Earth Changes

Dead minke whale found at Grandview Nature Preserve in Hampton, Virginia

wtkr.com
Sun, 14 May 2017 10:42 UTC

A dead whale has washed ashore Sunday at the Grandview Nature Preserve, according to Matthew Klepeisz with the Virginia Aquarium.

Klepeisz says it is a Minke Whale, which have been known to approach ships, according to the American Cetacean Society.

However, the cause of death and size of the whale that washed ashore is unknown.

The American Cetacean Society says it can be hard to see a Minke Whale at sea because its blow is rarely visible and it tends to disappear quickly after exhaling.

Shiveluch volcano in Russia given "red warning" to passing planes following massive 13km ash and steam eruption

The Big Wobble
Sat, 13 May 2017 10:32 UTC

The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka region has erupted, spewing ash some 13km above sea level.

Experts from the Russian Academy of Sciences measured the plumes using seismic data as the ash column mixed with low-lying clouds.

Officials from the region's Emergency Situations Ministry have confirmed that the ash is not expected to land on nearby settlements, Russia's Interfax news agency reported Friday.

Meanwhile a "red warning" has been issued to passing planes, urging them to avoid the site.

Fisherman survives shark attack in United Arab Emirates

Aghaddir Ali
Gulf News
Fri, 12 May 2017 10:16 UTC

Al Balochi was immediately rushed to the hospital after the attack

An Emirati fisherman is lucky to be alive after being mauled by a shark in the Khor Fakkan sea on Friday morning.

Ali Mohammad Hamad Al Beloushi, 41, was on a fishing trip with his friend, Omar, when he was attacked by a large shark about five nautical miles off Khor Fakkan. The duo had left Khor Fakkan harbour around 7am.

Hassan, brother of the injured fisherman, told Gulf News that his brother went on the fishing trip as he would every morning accompanied by the friend.

Five nautical miles off the shoreline, Al Beloushi made free dive to a depth of 18 metres to explore underwater for potential catch and came up to break surface and return to his boat. He was about three metres away from his boat when he found his right leg being clamped by a powerful set of jaws.

Deaths and evacuations following floods in Atacama and Coquimbo, Chile

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 15 May 2017 09:20 UTC

Disaster management authorities in Chile say that flooding in the regions of Atacama, and Coquimbo since Friday 12 May has left 2 people dead and forced almost 3,000 to evacuate their homes. Some heavy rain has also been reported in Antofagasta and O'Higgins regions.

Coquimbo region

National Emergency Office of the Ministry of Interior And Public Security (ONEMI) said that 2 people died in an area near Monte Patria, Limarí Province, after being dragged in their vehicle by flood water.

Over 1,500 people evacuated their homes near Ovalle. ONEMI said people had to move to higher ground as levels of the Limarí River increased dramatically. A nearby reservoir also threatened to overflow.

Rare 'ice halo' visible around the moon in New Zealand

stuff.co.nz
Sat, 13 May 2017 22:44 UTC

A rare "ice halo" visible around the moon overnight coincided with a big chill, with temperatures dropping below freezing point in both the North and South Islands.

Ashburton was the coldest spot on Sunday morning, with an icy temperature of -3.4C between 5am and 6am. Christchurch dropped to -2.9C, while in the North Island, both Masterton and Hamilton were -2.7C. "They'll be waking up to a really cold start," MetService meteorologist April Clark said. Hamilton was probably having the worst start to the day, she said.

"They have a little bit of fog around as well - they cool and get frost, and they also get fog, which is a bit miserable." Temperatures dropped even lower on Saturday night in Queenstown, dipping to -3.6C between 9 and 10pm when the skies were clear, before "heating up a little bit" when cloud set in. "It's really a huge difference when you get cloud - it's just like a little blanket over everyone."

Waterspout filmed in Lee County, Florida

nbc-2.com
Sun, 14 May 2017 17:14 UTC

A small area of showers popped up Sunday morning on the NBC2 First Alert Live Doppler Radar, just offshore from the Lee County islands. As it tracked inland, around 8:45 a.m., this shower produced a brief waterspout over the Caloosahatchee. The location is approximately between Gulf Harbour Yacht and Country Club in Fort Myers and the Cape Coral Yacht Club.

As of 10:30 am, there were no reports of any damage.

This video was taken by Tom Hendricks.

Lightning strikes kill seven persons in Bihar, India

The New Indian Express.
Sun, 14 May 2017 16:27 UTC

Seven persons, including three children were killed and two others injured when lightning struck them in Bihar today, police said.

A 30 year-old woman Gulo Devi and her one-year-old son were killed when lightning struck their house in ward number one of Sakhatia bazar under Gopalpur police station area in Bihar's Naugachhia police district, Gopalpur police station in-charge Shiv Yadav said.

In Sitamarhi district, two persons, identified as Shivji Pandit (45) and Sanjay Ram (35), were killed in different villages of Bathnaha police station area after lightning struck them, Bathnaha police station in-charge S K Sharma said.

Lightning bolt kills 5, injures 2 others in Andhra Pradesh, India

India Today
Sun, 14 May 2017 16:15 UTC

Lightning struck a tiny village in Anantapuramu district of Andhra Pradesh this evening, killing five persons and injuring two others.

According to Information and Public Relations Minister Kalva Srinivasulu, nine villagers tried to take shelter in a small shed in the village fields at Kalugodu under Gummagadda mandal following rain this evening.

"Suddenly, lightning struck the shed killing five persons. Two others were also injured in the incident," the minister told PTI over phone.

Others had a lucky escape.

Forester fights off black bear attack in northeast China

Alice Yan
South China Morning Post
Sun, 14 May 2017 15:51 UTC

Asiatic Black Bear

A forester in northeastern China fought off an attack from a black bear before riding 12km on his motorcycle, despite his injuries, to find help, local media reports.

Li Heping, 53, of Yichun, Heilongjiang province, was in stable condition after 10 days of hospiral treatment, Life News reports.

Though he was recovering well from his physical injuries, Li said he was deeply traumatised by the attack and was still frightened by the thought of it.

The accident happened at the start of May when Li was working alone in a forest.

Floods causing emergencies in a third of Colombia's provinces

Adriaan Alsema
Colombia Reports
Sat, 13 May 2017 10:38 UTC

Flooding in Colombia

Exceptionally heavy rains have forced one third of Colombia's governors to declare either an orange or red alert as cities are flooding and increased rain is expected.

This year's first rainy season coincides with La Niña, a recurring Pacific weather phenomenon that causes increased rainfall in Colombia and neighboring South American countries.

In April, hundreds of people died in the cities of Mocoa and Manizales and left the cities devastated after the rains caused the fatal floods, avalanches and mudslides. Since then, the rains have continued to fall.

On Saturday evening, the central Meta department became the 11th province of 32 to declare an emergency.

On early Saturday morning, a number of the country's main rivers flooded, already causing emergencies in 10 other provinces.