Earth ChangesS


Seismograph

Philippines hit by 6.6-magnitude earthquake, two weeks after deadly tremor in same region


South China Morning Post
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 05:37 UTC
Philippines quake damage
© Jaypee Catalan via ReutersA damaged local town hall is seen in Mabini, Davao Del Sur, Philippines after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck October 29, 2019 in this picture obtained from social media
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on Tuesday, geologists said, injuring people and damaging buildings while sending terrified locals fleeing into the streets as schools and offices opened for the day.

The shallow tremor hit the island of Mindanao in the same region where a deadly quake struck earlier this month, the US Geological Survey said, adding there was no tsunami threat.

The quake hit near the town of Kisante, less than 100km from Davao City, the hometown of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and one of the most populated cities in the country. It was about 50km deep.


"Our municipal hall has been destroyed," said Reuel Limbungan, mayor of Tulunan, a town near the epicentre.

"We are receiving lots of reports of injuries, but we have to confirm them," he said.

Rescue teams have begun fanning out to assess the damage to the region, where electricity and phone services were knocked out by the power of the quake.

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Rainbow

Circumzenithal arc snapped in skies above Prestatyn, Wales

Suzanne Kendrick
Rhyl, Prestatyn & Abergele Journal
Sat, 26 Oct 2019 01:27 UTC
Circumzenithal arc over Prestatyn, Wales
© Stuart Prince
This rare upside-down rainbow was snapped in the skies over Prestatyn by aviation photographer Stuart Prince.

The circumzenithal arc, sometimes known as Bravais' arc, is a type of Halo.

Stuart, 50, said: "It is rarely seen as the conditions have to be just right and is formed when light reflects off ice crystals."

Stuart, who photographs aircraft around the world - including North Korea - added: "It was such a beautiful sky that afternoon. I looked up and was amazed to see the smile in the sky overhead.

"I was just about to walk my boxer dog Ben to Prestatyn beach when i saw the arc."
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Snowflake

SNOW falls in the Western Cape, South Africa in late October!

Jenni Baxter
SA People
Mon, 28 Oct 2019 19:54 UTC
SNOW
Yes, it's meant to almost be summer, less than two months till Christmas! But, as predicted by Snow Report SA on Friday, a flurry of snow has fallen in parts of South Africa overnight and this morning, 28 Oct 2019... with delighted South Africans sharing their photos and video of this fairly rare occurrence, to receive snow so late in the season.

As parts of South Africa are battling heatwaves and drought, the Western Cape has instead been hit by cold fronts over the weekend... and snow has covered mountain peaks from Kaaimansgat, Villiersdorp to Tulbagh, Worcester and the aptly named Sneeukop (Snow Head) outside of Rawsonville.

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Cloud Precipitation

Thousands forced to live in tents as floods hit 11 districts in North Sumatra, Indonesia

Apriadi Gunawan
The Jakarta Post
Mon, 28 Oct 2019 19:27 UTC
Floodwaters
Floodwaters inundated at least 11 districts across Batubara regency in North Sumatra over the weekend following heavy rains that hit the region in the past week, leaving about 1,087 houses flooded and thousands of people stranded in evacuation sites.

The Batubara Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) said high-intensity rainfall had struck the regency for at least the past seven days, causing the rivers to overflow and flood residents' houses.

Among the affected areas were the districts of Air Putih, Datuk Limapuluh, Nibung Habungs, Sei Suka and Talawi.

Puting beliung (small tornadoes) also reportedly hit residential areas in Kuala Indah village of Air Putih district, damaging a number of houses, BPBD Batubara head Anwardi said.

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Cloud Precipitation

Death toll from Tanzania's floods and heavy rain rises to 44


Xinhua
Sun, 27 Oct 2019 18:49 UTC
Floods in Handeni district, Tanga Region, Tanzania, have damaged bridges and roads, causing severe traffic disruption, October 2019.
© Tanga Regional OfficeFloods in Handeni district, Tanga Region, Tanzania, have damaged bridges and roads, causing severe traffic disruption, October 2019.
Four more people have been killed by ongoing heavy rain in Tanzania, bringing to the death toll to 44, police said on Sunday.

Edward Bukombe, Tanga regional police commander, told Xinhua by phone that the four victims, including three children, were killed by flash floods in different parts of Handeni district.

"Today rescue teams found four bodies in different parts of Handeni district," said Bukombe.

On Saturday, the police official said the death toll from ongoing heavy rain in the region rose from 30 to 40.

Bukombe said a car ferrying 10 people was swept away by raging waters at dawn on Saturday after the driver had tried to drive through a flooded river in Handeni district, bringing to 40 the total number of people killed by current rains in the east African nation.

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Arrow Down

Bus falls into gaping sinkhole in Pittsburgh

Scottie Andrew
CNN
Mon, 28 Oct 2019 18:30 UTC
BUS UP
Morning commuters in Pittsburgh got an eyeful Monday when a bus fell backward into a gaping sinkhole, leaving the front half hanging several feet above the road.

The Port Authority bus was stopped at a red light when a rectangular hole in the street opened up beneath it, swallowing the back half of the bus, Port Authority of Allegheny County officials said.

Only the driver and one passenger were on board when the bus fell in. Both were safely able to exit, and the lone passenger was being treated for minor injuries, the Port Authority reported.

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Cassiopaea

Another 'rare' gigantic jet snapped, this time over the gulf of Mexico - plus a 'pancake' sunset in N. California


Space Weather
Tue, 15 Oct 2019 12:00 UTC
Gigantic Jet
Transient Luminous Event: Taken by Chris Holmes on October 15, 2019 @ Yucatan Peninsula, 35,000ft approximately 35 miles east of the cell.

CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH A GIGANTIC JET

When you see lightning, run! That's what NOAA advises in lightning safety brochures. On Oct. 15th, however, pilot Chris Holmes had no place to go when lightning started to crackle in thunderstorms around his aircraft.

"I was flying 35,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula when a super cell started pulsing with light," he says. "It wasn't just ordinary lightning, though. The cell was creating lots of sprites and jets leaping up from the thunderhead." At a distance of only 35 miles, he video-recorded this:

Comment: The growing list of phenomena resulting from our changing atmosphere: For more on what's happening on our planet, check out SOTT radio's: As well as SOTT's monthly Earth Changes Summary - September 2019: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs:



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Fire

Bushfires continue to rage in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia

Luke Costin and Natalie Bochenski, AAP
news.com.au
Sun, 27 Oct 2019 18:06 UTC
Firefighters battle an out of control bushfire on the Lakes Way, Darawank, near Forster on the NSW mid north coast.
© Nathan EdwardsFirefighters battle an out of control bushfire on the Lakes Way, Darawank, near Forster on the NSW mid north coast.
At least one home has been lost after multiple bushfires threatened towns on the New South Wales mid-north coast.

The bushfire is easing NSW but it could be a torrid day in Queensland which is still seeing torrid conditions.

One blaze west of Tuncurry, near Forster, jumped a river on Saturday and began spotting across the township that is home to 6000 people.

Less than 10 kilometres further north, another blaze led to emergency warnings for Hallidays Point and Darawank.

Both fires were being fanned north overnight.

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Tornado1

Hurricane Pablo becomes sixth Atlantic hurricane to form in an unusual location

Chris Dolce and Jonathan Erdman
The Weather channel
Sun, 27 Oct 2019 08:15 UTC
Hurricane Pablo
© NASAHurricane Pablo, as seen in the eastern Atlantic by NASA’s Terra satellite on Oct. 27, 2019
Hurricane Pablo became the sixth Atlantic hurricane on Sunday morning in an unusual location.

Pablo strengthened into a hurricane at 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday at 42.8 degrees north latitude. That's very near the same latitude as Boston on the U.S. East Coast.

Only one other storm since 1950 has first reached hurricane intensity at a farther north latitude, according to Tomer Burg, an atmospheric science PhD student at the University of Oklahoma. That was an unnamed hurricane in 1971 which formed at 46 degrees north latitude, Burg said in a tweet.

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Cloud Precipitation

Floods kill 7 people in Saudi Arabia


Arabian Business
Mon, 28 Oct 2019 12:32 UTC
FLOODS
State TV says another 11 people have been injured after heavy rain lashed northeastern parts of Saudi Arabia

Seven people have been killed and 11 injured in floods after heavy rain lashed northeastern parts of Saudi Arabia, Al-Ekhbariya state television reported Monday.

Rescue services in the northeastern city of Hafer al-Batin, about 100 kilometres southwest of Kuwait, said that 16 people were forced to evacuate their homes.

Seven affected by the rain were provided with shelter, it added.

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