Earth ChangesS


Seismograph

Best of the Web: Several injured as rare 5.4M earthquake strikes southeast France - UPDATE: Earthquake revised down to 4.9M


Euronews
Mon, 11 Nov 2019 11:52 UTC

Comment: This is not normal. And what an auspicious day for it to occur on... Armistice Day.


france earthquake
Four people have been injured in an earthquake of rare intensity in France, which was felt from Lyon to Montpellier.

The quake, which didn't cause any major damage, was magnitude 5.4 and struck just before noon in the Ardèche region, in the southeast of the country, the French Central Seismological Office (BCSF) in Strasbourg said in a statement.

It was felt mainly in the Drôme and Ardèche regions, particularly around Montélimar where a person was seriously injured by falling scaffolding.

Three other people were slightly injured in the Ardèche "following a panic attack", the Drôme prefecture said on Twitter.

Montelimar's mayor, Franck Reynier, urged residents not to overload the emergency services with calls, adding: "We will keep you informed as we go along." He has been tweeting safety measures, and reported a crack in a building, and a fallen chimney.
earthquake france
© DL/Laure FUMASThe village of Mélas near the city of Montelimar was particularly damaged

Comment: Following the quake, they shut down a nearby nuclear power station in Cruas, Ardeche.

There have been 5 - let's say - 'significant' quakes in France in just the last year:

France's largest in the modern era was a 6.2M in 1909...

Other events in France in the last month or so: And just 6 days ago there was an earthquake swarm in Switzerland.
Thousands evacuated and homes damaged in French quake

Many old buildings were severely affected, with the commune of Teil reporting the most damage

More than 8,500 people have been evacuated and hundreds of buildings dangerously weakened in southeast France, as the extent of the damage from yesterday's 5.4 magnitude earthquake emerges.

The quake struck on Monday, November 11, at 11h51. It lasted around 10 seconds.


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Snowflake

8 inches of snow blankets southern Alberta

Carly Stagg
CTV News
Sun, 10 Nov 2019 11:59 UTC
Calgarians clear fresh snowfall from cars and driveways Sunday morning after and estimated 20 centimetres blanketed most of the city.
Calgarians clear fresh snowfall from cars and driveways Sunday morning after and estimated 20 centimetres blanketed most of the city.
As much as 20 centimetres of snow fell in southern Alberta this weekend.

The wintry storm meant snowfall warnings were issued for large parts of the province. As of 3 p.m. Sunday, Environment Canada had lifted most warnings, and all were cleared by the evening.

City crews were busy plowing Calgary streets, although despite the heavy snowfall, the city said it wasn't anticipating a snow route parking ban.

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Apple Red

35 % of apple orchards heavily damaged by 5-feet deep snow in Kashmir


The Tribune (India)
Mon, 11 Nov 2019 11:26 UTC
Snowfall in Kashmir damages apple orchards
Snowfall in Kashmir damages apple orchards
Kashmir's biggest economy — Rs8,000 crore apple industry — received a major jolt, as first snowfall of the season ravaged the apple orchards across the Valley.

Preliminary reports suggest that the orchards have received "heavy to huge damages" as foliage-laden trees got uprooted or cracked under the weight of 3 to 5-feet snow.

"As per initial reports, apple orchards suffered 30 to 35 per cent damage. Final figures will be available only when officials of our department and the revenue department will visit the orchards," said Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, director, horticulture, Kashmir.

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Cloud Precipitation

Floods in South Sudan affecting nearly a million people - year's worth of rain falls in weeks

Lisa Schlein
Voice of America
Fri, 08 Nov 2019 11:11 UTC
Women carry belongings on their heads as they wade through water, after heavy rains and floods forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes, in the town of Pibor, Boma state, South Sudan, Nov. 6, 2019.
Women carry belongings on their heads as they wade through water, after heavy rains and floods forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes, in the town of Pibor, Boma state, South Sudan, Nov. 6, 2019.
The World Food Program says nearly a million of South Sudan's 11 million people have been affected by devastating floods and are in urgent need of life-saving assistance.

The government has declared a state of emergency in Bahr el Ghazal, Greater Upper Nile and Greater Equatoria states. It is appealing for increased international support to help it deal with this natural disaster, the worst in many years.

The United Nations reports a year's worth of rain has fallen in a matter of weeks in some areas, washing away homes and livestock. Airstrips and roads are unusable, making many remote areas inaccessible.

The World Food Program reports tens of thousands of people are homeless and living in temporary shelters. Even before the rains fell, the agency notes 4.5 million people in the country did not know where their next meal was coming from.

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Mr. Potato

Weather likely to cause drop in US potato yields

Astrid Van Den Broek
Fresh Plaza
Wed, 06 Nov 2019 11:04 UTC
harvest
Weather issues in both the upper Midwest and Idaho mean potatoes could be in short supply this year.

In the Midwest, Minnesota has experienced a number of issues that could cause its volume of potatoes to be lower this season. "We got a late planting—so Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota—and that knocked some yield off of the crop," says Rett Landers of Northern Star Co. in Minneapolis, Minn. He says that while the growing season went well, harvest was wet which also caused issues. "So I'd say in the upper Midwest, the yield will be off probably five per cent," he adds.

North Dakota saw cold temperatures that affected harvest as well. "There were a number of acres that didn't get harvested before the cold weather hit. I think the red volume will be affected there," Landers says, adding that Minnesota's yields will likely be off between three to five percent.
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Cloud Precipitation

40,000 people displaced by flooding in Democratic Republic of the Congo


Floodlist
Sun, 10 Nov 2019 10:53 UTC
flood
Around 40,000 people have been displaced by flooding along the Ubangi River in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Flooding began in October after a period of heavy rain caused the Ubangi River to break its banks in parts of Sud-Ubangi and Nord-Ubangi provinces in DRC. Thousands of people were also displaced in neighbouring areas of Central Africa Republic during this time.

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Arrow Down

Two men killed in avalanche in the Austrian Alps

Jacob Jarvis
Evening Standard
Sat, 09 Nov 2019 14:54 UTC
Rescuers can be seen on the slopes.
© Snow Camps EuropeRescuers can be seen on the slopes.
Two skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the Alps, authorities in southern Austria have said.

Austrian broadcaster ORF reported the men were skiing off marked tracks in the Otztal region Saturday.

They were caught in a snow slide, according to reports.

ORF reported one of the men was wearing an avalanche air bag

The avalanche warning service in Tyrole state had warned of the increased risk due to heavy snowfall on Friday.

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Snowflake

Big Sky Resort in Montana hit with over 51 inches of snow in October - 250% above monthly average


Explorebigsky.com
Sun, 10 Nov 2019 14:32 UTC
Big Sky Resort
© Big Sky Resort
Winter arrived early in Big Sky. With over 51″ of snow falling on Lone Mountain in October, the resort reported nearly 250 percent above average snowfall for the month. Those numbers made this past month the third snowiest October of the last two decades.

Colder temperatures also allowed the resort to fire up snow machines for over 100 hours, blanketing the lower mountain with "snow whales," or large piles of snow used to maintain a thicker snowpack at lower elevations.
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Black Cat

Leopard mauls woman to death in Uttarakhand, India - 6th fatal attack in the state since October

Shivani Azad
Times of India
Sat, 09 Nov 2019 14:07 UTC
Stock image of leopard
© Getty
A 35-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard in Baansi village of Rudraprayag district's Jakholi block on Friday. The victim, identified as Sudha Devi, was going to the jungle to collect fodder for livestock when she was attacked.

This is the second death in Rudraprayag district in the past 48 hours and the third death this week in Uttarakhand. It is also the sixth death due to leopard attack in Uttarakhand since October this year.

In Rudraprayag, both the victims were attacked by wild cat in Khakhra range. While, Sudha was mauled by the leopard barely 1.5 km away from Satni village on Friday, Sher Singh, 55, was attacked and killed in Satni village.

The frequent incidents of animal attacks have also irked the villagers and they have now demanded that the leopard be shot at the earliest.
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Cloud Precipitation

Floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Nakri kill at least 7, affect thousands in the Philippines

Villamor Visaya Jr.
Inquirer.net
Sat, 09 Nov 2019 12:58 UTC
Rescuers help residents displaced
Rescuers help residents displaced by a massive flood in Cagayan province.
The number of people affected by floods and landslides that struck Cagayan this week has ballooned to 63,287 people, or 10,887 families, as of Saturday, Nov. 9, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction Management Office.

They were displaced by high waters that inundated 155 barangays in 14 towns, said Rogelio Sending Jr., Cagayan information officer.

Strong rainfall brought by Severe Tropical Storm Quiel (internationally known as Nakri) triggered flooding and landslides that killed five people.

Four of the dead were residents of Barangay Imurung in Baggao town — Bagga Eljhay Dallego, 10; Augusto Jamon, 36; Jeremiah Saring, 14, and Ariel Agustin Versola, 32.

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