next to half-submerged cars in the school's parking lot.

In a statement, the Hof HaCarmel regional council explained that the "large quantity [of rain] put a burden on the drainage system, which had been clean and in working condition, but it could not withstand the unusually large amounts of water."

The Israel Meteorological Service said in a tweet that 196 millimeters (7.7 inches) of rainfall were recorded over a four-hour period in nearby Zichron Yaacov, setting a new record for the country. The figure represented some 60% of the area's average yearly rain total.