Earth ChangesS


Binoculars

An extremely rare gyrfalcon from the tundra visits Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania

Arlene Koch
Lehigh Valley Live
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:02 UTC
A gyrfalcon. (File photo)
A gyrfalcon. (File photo)
It was raining and so warm the morning I wrote this column that I went out on the deck without a coat to refill a peanut feeder. We only put out peanuts in the mornings because they're costly, but at that time, blue jays put on a good show as they come in to grab them. I've seen a jay take three peanuts at the same time.

It was so unusually warm that mid-February day that snowdrops, small white flowers produced by bulbs, were blooming in the front yard. But, as often happens in the winter, the weather was going to turn on a dime. Dropping temperatures and snow were predicted for the next night.

As the day wore on I debated with myself about going for a second look at an extremely rare raptor that's been frequenting several places in the area. A dark-phase gyrfalcon, a tundra breeder and the largest and most powerful falcon in North America, has been drawing birders from miles around and surrounding states.

Comment: See also this report from 2 months ago: Rarely seen white morph gyrfalcon from the high Arctic spotted in New Brunswick, Canada

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Snowflake

Naples in Italy is 'whitewashed' by its heaviest snowfall in 50 years

Tariq Tahir
Daily Mail
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:03 UTC
Snow covers the area around Maschio Angioino during cold weather in Naples
Snow covers the area around Maschio Angioino during cold weather in Naples
Naples has seen its heaviest snow in half a century as a blast of Siberian weather continued to send temperatures plunging across Europe.

The snowfall led to the closure of the city's airport and transport in the city was severely disrupted while schools were forced to close.

An inaccurate forecast meant that the city's civil emergency department had not initially ordered the closure of its schools.

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Snowflake Cold

Rare snowfall hits Croatian islands and Dalmatian coast (PHOTOS)


Croatia Week
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 13:33 UTC
SNOW
Snow, strong winds, and freezing temperatures have gripped Croatia over the past couple of days.

Tuesday dawned another extremely cold day across the country as temperatures plummeted below zero in most cities and towns. The weather has closed schools in some areas and restricted traffic on many roads this week.

There was rare snowfall for towns and islands on the Dalmatian coast as temperatures fell below zero.
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Stop

Over one dozen landslides wreak havoc across Pittsburgh area


CBS
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 11:48 UTC
pittsburgh landslide
More than a dozen landslides throughout the Pittsburgh area have been wreaking havoc for the past week, forcing residents to evacuate and shutting down roads.

A major slide on the border of Duquesne Heights and the West End destroyed a home on Sunday. The slide started Friday afternoon with mud spilling onto Greenleaf Street. The homeowner and his wife were ordered to evacuate as a precaution.

Crews tried to clear away the debris Saturday and the residents were allowed back in to save essential belongings, but by Sunday morning, officials said it was clear the slide wasn't stopping.

Comment: While the recent mudslide in California has been getting a lot of media attention (no doubt due to the celebrities affected by it), landslides and mudslides around the world seem to be on the rise with seeming unrelenting increases in rain.

See also:

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Cloud Precipitation

US: Cincinnati flooding is "not over" - Ohio River swelled to over 60 feet (VIDEO)

Scott Wartman
Cincinnati.com
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 07:29 UTC
cin flooding
The Ohio River has started to recede but floodwaters might stick around until Saturday.

"This event is not over," Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Nick Crossley told county commissioners Monday.

The Ohio River has been dropping from its peak of 60.53 feet Sunday night and is now below 60 feet.

But rain predicted for Wednesday and Thursday will likely keep the river above flood stage until the weekend, Crossley said.

Comment: See Also:

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Snowflake Cold

Thunderstorm drops so much hail it looks like snow in Sacramento, California

Anthony Watts
Watts Up With That
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 12:00 UTC
Thunderstorm drops so much hail in Sacramento, it looks like snow
This strong thunderstorm system made for an interesting afternoon in Sacramento. It dropped an inch of pea-sized hail. so much it looked like snow. Hail from thunderstorms this time of year is a fairly common occurrence, but the quantity and breadth of hail is not.

Hail is covering the ground Monday afternoon in Sacramento, making it look like it's snowed in the Capitol City.

Comment:


These days, snow-like hail could be considered a blessing:

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Snowflake Cold

Britain braces itself as "beast from the east" brings -12C temps and heaviest snow in "25 years" - with another storm expected (PHOTOS)

Sofia Petkar and Paul Sims
The Sun
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 07:25 UTC
snow worries
Brits are facing potential commuter chaos this morning after the "Beast from the East" forced rail companies to cancel 200 trains and airlines to postpone flights.

Forecasters also warned how roads across the UK could be too dangerous to drive on, with more than 20cm of snow expected to fall across the country up until midday.

Amber warnings have been issued for snow showers this morning, covering the South East and North East of England and the East Midlands.
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Seismograph

Shallow 6.2 magnitude earthquake recorded in Papua New Guinea


Earthquake Track
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 19:55 UTC
graph
6.2 magnitude earthquake 58 km from Mendi, Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea

2018-02-26 15:17:59 UTC

USGS page: M 6.2 - 56km SW of Mendi, Papua New Guinea
USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Reports from the public: 1 person

13 km depth

Comment: This latest shake occurred in the same region of the world less than 24 hours after this major event: Huge earthquake strikes Ring of Fire: Papua New Guinea hit by shallow 7.5 magnitude quake - at least 10 dead (UPDATE)

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Fish

As marina thaws, thousands of frozen shad appear in Burlington, Iowa

Julia Mericle
The Hawk Eye
Sun, 25 Feb 2018 19:32 UTC
Frozen Shad
Frozen Shad
The Spring thaw arrived at Bluff's Harbor Marina this week and brought with it thousands of dead shad.

During two months of ice and freezing temperatures, the fish in the marina slowly ran out of oxygen. Harbormaster Jon Billups said even using bubblers, which churn air and oxygen into the marina during the winter months to keep ice down, did not help this year.

"We've had winters where there weren't any fish killed because there wasn't enough ice to matter," said Billups. "But this time it was so long. We had over two months of solid ice down here. It's a shame, but it's nature."

As the ice thaws and becomes translucent, the silvery fish, not much bigger than minnows, are exposed, frozen right where they were swimming. In some places, ice fishers reported the ice about a foot thick.

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Boat

At least 70 US rivers are in flood stage from Great Lakes to Texas

John Bacon
USA Today
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 16:12 UTC
Kentucky flooding
© MIKE DE SISTI, USA TODAY NETWORKHomes are flooded along Mellwood Avenue near Brownsboro Rd. In Louisville, Ky. Feb 26, 2018. Substantial rain has caused severe flooding in the area this week.
A new storm system forecast to form in the central U.S. threatened to bring additional weather misery to areas struggling to recover from a relentless series of weekend thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Roughly 70 separate rivers are now in flood stage as of midday Monday, the National Weather Service said.

The new weather system will begin a three-day romp through the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys sometime Tuesday, weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said.

"After a few dry days, rain will return to some of the waterlogged cities in those regions, exacerbating the flooding situation," Dolce said.

Overall, more than 250 river gauges reported levels above flood stage from the Great Lakes to Texas, Dolce said. (Each river can have several gauges.)

The greatest issues in coming days will be in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on Wednesday into early Thursday.


Comment: See also:

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