Earth ChangesS


Cloud Precipitation

Extreme hailstorms in Saudi Arabia

Snow blankets northern Saudi region
© SPASnow blankets northern Saudi region of Al Jouf
Intense hailstorms hit Saudi Arabia, creating inconvenience and many floods, "everything was whitewashed as if it had snowed very heavily"!!


Attention

Dozens of octopuses swarm harbor in Monterey, California

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Onlookers glimpsed an "incredible sighting" in a California harbor, a business said.

About 25 octopuses surfaced over the course of an hour near shops by the wharf in Monterey on Oct. 28, according to a Facebook post by Monterey Bay Whale Watch.

Employees said even after 20 years of working at the shop, they've never seen a "sight like it," the company said.

The whale watching company's guess as to why the cephalopods all came swarming to the harbor is simple - oxygen.

Millions of anchovies in the water recently have been "depleting the oxygen supply," forcing these octopuses to seek oxygen at the surface, the agency said.


Cloud Precipitation

Severe hailstorm hits Capilla del Monte, Argentina

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Shocking hail accompanied by strong storms fall in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina.

shocking hail fall in Capilla del Monte. The phenomenon was recorded in the department of Punilla, accompanied by strong storms. On Thursday morning, towns in the Punilla area of ​​Córdoba experienced a sudden change in weather. In Capilla del Monte and on the road to Alta Gracia, hail was recorded, which anticipates storms with low to moderate precipitation in the region. The provincial Hydro-Meteorological Observatory has indicated a high probability that the rains will continue, so the population is advised to take precautions.

The National Meteorological Service (SMN) issued a yellow alert on Thursday for storms affecting the north and center of the province. The agency warned that rainfall could come with occasional hail and electrical activity, especially in the departments of Colón, Punilla, Santa María and Totoral. In this regard, Capilla del Monte already registered an intense storm with hail after 9 in the morning.


Arrow Down

At least 6 killed in landslide after heavy rain in Konta, Ethiopia

The landslide scene in Konta Zone
© PDThe landslide scene in Konta Zone
At least six people are reportedly killed in Konta zone of South West Ethiopia due to a landslide.

According to the region's police commission the accident occurred in Ameya district of Konta, Chare locality.

The area reportedly received heavy rain on Thursday evening. The landslide occurred around 8 a.m. local time on Friday.

All the victims from the accident belong to two family members. One family lost four while the other one lost two family members

Five bodies have been recovered so far and a search operation is underway to recover the missing body. The Police commission did not say if there are more missing people.

Attention

Florida surfer bit by a shark at the same beach he was bitten at 11 years ago

Cole Taschman at Martin North Hospital after being bitten by a shark at Bathtub Beach in Stuart, Florida on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Cole Taschman at Martin North Hospital after being bitten by a shark at Bathtub Beach in Stuart, Florida on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
A Florida man is recovering from a shark bite just over a decade after being bitten at the same beach.

Cole Taschman, 28, was surfing with two friends at Bathtub Beach in Stuart on the state's east coast last Friday afternoon when the attack occurred, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported.

"As I was paddling against the current, my feet are behind me, they were laying flat on the board, and an about 8- or 9-foot (2.4- or 2.7-metre) either bull shark or tiger shark came up behind me and snatched my feet," Taschman said.

Three tendons were completely torn and one was partially torn in the attack. Two surgeries have left the fishing charter captain with 93 stitches and about a dozen staples. He spent four days at the hospital before heading home to recover, and he might need another surgery.

Cow

Man killed in stray bull attack in Uttar Pradesh, India

Representative image showing a bull.
Representative image showing a bull.
A 65-year-old man died after being attacked by a stray bull in the Gauriganj area of this Uttar Pradesh district, police said on Friday.

Poore Babu Mau resident Ram Manohar was returning home from his field late on Thursday when the bull attacked him, they said.

Manohar suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the district hospital where doctors declared him dead, they added.

Gauriganj police station inspector-in-charge Shyam Narayan Pandey said the body was sent for post-mortem and legal proceedings were underway.

Meanwhile, Rita, a local resident, claimed the bull had attacked several people recently. She claimed her son was seriously injured after being attacked by the bull earlier on Thursday.

Despite repeated incidents of the animal attacking people, no action has been taken to capture the bull, she alleged.

PTI

Attention

Hunter killed in brown bear attack in southeast Alaska

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A 50-year-old man who went deer hunting in southeast Alaska was mauled to death by a group of brown bears, officials confirmed Thursday. He had earlier been reported missing.

Tad Fujioka, 50, was reported missing on Tuesday night after leaving on a solo deer hunting trip on Baranof Island, which is part of the ABC islands along the Canadian border.

The next morning, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Sitka SAR launched land-based searches in remote wooded areas on the island, which is known for its wilderness and dense brown bear population.

"At approximately 11:30am, search teams located Fujioka's remains," Alaska State Troopers said in a statement. "Investigation revealed he was the likely victim of a fatal bear mauling.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted three brown bears in the area. Police spokesman Tim DeSpain said the bears apparently mauled Fujioka and consumed a deer he had killed.

Fujioka's body was recovered and his family has been notified.

Binoculars

American robin makes rare appearance in Harbin, China

North American migratory bird Turdus mig
© CFPNorth American migratory bird Turdus migratorius appears on a tree in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province on October 31, 2024.
Bird experts have confirmed that a North American migratory bird has made a rare appearance in northeast China.

The Turdus migratorius, commonly known as the American Robin, was spotted foraging on a tree recently in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Images of the migratory bird were taken by photography enthusiasts in the area.

Professor Xu Qing from the School of Wildlife and Nature Reserves at Northeast Forestry University and other bird experts confirmed through image comparison that this bird is the American Robin. Experts say that it is a common bird species in North America, but it is very rare in China, and there are few observation records of it in the country.

They often appear in grasslands and coniferous forest areas. They mainly feed on various wild fruits and berries, plant seeds, as well as insects and invertebrates.

Cloud Precipitation

Chinese province of Hainan pounded by 11.6 inches of rainfall in 24 hours - at least 7 dead (UPDATE)

On October 29, due to continuous heavy rainfall, water accumulated in farmland on both sides of the G9811 Haikou-Sanya Expressway at K59 backflowed into the main line of the expressway, resulting in double-lane traffic blockage on the section.
© Hainan Provincial Highway AdministrationOn October 29, due to continuous heavy rainfall, water accumulated in farmland on both sides of the G9811 Haikou-Sanya Expressway at K59 backflowed into the main line of the expressway, resulting in double-lane traffic blockage on the section.
For a third day, extreme rainfall pounded the southern Chinese province of Hainan, known as China's "Hawaii", amid the transit of yet another tropical cyclone, leaving the island half-submerged in a year of record-breaking wet weather.

Cities in Hainan including Sanya, famed for its palm trees, seafront hotels and sandy beaches, remained waterlogged on Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Trami to the south. On Monday, Sanya logged 294.9mm (11.6 inches) of rainfall over a 24-hour window, the most for any day in October since 2000.

Trami made landfall in central Vietnam on Sunday after a slow trek across the South China Sea from the Philippines, where it left at least 125 people dead and 28 missing. While Hainan did not take a direct hit from Trami, Chinese authorities took no chances, recalling all fishing vessels and evacuating over 50,000 people.

China's entire eastern coastline has been tested by extreme weather events this year - from the violent passage of Super Typhoon Yagi across Hainan in September to the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Shanghai since 1949.


Comment: Update October 31

China Daily reports:
Hainan responds to extensive flooding

Extensive flooding and landslides have wreaked havoc in Hainan province, claiming seven lives as of Wednesday, as the tail of Typhoon Trami collided with a cold air mass and triggered unusually heavy rainfall for 48 hours starting on Monday.

The deaths include a student who fell into a manhole in Sanya and drowned, a mother and son who were swept away by floodwaters in Qionghai, and three others who were buried in a mountain landslide in the Qiongzhong Li and Miao autonomous county.

The trail of destruction left behind by Trami — the 20th typhoon of the year — prompted the Hainan Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief to announce a Level I emergency response for flooding and strong winds in Qionghai on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Water Resources issued a Level IV emergency response to flooding in the whole province to buffer the lingering impact of the tropical storm.

China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.

In Sanya, heavy rainfall on Monday and Tuesday caused extensive flooding, with the backflow of seawater further worsening the situation.

In Qionghai, the swollen Wanquan River caused severe flooding in seven towns along its banks, inundating 123 villages, according to local authorities. The Wanquan River Road was more than half a meter underwater on Wednesday morning, bringing vehicular movement to a complete halt.



Tsunami

Best of the Web: Philippine flooding triggered by tropical storm Trami (Kristine) kills 150, with 6.7 million affected - 2 months' rain (15.4 inches) in 2 days (UPDATED)

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Flooding triggered by tropical storm Trami killed at least three people and displaced about 382,300 people in central Philippines, prompting the government and aid groups to rush with aid for the victims.

Trami, the 11th typhoon to hit the Catholic-majority nation this year, disrupted classes, work and public transport in Bicol, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Eastern Visayas region, government officials said.

The storm started making landfall on Oct. 21 and vast areas remain submerged in muddy water as of Oct. 23.

During a meeting with disaster management officials in the capital Manila on Oct. 23, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said rescuers have mobilized rubber boats from various provinces from as far as Mindanao island in southern Philippines to bring the affected communities to safety.

In Camarines Sur, the largest among six provinces in Bicol, at least half of its land area is still underwater due to massive flooding, the president disclosed.


Comment: Agence France-Presse reports:
Philippine rescuers waded through chest-deep flood waters Wednesday to reach residents trapped by Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami), which has killed seven people and forced thousands to evacuate as it barrels toward the east coast.

Torrential rain driven by the storm has turned streets into rivers, submerged entire villages and buried some vehicles in volcanic sediment set loose by the downpour.

At least 32,000 people have fled their homes in the northern Philippines, police said, as the storm edges closer to the Southeast Asian country's main island of Luzon.

In the Bicol region, about 400 kilometers (249 miles) southeast of the capital Manila, "unexpectedly high" flooding was complicating rescue efforts, said police.
Update October 24

AP reports:
At least 24 people killed in north-eastern Philippines as Tropical Storm Trami causes flooding and landslides

Widespread flooding and landslides have left at least 24 people dead after Tropical Storm Trami hit the north-eastern Philippines on Thursday.

The government shut down schools and offices for the second day on the entire main island of Luzon to protect millions of people after the storm hit the country's north-eastern province of Isabela after midnight.

The storm was blowing over Aguinaldo town in the mountain province of Ifugao after dawn, with sustained winds up to 95 kilometres per hour and gusts up to 160kph.

It was blowing westward and on track to enter the South China Sea later on Thursday, according to state forecasters.

Most of the deaths were reported in the six-province Bicol region, south-east of Manila, where at least 20 people died, including seven residents in Naga city, which was inundated by flash floods during Trami's approach on Tuesday.

The toll is expected to rise as towns and villages isolated by the storm manage to send out reports, police and provincial officials said.

More than two months' worth of rainfall fell in just 24 hours at high tide, regional Police Chief Andre Dizon and other officials said.
Update October 25

Associated Press reports:
Storm blows away from northern Philippines leaving 82 dead but forecasters warn it may do a U-turn

Tropical Storm Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 82 people dead in landslides and extensive flooding that forced authorities to scramble for more rescue boats to save thousands of terrified people, who were trapped, some on their roofs.

But the onslaught may not be over: State forecasters raised the rare possibility that the storm — the 11th and one of the deadliest to hit the Philippines this year — could make a U-turn next week as it is pushed back by high-pressure winds in the South China Sea.

A Philippine provincial police chief said Friday that 49 people were killed mostly in landslides set off by Trami in Batangas province south of Manila. That brought the overall death toll from the storm to at least 82.

Eleven other villagers remain missing in Batangas, Col. Jacinto Malinao Jr. told The Associated Press by telephone from the lakeside town of Talisay, where he stood beside a villager whose wife and child were buried in the deep mound of mud, boulders and trees.

With the use of a backhoe and shovels, police scrambled to search into 10 feet (3 meters) of mud, rocks and debris and found a part of a head and foot that apparently were those of the missing woman and child.

"He's simply devastated," Malinao said of the villager, a fisherman, whose wife and child were buried in the landslide that happened Thursday afternoon amid torrential rains while he was away tending to fish cages in a lake.

[...]

More than 2.6 million people were affected by the deluge, with nearly 320,000 people fleeing into evacuation centers or relatives' homes, disaster-mitigation officials said.
AFP reports:
'Two months' worth of rain

Government offices and schools across the main island of Luzon remained shuttered Friday, and storm surge warnings were still in place along the west coast, with potential waves as high as two meters.

State weather agency specialist Jofren Habaluyas told AFP that Batangas province had seen "two months' worth of rain", or 391.3 mm, fall over Oct. 24 and 25.
Update October 28

Xinhua reports:
Death toll from tropical storm Trami in Philippines climbs to 116, 39 missing

The death toll from catastrophic flooding and landslides triggered by tropical storm Trami that slammed into the Philippines last week has risen to 116, with at least 39 people remaining unaccounted for, the Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday.

Local authorities said Trami dumped two months of rain, impacting over 6.7 million people across 17 of the country's regions.

The search continues for 39 missing people who were either buried in landslides or washed away by the floods.
Update October 31

Business World reports:
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said his government remained in "full control" as deaths caused by Tropical Storm Trami and Super typhoon Kong-rey, which caused heavy rains in the northernmost province of Batanes, climbed to more than 100.

In a statement, he noted that while state resources and personnel "may be stretched due to the impact of typhoons on multiple fronts," the government was "ably handling all disaster management efforts." "We remain in full control."

In an 8 a.m. report, the Philippines' disaster agency said the reported death toll from Trami, locally named Kristine, and Super Typhoon Kong-rey (Leon) had hit 150. Fourteen deaths have been validated, while 29 people were still missing, it added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said there were 115 reported injuries. More than 150,000 were damaged, more than 10,000 of which were totally destroyed. Trami and Kong-rey have caused P6.5 billion in damage to infrastructure.