Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

100 twisters spotted U.S. storms kill more than 40

Powerful storms that have ripped across the Southeast killed more than 40 people over the past three days, according to the National Weather Service and reports from several states.


A CNN meteorologist called the storms' impact on North Carolina "epic."

Among the worst hit areas was Bertie County, North Carolina, a rural area in the northeast part of the state. The weather service reported 14 deaths in the county. Zee Lamb, county manager, said there were 11 fatalities.

Alarm Clock

Australia: Aftershocks shake north Queensland

Queensland Quake 1
© Reuters: Vincent KesslerThere have been several aftershocks with one registering a magnitude 4
Several aftershocks have been felt by residents in parts of north Queensland following a 5.2-magnitude earthquake.

The quake, one of the largest to hit the state in many years, was recorded 60 kilometres west of Bowen just after 3.30pm (AEST) Saturday.

The rumblings were felt in several towns throughout the region, but police say there are no reports of damage or injuries.

There have been several aftershocks, with one registering a magnitude 4.

Evil Rays

People in Canterbury, New Zealand are being warned of more earthquakes and aftershocks for years to come

The Natural Hazards Manager at GNS Science, Kelvin Berryman, says it is impossible to tell for sure how long the aftershocks will continue.

But he says previous earthquakes, in this country and overseas, have been followed by seismic activity for up to 30 years.

Bizarro Earth

US: Red River Crests at Grand Forks; Snow Falls

Grand Forks
© Reuters / Eric ThayerA roadside sign is seen with its base submerged near Great Bend, North Dakota April 12, 2011. The Red River was spreading out in a record swath across broad stretches of rural North Dakota and Minnesota on Tuesday and swelling toward a near-record crest in Grand Forks expected within three days.
The swollen Red River crested at the third highest level on record at Grand Forks, and flood conditions were complicated by forecasts for snow and freezing temperatures, forecasters said on Friday.

The Red River reached a preliminary crest at 49.87 feet on Thursday at Grand Forks and continues to spread out across regions north of the city, reaching eight miles wide or more at Oslo, Minnesota, which has become an island amid the swells, the National Weather Service said on Friday.

The Red River forms the North Dakota-Minnesota border, flowing north into Canada. A tributary system stretching from southern Canada and South Dakota feeds into the main Red River as it reaches toward Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.

"We will be dealing with flood issues throughout April and well into May," said Greg Gust, a U.S. National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist. "It will be a long time before we push the last of the flood waters across the Canadian border."

At just under 50 feet, the Red River crest at Grand Forks was the third highest on record and three of four bridges are expected to stay closed at least well into next week.

Hardhat

New Zealand: Big aftershock rocks Christchurch

Christchurch
© Getty Images: Martin HunterDamage seen from the devastating earthquake in February, which followed a quake last September
Power has been fully restored to about 20,000 homes and business after a 5.2-magnitude aftershock rocked quake-devastated Christchurch.

New Zealand's second largest city remains devastated following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February which claimed 181 lives, and followed a stronger, but less destructive 7.1 quake last September.

The latest tremor hit at 5:49pm (local time) and was centred 16 kilometres west of the city at a depth of nine kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

Cloud Lightning

Tornadoes, Storms Kill 19 in United States

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© WRALRaleigh, N.C. was hit by a tornado that caused substantial damage.
Two days of violent weather and tornadoes killed 19 people and left others homeless as storms ripped across the southern United States, officials said.

The National Weather Service said more than 100 twisters were spotted through the region, CNN reported.

North Carolina was hit by severe storms Saturday afternoon with Wilmington's WWAY-TV reporting two people were killed in Bladen County. The TV station said law enforcement confirmed one person was dead in Ammon and a civilian report by amateur radio said one person was killed in a car wreck due to wind on state Highway 242 between Elizabethtown and Bladenboro.

The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., reported the city was hit by a tornado that caused substantial damage. The newspaper said the storm system downed power lines, toppled trees and damaged buildings in the Triangle region.

A Progress Energy spokesman said at least 70,000 customers were without power.

"It's really bad," Raleigh Fire Department Lt. Adam Stanley said.

Cloud Lightning

Canada: Manitoba Flood Reaching "Unprecedented" Levels

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© CTV.ca NewsA truck creates a huge splash as it drives on a flooded road near Melita, Man.
Officials in Manitoba say that this year's flooding is now covering an "unprecedented" area of the province, with 20 areas now under a state of emergency.

Flood waters have spread across the province, overtaken roads, tested dikes and threatened to shut down businesses in the area completely.

Both the Red and Assiniboine Rivers are expected to rise by more than a foot on Saturday after an ice jam backed up water flow.

Officials in Winnipeg say rivers could see a dramatic rise to the 20-foot mark by the end of the day, but are expected to drop down on Sunday as the ice jam clears.

The rise was not expected to threaten Winnipeg's flood preparations and city officials halting sandbagging operations over the weekend. Officials said they would be monitoring water levels for any sudden changes.

Cloud Lightning

US: Storms Cause Flooding On Way East

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© WCNC.com PhotoPolice in Boone report the parking lot at the Boone Mall, next to Kraut Creek, is flooded.
The immediate Charlotte area is in the clear for severe weather, but big problems were expected this afternoon to the east, where meteorologists are predicting the possibility of a major tornado outbreak.

Earlier Saturday, rescue crews worked in Caldwell County to help campers trapped by flood waters this morning.

A line of gusty thunderstorms raced through Charlotte at midday, and the storms intensified as they moved east.

Authorities in Rowan County report trees and power lines down, and there are reports that strong winds damaged several houses in the Farrington Meadows area along Old Mocksville Road, north of Salisbury. A funnel cloud was spotted in Davie County, but there is no report of a tornado touching down.

A tornado warning was issued for parts of Union, Anson and Stanly counties after the storms moved east of Charlotte, but there are no immediate reports of damage.

Bell

Cuba Faces Its Worst Drought for 50 Years

Cuba is facing its worst drought in half a century, with tens of thousands of families almost entirely reliant on water trucks for essential supplies.
Cuba drought
© ReutersThe BBC's Michael Voss asked people in Havana how they were coping

The drought started two years ago, and reservoirs are now down to a fifth of their normal levels.

The government is providing road deliveries of water to more than 100,000 people in the worst affected areas of the capital, Havana.

The situation in Havana is compounded by a pipe network in poor condition.

The state-run newspaper Granma says up to 70% of water pipes supplying the capital are leaking and in urgent need of repair, the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says.

Bizarro Earth

Australia: Earthquake Magnitude 5.2 hits Queensland

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© USGS
An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted Queensland, Australia at 05:31:19 GMT on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10.00 km, was initially determined to be at 20.0339 degrees south latitude and 147.6587 degrees east longitude.