Earth ChangesS


Sun

Brazil: Drought shrinks Amazon River to lowest level in 47 years

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© AFPA motorized canoe travelling between protruding sandbars due to the low water level affecting the Amazon River.
A severe drought parching northern Brazil this year has shrunk the mighty Amazon River -- the world's longest river -- to its lowest level in 47 years, officials said Wednesday.

The waterway's depth at Manaus, the main city in the Amazon region, was just 19.34 meters (63.45 feet) -- well below its average of 23.25 meters (76.28 feet), the country's Geological Service told AFP.

The last time the river was at such a low level was in 1963.

Scientists say it appears Brazil is headed for its worst drought since that year. Final data to be collected up to October were expected to confirm that.

The withering of the Amazon has produced unusual scenes of children playing football in the dried-up riverbed of a tributary, the Quarenta, that crosses Manaus.

Worse, seven remote towns upstream that rely on water traffic as their main link to civilization have been cut off as their own tributary has all but disappeared.

Comment:
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© EPA

UPDATE:
State of emergency declared in Brasilia due to drought
September 21, 2010

An unprecedented drought has prompted the imposition of a state of emergency in Brazil's capital Brasilia. The last time it rained in the city 117 day ago.

This is the reason why wildfires have become more frequent in the region. A fire ravaged 10,000 hectares of vegetation in the National City Park last weekend.

The water level in the artificial Lake Paranoa has dropped to the permissible minimum.The city has acquired a different look because of burnt-out lawns and flowerbeds. The nearby farmsteads expect to reap only half their usual harvest size due to the lack of water.


Binoculars

Six Foot Long Snake Discovered in Toilet in Poland

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© Grzegorz Hawalej/Agence France-PresseThe anaconda in quarantine at the zoo
A 73-year-old Polish pensioner was shocked to find a 6.5-foot-long anaconda peering up out of her toilet bowl on Monday in her flat in Wroclaw, south-west Poland, local police said.

"After she raised the lid of the toilet seat, the lady saw a huge snake that wanted to slither out of the toilet bowl.

"She immediately slammed down the toilet lid and called us," Pawel Petrykowski, a Wroclaw police spokesman, told AFP.

"She was certainly very frightened but managed to keep her wits about her," he said.

Cloud Precipitation

Igor kicks up dangerous surf along US East Coast

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© AP Photo/Gerry BroomeA man walks by the excursion boat 'Bermudian' after it broke loose and was pushed to shore by Hurricane Igor in St. George, Bermuda, Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.
Hurricane Igor kicked up dangerous surf along the eastern U.S. seaboard Monday after brushing past Bermuda and knocking out power to a large share of the population.

The storm, already blamed for sweeping three people to their deaths, clung to hurricane status with winds of 75 mph (120 kph) as it sped away from the United States on a path projected to take it close by Newfoundland, Canada, on Tuesday.

In this tiny British Atlantic territory, the storm toppled trees and utility poles as its center passed 40 miles (65 kilometers) to the west overnight. Several boats ran aground, including a ferry, The Bermudian, that is used to bring cruise ship passengers to shore. No major damage or injuries were reported.

By Monday afternoon, the hurricane's center was about 350 miles (560 kilometers) north-northeast of Bermuda and moving to the northeast at 36 mph (43 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

Cloud Lightning

India: Flood hits Uttarakhand, death toll reaches to 63

Following two days cloudburst, heavy rain and landslides, the death toll in Uttarakhand reached to 63 on Monday, Sep 20. According the state government source, Naintal accounted for 11 deaths, Haridwar seven and Pauri three.

Flowing two meter above the danger mark in Haridwar, river Ganga flooded several areas in the district with holy place Har-Ki-Puari completely submerged under water. Rescue operation reached to the region and one official informed that seven people were still trapped under the debris of flattened houses in cloudburst-hit villages.

State government on Sep 20, issued order to shut all the schools for three days.

Snowman

September snow surprise in Montana

snow,montana
Snow began falling in some areas of north central Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front early on Friday, leaving some people checking their calendar to see if it is still, in fact, summer.

A rain-snow mix in and around Great Falls turned to all snow around 10 am in some areas. Up to an inch of accumulation may be possible throughout Friday, and temperatures will remain in the upper 30s to low 40s.

While snow in September is not unusual at higher elevations and in Glacier National Park, many lower elevations also received a dusting, with some areas reporting several inches of snow by mid-day on Friday.

Cloud Precipitation

Igor nears Bermuda as Category 1 hurricane

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© AP Photo/Gerry BroomeWind and rain batter the trees and boats in Mangrove Bay as Hurricane Igor moves onto Bermuda, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010.
Fierce waves pounded the breakwaters and shores of Bermuda on Sunday, straining yacht moorings and battering oceanfront hotels as Hurricane Igor lashed the wealthy British enclave.

Bermudians battened down their homes in pelting rain to wait out Igor, a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph). Some storm-seasoned islanders ventured outside to gawk at the 15-foot (5-meter) surf or to triple-tie boat moorings even as officials warned them to stay indoors.

"We are urging residents to please go home and stay in until it is all over," said government spokeswoman Beverle Lottimore.

Those who did venture outside were met with howling winds, and gusts of hurricane force were reported by midday. Flooding was reported in low-lying areas and streets in downtown Hamilton, the capital, were covered in several inches of water and littered with tree branches and other debris.

USA

Ignorant Woman Shoots, Stabs Half Ton Alligator

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© Dan BrownMary Ellen Mara-Christian with the 1,025lb, 13 foot alligator she hooked in Lake Moultrie, South Carolina
She is just 5ft5in tall and weighs a little over 115 pounds.

But when Mary Ellen Mara-Christian spotted a 1,025 pound, 13-feet alligator, she wasn't going to let a little matter like size get in the way.

The 48-year-old embarked on a two-hour, titanic battle with the gigantic creature after sighting it in Lake Moultrie, South Carolina.

She was eventually able to reel it in on a heavy duty fishing pole before shooting it.

But the .22-calibre gun wasn't enough to finish off the monster and she eventually delivered the coup de grace by severing the beast's spinal column with a knife.

Comment: SOTT is speechless.


Bizarro Earth

Taiwan: Typhoon Fanapi Cuts Power, Closes Airports, Forces Evacuations


Typhoon Fanapi swept through Taiwan today with winds gusting as high as 180 kilometers (112 miles) per hour, downing electric lines, forcing evacuations and closing schools, offices, airports and ground transport.

Power outages struck 313,596 households on the island, the Ministry of Economic Affairs reported on its website, adding that electricity was restored at 140,000. Emergency workers evacuated 6,775 people from 11 counties prone to landslides, the Central Emergency Operations Center said.

Fanapi made landfall south of Hualien on Taiwan's central east coast this morning, and is now 20 kilometers north of Tainan, heading west at 20 kilometers per hour, the Central Weather Bureau said on its website at 4:15 p.m.

Bizarro Earth

New Zealand lashed by storm 'the size of Australia'

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© ONE NewsSnow on the Southern Alps
Wellington - A storm that meteorologists described as being the size of Australia buffeted New Zealand Friday, prompting severe weather warnings across most of the country.

The official MetService said gale-force winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour were lashing some areas, including the capital Wellington, accompanied by heavy rain, lightning and plunging temperatures.

"Winds of this strength have the potential to lift roofs, topple trees and powerlines and make driving conditions hazardous," it said.

Privately-owned forecaster weatherwatch.co.nz said the storm in the Southern Ocean was one of the largest currently on the planet, with a size roughly equivalent to Australia.

Bizarro Earth

Wind, snow, surf lash Tasmania

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© ONE NewsWaves spill onto roads in Tasmania
Tasmanians are going through one of their coldest days in years as snow, wind and surf lashes the state.

Thousands of homes have been left without electricity as a low pressure system moves across the area. Crews are working to restore power to about 4,000 homes but it is not known how long it will take, according to ABC weather zone.

Winds have exceeded prediction of 120 kilometres an hour in higher regions, said the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

The temperature at Mount Wellington was minus 4.2 degrees Celsius this morning, with snow forcing the area's main road to close.

Some visitors to Cradle Mountain, in the state's north, are also trapped by snow.

The extreme weather conditions has also generated giant waves off the state's west coast.