Earth Changes
The snow and freezing weather struck a winter wheat crop that was developing faster than usual, thanks to a mild winter. As a result, the crop was more vulnerable to spring snowfalls and frost. "Generally, temps below 32°F. for a minimum of about two hours will cause damage to the crop," says the Kansas Wheat Commission. "Freeze injury during heading and flowering stages can cause severe yield consequences." A quarter of the wheat crop was headed as of April 23, compared with the five-year average of 17%.
"Most of @KansasWheat country shut down and no power. Devastating conditions," Gilpin tweeted on Sunday afternoon. Some comments on Twitter were more hopeful: "Don't give up yet," said one, and, "Much-needed moisture but wheat will be flat on the ground when the snow melts."
"It was so bright I couldn't hardly see," he said. "It just brought fire down the fences."
Later in the day, when it was time to milk again, Blackwelder returned to the field and found 32 of his certified organic cows dead.
A veterinarian confirmed the cows had been struck by lightning. Blackwelder suspects it was that same lightning strike that sent fire along his fences.
"I went down over the hill and seen them laying there," an emotional Blackwelder said. "They were just piled on top of each other. They were huddled up, trying to get out of rain.
"It's not like they are pets. But the ones I'm milking, I've raised every one of them," he said. "Dairy cattle are a little different because you mess with them twice a day. It knocks you hard."
Officials say it will take at least three months to repair.
Nobody was injured in the road collapse on Queen St. but residents said they are concerned about how much worse the incident could have been, with two schools just down the road.
According to Rawdon Mayor Bruno Guilbault, a resident saw the beginning of the collapse at about 6 a.m. Tuesday. Power in the area was shut down due to concern the erosion could topple several nearby power lines.
With large amounts of spring runoff water flooding the area in recent weeks, the area in which the sinkhole opened had been monitored by officials for several days. The road had undergone several inspections per day, including one as recently as midnight, just hours before the collapse began.
"An inspection was made last night," said Guilbault. "It happens sometimes. We don't know exactly what happened, if it was the rain, or the snow thaw. We don't know."
Read more: Winter Blast Putting Climate Protests On Ice In ColoradoWinter Blast Putting Climate Protests On Ice In Colorado
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Organized by groups seeking to ban the production of oil, natural gas, and coal, including 350.org, Sierra Club, and NextGen Climate, the "People's Climate March" is occurring tomorrow in Washington, D.C., and cities across the country to protest the Trump administration's environmental policies.
With the Washington protest reportedly expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees, hundreds of "sister marches" are planned for cities across the country. But one out of the twelve protests in Colorado has already been postponed due to an impending snowstorm. The National Weather Service's winter storm warning projects six to 12 inches of snow, but there is potential for up to two feet in the Denver Metro Area.
"Sometimes Mother Nature throws you a curveball!" 350 Colorado Springs wrote in a Facebook page earlier this afternoon. "Dangerous conditions and wet heavy snow in the forecast for tomorrow. Stay safe and warm and join us Sunday afternoon same time and place!!"
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As the human population grows the problem is due to worsen and even remote coastal areas are now being affected by civilization's tell-tale glow-in-the-sky. Turtles, disoriented as they return to their nesting beaches, or confused hatchlings struggling to find the sea, are iconic examples.
Now, a new study conducted by scientists from the University of Exeter and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Exeter looks at the true extent to which light pollution is affecting key marine wildlife in the UK.
The research team set up a series of laboratory experiments to determine whether the less well known, but highly important inhabitants of the seashore were also affected. Using the dogwhelk (Nucella lapillus), a key seashore species that modulates biodiversity and community structure of our coasts, they kept one group of dogwhelks in artificially-lit night sky conditions, while a control group experienced a more natural night/day cycle.
2017-05-01 14:18:15 UTC
UTC time: Monday, May 01, 2017 14:18 PM
USGS page: M 6.3 - 84km WNW of Skagway, Alaska
2017-05-01 14:18:15 UTC 6.3 magnitude, 10 km depth
Haines, Alaska, United States
Comment: See also: Earthquake Magnitude 6.2 - 88km WNW of Skagway, Alaska
UPDATE:
CTV reports
Several powerful earthquakes struck Monday in the northern tip of British Columbia near the border with Alaska and Yukon.
The U.S. Geological Survey says a 6.2-magnitude quake hit 88 kilometres northwest of Skagway, Alaska. That was followed by several smaller quakes, including one with a magnitude of 5.2 shake and another major 6.3 quake about almost two hours after the first.
USGS geophysicist Amy Vaughan tells the Associated Press that it's not completely uncommon for an aftershock to be larger than the triggering quake, though normally, following quakes are smaller.
Natural Resources Canada says the first quake struck around 5:30 a.m. Pacific time, at a depth of only 10 kilometres.
There are no reports of injuries or building damage in the remote region, and no tsunami warning was issued. But Yukon Energy confirmed that the quakes triggered power outages.
Several Twitter users reported feeling tremors, including many in Whitehorse, about 170 kilometres away.
Seismologist Taimi Mulder of the Geologic Survey of Canada tells CTV News Channel the quake occurred on the Fairweather Fault, also known as the Queen Charlotte Fault.
The Alaska area experiences a large amount of seismic activity due to the movement of the Pacific tectonic plate and the North American plate. In 1964, an earthquake centred near Prince William Sound in Alaska registered a magnitude of 9.2 -- the second-largest ever recorded.
Mulder says there could be more aftershock quakes to come after Monday's temblor.
There's also the potential this earthquake could be a foreshock of a larger quake still to come, Mulder added.
"We won't know until probably for the next week or two," she said.
The boy scooped up the tiny reptile and brought it home, hoping his mother would let him keep it as a pet.
But when his parents inspected the turtle under a light, they noticed something odd. A few things, in fact.
"(It had) four eyes and two mouths," Mary Baggett, Jack's mother, said.
The turtle was born with a rare genetic deviation that causes animals and humans to form multiple heads. The condition is called polycephaly, and it is believed to occur when twin embryos fail to fully separate.
Canton in Van Zandt County, some 50 miles (80 km) east of Dallas, was the city most affected by the extreme weather conditions.
Global Ocean Temperatures Drop To Pre-El Nino LevelsSome good news to end April, global temperature anomaly has fallen to only +0.1°C today (snapshot) ... graphic is like stock market trace
Thanks to Clay Olson for this link
Comment: One picture says it all.

















Comment: "Let there be...less light!"