Earth Changes

Lightning strike kills 4 in West Bengal, India

Mohammad Asif
Times of India
Sun, 06 Jun 2021 09:53 UTC

Four persons were killed and one was injured by a lightning strike in Jamalpur block, East Burdwan, during a thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon, reports Mohammad Asif.

The deceased have been identified as Shambhu Charan Das (56) of Jyotsriram village, Arup Bag (41) of Kansra village and Adhir Malik (43) of Mohindar village. All three were in a paddy field. Ranjit Goyel of Gunreghar village was inside a hut and escaped with injuries. The bodies were sent to Burdwan Medical College & Hospital for post-mortem.

Threat of flooding in coastal Louisiana and Texas after waterlogged spring

Matthew Cappucci
The Washington Post
Sat, 05 Jun 2021 19:53 UTC

The Weather Service's forecast for heavy rainfall

If you live along the western Gulf of Mexico coast, odds are that this spring had you ready to build an ark. Some parts of Texas and Louisiana have seen more than 2½ feet of rainfall since the start of April, and more is on the way.

Another three to six inches of rain, and maybe more in spots, is set to target already waterlogged areas through early next week. Flash flood watches are in effect for much of the Louisiana coastline.

In Texas, numerous rivers and streams have overtopped their banks due to recent rains, prompting flood warnings for waterways in the zone from around Victoria to Beaumont.

Signs also point to a continued wet and rainy pattern over the upcoming week and a half, with continued bouts of rainfall set to renew flood concerns.

Significant earthquake swarm impacting southern California

Weatherboy
Sat, 05 Jun 2021 19:28 UTC

A swarm of earthquakes is currently impacting southern California

A significant earthquake swarm is unfolding in southern California, impacting the area around the Salton Sea east of San Diego, south of Palm Springs, and southeast of Los Angeles. 47 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or greater have struck the area, with the strongest being a 5.3 which struck at 10:55am local time today.

The strong 5.3 earthquake struck about 6 and a half miles west of Calipatria at a depth of 3.6 miles. More than 700 residents from Los Angeles to San Diego to El Centro reported experiencing the quake to the USGS, including many that reported "strong shaking."

Today's significant earthquake swarm is occurring near the Salton Sea, a shallow landlocked lake with a high salt concentration in Riverside and Imperial counties of California. The Salton Sea sits on the San Andreas Fault at the southern end of the state of California. In this region, the Earth's crust is being stretched. Today's earthquakes are tied to submerged faults near the southern end of the San Andreas Fault. Called the Brawley seismic zone, this extensional region connects the San Andreas with the Imperial Fault in southern California.

Today's swarm comes on the heels of another earthquake swarm that impacted the Disney Land area last weekend north of today's swarm.

Storms and floods strike across western Germany

The Local (Germany)
Fri, 04 Jun 2021 19:24 UTC

A fireman crosses a flooded street in Bottrop,

Firefighters and police were called out numerous times on Thursday evening as thunderstorms brought traffic to a standstill, overturned trees and flooded cellars.

Extreme weather struck the western and central German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hessen on Thursday evening, with thunder, torrential downpour and hailstones wreaking havoc in the region.

The German Weather Service (DWD) urged residents of those areas to stay "vigilant" as they warned of oncoming thunderstorms, hail and downpour on Twitter on Thursday.

As thunderstorms picked up throughout the evening, firefighters were called out to deal with numerous incidents of falling trees, flooded streets and waterlogged cellars. In the town of Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, a fir tree was struck by lightening and burst into flames - but the fire was quickly extinguished by the heavy rains, local residents and firefighters.

Film of flooded street in Reims, France

Euronews
Fri, 04 Jun 2021 13:22 UTC

An amateur video shows a flooded street in Reims after heavy storms. Vehicles are blocked as a torrent pours down the Avenue Jean Jaurès.

Wild elephant herd in China making a mysterious, cross-country march

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
cnet.com
Thu, 03 Jun 2021 13:06 UTC

Not all who wander are lost, J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote. A herd of wild Asian elephants in China might agree with that sentiment. The 15 elephants have been slowly making their way across China for over a year, delighting social media, eating and trampling crops, and causing more than a million dollars worth of damage.

It's not unusual for elephants to ramble outside their habitats, but this wandering herd stands out. Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, a principal investigator at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, who specializes in elephants, told The New York Times he has "no idea" why these elephants won't settle in one spot.

The elephants started off last March, leaving a nature reserve in Xishuangbanna, and have traveled more than 300 miles (500 kilometers) so far. There were 16 in the group then, but some have turned around, and others have given birth, making the group now down to 15, the Times reports.

Large sinkhole reported on west side of Nuevo Laredo (Mexico)

Justin Reyes
kgns.tv
Wed, 02 Jun 2021 20:16 UTC

If you have any plans of driving in Nuevo Laredo, there's a huge sinkhole on the city's west side.

As of now, its about 33 feet wide and almost 10 feet deep.

You can see a business still standing but so close to the sinkhole.

Several different city and county entities have come together to access the damage and put together a plan to repair it.

No word yet on what caused the sinkhole or how much it'll cost to fix it.

Officials say it could take up 45 days to fix once they get started.

No tsunami warnings after two 5.9 magnitude earthquakes hit off Oregon coast

Alta Spells
CNN
Fri, 04 Jun 2021 20:03 UTC

A cluster of earthquakes were reported in the same area at the end of April.

Two 5.9 magnitude earthquakes struck the Pacific Ocean off Oregon's coast early Friday morning, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The tremors occurred about 89 miles and 98 miles west of the coastal town of Gold Beach, Oregon, after 1 a.m. (PT) Friday morning, according to USGS.

A few people reported light shaking on the coast, the USGS report showed.

At least five earthquakes ranging in magnitudes from 3.2 to 5.9 have occurred in the area in the last few hours, according to USGS.

Dead whale shark found on Great Barrier Island - first stranding recorded in New Zealand

Vaimoana Tapaleao
New Zealand Herald
Fri, 04 Jun 2021 08:06 UTC

A whale shark found at Great Barrier Island.

A morning stroll on the beach turned into a bit of a spectacle when Zane Broadbelt suddenly spotted what looked to be a stranded whale.

He and his partner, Laura, were walking along the beach at Harataonga, on Great Barrier Island, when they made the discovery on Sunday.

"I just saw a lump in the sand," he told the Herald.

On closer inspection, they realised it was a dead whale shark.

"It was about 6m long and looked like it had been there for about a week.

"I've never seen a whale shark before. It's not something you expect to see around here, especially at this time."

The Department of Conservation confirmed their staff responded to a public sighting of the dead whale shark last Thursday.

It was a significant find as although whale sharks migrate annually to New Zealand waters, this was the first recorded stranding in New Zealand, a DoC spokeswoman said.

Families evacuated after mud volcano eruption in Necoclí, Colombia

Week.com
Sun, 30 May 2021 06:37 UTC

More than 20 families were evacuated after the eruption of the mud volcano in the municipality of Necoclí, which belongs to the Urabá subregion, confirmed municipal risk management authorities.

The entity pointed out that due to this situation it was necessary to transfer around 100 people from the Palmares de Ceniza village to a rural school in the Piedrecita village, where humanitarian care is provided.

The Voluntary Fire Department and the Civil Defense responded to the emergency, after the volcano expelled ash and boiling mud, as seen in some videos shared by the inhabitants of the area on social networks.

The aid organizations indicated that the 23 families were evacuated from the early morning when the high volcanic activity of that natural formation was identified until it erupted in the last hours.