Earth Changes

Texas had more rainfall this fall than in recorded history

Ashley Rose
Cleburne Times-Review
Fri, 14 Dec 2018 15:10 UTC

Walking outside before or after work, residents may notice there seems to be more moisture in the air, with rainfall coming down many times over the past couple of months.

Texas had more rainfall this fall than in recorded history - which dates back to 1895 - and tropical weather disturbances had nothing to do with it, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Meteorologist George Bomar said to Texas Media Directory.

A total of 15.27 inches, averaged statewide, was more than double the normal for the season that runs from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, according to TMD, with the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex receiving about 29.21 inches.

Gayle White of Cleburne - who has an official weather gauge from NBC DFW - measured 4.88 inches in September, 10.73 inches in October and 3.35 inches in November.

Thousands of dead fish floating near Lake Houston, Texas

Courtney Fischer
abc13.com
Fri, 14 Dec 2018 18:54 UTC

Some neighbors in Kingwood say they've been dealing with a horrible smell for days, and now they know why.

Texas Parks and Wildlife tells ABC13 the stench is due to what's called a "kill," and it happens naturally. Nothing is wrong with the water.

Thousands of the fish have popped up, floating from Lake Houston down tributaries.

Albino deer steps out for rare sighting in the snow in Mansfield, Ohio

abc13.com
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 18:32 UTC

An Ohio man found a rare and beautiful sight in his yard: a white deer.

Craig Atkins uploaded video to Facebook of the find.

"There's a bunch of deer in my yard, one's an albino," he said in the video.

The deer would be easy to miss in the snow with its white fur for camouflage.

Atkins said it may be his only time spotting the unique animal, and that he will definitely not forget it.

Mindfulness? Meditating Buddhist monk killed by leopard in Maharashtra, India - 5th such fatality in recent weeks for the area

news.com.au
Sat, 15 Dec 2018 18:04 UTC

A Buddhist monk has been killed by a leopard while meditating in a protected forest for the big cats, the fifth such attack in the area this month, according to Indian police.

Rahul Walke Bodhi was seated beneath a tree in Ramdegi forest in western India for morning prayers on Tuesday when the leopard pounced.

The 35-year-old monk was fatally injured, police in Maharashtra state said. Two other devotees meditating with him at the time escaped unscathed to alert police, who started a search for his body.

Turrialba Volcano erupts in Costa Rica

qcostarica.com
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 17:19 UTC

Turrialba volcano

The Turrialba volcano experienced an important eruption in the early hours of Wednesday (December 12) morning.

Ash blew up to 500 meters above the crater during the event, causing a delay in some flights at the San Jose airport, the first time this year.

Bear attacks woman in her front yard, drags her 88 yards in Muncy Creek Township, Pennsylvania

Julia Jacabo and Jason M. Volack
ABC News
Thu, 13 Dec 2018 14:03 UTC

Black bear

A woman and her dog were attacked by a bear in front of their Pennsylvania home Wednesday, according to officials.

The bear grabbed the woman as soon as she walked out of her home in Muncy Creek Township -- about 70 miles west of Scranton -- and dragged her for 88 yards, Pennsylvania Game Warden Supervisor Mike Steingraber told ABC News.

The woman was able to free herself and call for help, Steingraber said, adding that her dog was also injured.

It is not clear why the bear attacked the woman, but gaming officials believe that it was either attracted to body parts of a deer that were present or that bear cubs were in the area and the mom may have felt threatened, Steingraber said.

Wrong place, wrong time: This South American hawk doesn't migrate, but has somehow shown up in Maine

Jim Wright
northjersey.com
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 13:22 UTC

A great black hawk, native to Central and South America, in a tree in Maine

By now, you've likely heard about the gorgeous Mandarin duck appearing almost daily in New York City's Central Park. Since its arrival in October, the web-footed wonder has become a social media sensation - even though it isn't wild or rare.

While Mandarin Patinkin, as he has been dubbed, has hogged the limelight, a genuinely rare raptor from Central and South America has arrived from out of the blue in Maine.

The great black hawk had never been reported anywhere in the United States before this year, let alone 2,000 miles from home. The young raptor first showed up in Texas in April, reappeared in August in Biddeford, Maine, and then turned up in late November in Portland, Maine.

The crowd-pleaser has been attracting gawkers there ever since, including more than 1,000 in five days.

"This is a pretty huge deal," says Doug Hitchcox, staff naturalist for Maine Audubon. "Apart from being extremely off course, the bird is also visually appealing. Being a large raptor is helpful, but it also has very long legs, making it stand out from anything else in the area."

'Sounds like someone shaking metal': Strange sounds heard in Houston, Texas sky

Sott.net
Thu, 06 Dec 2018 20:04 UTC

YouTube user 'Ana Marin' shared video footage of strange sounds she heard in the Houston, Texas sky on December 5, 2018:

We live near 288 in Houston Texas, As my kids and i got home, at around 1:30 am, we heard some really loud sounds coming from the sky, it sounded as someone was shaking giant metal sheets, we do have companies and all but they are closed at night, and the only sound that we recognize is earlier in the afternoon, but its NOT close to what is in the video...

Floods kill 13 in central Vietnam

The Straits Times
Thu, 13 Dec 2018 20:03 UTC

© VIET NAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Heavy rains submerge Phan Chu Trinh Road in Tam Ky District, the central province of Quang Nam.

Floods caused by heavy downpours have killed 13 people in central Vietnam, officials said on Thursday (Dec 13), as farmers scrambled to save crops and livestock ahead of more bad weather forecast for this week.

Torrential rains have lashed six provinces in the centre of the country since last Saturday, killing thousands of cows and chickens and flooding several cities - including the coastal resort town of Danang.

More than 50cm of rain hit some areas, with more downpours expected in the coming days, the disaster management office said on Thursday.