Prague - Swollen Czech rivers are still threatening some parts of north-east Bohemia and north Moravia, but meteorologists say rain should start abating tonight.

Yet, they have extended the warning against floods until 10:00 CEST on Saturday in the above parts of the Czech Republic.

Heavy rains started afflicting the country on Wednesday.

Some lower-category roads have been closed in the Liberec Region, north Bohemia, in the Kralovehradecky Region, east Bohemia, and in the Olomouc Region, north Moravia.

Some people who were evacuated in the regions could return to their homes today, while others preventively stay outside their homes.

With Earth Changes now clearly happening and time pressing, the editors of Sott.net are faced with the urgency of catching up with an avalanche of significant news items and trying to make sense of things! Recent weather events have been unprecedented: both spring and early summer have been bizarre across the globe, to say the least.

You name the weather or geological type of phenomenon; someone in the world had it: volcanoes, earthquakes, torrential rain, floods, sinkholes, tornadoes, droughts, wildfires ... even summertime snow! Let's review them all as best as we can, starting from the top: the cosmic factor.

Cosmic Changes Are Under Way

Changes on planet Earth comprise such a wide variety of phenomena, from extreme weather anomalies to volcanoes and earthquakes, so perhaps it's a good idea to zoom back and see if we can make sense of any changes in the cosmic climate that may be affecting us. Yes, we are aware that this approach goes against the sanctioned narrative claiming that these changes are caused by carbon-burning human beings living in an isolated bubble that can only grow warmer. But the pieces of the puzzle on the table point to a different, larger picture.

A huge central piece is our sun, which is not surprising, since this ongoing explosion in space is what brings order to our corner of the universe and to life to Earth. For the last couple of years the sun was expected to go into high activity in accordance with its usual 11-year sunspot cycle. But scientists were left scratching their heads as our local star remained quiet. Now it's giving off such a display of flares that it has NASA scientists going 'ooh and ahh'.

Fifteen pilot whales have died in a mass stranding near the northwestern tip of Scotland, according to a rescue charity.

Rescuers have been trying to save a pod of around 60 long-finned pilot whales in the Kyle of Durness, a sea inlet near Cape Wrath.

Around 35 beached as the water receded at low tide and 20 were refloated using inflatable pontoons as the water level rose again.

However, the remainder perished, said the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) charity.

The rescue effort was stood down following nightfall Friday and was to resume after sunrise Saturday.

Mark Simmonds, head of science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said the Kyle of Durness looked like a "whale trap".

"Something may have startled the group further out to sea and they panicked, came into this unusual situation and were unable to find their way out.

East Coast residents sought refuge on Friday from sweltering temperatures, flocking to beaches, pools and air-conditioned malls as the mercury climbed into the triple-digits along the U.S. Eastern seaboard.

The temperature in Newark, New Jersey soared to 108 degrees, shattering an all-time high of 105 degrees recorded in 2001, according to AccuWeather.com.

Baltimore's Inner Harbor hit 107 degrees, with its heat index reaching 120 degrees.

"This is truly a spectacular heat wave, especially considering its size -- how hot it's been in many areas of the Midwest and now the East Coast," said AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Mike Pigott.

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories for wide swaths of the country's mid-section and along the East Coast from Maine to Georgia.

A "white earthquake" of heavy snow has blanketed parts of Chile leading the government to declare a "disaster area" in eight municipalities where around 16,000 people were left isolated.

Temperatures plunged to as low as -23 C (-9.4F) in some rural areas as severe snowfall wreaked havoc, leaving people without food supplies, mobile phone signals or radio communications.

Miguel Mellado, governor of the province of Cautin, said that in four days from Sunday to Wednesday the area had seen "four months worth of snowfall."

In the town of Lonquimay, around 350 miles south of the capital Santiago, more than 6,500 people were trapped in their homes after snow piled up to 2.3 metres (7ft 6ins), while in surrounding rural areas it was reported to have reached 9ft.

According to the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, the sub-zero temperatures froze pipes leaving many residents without water while even fuel in car's petrol tanks had become frozen.

Sebastian Pinera, the Chilean President, was due to visit the affected region on Friday to see the extent of the problems and the emergency aid efforts for himself.

Crews Hustle To Fix Busy Street

An open joint in a sewer pipe is to blame for the formation of a huge sinkhole in Jefferson Parish.

The opening in the ground formed on Friday, when the dirt beneath the asphalt shifted and left a void beneath the surface of the street near the intersection of Clearview Parkway and West Napoleon.

Crews spent the afternoon filling in the giant hole and traffic was expected to return to normal by Friday evening.

A crew is working to ensure that water continues to flow in a Sevier County creek where a sinkhole opened, draining a three-mile section of the stream.

The plan is to plug the holes that first formed last year in Middle Creek under the Collier Drive bridge.

The bridge had to be stabilized and now work is under way to ensure the stream continues to flow above ground. A dam was built and pumps are channeling the water through temporary pipes along the bank while the holes are filled and a concrete sluice is built over them.

Rain on Wednesday raised the water level in the stream and forced a temporary halt to the work, according to The Mountain Press.

Source: The Associated Press

Federal officials in Yellowknife are worried that a growing sinkhole at the former Giant Mine could result in water seeping into the site's underground arsenic chambers.

The sinkhole first appeared in May and is currently six square metres in size. It is located between Baker Creek and an open pit that is connected to the underground section of the mine.

As well, the depression is close to four underground chambers in which thousands of tonnes of arsenic trioxide - a toxic byproduct of gold production - are being stored.

Officials with the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development are concerned the sinkhole could make it easier for water from Baker Creek to seep into the arsenic chambers, should the creek flood again next spring.

Officials say a large sinkhole in Council Bluffs started as a dip in the road and just kept growing.

South 26th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues is now barricaded because of a giant sinkhole in the street caused by high water tables, a city spokesman said.

Cost to repair the sinkhole, which had grown to 50 feet long by 50 feet wide by late Friday, is $216,000, said Don Gross.

When water levels get higher than normal, underground pipes become surrounded by water, he said. If there are cracks or openings in the pipe, the water and soil material flowing in it will eventually create a "cavity" in the pipe and eventually the street surface will collapse.

It's hoped the repairs can begin next week, Gross said. MFT Construction has received the bid, he added.

Showers and thunderstorms are on the increase this afternoon as a cold front pushes across the state. A Tornado WATCH is in effect until 9 pm for much of the eastern third of the state. The strongest activity this afternoon is in the northeast around Glasglow. Severe weather is expected in the east with highs climbing into the 90's.

The western two-thirds of the state will see highs in the 70's.

Overnight partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers before midnight. Low in the upper 40's.

Saturday sunny and pleasant with a high near 80.