Earth ChangesS


Lightning

5 family members killed in lightning strike in northwest Pakistan

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Five members of a family, including a woman, were killed when a fire broke out after lightning struck a mud house in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to rescue officials.
The incident occurred on Saturday in the Mardan district of the province.

Firefighters rushed to the site after receiving information about the incident and extinguished the blaze, officials of the emergency service Rescue 1122 said.

The bodies of the five family members were shifted to a hospital.

The house, built in a mountainous area, served as an accommodation for the devotees of a nearby shrine, according to the officials.

Separately on Friday night, five people of a family, including three children, were killed in the Charsadda district when the roof of their house collapsed due to a thunderstorm.

PTI

Seismograph

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake reported off British Columbia coast on Sunday

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Officials reported a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the B.C. coast Sunday afternoon

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off the southern tip of British Columbia's Haida Gwaii around 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday afternoon.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the M6.5 quake was centered about 265 km south of Prince Rupert, B.C., and it occurred at a depth of 33 km beneath the surface.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said that there was no threat of a tsunami from this earthquake

Snowflake

Blizzard on Beartooth Highway, Wyoming with a week left in summer

Wyoming photographer Dave Bell got caught in a blizzard on the Beartooth Highway on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. It left a distinct wintery scene all around the Wyoming high country.
© Dave BellWyoming photographer Dave Bell got caught in a blizzard on the Beartooth Highway on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. It left a distinct wintery scene all around the Wyoming high country.
There's still a week of summer left in Wyoming, going by the calendar. But September snow is already falling in Yellowstone National Park and the highest points of the Cowboy State.

Pinedale photographer Dave Bell was traveling throughout northwest Wyoming on Thursday when he decided to take the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge. As soon as he reached the 10,947-foot summit, he found himself navigating a blizzard.

"When I got to the top, all hell broke loose," he said. "It was an absolute whiteout for about 45 minutes. You couldn't see a thing. (It was) a heavy, heavy snow squall."

Bell said it was heavy enough that a snowplow was already clearing the road before it was over.


Snowflake

Best of the Web: Day 3 of the summer snow storm in the European Alps - snowfall in excess of 3 feet

Snow in Saalbach Hinterglemm, Austria.
© Saalbach_com InstagramSnow in Saalbach Hinterglemm, Austria.
Saturday has brought more snow to the northeastern Alps. As a cold front from the north brings Arctic cold to the Alps, a storm front from Italy is bringing record precipitation to the Alps. Some regions are counting in excess of 1 meter (3 feet) at this stage and it's not letting up. The weather will continue while the snowline will hover between 1,100-1,700 meters (3,600-5,570 feet)

The cold front and snowfall have also surprised migratory birds, which are sadly dying by the thousands. The birds struggle to find shelter from the rain and snow and cannot find insects for survival, leading to death from starvation and exhaustion.


Volcano

Series of eruptions at Santiaguito Volcano in Guatemala

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A series of eruptions occurred in the early hours of September 11, 2024 at Santa Maria Volcano from the Santiaguito lava-dome complex.

The currently active vent that is featured in this video is known as Caliente.


Tsunami

Five found dead after torrential rain floods areas of Romania

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Five people in eastern Romania have been found dead after torrential rainstorms left scores of people stranded in flooded areas, emergency authorities have said.

Rescue services scrambled to save 95 people in the hard-hit eastern counties of Galati and Vaslui.

The bodies of three elderly women and two men were found in the localities of Pechea, Draguseni, Costache Negri, and Corod, the Department for Emergency Situations said.

Authorities added that it was determined one of the victims had been dead for two days and "did not die due to the effects of the weather", but from other causes.

Emergency authorities released video footage which showed a team of rescuers evacuating an elderly man on a small lifeboat before carrying him to safety.


Snowflake

Best of the Web: Day 2 of the summer snowstorm in the European Alps - at least 30 inches of snow thus far

Obertauern saw 60cm of snow.
© @UnwetterFreaks XObertauern saw 60cm of snow.
More images are coming from European ski resorts in the northeastern Alps as the low-pressure system is moving across the European Alps. While so far only about 50-75 centimeters (20-30 inches) have fallen so far, the brunt of the snowstorm is yet to come. The next 24 hours are expected to be quite dramatic as 200mm of precipitation is forecast in some regions and 400mm over the next 48 hours.

It is expected that this will come down as snow above 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). Massive snow breakage, avalanches, and mudslides are to be expected in those regions. Remote mountain villages could be cut off for several days from the outside world and basic infrastructure, such as transportation, power, etc., is also under threat. Lower areas are anticipated to be at risk of flashfloods. Local authorities are expecting a century flood for regions in Eastern Europe.


Black Cat

Man-eater leopards give sleepless nights to villagers in Uttar Pradesh, India - 25 people killed in 18 months

Stock image of leopard
© Getty
The man-eater wolves of Bahraich, responsible for 10 killings in Mahsi tehsil, are perhaps not the only predators on the prowl. In Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district, more than 60,000 people in around 85 villages across its four tehsils, said to be home to at least 500 leopards, have been facing a huge threat as a leap of man-eater leopards that has claimed 25 lives over the past one and a half years, has been out on a killing spree.

Though UP Forest Department has installed around 107 cages and has launched a grueling operation to catch the man-eater leopards, it is yet to bring any respite to the locals who are forced to stay indoors and are living under constant fear.

Attention

River otter drags child into water in vicious attack on family at marina in Washington state

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Authorities in Washington state reported on Thursday that a young child is on the mend after being hurt by a river otter at a marina and dragged under the water.

The mother and youngster were strolling down a dock at Bremerton Marina in Kitsap County on Thursday morning, according to a news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department did not identify the child or their mother.

The mother of the child claimed that the otter had dragged them underwater. After a short while, the boy came to the surface again, and the mother was able to intervene and rescue her son.

According to authorities, the otter attacked again after the mother saved the child. Sergeant Ken Balazs of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stated that despite the child's "quick actions," she only suffered "minor injuries" from scratches and bites to the top of the head, face, and legs. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital.


Comment: Another recent attack a day earlier: Group of otters attack, seriously injure jogger in Malaysia


Snowflake

Day 1 of the summer snowstorm in the European Alps

Germany’s Zugspitze saw 30 cm of snow.
© Zugspitze InstagramGermany’s Zugspitze saw 30 cm of snow.
The cold front from the Arctic has hit Germany, and temperatures have dropped from summery 25-30°C (77-86°F) to chilly winter temperatures. As the low is moving north, carrying moisture it gathered over the Mediterranean Sea, and hits the cold front, summer snowfall is being unleashed on parts of the European Alps. Between 5-35 centimeters (2-13 inches) of snow have fallen, and the snowline is dropping to as low as 800 meters (2,625 feet) in some areas of Germany.

The brunt of the snowstorm is supposed to come on Saturday, so stay tuned for more images over the next few days.

According to Copernicus, the European Space Agency, an unusual weather system over Scandinavia is accompanied by cold Arctic air, and moving south across Europe, bringing strong winds, a sharp drop in temperatures, and early snow in the Alps.