Earth ChangesS


Attention

Dad of 4 attacked by crocodile in front of screaming onlookers in Indonesia

mmmmm
A father of four was killed by a crocodile during a horrific scene that took place in front of his family.

The man, identified only as Arifuddin, was swimming in the Bulete River in the South Sulawesi province of Indonesia on Thursday, Aug. 14, at about 6 p.m. local time when the tragedy occurred, according to ViralPress.

Arifuddin, 53, was bathing in the river with relatives when the crocodile bit his leg and dragged him under the water, the news organization reported.

Video of the incident from ViralPress shows the crocodile grabbing onto the man's legs, as several villagers then moved into the water in an attempt to help, while others screamed from the shore nearby.


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy hailstorm covers highway in thick ice blanket in South Africa

A thick layer of hail covered the N4 in Mpumalanga in the Belfast area last night.
A thick layer of hail covered the N4 in Mpumalanga in the Belfast area last night.
Heavy hail fell in the Belfast area of Mpumalanga yesterday evening, causing an accident in which one person was injured when a truck and four vehicles collided.

According to Middelburg Observer, the hailstorm caused the N4 roadway to become extremely slippery.

The hail resulted in a thick ice blanket which caused vehicles to slide across the roadway.


Cloud Precipitation

Freak hail storm hits parts of Malta

Hail hit parts of Malta on Saturday afternoon as a dramatic storm soaked the island.
© Daniel Cilia (L)/Ella Attard (R)Hail hit parts of Malta on Saturday afternoon as a dramatic storm soaked the island.
After months of hot, dry weather, Malta got a much longed for soaking with hail reported in certain localities on Saturday afternoon.

Videos and photos shared by readers show hail coating Iklin and Għargħur while others living in Sliema reported a lighting bolt "striking the road", which tripped the power supply to one apartment block.

"My building literally shook," one of the block's residents told Times of Malta.

Flooding has hit parts of Msida, Swieqi and St Julian's, among others. Construction debris has washed into parts of the Regional Road in St Andrew's.

Coming the day after the feast of Santa Marija this could be the traditional "għerejjex" as parched fields from a hotter, windier July finally got some respite.


Flooding in Msida.
© Civil Society NetworkFlooding in Msida.

Tornado1

Powerful funnel cloud swirls near Saskatoon, Canada on August 13

mmmm
Driving from Saskatoon to Regina on Aug. 13, 2025, Lorne Moffat Jr. ran into some nasty weather, including a funnel cloud and large hail.


Tsunami

Northern China flash flood kills 9

mmmmm
At least nine people died in a flash flood in northern China, state media reported on Sunday, with three others still missing, as the East Asian monsoon continues to unleash atmospheric chaos across the world's second-largest economy.

The banks of a river running through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia burst at around 10 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Saturday, the report said, washing away 13 people camping on the outskirts of the city of Bayannur, a major agricultural hub.

A search and rescue operation involving more than 700 people is underway, according to state news agency Xinhua. One person has been rescued.

China has suffered weeks of extreme weather since July, battered by heavier-than-usual downpours with the monsoon stalling over its north and south.


Comment: Further south in Sichuan, 4 people were killed when a stage canopy collapsed during a severe storm.




Cloud Precipitation

Hurricane Erin strengthens to Category 5, fueling dangerous surf, coastal flood risk from Carolinas to New England

hurrican erin 2025 august
© AccuweatherHurricane Erin grew to catagory 5 strength as it left the Caribbean area, August 16, 2025
Erin has evolved into a monstrous hurricane and is expected to take a path between the United States East Coast and Bermuda next week bringing powerful seas and dangerous surf.

Erin rapidly intensified into a major Category 5 hurricane Saturday morning with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. After departing the Caribbean, Erin will set its sights on the East Coast of the United States, with the severity of impacts dependent on its track.

Erin is moving over water temperatures that are higher than the historical average not just at the surface but also hundreds of feet deep. These warm waters, combined with very little in the way of dry air and wind shear, have created "near perfect" conditions for rapid intensification, according to AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva.

Tsunami

Heavy rains lash Mumbai, India - 3 dead - 8 inches of rainfall overnight

A man with a cylinder cart wades through a waterlogged road following heavy rainfall, in Nala Sopara, on August 16, 2025.
© PTIA man with a cylinder cart wades through a waterlogged road following heavy rainfall, in Nala Sopara, on August 16, 2025.
Heavy downpour pummelled Mumbai and its suburbs, with some parts recording more than 200 mm rainfall in the wee hours of Saturday (August 16, 2025), inundating low-lying areas and affecting the movement of local trains. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the metropolis for two days.

Two people were killed and two others injured as a landslip hit Jankalayan Society in Mumbai, Maharashtra, an official said on Saturday (August 16, 2025). Soil and stones from a nearby hillock collapsed on a hut, injuring four persons, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

Heavy rains also lashed parts of Kerala on Saturday, as the IMD issued an "orange alert" in five districts of the State for the day.


Attention

Hiker found dead after brown bear attack on trail in northern Japan, officials say

MMMMM
A hiker attacked by a brown bear while walking a trail in northern Japan has been found dead, according to officials.

The man in his 20s was hiking at Mount Rausu, on the northern island of Hokkaido, on Thursday morning when he was attacked, a local police spokesman told news wires agency AFP.

Japanese media outlets, including the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, reported that the hiker tried to fight off the bear but was pulled into the nearby woods.

He was found on Friday afternoon, local time, and taken to a hospital where he was officially pronounced dead, a Hokkaido government official said.

Hunters also caught and killed a bear near the trail, an official working for Shari, a town near the mountain, told AFP.

DNA analysis will be conducted to determine whether it was the same bear that attacked the hiker.

Comment: Recent related reports from Japan:


Tornado2

Waterspout sightings along the Grand Strand, South Carolina

mmmmm
Waterspout in Murrells Inlet
Storms on Thursday across the Grand Strand brought heavy rain, frequent lightning, and rotation.

Thankfully, none of these rotating storms produced a tornado over land in Horry County, but offshore, they did.

There were multiple sightings along the Grand Strand of waterspouts. Sightings were from viewers in Murrells Inlet, Garden City, and Myrtle Beach.

It is unclear if these sightings are of the same waterspout, or different ones.


Lightning

Lightning strike kills 5 in Bajaur, Pakistan

mmmmm
At least five people lost their lives after lightning struck Jabrari village in the Salarzai area of Bajaur, KP, rescue officials said on Friday.

As per details, heavy rainfall triggered flash floods that swept through multiple settlements, destroying homes and leaving dozens missing. Entire neighbourhoods have been inundated, displacing several families and cutting off access to affected areas.

A lightning strike in Jabrari village in Bajaur killed at least five people and also destroyed seven houses, leaving 18 people trapped under the rubble, according to rescue officials.

Rescue teams are facing significant challenges in reaching the disaster-hit zones due to damaged roads and disrupted communication links.