Earth ChangesS


Snowflake Cold

Best of the Web: The snow is up to 7 meters (23 FEET) high in Hakkari, Turkey (UPDATE)

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In the Semdinli district in Hakkari, Turkey, the height of the snow cover reaches five meters in some places.

Crews on the ground worked to clear the snow to allow access to villages in the area, which they eventually succeeded in doing.

The locals were happy because the roads were passable, so they could go and buy the necessities of life.

Teams continue work on widening roads where the snow reaches up to five meters, AA writes.


Comment: Update January 22

Bianet.org reports:
Snow thickness reaches seven meters in Hakkari

Efforts are being made by snow removal teams to open the roads providing access to villages and hamlets; however, progress is challenging due to the thickness of the snow.

The heavy snow in the Yüksekova district of Hakkâri has adversely affected daily life.

Snow removal teams are making efforts to open the roads providing access to villages and hamlets in the Dağlıca region, where the snow thickness reaches up to 7 meters in some places.



Despite the ongoing efforts by the District Special Provincial Administration Directorate's construction site teams to clear the blocked roads, the thickness of the snow is making their work challenging.

According to a report in Anadolu Agency, the teams are using construction equipment to create a "snow tunnel" and aim to quickly open the road for access to villages and hamlets.



Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall hit many parts of the world

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The U.S. is experiencing bitter cold and heavy snowfall. However, the U.S. is not alone. Many parts of the world are seeing a blanket of snow as well.


Attention

Freak waves cause damage at US army base, shut airports in remote Marshall Islands

Screenshots of wave hitting Roi-Namur dining room. The waves smashed down the dining hall's doors, knocking people down and flooding the facility as this screenshot from a video
Screenshots of wave hitting Roi-Namur dining room. The waves smashed down the dining hall's doors, knocking people down and flooding the facility as this screenshot from a video taken Saturday night shows.
Powerful waves, driven by offshore storm surges, hit an important US military installation in the Marshall Islands on Saturday night, causing damage and resulting in the evacuation of all "non-mission personnel" from the island.

Flooding caused by the waves also hit two airports at Ailinglaplap Atoll, leaving rocks, coral and debris in their wake, keeping those airports closed for weeks. Other islands reported flooding and moderate damage.

The US Army in a statement on Sunday afternoon that at approximately 9pm on January 20, "a series of weather-induced waves hit Roi-Namur which caused significant flooding in the northern portions of the island".

A video circulating from Roi-Namur, an island at the northern end of Kwajalein Atoll, shows an approximately one-metre wave hitting the Army's dining hall, breaking down doors, knocking people down and washing them from outside into the facility.

Roi-Namur houses the US Army's most sophisticated space-tracking equipment as part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site.


Cloud Lightning

UK weather: Storm Isha causes power cuts and travel chaos amid 99mph winds

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© JO-SHREEVE/ReutersHigh waves due to Storm Isha hit the shore in Porthleven, Cornwall, on Sunday 21 January.
Thousands of people have been left without power as Storm Isha brings disruption to electricity and transport networks.

The storm battered the UK with heavy rain and gusts of up to 99mph with the entire country subject to wind warnings issued by the Met Office.

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said 45,000 customers were without power, while Electricity North West said thousands of properties in north-west England had lost their supply.


Comment: There has been one fatality so far:
An 84-year-old man has died after a car collided with a fallen tree as Storm Isha brought winds topping 100mph to the UK.

Police in Scotland say the man - a front-seat passenger - was pronounced dead at the scene in Grangemouth on Sunday night, while others in the car were unhurt.



Arrow Down

Landslide and flooding after heavy rain in southern Philippines kills 15 (UPDATE)

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Seven people, including five children, were killed after a landslide buried a house following days of heavy rains in southern Davao de Oro province, a disaster official said on Thursday.

Two people were injured and approximately 10 were missing, Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the regional civil defence agency, told DZRH radio.

Authorities suspended search and rescue operations due to continuing rains in a residential area for small-scale miners, he said.

Heavy rains and floods have affected more than 187,000 people in four provinces in the Davao region, data from the national disaster agency show.

Landslides and floods are frequent in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands that is hit by about 20 tropical storms annually.

Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty


Comment: Update January 21

CGTN reports:
Death toll rises to 15 in Philippines amid flooding and landslides

Severe flooding and landslides in the Davao Region of the Philippines have killed 15 people and injured five others, according to the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday.



Arrow Down

60-foot-deep sinkhole opens in front of Highland City home in Florida

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© Polk County Fire Rescue
According to Polk County Fire Rescue, an approximately 15 feet wide by 60 feet-deep sinkhole opened in front of a Polk County home on Saturday.

Officials say the sinkhole is on Royal Crest Drive in Highland City

Firefighters say the street is open, and the sinkhole does not pose an imminent threat to the county roadway.

According to authorities, PCFR will continue monitoring the situation over the coming days.


Seismograph

Shallow earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hits Southwest Indian Ridge

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An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale struck the Southwest Indian Ridge in the early hours of Sunday. According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the tremors were felt at around 3:39 am. The quake was at a depth of 10 km, it added.

"Earthquake of Magnitude: 6.2, Occurred on 21-01-2024, 03:39:41 IST, Lat: -39.64 & Long: 46.16, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Southwest Indian Ridge," NCS posted on X.


Seismograph

Strong mag. 6.6 earthquake - Ipixuna, Brazil

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A very strong magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit 138 km (86 mi) away from Cruzeiro do Sul, Amazonas, Brazil, in the afternoon of Saturday, Jan 20, 2024 at 4.31 pm local time (America/Eirunepe GMT -5).

The quake had a great depth of 615 km (382 mi) and was felt by many near the epicenter.

No significant damage or impact is expected from this quake and no particular alert was issued.

Seismograph

Northern Mariana Islands: Magnitude-6.1 earthquake occurs in North Pacific Ocean

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A magnitude-6.1 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean, near the Northern Mariana Islands, at around 01:48 Jan. 21. The epicenter was about 362 km (225 miles) north of Saipan. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 195 km (121 miles), and light shaking may have been felt in parts of the Northern Mariana Islands.

There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake; significant damage is unlikely. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Aftershocks are likely over the coming days. The event has not prompted any tsunami advisories.

Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible where shaking occurred.

Attention

18 fatal shark encounters in 2023 highest for 20 years

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In 2023, public records documented a total of 84 shark attacks, with 18 proving fatal; five of these fatalities were attributed to encounters with great white sharks. Christian Kemper of TrackingSharks.com remarked, "There haven't been this many deaths in over 20 years. In some cases, the victims were completely consumed."

Among the 18 fatalities, four were surfers, three of whom hailed from South Australia. On May 13, 2023, Simon Bacanello, a 46-year-old teacher, disappeared during a great white shark attack while surfing, and his remains were never recovered. On October 31, Todd Gendle, 55, was struck by a shark described as "as long as a limousine."

Tragedy struck again on December 28 when 15-year-old Khai Cowley lost his life while surfing in South Australia. The final fatality occurred on December 30 when 39-year-old Jason Carter suffered a tiger shark attack while surfing on Maui. Despite being rushed to the hospital, he eventually succumbed to his injuries.


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