Earth Changes
The earthquake, which was also felt in the capital region of Manila, also registered at magnitude 6.3 at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
The earthquake centre was traced at Calatagan in Batangas province, according to an initial report from Phivolcs, which said it did not expect damage but warned of aftershocks.
It issued no tsunami warning after the earthquake.
The last blizzard warning that included the Twin Cities was only two years ago, April 14th, 2018. However, the one before that was the famous Halloween blizzard back in 1991. Let's look back even a little further, to another blizzard event back on April 14th 1983.
Why are blizzard warnings rare for Minneapolis and St Paul? This is due to the urban influence. Warmer temperatures are typical in cities due to the presence of lots of metal, and urban areas usually have less moisture and less vegetation.
Since November, farm outbreaks of such bird flu have occurred in 12 prefectures, including the western prefecture of Kagawa and the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki. Chiba is the 13th prefecture to report an outbreak this year and the first to do so in eastern Japan.
Chiba has the second-largest number of farmed egg-laying hens in the country, after Ibaraki Prefecture, also in eastern Japan.
A pod of at least 10 whales has washed up on a beach and rescuers have warned the surviving four cannot be saved and will be left to die.
Six of the sperm whales are thought to already be dead after they were spotted on the beach between Tunstall and Withernsea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
A Marine Life rescue team, the coastguard and police have all been called to scene in Humberside, but there is little that can be done.
Julia Cable spokeswoman for British Divers Marine Life Rescue said a team is at the scene and it is clear the sperm whales have not eaten for some time.
Comment: In the last few days dead whales have also washed up in Piraeus, Greece and Pembrokeshire, Wales.

In total, 10 dogs thought to be responsible for the attack have been shot dead (pictured, wild dogs near the scene of the attack)
Tatyana Loskutnikova, a nail artist, was savaged by a pack of 10 dogs as she walked through Ulan-Ude city, in far eastern Siberia, on the morning of December 23.
The animals ripped her clothes off in -22C (-7.6F) temperatures, bit her down to the bone, and chewed all the skin off her face before locals came rushing to help.
Alexandra Andreevna, who was the first to arrive on the scene, used a stick to beat the animals back while banging on a fence to alert others who also came to help.
Comment: Another such attack occurred recently in the US:
Pack of dogs mauls 10-year-old girl roller-skating in NC neighborhood, family says
A 10-year-old North Carolina girl is on the mend after a pack of dogs attacked in her neighborhood last week.
Family members say Emerald Moore was taking her new roller skates for a spin when at least five dogs mauled her near her grandmother's home in Maxton on Friday, WPDE reported.
"I fell and they came running after me, then went on top of me," Moore said, according to the station. "One was scratching my stomach to keep me holded so the other one can bite me."
The attack left her with several bite marks and more than 50 lacerations across her body, WPDE reported.
Moore was airlifted to UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill "in critical but stable condition" over the weekend, according to The Robesonian. Officials said her condition has improved, although she still faces "a long road to recovery."
The Robeson County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident and said officials have seized the dogs involved in Friday's attack, according to the Associated Press. Bill Smith, director of the county's health department, said they will be held for observation to determine if their bites were life-threatening.
"If so, the animals would be candidates for euthanizing, with appeal rights," Smith said, according to The Robesonian.
The dogs reportedly belong to one of Moore's neighbors, Robeson County Sheriff's Office Maj. Damien McLean told McClatchy News.
As part of the investigation, witnesses will be asked if they observed the dogs acting aggressively in the past, authorities said, according to the Associated Press. The district attorney's office will ultimately decide if charges will be filed.
Police identified the deceased as Sankaran, 65, of Vadakekalam house from Edachalam. Local children who went to play in the Bharathapuzha river bed saw Sankaran lying with bite injuries at around 6.30pm.
Kuttipuram police said that Sankaran was weak and had underlying medical conditions and the stray dogs might have attacked him after he had collapsed on the river banks.
"There were bite injuries all over the body and there was significant bleeding," a police official said.
Though the residents took him to the Kuttippuram Taluk hospital, and then to the Thrissur medical college, he died on the way. The funeral was held on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife Lakshmikutty, daughters Sindu, Vinodini, Preeta and son Subramanian.
Magnitude: 6.1
Depth: 10.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 6.17°N / 133.62°E
Primary data source: GFZ
The weather station at Jijel-Achouat near Taher recorded over 140mm of rain in 24 hours to 21 December.
Civil Protection said they rescued 17 people in affected areas of Jijel Province, including the cities of Taher and Jijel, the provincial capital.
News agency Algeria Press Service (APS) reported that flooding caused the partial collapse of the El Kantara wadi bridge in Laâkabi district and swept away at least 18 vehicles in the area.














Comment: This is just the latest issue to hit food producers and one wonders just how much more the food supply can take before significant food shortages begin to be felt: