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Flood waters enter many areas on Fiji with more rain expected as Tropical Cyclone Warning remains in force

Vijay Narayan
Fiji Village
Fri, 29 Jan 2021 19:09 UTC
Flooding in Fiji: Tropical Cyclone hits Nadi Town cause heavy flooding

Flooding in Fiji: Tropical Cyclone hits Nadi Town cause heavy flooding
A Tropical Cyclone Warning remains in force for Fiji and the immediate concern is widespread flooding.

A flash flood warning remains in force for all low lying areas and small streams near major rivers in Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

If you are living in a flood prone area, please move to high ground and don't leave things to the last minute.

National Disaster Management Office Director, Vasiti Soko says people should move to their nearest evacuation centre now.

19 centres are open in the North and 1 centre is open in the west.

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Windsock

How the mighty have fallen: 15 giant sequoia trees toppled by storm winds estimated at 100 mph at Yosemite National Park

Paul Rogers
The Mercury News
Thu, 28 Jan 2021 15:20 UTC
A fallen giant sequoia tree at Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park after the Mono wind event on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021.
© Yosemite National Park
A fallen giant sequoia tree at Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park after the Mono wind event on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021.
In a stunning display of nature's force, officials at Yosemite National Park said Thursday that a powerful wind storm that ripped through the park last week caused 15 giant sequoia trees to fall in Mariposa Grove, a landmark forest visited by millions of people over the past 150 years.

Originally, officials thought that just two of the massive trees had fallen. But as they have inspected the area on the park's southern edges in recent days, they discovered wider destruction in the awe-inspiring grove, which was first set aside for protection in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln.

"We have extensive damage in the park," said Scott Gediman, a Yosemite park spokesman. "Millions and millions of dollars. There could be more giant sequoias down. We are continuing the damage assessment."

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Snowflake

Extreme caution urged as more heavy snow falls on unstable base in the Alps - over a metre in 24 hours


Planetski
Thu, 28 Jan 2021 14:27 UTC
Zermatt under snow

Zermatt under snow
In Switzerland and parts of France the avalanche risk is now Level 5 - 'Very High'. The snowpack is 'extremely unstable' and the risk will be 'critical' in places by Friday. Already in Switzerland this winter 16 people have died in avalanches. There have been further fatalities and avalanches in France.

The avalanche danger level has been raised to Level 5 in some parts of the Alps as the snow continues to fall.

It is the highest level on the scale.

A walker was buried under 2.5m of snow in Val d'Isere in France, but was rescued alive as the man was caught in an air pocket.

He was buried for two hours and 40 minutes.

The rescue services have described it as a "miracle".

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Snowflake

California swirls: Snowstorm shuts down 50 miles of Interstate 80 - snow over 8 FEET deep on Mammoth Mountain

Steven Glazier
Weather Nation
Thu, 28 Jan 2021 12:43 UTC
snow
Thursday afternoon, a 50+ mile stretch of Interstate 80 had to be closed because of the treacherous driving conditions that existed.

The California Department of Transportation shared information that they were helping folks get turned around and back to safety, after witnessing multiple slide-offs, accidents, and having to retrieve stuck vehicles.

The status of roads is ever-changing. We encourage you to check the latest road conditions in California here:

California Department of Transportation | Caltrans

Snowfall was nearing 100″ as the sun was setting Thursday over Mammoth Mountain in California. Not far behind that was June Mountain, at 72″ or 6 FEET! Other noteworthy storm reports were in the four to five foot range in Northstar, Kirkwood, Alpine Meadows and Dodge Ridge.

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Arrow Down

5 family members dead in landslide triggered by heavy rains in Papua New Guinea

Riyaz Ul Khaliq
Anadolu Agency
Fri, 29 Jan 2021 12:02 UTC
file
At least five members of a family died and three more are missing after a landslide in Papua New Guinea, local media reported on Friday.

Heavy rains triggered a landslide in the Mumeng area in Morobe province's Bulolo town where people were engaged in alluvial mining, daily The National reported.

There were 11 people at the makeshift camp when the landslide hit early Wednesday, the report said.

Three of them were able to save themselves, while the bodies of a couple and three siblings were found on Thursday.
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Doberman

Deputy mayor found dead, bitten by her two pet rottweilers in southern France

Jack Dutton
Newsweek
Thu, 28 Jan 2021 11:49 UTC
dog attack
The deputy mayor of a department in southern France has been found dead in her yard, next to two of her dogs, who appeared to have bitten her, according to reports.

Sandra Vincente, 38, who was elected mayor of the village of Sénouillac in 2014, in the Tarn department, was found in her yard by her partner on Tuesday. She was found next her two Rottweilers, who were found with bloody mouths. Vincente is disabled and had been using a wheelchair for 10 years. Her family has resided in the village for several generations, according to La Depeche.

The public prosecutor in Albi, the capital of Tarn, is investigating the incident and an autopsy has been ordered.
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Attention

826 earthquakes detected at Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines

Freddie Velez
Manila Bulletin
Thu, 28 Jan 2021 10:53 UTC
Mt Pinatubo
© AFP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Central Luzon has intensified its monitoring of Mt. Pinatubo following a series of earthquakes that was detected in the area.

Julius Ceasar Sicat, DOST Region 3 director, told Bulacan Ronda Balita that they are closely monitoring the volcano with ongoing upgrades to the Pinatubo Volcano Network (PVN) and upcoming geochemical surveys of the Pinatubo crater lake and the condition of the volcano.

In an advisory, DOST-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) showed that since January this year, the PVN and the Philippine Seismic Network (PSN) have detected a total of 826 imperceptible earthquakes east-northeast of Mt. Pinatubo in the Mabalacat, Pampanga area.

They said that although there is no threat yet from the recent earthquake activities, the communities and local government units (LGUs) near the volcano were alerted against future earthquakes and volcanic hazards.

Mount Pinatubo erupted 29 years ago and killed hundreds of people. The volcano discharged millions of tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere.
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Snowflake

Storm pounds California, Nevada with rain, wind and snow - 575,000 customers lost power - 3 FEET of snow at Mammoth Lakes

JOHN ANTCZAK and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
SF Gate
Thu, 28 Jan 2021 19:23 UTC
mammoth

Mammoth snowstorm
A powerful storm packing heavy rain, snow and wind pounded parts of California and western Nevada on Wednesday, toppling trees, and causing power outages and mud flows in vast areas scarred by wildfires.

The onslaught was being fueled by a potent atmospheric river from the Pacific Ocean that punched into the state through the San Francisco Bay Area overnight, drifted down the coast past Santa Cruz and stalled over Big Sur before pivoting back northward.

Pacific Gas & Electric said overall, about 575,000 customers lost power Tuesday and Wednesday along the northern coast, in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas and elsewhere because of winds, rain and snow.


Comment: Nearly 3 feet of snow also recorded at China Peak resort:



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Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills man in Johannesburg, South Africa as weather service warns of widespread storms

Belinda Pheto
Dispatch Live
Thu, 28 Jan 2021 19:11 UTC
lightning
A man believed to be in his mid-20s was killed by lightning in Sophiatown, in the west of Johannesburg, on Thursday afternoon.

The SA Weather Service (Saws) has issued an "orange warning" for disruptive rainfall in parts of Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the western bushveld of Limpopo, as well as the northeastern parts of North West.

The rain is expected from Thursday and could continue throughout the weekend.

The weather service says the rainfall could result in flooding in low-lying areas, isolated incidents of breaching of earth dam walls, general disruption to traffic and basic services, flooding of roads and settlements, and danger to life — particularly because of fast-flowing rivers and streams.
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Black Cat

Man survives 'predatory' cougar attack in western Canada by fighting back, officers say

Mark Price
The Sacramento Bee
Tue, 26 Jan 2021 15:19 UTC
A rare cougar attack on a human has been reported in an Soo Valley north of Vancouver. The species is also known as a mountain lion and puma.
© WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
A rare cougar attack on a human has been reported in an Soo Valley north of Vancouver. The species is also known as a mountain lion and puma.
The cougar attack on a man reported Monday afternoon in the Soo Valley north of Vancouver, Canada, "was predatory in nature," officials say.

The victim is a 69-year-old man, who suffered major injuries while fighting off the cougar, officials said. His identity has not been released.

Canada's Conservation Officer Service says the mauling happened around 3:30 p.m. Monday, near the British Columbia community of Whistler. That's about 220 miles north of Seattle.

"The man was mauled by a cougar and suffered major injuries to his face and hand," the Conservation Officer Service wrote on Facebook. "He was taken to (a) hospital via ambulance and is reportedly in stable condition."
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