Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

US: At least 25 dead in 6 states after storm's rampage

Tom Breen and Mike Baker
Associated Press
Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:57 UTC
Mississippi storm
© Associated PressThe remains of a wooden swing dangles in a tornado damaged neighborhood of Clinton, Mississippi, Friday, April 15, 2011. The state was hit by a line of severe storms that spawned at least one tornado causing extensive damage and multiple injuries.
A furious storm system that kicked up tornadoes, flash floods and hail as big as softballs has claimed at least 25 lives on a rampage that began in Oklahoma days ago, then smashed across several Southern states as it reached a new and deadly pitch in North Carolina and Virginia.

Emergency crews searched for victims in hard-hit swaths of North Carolina, where 62 tornadoes were reported from the worst spring storm in two decades to hit the state. At least a half dozen people died just in the Carolinas and Virginia and authorities warned the toll was likely to rise further Sunday as searchers probed shattered homes and businesses.

Authorities said at least five people were killed in North Carolina and at least three more in neighboring Virginia during the storm's passage Saturday before the sprawling, potent storm bands moved eastward over the Atlantic.
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Arrow Up

Philippines: 20 volcanic quakes in Taal recorded in last 24 hours


abs-cbnNEWS.com
Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:13 UTC
taal
© Agence France-PresseWater in the crater of Taal is reportedly heating up while the volcano's emissions of carbon dioxide have risen
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) maintained the Alert Level 2 hoisted over Taal Volcano, as 20 volcanic earthquakes were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Alert 2 status means present activities could eventually lead to an eruption, according to Phivolcs.

Phivolcs said there was a noticeable increase in seismic activity of the volcano. Water temperature at the Main Crater Lake also slightly increased from 29.8°C to 30.1°C.

Phivolcs advised the public to keep away from the Main Crater, Daang Kastila Trail and Mt. Tabaro because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate.
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Cloud Lightning

India: Rain worries wheat growers in Punjab, Haryana


Daily News & Analysis
Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:10 UTC
As wheat harvesting picks up in Punjab and Haryana, recent rain and windy weather has left farmers in the states worried.

Hailstorm lashed Jalandhar yesterday, while Amritsar, Phagwara, Nawanshahr and Balachaur received showers, which was accompanied by strong winds. Showers also lashed isolated places in Haryana, while windy weather prevailed in Chandigarh.

The Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rains or thunder showers are likely to occur in parts of Punjab and Haryana over the next two days.
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Chalkboard

Nevada, US: Swarm of Quakes have Experts Concerned

Brooke Boone
mynews4.com
Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:56 UTC
Nevada Seismologists are keeping a close eye on an area southwest of Hawthorne, Nevada where hundreds of earthquakes have been detected since Sunday.

" It's a little bit concerning in a sense.. The largest earthquakes in these sequences are pretty large in size." Graham Kent is Director of Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada Reno. He says there have been hundreds of earthquakes southwest of Hawthorne over the past few days. The largest-- recorded at a 4.4 in size.

"These are the biggest in a sequence we've seen at least in the last couple of years." Kent says unlike the 2008 quakes in Somersett that damaged so many homes, these earthquakes are fortunately not underneath a community.
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Fish

Vermont, US: Massive fish kill in Lake Champlain


WCAX
Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:08 UTC
Image
© wcax

Quite a sight along the shores of Lake Champlain-- there's been a massive fish kill.

Alewives have washed ashore at the sandbar in Milton.

Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologists estimate that tens of thousands of the nonnative species have died due to stress caused by frigid temperatures.

Ice fishermen have been noticing Alewives popping through the ice in recent months. Now that the ice is melting, they're washing ashore. They've also been spotted in Georgia, Vt.
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Cloud Lightning

100 twisters spotted U.S. storms kill more than 40


CNN
Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:56 UTC
Powerful storms that have ripped across the Southeast killed more than 40 people over the past three days, according to the National Weather Service and reports from several states.


A CNN meteorologist called the storms' impact on North Carolina "epic."

Among the worst hit areas was Bertie County, North Carolina, a rural area in the northeast part of the state. The weather service reported 14 deaths in the county. Zee Lamb, county manager, said there were 11 fatalities.
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Alarm Clock

Australia: Aftershocks shake north Queensland


ABC News
Sun, 17 Apr 2011 05:17 UTC
Queensland Quake 1
© Reuters: Vincent KesslerThere have been several aftershocks with one registering a magnitude 4
Several aftershocks have been felt by residents in parts of north Queensland following a 5.2-magnitude earthquake.

The quake, one of the largest to hit the state in many years, was recorded 60 kilometres west of Bowen just after 3.30pm (AEST) Saturday.

The rumblings were felt in several towns throughout the region, but police say there are no reports of damage or injuries.

There have been several aftershocks, with one registering a magnitude 4.
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Evil Rays

People in Canterbury, New Zealand are being warned of more earthquakes and aftershocks for years to come


Radio New Zealand
Wed, 06 Apr 2011 02:03 UTC
The Natural Hazards Manager at GNS Science, Kelvin Berryman, says it is impossible to tell for sure how long the aftershocks will continue.

But he says previous earthquakes, in this country and overseas, have been followed by seismic activity for up to 30 years.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Red River Crests at Grand Forks; Snow Falls


Reuters
Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:56 UTC
Grand Forks
© Reuters / Eric ThayerA roadside sign is seen with its base submerged near Great Bend, North Dakota April 12, 2011. The Red River was spreading out in a record swath across broad stretches of rural North Dakota and Minnesota on Tuesday and swelling toward a near-record crest in Grand Forks expected within three days.
The swollen Red River crested at the third highest level on record at Grand Forks, and flood conditions were complicated by forecasts for snow and freezing temperatures, forecasters said on Friday.

The Red River reached a preliminary crest at 49.87 feet on Thursday at Grand Forks and continues to spread out across regions north of the city, reaching eight miles wide or more at Oslo, Minnesota, which has become an island amid the swells, the National Weather Service said on Friday.

The Red River forms the North Dakota-Minnesota border, flowing north into Canada. A tributary system stretching from southern Canada and South Dakota feeds into the main Red River as it reaches toward Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.

"We will be dealing with flood issues throughout April and well into May," said Greg Gust, a U.S. National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist. "It will be a long time before we push the last of the flood waters across the Canadian border."

At just under 50 feet, the Red River crest at Grand Forks was the third highest on record and three of four bridges are expected to stay closed at least well into next week.
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Hardhat

New Zealand: Big aftershock rocks Christchurch


Australian Associated Press
Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:16 UTC
Christchurch
© Getty Images: Martin HunterDamage seen from the devastating earthquake in February, which followed a quake last September
Power has been fully restored to about 20,000 homes and business after a 5.2-magnitude aftershock rocked quake-devastated Christchurch.

New Zealand's second largest city remains devastated following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February which claimed 181 lives, and followed a stronger, but less destructive 7.1 quake last September.

The latest tremor hit at 5:49pm (local time) and was centred 16 kilometres west of the city at a depth of nine kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
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