Earth ChangesS


Boat

Best of the Web: More flooding and extreme rainfall hits Queensland, Australia - 39 inches of rain in 48 hours

Flooding in North Queensland brings the prospect of crocodiles entering suburban areas
© 9NewsFlooding in North Queensland brings the prospect of crocodiles entering suburban areas
One person has died in the major flooding event smashing North Queensland as residents are warned things could get worse with water and power supply being affected.

An emergency alert was issued for the Bluewater area at 2.41pm on Sunday as heavy rainfall continues across the far northern parts of the state.

Anyone in the Bluewater area is being told to leave immediately due to the emergency flood warning.

"Dangerous flooding happening now at Bluewater," the alert stated.

"Leave immediately if safe to do so or move to higher ground."

Premier David Crisafulli confirmed the death on Sunday morning.


Comment: Earlier recent report from Thursday, January 30 of the flooding and heavy rain which had already hit the the region: Residents evacuated due to flooding in far North Queensland, Australia - over 15.7 inches of rain in 48 hours


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Landslide closes Thousand Steps in Laguna Beach, California on January 31

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A popular and heavily trafficked beach in Laguna Beach was closed Friday morning after the cliffside that overlooks it gave way and slid to the ground below.

Details: https://ktla.com/news/california/land...


Volcano

Japan: Sakurajima eruption sends ash 2,700 meters high as volcanic lightning strikes on January 30

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Sakurajima unleashed a powerful explosion at 8:13 p.m. on January 30, sending a towering plume of ash 2,700 meters above the crater.

This marks the volcano's 22nd explosive eruption of 2025, adding to its intense activity.

Witnesses also reported a rare display of volcanic lightning, illuminating the darkened skies as the eruption unfolded.


Tsunami

Storm Ivo strikes western France with heavy rain and winds; no casualties reported

Aerial photograph of floods in Redon, western France.
© Damien MeyerAerial photograph of floods in Redon, western France.
Drone visuals showed the extent of major flooding near the western French town of Redon on Thursday (Jan 30), as the floods were expected to reach a historic peak.

Surrounded by rivers, the town, which is home to ten thousand people, was "almost isolated" according to French media.

Flooding has persisted since storms Ivo, Eowyn, and Herminia, along with heavy rainfall, hit the region over the weekend, submerging streets and homes.

Over a thousand residents of the Ille-et-Vilaine department have been evacuated from their homes but no casualties have been reported.


Cloud Precipitation

Hawaii slammed by triple threat of severe thunderstorms, blistering wind, blizzard-like snow

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A powerful storm system is pummeling Hawaii with flash flooding, damaging wind gusts, severe thunderstorms and blizzard-like conditions on the high mountain peaks. The storm has left thousands without power, roads blocked by floods and fallen trees and grounded island air traffic.

Flash Flood Warnings persisted late into Thursday evening over Honolulu and Maui. County offices in Maui were closed on Friday due to the downpours. Crews across the state worked to reopen roads that were closed due to downed trees or flooding.

The Big Island declared a State of Emergency on Thursday afternoon.

Video from Honolulu showed heavy rain and urban flooding. One Honolulu resident shared a video on social media of what looked to be a strong river that he said was normally a dry creek.


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Sinkholes near Tokyo merge, man still trapped on 3rd day

Photo taken from a Kyodo News
© KyodoPhoto taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Jan. 30, 2025, shows a large sinkhole at an intersection in Yashio in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo. A sinkhole opened up on Jan. 28, swallowing a truck and a man believed to be its driver. Another sinkhole appeared during work to rescue him and the two holes later joined to become one large hole.
A sinkhole at an intersection near Tokyo that swallowed a truck collapsed further Thursday and merged with a second opening that had formed nearby, as rescue efforts continued into a third day to save the driver.

The sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, has expanded to roughly 40 meters wide and up to 15 meters deep since first appearing on Tuesday, according to local fire authorities. The prefectural government had estimated its width at around 20 meters.

Firefighters plan to deploy heavy machinery inside the hole to remove earth and rubble.

While the trapped 74-year-old man was initially able to speak, communication has been lost since Tuesday afternoon, with the driver's seat of the truck buried in debris.

A sewer pipe running underground in the area was found damaged, leading the prefectural government to start discharging wastewater into the nearby Niigata River late Wednesday as an emergency step to reduce the water flowing into the sinkhole.


Comment: Earlier report: Swimming pool-sized sinkhole swallows truck in Japan, trapping driver inside


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Five skiers killed in French Alps avalanches

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© AFP
Five skiers were killed in two separate avalanches in the French Alps on Wednesday, local officials have confirmed.

One torrent of snow came in Val-Cenis, in the south-eastern Savoie region, killing four Norwegian skiers, while a Swiss skier died further north in the Haute-Savoie region, near Chamonix.

Three of the Norwegians were killed instantly while a fourth, a woman, died in a nearby hospital after suffering severe hypothermia and a cardiorespiratory arrest.

They were part of a larger group of seven skiers and the remaining three were unharmed.

Jacques Arnoux, mayor of Val-Cenis, told AFP each member of the group had been carrying an avalanche beacon as they were off-piste skiing.

Boat

Residents evacuated due to flooding in far North Queensland, Australia - over 15.7 inches of rain in 48 hours

A truck attempted to drive through floodwaters until being swallowed by floodwaters north of Ingham on the Bruce Highway.
A truck attempted to drive through floodwaters until being swallowed by floodwaters north of Ingham on the Bruce Highway.
Residents in Far North Queensland have been evacuated as heavy rain causes widespread flooding.

Police are reminding locals to be prepared for severe weather -as the region faces the prospect of three potential cyclones.

Rainfall totals have exceeded 400 millimetres in the past 48 hours.


Tsunami

5 killed, thousands displaced due to floods, landslides in Malaysia

The condition of houses affected by the landslide in Kampung Lereng Bukit, Miri
The condition of houses affected by the landslide in Kampung Lereng Bukit, Miri
At least five people were killed and thousands displaced due to heavy floods and landslides in Malaysia, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

It said some 5,000 people were displaced by raging floods in Sarawak and Sabah states on Borneo Island.

Affected people have been evacuated to temporary relief centers as raging floods struck the two Malaysian states.

According to the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee Secretariat, Serian city has the most displaced people, with hundreds of people and families seeking refuge in relief camps.

Landslides were reported in the town of Miri, where people were also displaced.

The Kota Marudu district of Sabah remains the worst hit, with 673 displaced people.


Tornado1

Towering waterspout tornado damages coastal homes in South Sulawesi, Indonesia on January 27

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A towering waterspout tornado ripped through coastal homes in Indonesia.

Footage shows the massive rotating vortex peeling off roofs of houses as it hit land in South Sulawesi on January 27.

The weather phenomenon formed 50ft (15m) away from the shore before pummeling through dozens of houses.

Five homes were damaged but no one was reported hurt.

Amson Padolo, the leader of the South Sulawesi Provincial Disaster Management Agency, said: 'The strong tornado damaged houses in Sorowako village.

A ferry was almost hit when it was still forming in the water. 'One boat carrying passengers survived. They were lucky.'