Earth Changes

Eight killed as 'golf ball' hailstones, storms hit Myanmar

The Strait Times
Sun, 24 Apr 2016 11:41 UTC

A woman looking at the damage to a roof caused by hailstones in Mandalay on April 24, 2016.

Violent storms which saw hailstones the size of golf balls rain down across Myanmar have killed at least eight people in recent days, toppled pagodas and damaged thousands of buildings, officials said on Sunday (April 24).

The freak storms struck across five states on Friday and Saturday after weeks of heatwave temperatures regularly topping 40deg C.

"From what we know now there are eight people killed and 7,500 houses destroyed during these days," Phyu Lei Lei Tun, director of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, told AFP, adding that the toll may increase as more information becomes available.

4.1 magnitude earthquake felt around Vienna, Austria

The Local Austria
Mon, 25 Apr 2016 13:01 UTC

A small earthquake hit Lower Austria and Vienna around Monday lunchtime, with residents feeling the impact across different districts in the city.

The earthquake measurement website EMSC confirmed an earthquake happened 18 kilometres south-west of Vienna at around 12.28pm.

EMSC measured the magnitude around 4.4, although the Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics said it was 4.1.

Residents writing on social media confirmed feeling the earthquake, the centre of which was in Raum Alland in Lower Austria, throughout Vienna, including the 3rd, 9th, 13th, and 19th districts.

"Short but scary", is how Twitter user Velina Tchakarova described it. Writing on the EMSC website, witnesses described the floor and ceiling "moving some centimeters" and they felt the "chair bounce and desk move"

It is not unknown for Austria to experience small earthquakes, with the most recent one of a similar magnitude thought to have occurred in Lower Austria in 2013. Another similar quake hit Carinthia in January 2015.

Geologists warned last December, however, that the Vienna region is at risk of being hit by a strong earthquake at some point in the future.

Dead whale washes up near San Clemente, California

Laylan Connelly
The Orange County Register
Mon, 25 Apr 2016 15:04 UTC

A dead whale washed up Sunday on the cobblestone beach at Lower Trestles, a popular surf spot just south of San Clemente.

Todd Mansur, a boat captain for Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, said he has seen two dead whales off Orange County's shoreline in recent days.

He said he saw the one that washed up at Trestles as it neared the water line, and the other one is expected to wash up at San Clemente State Beach in the next few days.

Both whales were estimated to be larger than 40 feet.

Mansur said that from what he saw, it was Mother Nature taking its course.

"It looked like nature. There were no marks from ships, no propeller marks, no abrasions, no entanglements," he said.

Boston-bound plane 'rapidly dropped' for 5 seconds due to extreme turbulence

Paul Burton
cbslocal.com
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 14:47 UTC

Passenger Maya Shaked on solid ground after a terrifying flight

Maya Shaked is happy to be home on solid ground after a terrifying Southwest flight flew into some extreme turbulence and rapidly dropped.

"I was terrified and everyone was freaking out," Shaked said.

She was returning home to Boston from Chicago's Midway Airport on Flight 2386 and was seated in the front row. After the unexpected, frightful drop, she heard several flight attendants ask if there were any doctors on board to assist their co-workers who got hurt.

"They were crying with an ice pack. The other had a concussion and one was pregnant and they didn't know what would happen to her. The plane rapidly dropped for about five seconds a bunch of passengers flew up and stuff went everywhere," Shaked said.

Dust devil whips through the infield during college softball game in Lynchburg, Virginia

Ben Hooper
UPI
Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:37 UTC

A dust devil interrupts a college softball game in Virginia

A college softball game in Virginia was subject to a unique weather delay during the weekend when a huge dust devil swept across the infield.

A video posted to YouTube by Lynchburg Sports shows a clip from Saturday's game between the Lynchburg College Hornets and the Bridgewater College Eagles.

The clip shows the batter in place and the pitcher about to throw the ball when a massive dust devil, or "dirt tornado," enters the frame of the video and sweeps across the infield while the players flee.

"Mother Nature wanted to play along at Moon Field this past Saturday vs Bridgewater," the video's description reads.

Unusual earthquake swarm keeps rolling on in northwestern Arizona

Phil Benson
AZ Family
Sun, 24 Apr 2016 17:17 UTC

More small earthquakes shook northwest Arizona Sunday adding to the list of temblors that have struck the area since March 29.

The Arizona Geological Survey said two quakes occurred, including a magnitude 2.6 quake at 12:07 a.m.

There has been a swarm of 21 quakes in an area along the Arizona-Nevada line south-southwest of Littlefield, AZ, which is also close to southwestern Utah and the frequency and span puzzles geologists.

NW Arizona earthquake swarm keeps rolling on with two events today, including M2.6 at 12:07 am. pic.twitter.com/9jYcHj9Hlx
— AZ Geological Survey (@AZGeology) April 24, 2016

The survey said the area has several active faults and that its geologic features suggest there could be additional potentially active faults just north of the largest quake.

The largest in the swarm was a magnitude 3.4 quake was reported at 2:23 a.m. on April 8.

Comment: Swarm of small earthquakes hit northwestern Arizona

73 earthquakes in 12 hours hit between two volcanoes in Costa Rica

Strange Sounds
Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:33 UTC

At least 73 earthquakes have been recorded along a straight line between the Turrialba volcano and the Irazu volcano in less than 12 hours.Are these the two next volcanoes to explode?

The seismic and volcanic activities along The Ring of fire are currently exploding.

Between April 23 and April 24, 2016, about 73 minor earthquakes hit between two volcanoes in Costa Rica. Zoom in, just East of San Jose, the capital city, on that map to get the info about the several quakes.

The tremors form a straight line right in-between the Turrialba Volcano and the Irazu Volcano.

Last eruption of the Turrialba Volcano was on May 4, 2015. The latest eruption of the Irazu Volcano occurred on December 8, 1994.

One massive storm, extreme weather in the U.S.

Paul Huttner
MPR News
Tue, 19 Apr 2016 09:00 UTC

One massive storm system. Several different extreme weather results.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration water vapor loop

A massive low-pressure center swirls over Denver. The effects of the giant comma-shaped storm stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Welcome light rains in Minnesota. Record April heat in Seattle. Prolific snow totals in Colorado's high country. Torrential downpours and flash floods along the tail end of the troubled front in Houston.

More than 1000 water rescues today as torrential rains of 8"-16" inundated the Houston area https://t.co/WhVfcD9O7o pic.twitter.com/hzh8lETrRd
— Weather Underground (@wunderground) April 18, 2016

When you get 15 inches of rain, there's just nowhere for the water to go. Cue the weather drones.

An #eyewitness news viewer sent us this drone video of flooding in Morton Ranch https://t.co/x6CS4vdJ54 https://t.co/ThNOco3IRJ
— Houston News (@abc13houston) April 19, 2016

Rainfall totals between 10 and 17 inches are common across the Houston area with this storm. The heaviest totals of 15 inches-plus focused in the western suburbs.

17.6" of rain in parts of Houston metro today. More totals across SE Texas here: https://t.co/h0N3JXLFsI #houwx pic.twitter.com/7jK2XOKTuI
— NWSHouston (@NWSHouston) April 18, 2016

Comment: See also:

USGS reports 5.6-magnitude quake strikes 100km SW of Suchiate, Mexico at depth of 10 km

RT
Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:08 UTC

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake has struck southwest of the Mexican town of Suchiate at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey reported.

The tremor took place 97 kilometers from the Chiapas state town of Suchiate, which has over 35,000 residents.

The quake occurred 81 kilometers from the town of Puerto Madero, which has a population of 6,000 people, and 103 kilometers from the city of Tapachula, which has 320,000 residents.

According to EMSC (European Mediterranean Seismological Centre), the quake has a magnitude of 5.7.

Mexico is considered one of the world's most seismically active countries, with a long history of earthquakes, according to the USGS. In July 2014, five people died after a 7.1-magnitude quake struck the southern Mexican state of Chiapas and neighboring Guatemala.