Earth Changes

Mass 'die-off' discovered at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Texas

Harvey Rice
Houston Chronicle
Fri, 29 Jul 2016 14:23 UTC

A mass die-off of coral and other sea animals was discovered this week on a reef in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, federal officials said Friday.

Sports divers discovered the damage Monday on the East Flower Garden Bank, about 100 miles southeast of Galveston, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report.

Divers from the motor vessel Fling "were stunned to find green, hazy water, huge patches of ugly white mats coating corals and sponges, and dead animals littering the bottom of the East Flower Garden Bank, a reef normally filled with color and marine life," wrote Steve Gittings, chief scientist in NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

Agency scientists were not immediately available for comment Friday evening.

Update: Lightning death toll rises to 47 over two days in Odisha, India

The New Indian Express
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:36 UTC

With six more deaths, the toll due to lightning rose to 47 in the State on Sunday. While Dhenkanal reported four deaths, two persons died in Nabarangpur district. In Nabarangpur district, Usha Soura (30) of Turunji village in Nandahandi block and Ramsingh Gond (60) of Mangarapalli village in Raighar block died when they were struck by lightning while they were working in their paddy fields.

Seven women of Turunji village of Nandahandi block, who were injured in the incident, were admitted to District Headquarters Hospital and Tentulikhunti Community Health Centre. Their condition is stated to be stable. In Dhenkanal district, four persons died and eight others sustained burn injuries after being struck by lightning. The victims belonged to Ganjeidihi, Saurali Santhasara and Kalamati villages. All of them were working in their agricultural fields when the incident occurred. The injured have been admitted in different hospitals.

Man killed by lightning while mowing lawn in Tillsonburg, Canada

Toronto Sun
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:28 UTC

Police say a 52-year-old Tillsonburg, Ont., man has died after being struck by lightning.

OPP say Dave Johnson was mowing his lawn on Sunday afternoon when he was struck as a violent storm hit the area.

Police say emergency personnel attempted to revive him.

Johnson was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Source: The Canadian Press

Lightning bolt kills boy on beach in Carova, North Carolina

wilx.com
Sun, 31 Jul 2016 12:14 UTC

Authorities say a 5-year-old boy on vacation with his family died after being struck by lightning on a North Carolina beach.

According to WTVD-TV, authorities say the family was on the beach Sunday in Carova at about 4 p.m. when the child was struck.

The family put the boy in their SUV and met EMS part way. He was then taken to a hospital where he died.

Authorities did not identify the family.

Source: AP

Intense straight-line winds hit Komárno, Slovakia

Nature Angry
YouTube
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 08:31 UTC

Intense straight line winds in Komárno, Slovakia 01/08/2016

Dramatic waterspout seen over Suffolk, UK

The Telegraph (UK)
Sun, 31 Jul 2016 14:11 UTC

© Phil Hannam /Geoff Robinson Photography
Chef Phil Hannam captured the waterspout spiralling over the small village of Thorpeness

Sky-spotters were stunned to capture photos of a dramatic waterspout in stormy skies over Suffolk.

Phil Hannam, a chef, was taking a break from the kitchen when he saw the intense vortex spiralling over the small village of Thorpeness.

Reinhard Olbrich also took a remarkable picture of the funnel-shaped cloud from a pub garden in the village on Saturday evening.

Although witnesses believed they had seen a tornado it was actually a waterspout, which is a type of funnel cloud that occurs over a body of water.

Mr Hannam and his colleagues at The Kitchen at Thorpeness restaurant were stunned to see it circling over their village, which is near the coast.

Comment: Incidents of 'rare' UK tornadoes in the past year include those in: West Sussex, Northampton, Somerset, Newport, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Localized flooding hits Fort McMurray, less than two months after devastating fires

Huffington Post Canada
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:20 UTC

© Vincent McDermott / Postmedia Network
A parking lot along Parent Way near Gregoire floods during heavy rainfall on Sunday, July 31, 2016

Less than two months after Fort McMurray, Alta., residents were allowed to return to the city after a devastating fire, the municipality has activated its emergency operations centre to deal with flooding.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo tweeted Sunday that people should restrict travel around Fort McMurray, and that anyone whose basements are susceptible to flooding should move their valuables to a safe place.

The tweets also pointed out that barricades have been placed on some roads, and warned that driving on flooded roads is dangerous due to the possibility of debris and slippery ground.

Darby Allen, director of emergency management for the municipality, said in an email that the region received around 85 millimetres in just two hours on Sunday.

Shallow 5.4 magnitude earthquake jolts SW China

China.org.cn
Mon, 01 Aug 2016 02:06 UTC

An earthquake measuring around 5.4 on the Richter scale hit Cangwu County, Wuzhou City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at 5:18 p.m. on Sunday.

The epicenter was monitored at 24.08 degrees north latitude and 111.56 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

The center initially said it was a 5.1-magnitude quake based on preliminary measurement.

The tremor, which was felt in multiple cities in Guangxi and in neighboring Guangdong Province, damaged some houses in two townships close to the epicenter, but no casualties have been reported, according to the local government.

Several trains were halted in the region to ensure safety, according to the Nanning Railway Bureau.

Air Canada plane to Calgary makes emergency landing after hail cracks windshield

Calgary Herald
Sun, 31 Jul 2016 18:56 UTC

A view of the damaged windshield of Air Canada flight AC1159 after it landed in Lethbridge, Alta., Saturday, July 30, 2016. The plane was diverted from Calgary when the windshield sustained heavy hail damage. No injuries were reported from the 144 passeng

© Nick Kuhl / Lethbridge Herald
A view of the damaged windshield of Air Canada flight AC1159 after it landed in Lethbridge, Alta., Saturday, July 30, 2016. The plane was diverted from Calgary when the windshield sustained heavy hail damage. No injuries were reported from the 144 passengers and five crew members.

An Air Canada flight from Toronto to Calgary was forced to make an emergency landing in Lethbridge, Alta. Saturday afternoon after the aircraft's windshield was cracked by hail.

Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah told The Canadian Press in an email that Flight AC1159 was approaching Calgary when the A320 airbus with 144 passengers on board flew into the hail storm and sustained damage to its windshield.

Mah said the Captain followed standard operating procedures and diverted to the closest airport, landing at Lethbridge about 210 kilometres south of Calgary "normally and without issue."

Pictures of the jet that were later posted on Twitter clearly showed several cracks in its left-side windscreen.