Earth ChangesS


Sun

Sun halo seen over Norfolk, England

Stuart Anderson
North Norfolk News
Wed, 17 Apr 2019 16:16 UTC
Sun halo over Norfolk, England
© Angela Cole
Yesterday's brilliant sunshine brought a fascinating phenomenon to Norfolk skies.

Angela Cole, of Cromer, saw a strange circle around the sun around 12.15pm on Tuesday, April 16 when she was visiting her mum in Beeston Regis. Her husband, who was in nearby Sheringham, also snapped a photo of the heavenly halo.

After a spot of online research they believe they identified the outlandish aura: a -22 degree halo.

Mrs Cole said: "Anyone who looked up at the sky would have seen it. Rainbows come and go, but this was there for quite a while. It must have been there for half-an-hour. I've never seen anything like it before."
Read More...
Snowflake

Record-breaking snow season breaks Sierra Nevada drought

Nick Austin
Freightwaves
Tue, 16 Apr 2019 18:03 UTC
SNOW PLOW
Tons of snow the past several months have catapulted parts of the Sierra Nevada Range into the record books, busting a year-long drought at the same time. Now that we're halfway through April, we're over the hump as far as the meat of the snow season. But many peaks got a dusting the past couple days (April 15 and 16, 2019) - a dusting, that is, compared to storm totals from earlier this year.

Adding It Up

Many ski resort owners in the region reported record February snowfall. In late March, Mammoth Mountain and Squaw Valley each had more than 50 feet of snow on the ground. The latest round of snow this week only dumped up to six inches in many spots, but as more snow melts throughout the spring, the liquid equivalent will be recorded as part of the total precipitation statistics.
Read More...
Arrow Down

Search for more dead in Papua New Guinea's highlands landslide continues after 8 killed


RNZ
Thu, 18 Apr 2019 17:50 UTC
LANDSLIDE
© RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
Search and rescue efforts in Papua New Guinea's Highlands are continuing after at least eight people died in a landslide.

The devastating slip burst through at least two remote villages in Enga province on Monday, destroying homes and crops.

Mackenzie Smith reports.

Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Floods largest disaster to hit Iran in 15 years - nearly 80 killed so far


Press TV
Mon, 15 Apr 2019 17:30 UTC
FLOOD
Floodwater in Iran
Iran's president Hassan Rouhani says all institutions must take necessary measures to prevent any further flood-related financial losses and fatalities.

In a telephone call with the governors of the flood-hit regions, President Rouhani stressed the importance of public awareness prior to the start of the second wave of torrential rains.

Meanwhile, the international federation of Red Cross has called the deluge the largest disaster to hit Iran in more than fifteen years. The Iranian Red Crescent Society also says the natural disaster has killed nearly 80 people so far.

Severe floods have hit at least two dozen provinces since mid-March.

Read More...
Boat

Lake Eyre in Australia transforms from parched desert to prosperous waterway


The Lead
Thu, 18 Apr 2019 17:10 UTC
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park
© South Australian Tourism Commission/Lachlan Swan.Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park
Australia's legendary inland sea is filling, greening the desert and attracting wildlife and tourists from far and wide.

Lake Eyre in northern South Australia is Australia's biggest lake and the thirteenth largest in the world when full. It is also the lowest geographical point of the island nation at 15m below sea level.

The usually dry lake system in the state of South Australia - believed by early European settlers to be home to an enormous inland sea - is about 500km from the coast and only fills about four times a century.

The last time it was full was 1974 but water from tropical cyclone Trevor and wet season rains in outback Queensland are flowing to the lake through a network of rivers that drain into a basin covering a sixth of Australia - about the size of Spain.

Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Turkmen capital inundated after heavy rains across region


Radio Free Europe
Tue, 16 Apr 2019 17:03 UTC
Ashgabat
Ashgabat floods
The streets of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, were flooded after severe rains that began on April 13.

Weeks of heavy downpours have taken a toll on the region, causing deaths and extensive damage from flooding in Iran and Afghanistan.

Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

Over 220 killed as recent torrential rains wreak havoc in South Asia

Aamir Latif, Shurriah Niazi and Shadi Khan Saif
Anadolu Agency
Wed, 17 Apr 2019 13:35 UTC
file photo
File photo
Footage on television show several vehicles trapped in waist-deep water

Torrential rains followed by flash floods have claimed over 220 lives across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, officials and local media said Wednesday.

The Met Office has forecast more rains in the next 24 to 48 hours as the region is under the grip of a westerly cycle of thunderstorms and gusty winds.

Thunderstorms in northern, central and western Indian states late on Tuesday have killed at least 50 people, local media reported.

The most affected state was Rajasthan from where 21 deaths were reported, said Ashutosh Pednekar, relief officer in the state, told Anadolu Agency.

Read More...
Attention

2 dead whales wash up on San Francisco Bay area shores in a day - 5 since March


sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com
Tue, 16 Apr 2019 09:45 UTC
The dead whale’s body resting on the shore
© North County Fire AuthorityThe dead whale’s body resting on the shore
Two dead whale carcasses washed up on Bay Area shores on Tuesday afternoon, one in Richmond and one near Manor Beach in Pacifica. This marks five dead whales on the region's shores since March.

Pacifica police said they received a call about a dead whale around noon on Tuesday. They estimated the whale was approximately 35 feet long, but didn't yet specify what type of whale it was. The location of the whale was 500 Esplanade Drive.


Comment: Single dead whales have also washed up recently in Seattle, Washington and Oyster, Virginia. (On April 14th and 16th respectively.)

Read More...
Seismograph

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake hits east Taiwan


The Straits Times
Thu, 18 Apr 2019 05:48 UTC
A major road in the centre of Taipei is seen damaged after an earthquake in Taipei, Taiwan
© REUTERSA major road in the centre of Taipei is seen damaged after an earthquake in Taipei, Taiwan on April 18, 2019.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck Taiwan's coastal city of Hualien on Thursday (April 18), shaking buildings and temporarily suspending subway services in the capital Taipei, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Local television footage showed school children being evacuated from buildings, while a weather bureau official said it was the largest quake to hit the island so far this year.

The quake struck at 1.01pm local time, and at a depth of 18km, the Central Weather Bureau said, adding that the quake measured at 4.0-magnitude in the Taipei area.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Four people injured in lightning strikes on Acropolis in Athens


Sputnik
Wed, 17 Apr 2019 20:24 UTC
Acropolis
© Associated Press/Petros GlannakourisDark clouds pass over a semi-sunlit Parthenon temple atop the ancient Acropolis Hill in Athens
The incident occurred at 4 pm local time as the lightning damaged a lightning rod and hit the booth from where the Acropolis security staff operates, the online news portal Keep Talking Greece reported.

A bolt of lightning struck Acropolis in Athens injuring four people, Greek authorities said on Wednesday. Two female guards and two tourists are among the injured.

The condition of one of the security staff is serious, Greek media reported. However, later in the day, the AP news agency reported citing a culture ministry official that none of the wounded has sustained serious trauma.
Read More...