Earth ChangesS


Fire

Powerful eruption rocks Costa Rica's Rincón de la Vieja Volcano


The Tico Times
Fri, 26 May 2023 19:42 UTC
There was no impact on people and infrastructure due to the volcan
There was no impact on people and infrastructure due to the volcano.
The Rincón de la Vieja volcano, in northern Costa Rica, registered yesterday a "powerful" eruption with no reported effects to people or infrastructure, one month after the last notable eruptive event, authorities reported.

"Today at 14H34 (local time, 20H34 GMT) the Rincón de la Vieja volcano has made a powerful eruption," said in a video Cyrill Müller, volcanologist of the Vulcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori) of the National University (UNA).

"The plume composed of water vapor and volcanic material reached a height of 3,000 meters above crater level," he added.

This eruption was "phreatic", and occurs when there is interaction between hot magma and water, which vaporizes and increases 1,000 times its volume in seconds, producing an explosion.

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Cloud Precipitation

Huge hailstorm cut power to 2100 homes after it hit Newcastle, Australia

Eli Green
News.com.au
Fri, 26 May 2023 19:19 UTC
Hailstones up to 3cm in diameter were recorded in Merewether.
© Julian EllisHailstones up to 3cm in diameter were recorded in Merewether.
A major regional city has been pounded by hailstones as an intense storm struck, leaving thousands without power and hundreds needing SES help.

Newcastle was in the firing line for some of the worst of the storm, with large hail stones raining down over the city's centre and suburbs including Merewether, The Junction, Bar Beach and Cooks Hill.

NSW SES received an influx of calls during the storm, with 420 incidents reported.

"Over the span of 15 minutes alone, we received 45 jobs for hail and roof damage, with an additional 40 jobs waiting in the queue," the SES said.

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Cloud Precipitation

Terrifying floods ravage Spain's Mediterranean coast

Elena Salvoni
Daily Mail
Fri, 26 May 2023 19:02 UTC
Motorists were seen trying their luck on the waterlogged roads. Many were no match for the walls of water
Motorists were seen trying their luck on the waterlogged roads. Many were no match for the walls of water
Shocking footage shows the moment a mother and her child are swept away as she tries to push a buggy through raging floodwaters that have swallowed a street in Spain.

Roads in parts of the country have been turned into rivers, after record hot weather on the Iberian peninsula moved to the UK, replaced by torrential rains, breaking a prolonged drought.

The floods have hit areas along the Mediterranean coast the hardest, with as much as 40 litres of rain per square metre falling in one hour in parts of Murcia yesterday.

Homes and businesses in tourist areas like Alicante have been flooded and cars swept away, with stranded people and dogs needing to be rescued.

The Emergency Coordination Center of Murcia described it as the worst weather front in history for the area, with storms wreaking havoc there as well as in Valenica and Andalusia in recent days.

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Seismograph

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake shakes eastern Japan, no tsunami warning


ABC News
Fri, 26 May 2023 13:53 UTC
The epicenter of the earthquake that occurred on May 26 at 7:03 p.m. is located in East Chiba Prefecture | GOOGLE MAPS
The epicenter of the earthquake that occurred on May 26 at 7:03 p.m. is located in East Chiba Prefecture | GOOGLE MAPS
A strong earthquake shook Tokyo and other areas of eastern Japan on Friday, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The magnitude 6.1 quake was centered off the east coast of Chiba Peninsula at a depth of 44.5 kilometers (28 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Strong shaking was reported in Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, but the USGS said there was little chance of serious damage or fatalities.

Kyodo News service said no problems were reported at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki.
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Arrow Down

Man narrowly escapes from car window after driving into sinkhole in Galveston, Texas


MySA.com
Thu, 25 May 2023 13:16 UTC
A man narrowly escaped from a car window after driving into a sinkhole in Galveston on Tuesday, May 23.
A man narrowly escaped from a car window after driving into a sinkhole in Galveston on Tuesday, May 23.
A man narrowly escaped from his car window after driving into a sinkhole that suddenly formed in a Galveston street on Tuesday, May 23. John King thought he was going over a large puddle before submerging his vehicle into the sinkhole.

Due to a water pipe failure, water was released into the area and formed a sinkhole near the intersection of 22nd Street and Avenue M, according to the Houston Chronicle. City officials closed off the area and municipal workers isolated the water main to prevent further damage to nearby homes and businesses.

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Arrow Down

Not a pothole: Huge sinkhole swallows Calgary road

Peter Klein
Daily Hive
Thu, 25 May 2023 13:00 UTC
A huge sinkhole has opened up in the Calgary community of Cranston.
A huge sinkhole has opened up in the Calgary community of Cranston.
City crews were called to the intersection of Cranston Boulevard and Cranston Drive SE on Tuesday afternoon to begin work on the sinkhole.

After working in the area, they came to the conclusion that this issue was caused by a broken drain valve inside the park area.

The good news for people nearby is the water system hasn't been affected.

The bad news is this has created a scenario straight out of a movie for some.

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Cloud Precipitation

At least six killed, 100 homes destroyed in Afghan flood


WION
Fri, 26 May 2023 12:49 UTC
File photo: A man on a wheelchair makes his way through flood waters after heavy rains in Kabul on April 24, 2022
© AFPFile photo: A man on a wheelchair makes his way through flood waters after heavy rains in Kabul on April 24, 2022
At least six people have been killed and dozens of homes were washed away after heavy rains lash central Afghanistan.

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Attention

Wounded bear attacks man a day after he shot it at Oregon home, officials say

Helena Wegner
The News Tribune
Thu, 25 May 2023 12:41 UTC
File photo of a black bear. A man was attacked by a bear near his property on May 24 in La Grande, Oregon, wildlife officials said.
File photo of a black bear. A man was attacked by a bear near his property on May 24 in La Grande, Oregon, wildlife officials said.
A man was attacked by a black bear near his Oregon property a day after shooting the animal, wildlife officials said.

The bear first appeared near the man's home on May 23 in the Mount Emily Recreation Area in La Grande, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release.

It was harassing his chickens, so he shot it, wildlife officials said.

The next day he went to look for the animal and found it close to his property. He shot it again and was attacked at about 7:37 a.m., officials said.
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Attention

Killer whales damage boat in latest orca incident off Spain coast - at least 20 such interactions in May


Al Jazeera
Fri, 26 May 2023 11:27 UTC
An endangered female orca leaps from the water
An endangered female orca leaps from the water in Puget Sound west of Seattle, United States [File: Elaine Thompson/AP]
Dozens of incidents involving groups of orcas and boats have been reported off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts so far this year.

Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service has said, adding to dozens of attacks by orcas on vessels recorded so far this year off Spanish and Portuguese coasts.

The incident follows at least 20 interactions this month alone in the Strait of Gibraltar between small vessels and killer whales, according to the Atlantic Orca Working Group-GTOA, which tracks populations of the Iberian orca subspecies.
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Health

American tourist has leg bitten off by shark in Turks and Caicos Islands

Snejana Farberov
New York Post
Thu, 25 May 2023 11:14 UTC
Great white shark
An American tourist from Connecticut vacationing in Turks and Caicos had her leg bitten off by a shark while snorkeling near a resort.

The victim, who has not been identified, was in the waters off Blue Haven Resort on Providenciales Island around 3 p.m. Wednesday when she was attacked by a shark, according to a statement from the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Department.

Police got a 911 call from a resort staffer, reporting that the tourist had her leg bitten off and requesting an ambulance.

It was not immediately known how the seriously injured victim fought off the apex predator and made it back ashore.
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