Earth ChangesS


Attention

Study: Super typhoon may flood a third of Tokyo


The Straits Times
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 22:52 UTC
Tokyo, Japan
© BLOOMBERGA Tokyo Metropolitan Government report says 99 percent of Sumida Ward, where Tokyo Skytree is located, will be flooded if a supertyphoon hits the capital.
One-third of central Tokyo could be left under water and nearly four million people affected if a super typhoon were to strike Japan's capital, causing storm surges, a new study has warned.

The Tokyo metropolitan government unveiled on Friday its first estimate of the capital city's vulnerability to damage from typhoon-related high tidal waves, as risks of storm damage continue to rise globally.

According to the report, 212 sq km, or one third of Tokyo's central area, could be inundated to a maximum depth of 10m if a super typhoon creates high tidal waves.

A severe event of this type would be estimated to affect as many as 3.95 million people in the city, flooding business and entertainment districts as well as major railway stations, the local government said.

Tokyo has a population of 13.7 million people.
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Windsock

Jelawat rapidly intensified into the first super typhoon of 2018

Jonathan Erdman
The Weather Channel
Thu, 29 Mar 2018 06:36 UTC
Super Typhoon Jelawat
© NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP/VIIRSSuper Typhoon Jelawat on March 30, 2018.
Typhoon Jelawat not only became the first typhoon of 2018, but then exploded into a Category 4 super typhoon, a relative rarity this early in the calendar.

Jelawat was first categorized as a tropical depression last Saturday, then strengthened to become the year's first typhoon Thursday afternoon, U.S. time.

Over the western Pacific Ocean north of the equator and west of the International Dateline, tropical cyclones are called typhoons when they strengthen to the equivalent of a hurricane.

But Jelawat, named for a Malaysian word for a freshwater fish, wasn't content to merely slide across the typhoon threshold.

Because of a west-to-east cocoon of lower wind shear, strong outflow winds aloft providing ventilation for thunderstorms, and some warmer than average ocean water, Jelawat rapidly intensified, gaining 70 knots (roughly 80 mph) of intensity in just 24 hours, becoming the equivalent of a Category 4 super typhoon by Friday morning, U.S. time.
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Tornado2

Amazed residents film tornado touch-down in Var, France

Chad Seabrook
Sott.net
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 18:27 UTC
tornado france var
© Bryan Frt/ Facebook
Life on our planet is clearly undergoing serious changes that can be seen in the shifting seasons and also in individual, unusual but increasingly common events.

January in France saw every major weather station record above average rainfall with 30 departments on alert for flooding, areas of Paris underwater as the Seine swelled to 6 metres, and mountain areas saw unexpectedly high snowfall. Then, in 24 hours in February, France saw a magnitude 4.8 earthquake and a fireball.

So in keeping with what is actually a worldwide trend, today 31st March, La Crau residents in the Var region in France, saw Spring's grey skies birth a tornado which touched down early afternoon, and thankfully the locals whipped out their recording devices to capture the phenomenon. An investigation is under way to determine the strength of the winds.

Comment: See Also:

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Snowflake

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: European blizzards, UK snows, Norway cliffhangers and golden globes


Adapt 2030
Fri, 30 Mar 2018 19:57 UTC
Fuente del Tesoro
Fuente del Tesoro
SW Russia intense blizzard, more European delayed planting reports. Arctic vortex to split again bringing snow and cold temperature to UK, USA, and Europe. Ice Floes in the Netherlands with avalanche warnings in Norway. The sunset on our society as the Grand Soar Minimum intensifies bringing us iridescent skies and sunset globes of frozen color.


Sources
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Snowflake

Spring storm dumps a foot of snowfall on central Minnesota

Miguel Otárola
Star Tribune
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 19:37 UTC
Mother nature dumped anywhere from 5-9 inches of new snowfall overnight Friday, into Saturday morning, March 31st.
Mother nature dumped anywhere from 5-9 inches of new snowfall overnight Friday, into Saturday morning, March 31st.
If the official start of spring tricked you into believing we would soon be frolicking in green pastures under the sun, Saturday's overnight snowfall was a sobering reminder that it won't be happening anytime soon.

A fierce snowstorm, combined with strong winds and temperatures significantly below average for this time of year, created treacherous conditions for drivers across much of the state. More than a foot of snow fell in the hardest-hit areas of central Minnesota overnight Friday and early Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.

The Twin Cities also saw its fair share of snowfall, with 2.8 inches officially recorded at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by morning. More snow fell to just north: 5.5 inches and 6.1 inches were recorded in Andover and St. Cloud, respectively.

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Arrow Up

Sahara Desert has grown by 10% in the last 100 years


RT
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 17:42 UTC
Sahara Desert
© Google Maps
Climate change is partly to blame for a startling increase in the size of the Sahara Desert over the past one hundred years. According to a new study, the world's largest desert has expanded by 10 percent since 1920.

Researchers from the University of Maryland studied rainfall data to measure boundary changes of the desert and found that higher summer temperatures coupled with dry winters are increasing the overall aridity of the land. The expansion of the desert also spells trouble for humans and ecosystems in the Sahel, the transition zone between the desert and the lush green lands of the Savannah to the south.

"The trends in Africa of hot summers getting hotter and rainy seasons drying out are linked with factors that include increasing greenhouse gases and aerosols in the atmosphere," said Ming Cai, program director at the National Science Foundation, the group that funded the study. "These trends have a devastating effect on the lives of African people."
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Cloud Precipitation

A taste of the future? Hailstorms damage crops in several districts of Bihar, India

Ayesha Hassan
The Times of India
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 13:26 UTC
crop damage
Crop damage
Hailstorm accompanied by moderate rain lashed several districts in north Bihar on Friday.

Certain blocks of Sitamarhi, Madhubani, East and West Champaran, Araria, Kishanganj and Darbhanga witnessed hailstorm along with thundershowers during the day. Thunder squalls occurred in some districts in north Bihar, such as Purnia and Motihari.

Satellite observations of Doppler Weather Radar on Friday morning showed severe thunderstorm, hailstorm, lightning accompanied with light to moderate rain and winds at a speed of 60-80km per hour lashing Bettiah, Motihari, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, Katihar, Madhepura, Supaul, Araria and Saharsa from 10am to 1pm on Friday.

The snow pellets during the hailstorm caused damage to standing wheat, sugarcane and maize crops in many north Bihar districts. Litchi and mango blossoms also sustained damages.

Comment: Similar events in Asia have also occurred recently in Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

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Attention

Mud volcano erupts in Garadagh, Azerbaijan

Laman Ismayilova
MENAFN
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 13:08 UTC
mud volcano
The "Ayrantokan mud volcano in Baku's Garadagh district erupted on March 29 at around21:10.

The eruption lasted up to seven minutes and was accompanied by flames, which reached a height of about 100-150 meters above the volcanic crater.

The eruption covers an area of up to 2 hectares and varies from 0.3 to 1.2 meters in thickness.

There are no settlements around the mud volcano. Radial cracks have formed in the volcanic area.

Comment: Other mud volcanoes have erupted in the past year:

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Wolf

Video of pit bull lunging at seven-year-old boy and breaking his wrist in savage attack in Taiwan

Keiran Southern
Daily Mail
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 12:31 UTC
Money, a pit bull pup, is said to have felt threatened by a seven -year-old boy who was throwing treats in his direction in south-western Taiwan
Money, a pit bull pup, is said to have felt threatened by a seven -year-old boy who was throwing treats in his direction in south-western Taiwan
CCTV footage captured the heart-stopping moment a pit bull pup attacked a young boy who tried to feed it biscuits and broke his wrist.

The months-old pit bull mix named Money is believed to have felt threatened when the seven-year-old child who lives next door threw the snack in its direction.

Security video from the alleyway in Kaohsiung City's Hunei District in south-western Taiwan shows the boy trying to back away from the pooch, which continues to charge at him.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning kills two, crops damaged by large hailstones in Rangpur, Bangladesh

Liakat Ali Badal and Mohammed Serajul Islam
Dhaka Tribune
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 11:37 UTC
A significant number of crops were devastated by the storm
© Ariful Islam/Dhaka TribuneAriful Islam/Dhaka Tribune
A huge storm and hailstones passed over Rangpur city and surrounding districts on Friday afternoon, resulting in at least two deaths and significant damage to crops. The most affected areas were different areas of Pirganj and Mithapukur upazila.

Meanwhile, one person was killed in Sylhet as a result of flying debris in the storm.

In Rangpur, at least two people have died, and about 50 others were injured, while significant damage was done to trees and households .The two deceased were Shamim of Badarganj and Nayan Miah of Taraganj, both day labourers who were struck by lightning.

Besides Rangpur city, the tornado hit several parts of Gangachhara, Pirganj, Mithapukur, and Taraganj upazilas.

Comment: On the same day in Pakistan a lighting bolt killed 3 farmers in Pabna while a man died after being hit on the 23rd of March in Netrakona. Elsewhere across the world an angler was fatally struck in Malayasia on the 24th and a woman died in India on the 22nd due to the same cause.

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