Earth ChangesS

Cloud Lightning

US: Storms sweep through Mid-Michigan

Thunderstorm and tornado watches and warnings with the potential for severe weather had Mid-Michigan waiting out the storms Friday night.

Heavy rain and hail tore through most of the region, causing a minimal amount of damage.

Reports of golf-ball-sized hail came into our newsroom. The rain and thunder stormed through Mid-Michigan fast and furious, but left behind one colorful sky

The harrowing sound of a storm lurked in the shadows as Mid-Michigan bear down for the spring shower.

Cloud Lightning

UK: Strange weather patterns - it's not the first time

Waking up to the sight of snow covering Bognor's streets on Sunday was a huge surprise to most of us.

From a local perspective Bognor Regis and its vicinity has always been justifiably proud of its place within the sunshine league and if you look back through history books and read the messages on the reverse of postcards, weather is often mentioned and usually in a complimentary manner.

However, this has not always been the case. We have periodically hit the national headlines, as we have at times been the recipients of many severe weather conditions.

Image
©Unknown
When the sea froze around the south coast in 1963

Question

UK: Workmen witness more weird weather

As our changeable weather continues, a Kent town escaped a trail of destruction according to a group of workmen who think they snapped an incoming tornado.

Council grass cutting supervisor David Hartley and his team were taking their lunch break in South Willesborough, near Ashford when they spotted the twister advancing in a narrow path over the rooftops.

Or did they - is it a tornado or just a strange cloud formation? Let us know at kentonlinenews@thekmgroup.co.uk

Image
©David Hartley
Twister and shout: It's definitely a dramatic skyline, but is it a tornado or just a bizarre cloud pattern?

Cloud Lightning

US, Indiana: Lightning strikes house

An early morning fire that was started by a lightning strike destroyed the home of Lowell Stailey at 826 Glen Meadows Parkway, with no injuries reported.

According to the Bedford Fire Department report, the home was fully involved when firefighters arrived on the scene at 1:05 a.m., about six minutes after the alarm sounded. At the request of Stailey, firefighters salvaged some pictures and some jewelry and delivered them to the family.

X

US: First It Was Bees, Now It's Bats That Are Dying

Though bats are a bit spooky looking, inviting thoughts of Dracula, the real horror story is that bats are becoming sick and perishing. A massive bat die-off is happening. Their extinction in the United States is threatening -- and no one knows why.

Just as news of the massive bee die off is fading away -- though not actually ending -- the plight of bats in the United States is starting to come out. The loss of bats may be an even worse concern than the loss of bees, which are exclusively tame and mass-raised -- over-stressed, over-bred, and grown to be over-sized. They're used to pollinate crops, especially ones that are not natural to the areas in which they're grown, such as almonds in California. Wild bees are doing just fine.

Attention

US: "Major disaster" for bees may jeopardize Washington state's crops

Bees are in trouble, and in Washington, that could mean agriculture is, too.

Last year, many Washington beekeepers were relieved that they avoided a mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that silenced hives all over the country. But this year, some beekeepers are reporting a devastating new pathogen - with no reliable cure - is killing their bees in droves.

Some beekeepers are helping to pay for a crash research program at Washington State University to figure out what is going on.

"It's a major disaster in Western Washington. We are into a huge emergency situation," said Yakima beekeeper Eric Olson, who runs the state's largest commercial pollination business.

Image
©Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times
Yakima beekeeper Eric Olson holds a hive loaded with bees in Long Beach, Pacific County. A new pathogen is devastating the hives of some Washington beekeepers.

Magic Hat

Photo: Lake Vanishes Suddenly in Chile



Lake
©AP/ Centro de Estudios Cientificos

Melting ice in southern Chile caused a glacial lake to swell and then empty suddenly, sending a "tsunami" rolling through a river, a scientist said Thursday.

No one was injured in the remote region.

Glacier scientist Gino Casassa said the melting of the Colonia glacier, which he blamed on global warming, filled the Cachet Lake (above) and increased pressure on the ice sheet.

Comment: More on the other Chilean disappearing lake can be read here.


Bizarro Earth

Storm Winds Hit Bowling Green, Kentucky

Driving through many areas of Bowling Green, Kentucky, you wouldn't know we had intense winds Thursday night. If you take a drive through the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Westen Avenue, the evidence is everywhere.

There's a gentle breeze blowing the streets off Westen Avenue and Jana Thornton would be enjoying the day, if something weren't obscuring her view.

Attention

Swarm of Earthquakes Detected Off Oregon

Grants Pass, Ore. - Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption - except there are no volcanoes in the area.

Bizarro Earth

Magnitude 7.3 - Macquarie Island Region

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==

***This event supersedes event AT00796021.

Region: MACQUARIE ISLAND REGION
Geographic coordinates: 55.563S, 158.311E
Magnitude: 7.3 Mw
Depth: 10 km
Universal Time (UTC): 12 Apr 2008 00:30:13
Time near the Epicenter: 12 Apr 2008 11:30:13
Local standard time in your area: 12 Apr 2008 00:30:13