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Lightning kills 80 people in Cambodia during 2017

Mu Xuequan
Xinhua
Mon, 25 Dec 2017 11:39 UTC
lightning
Eighty Cambodians, mostly rural residents, were killed by lightning strikes in 2017, down 26 percent from the 108 deaths in 2016, a disaster control spokesman said on Monday.

Besides the fatalities, thunderbolts also injured 63 others this year, down 40 percent from the 105 injuries last year, said Keo Vy, the spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management.

He said although the fatal numbers from lightning strikes had declined, lightning was still the leading cause of deaths among fatalities from natural disasters.

"The weather this year was much better than that of last year," he told Xinhua.
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Arrow Down

Still duping people years later - Al Gore asks for 'climate crisis' money

Anthony Watts
Watts Up with That
Mon, 25 Dec 2017 21:30 UTC
Al Gore
© Newscats Org
The true mark of a shyster is to take advantage of every opportunity to milk a person for money, and especially when emotions and sympathy run high. Christmas is one of those times. I give you exhibit A, Al Gore's "Climate Reality Project". I got this in my inbox this morning.
Donate Climate Reaity
© The Climate Reality Project
Of course, when you click on that donate button, Al doubles down:
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Wolf

Woman killed by 2 pit bull terriers in Bell County, Kentucky

Matthew Wright
Daily Mail
Mon, 25 Dec 2017 10:51 UTC
PIT BULL ATTACK
A Kentucky woman is dead and her husband is severely injured after they suffered a Christmas Eve pit bull attack.

Lorraine Brock Saylor, 66, and her husband - Johnny Saylor - were attacked by two pit bulls on Sunday in Arjay, Kentucky.

Around 10.20am, brother-in-law James Saylor called police to tell them that the two dogs had 'savagely' attacked the couple.

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Windsock

Severe weather and high winds leave over 72K in Poland without power on Christmas Eve


RT
Sun, 24 Dec 2017 15:55 UTC
Wind sock
© Global Look Press
A seven-year-old child was killed and over 70,000 people were left without electricity on Christmas Eve in Poland, which was hit by winds of up to 95kph early on Sunday.

A tree fell on a moving car in Koscierzyna County on Poland's Baltic Sea coast. A seven-year-old boy was killed in the accident. His father, who was driving the vehicle, was hospitalized, Fakt24 website reports.

The severe weather has affected 10 out of 16 voivodeships in Poland, with strong winds bringing down trees, damaging buildings, and crippling power lines. As a result, over 72,000 Poles were left without electricity on Christmas Eve, the Government Security Center said. The worst situation is currently in Pomeranian Voivodship, where 53,000 were affected by the blackout.
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Fireball 2

SpaceX rocket launch spooks Californians with eerie glowing trail (VIDEOS)

Niall Bradley
Sott.net
Sun, 24 Dec 2017 11:50 UTC
spacex rocket launch
© Skyes9 / YouTube
A still from video footage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg US AFB. From left to right: the crescent moon, the rocket, and a detached booster.
The launch of a SpaceX rocket into orbit from California on Friday - the 18th and final launch of 2017 for SpaceX - left behind a trail of mystery and wonder as it soared into space. The Falcon 9 booster lifted off from coastal Vandenberg air force base, carrying the latest batch of satellites for Iridium Communications. Cars stopped on freeways in Los Angeles as millions across the US southwest watched in awe.

Spectacular footage of a glowing, billowing streak was widely seen throughout southern California and as far away as Phoenix, Arizona. Calls came in to TV stations and emergency services as far afield as San Diego, more than 200 miles south of the launch site, as people were spooked about what caused the strange sight.

Here's the event as seen from Anaheim, Los Angeles, 160 miles southeast of Vandenberg:


The view from Phoenix, Arizona, which is 500 miles east-southeast of Vandenberg, was equally spectacular. Note that the reporter in the chopper was in the air to cover a traffic accident, not the SpaceX launch:


In this last video we want to show you, reporter Jeff Platt for KBAK-KBFX Eyewitness News was actually covering the SpaceX launch, providing commentary on the event from lift-off to space from his vantage point in Bakersfield, California, which is 95 miles northeast of Vandenberg. Platt is reduced to saying, once the trail fans out into 'maximum-spectacular' mode, "At this point I really couldn't tell what exactly is happening [pause]... space travel isn't exactly my line of expertise."

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Info

Vampire bats are killing hundreds of cattle every year in Peru

Denis Bedoya
Infosurhoy
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 12:08 UTC
An image of a vampire bat.
© AFP
An image of a vampire bat.
Vampire bats have long been suspected of passing on rabies to humans and livestock in Latin America, but up until now solid statistics have been hard to come by. A new study gives us some idea of the problem - and it's not looking good.

The study, carried out in Peru, estimates that more than 500 heads of cattle each year are killed by rabies passed on by the common vampire bat, at a cost of up to US$300,000 in lost livestock and rabies vaccination costs for local farmers.

However, the international team researchers suggests that the number of deaths and the associated costs can be lowered through some simple preventative measures, like earlier vaccinations and more accurate reporting of rabies outbreaks.

"This estimate, at least four times higher than official reports, is essential in planning and implementing cost-effective measures to prevent and control the disease, which mainly affects low-income, small-scale farmers," say the researchers in their published paper.
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Fire

Thomas Fire is now the largest wildfire in California history


BBC
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 08:45 UTC
Satellite imagery shows the vast Thomas Fire
© NASA/EPA
Satellite imagery shows the vast Thomas Fire, north of Los Angeles, which has spread as far as the Pacific coast
A deadly wildfire which has destroyed more than 700 homes in California is now the largest blaze in the state's recorded history.

The Thomas fire has burned more than 1000sq km - an area greater than New York City, Brussels and Paris combined.

The blaze broke out in Santa Paula in early December and has moved west towards the coast, one of several major fires in California in recent months.

Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to bring it under control.

Most of California's largest wildfires have been recorded this century. Scientists say the warming climate and spread of buildings into wilderness areas have contributed.

The Thomas fire slowly eclipsed previous record-setting blazes, finally overtaking the 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County, which burned 273,246 acres.


Comment: Thomas Fire Becomes Third-Largest Ever as California Experiences Another Record-Breaking Wildfire Season
The climate is changing; it is tending towards increasing extremes; and it is becoming more volatile, unpredictable, and expensive to mitigate against. But as I've written about before, people are completely overlooking the likely 'arsonist' behind increased wildfires: an increase in outgassing of methane and other natural gases from below:

The growing threat of underground fires and explosions


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Fish

Thousands of dead fish without eyes found on beach in Pinetamare, Italy

Belinda Robinson
The Express (UK)
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 18:17 UTC
All of the fish were mullet. But their deaths reman a total mystery
© Getty
All of the fish were mullet. But their deaths reman a total mystery
Stunned residents watched in horror after thousands of dead fish without eyes washed up on a picturesque beach in Italy.

The frightening sight took place at Castel Volturno, in the province of Caserta.

Beachgoers found themselves walking on a carpet of dead fish on Sunday near beach Pinetamare on a beautiful, hot sunny, day.

And, the dead fish were stranded on the shore for at least five hundred meters, from the Royal Residence to the condominiums of Parco delle Rose.

All of the fish were mullet. But their deaths reman a total mystery.
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Bizarro Earth

97% climate change consensus? Meteorologists don't think so

Jim Steele
Watts Up With That
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 23:59 UTC
climate change
A recent survey conducted by Weather Central and George Mason University makes this claim: TV Weathercasters' Views of Climate Change Appear to Be Rapidly Evolving

Meteorologists examine causes of weather change every day. They are the scientists most likely to understand when unusual weather extremes are weather or climate change. Thus they have been polled every year about climate change.

However most don't respond. Basically three fourths of weather scientists choose NOT to get entangled in a political, non-scientific debate. In 2015 the response rate was 22%, just 32% in 2016 and in 2017 just 22%. And as true for most skeptics, most agreed climate change is happening. However the question is: What is the cause of that change?

Comment: See also:

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Cloud Precipitation

Massive flooding hits Cagayan de Oro, Philippines following Storm Vinta (UPDATE: More than 130 dead)

Pamela Jay F. Orias
Sun Star
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 14:52 UTC
Flood in Cagayan de Oro

Flood in Cagayan de Oro
Massive flooding, reminiscent of the deadly 2011 Tropical Storm Sendong, hit this city Friday morning, December 22, after Tropical Storm Vinta (international codename: Tembin) battered Mindanao Thursday night.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD) placed the city on red alert Friday morning as the Cagayan River reached its critical level.

"It was like Sendong all over again, but only this happened in the morning," a resident said.

Sendong (international codename: Washi) ravaged Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions on the night of December 16, 2011, leaving more than 1,200 people dead -- at least 900 bodies were found in Cagayan de Oro.


Comment: UPDATE 12/23/2017:
Philippines tropical storm: More than 130 dead after flooding

Dozens of people are said to be missing, while power and communication lines are down, complicating rescue efforts.

Mudslides and flooding triggered by a tropical storm in the Philippines have killed 133 people, officials have said. [...]

Most of the deaths were in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, and on the Zamboanga Peninsula, Romina Marasigan from the government's disaster response agency said.

In the fishing village of Anungan, more than 30 people were swept away by flash floods. Sibuco town mayor Bong Edding said five bodies had been recovered so far.

"The floodwaters from the mountain came down so fast and swept away people and houses," Mr Edding said.

"It's really sad because Christmas is just a few days away. But these things happen beyond our control."

Mr Edding blamed the tragedy on years of logging in the mountains near Anungan.


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